Jean Morrison to Step Down as University Provost
May 12, 2023
Dear Friends,
I am writing to let you know that Jean Morrison, our University Provost and Chief Academic Officer for the last 12 years, will step down from this role at the end of June. After a well-deserved sabbatical year, she will join the faculty at Boston University.
Simply put, Jean is the best university administrator that I have had the pleasure of working with in my almost 40 years in university leadership. Her leadership and the work of her colleagues in the Office of the University Provost have been responsible for many of the critical transformations in the University. Her long list of accomplishments includes development of the BU Hub (our undergraduate general education requirement), creation of the Pardee School of Global Studies, launch of the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, and the start of BU Virtual, our effort in online education at scale. Jean also has left an indelible legacy through her efforts to diversify our faculty and make Boston University a more inclusive community, including the establishment of the Center for Antiracist Research, directed by Professor Ibram X. Kendi. She has been responsible for bringing critical talent to Boston University, being at the center of the hiring of hundreds of faculty members and academic leaders.
Those of us who work closely with Jean have witnessed daily the wise, informed, and reflective leadership she brings to the innumerable decisions, big and small, the University Provost must make. Her leadership skills were on full display as she guided our academic community through the pandemic and as she led the crafting of our 2030 Strategic Plan.
We will celebrate Jean’s accomplishments before she steps down.
Because the presidential transition is underway, it is not appropriate for me to appoint a permanent person in this critical role. Accordingly, I will move to designate an Interim University Provost to assume the role beginning July 1.
I hope you will join me in thanking Jean Morrison for her leadership and service to Boston University.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Brown
President