The Strategic Plan for Arts & Sciences sets out a clear and ambitious direction for Arts & Sciences at Boston University. Five priorities serve as the guideposts for how we achieve our vision. To operationalize and advance these priorities, Arts & Sciences has identified an initial set of initiatives and we will continue to develop new initiatives over time.
Progress towards this first set of initiatives is outlined below and will be regularly updated:
Expanded BU Center for the Humanities (BUCH)
Position BU to become an internationally recognized leader in the integration of humanistic scholarship and teaching with the professional schools; provide a vibrant and dynamic home for the humanities community at BU; and enhance contributions and partnerships with Boston-area and national initiatives in the humanities, including public humanities. This will be done by establishing a university-wide center for the humanities that builds on the tremendous strengths of the current BUCH with new and expanded activities, including competitive outside fellowships, annual research themes, a postdoctoral fellowship program, university-wide events, and expanded student programming.
Status as of 5/23:
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- Faculty-led committee charged with developing a charter for an expanded BUCH (launched in Fall 2021) has completed their year-long work in Fall 2022.
- Proposed expansion includes a focus on humanities leadership, digital humanities, and humanities in the world.
- Juliet Floyd, Professor of Philosophy, has been appointed the next Director of the BUCH; her term will start on July 1, 2023.
- Next steps include appointing two associate directors, and leveraging the expanded charge for the Center in fundraising conversations.
News and updates:
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- BUCH receives $300,000 grant for high school programs
- Listen to the BUCH Podcast
New Center for Innovation in the Social Sciences
Advance, accelerate, and amplify the social sciences at BU and our contributions to addressing pressing global challenges, by bringing together our impressive range of strengths in the social sciences into a shared community enhanced by research incubation, support, and promotion. This will be done by creating a center that provides a home for cross-cutting research across BU’s social science departments, programs, and related programs and institutes.
Status as of 5/23:
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- Center launched in September 2021 with Professor Deborah Carr appointed as the Inaugural Director
- Center celebrated its first anniversary in September 2022.
- The Center has successfully introduced a variety of programming and collaboration opportunities for social scientists at BU, as well as providing experiential learning and professional development opportunities for our
News and updates:
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- Announcement of Center’s launch and appointment of Deborah Carr as Director
- CISS celebrates first anniversary
- CISS Names 2022-23 Cohort of Undergraduate Research Interns and Mentors
- CISS and BU Spark! Invite Applications for Data Science & Computational Support
- CISS Names Inaugural Cohort of Postdoctoral Scholars
- Social Science Faculty Share Advice on Finding, Applying For, and Managing Small Grants
- A Social Science Research Hub in arts & sciences magazine
Arts & Sciences Society of Postdoctoral Fellows
Establish BU as a leader among our peers in addressing historic gaps in the faculty pipeline by proactively recruiting first-rank scholars from diverse backgrounds; bringing fresh new ideas to campus; advancing the postdocs’ research and teaching; and contributing to raising the Arts & Sciences profile as a home for inclusivity and scholarly development. This will be done by launching an interdisciplinary community of distinguished junior scholars.
Status as of 5/23:
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- First cohort of five outstanding junior scholars arrived on September 1 and are concluding their first year of research and teaching. This cohort has been joined by 10 faculty fellows, responsible for mentoring and guiding the Society’s activities.
- Second cohort of five outstanding junior scholars have been selected and will start on September 1, 2023.
News and updates:
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- Website and call for applications launched
- Society of Fellows featured in BU Today
- Society of Fellows featured on Arts & Sciences website
- CISS: Meet Society of Fellows Anthropology Scholar Alize Arıcan
- CISS: Meet Society of Fellows Archaeology Scholar Jacob Bongers
- Classical Studies: Interview with Incoming Postdoctoral Fellow: Dr. Tori Lee
Recruiting & Growing Our Talent
Establish Arts & Sciences as a home for outstanding students, faculty, and staff, where community members are valued stakeholders in shaping Arts & Sciences’ mission, personal and professional growth/development is promoted, and achievements are recognized and celebrated, thereby becoming a recognized model and leader amongst our peers. This will be done by continuing to recruit top talent, including endowed professorships for faculty and access to scholarships for students; strengthening our professional and career development opportunities, including a new expanded mentorship program for faculty and staff; and enhancing the mechanisms to promote and acknowledge the contributions and achievements of our community members.
Status as of 5/23:
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- Continue to recruit top talent; strengthen our professional and career development opportunities; and enhance the mechanisms to promote and acknowledge the contributions and achievements of our community members.
- Refining implementation plans for FY23 and FY24, including expanded mentoring programs and integration across initiatives, such as the Society of Fellows and CAS D&I activities.
Reinvigorating Graduate Education
Enhance the stature of the Graduate School’s programs and ensure we prepare our graduates for success and leadership beyond BU. This will be done by taking an integrated approach to graduate education that extends beyond research and scholarly training to provide an environment in which all our students thrive, with access to stronger services and resources for student wellness, health, and financial well-being while pursuing their studies, and access to career-focused skill building and experiences for their years after degree completion.
Status as of 5/23:
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- A detailed outline is being developed of how this work will be addressed for doctoral programs in the coming year.
Arts & Sciences in Action
Ensure our undergraduate students have the tools and opportunities to explore and discover the tremendous range of possibilities within Arts & Sciences that will maximize their degree experience and prepare them for whatever the future might hold. This will be done by adopting a holistic approach that integrates our existing strengths in undergraduate teaching and learning and strengthens additional areas, including the advancement and expansion of experiential learning opportunities; the creation of a connector for Arts & Sciences students to help identify pathways for leveraging their student experiences and utilizing career development and alumni networks; the development of co-taught, interdisciplinary courses; and the augmentation of inclusivity into introductory-level courses, among other activities.
Status as of 5/23:
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- Secured a $2.5 million anonymous gift to support the launch of the A&S Connector and hired Erin Salius, the inaugural director, after a competitive search.
- A&S Connector activities launched in Spring 2023, including a dedicated website with a comprehensive list of CAS courses with EL components and an inventory of EL opportunities available to CAS undergraduates, a peer mentoring program, a summer internships support program, and a career panel for humanities majors.
News and updates:
Deepen Investment in Infrastructure
Enable cutting-edge research and teaching through focused investment in the structures needed to achieve our top priorities. This will be done by addressing infrastructure needs in areas such as enhancing teaching and research laboratories across all disciplines, providing a centralized data infrastructure, ensuring access to shared equipment, creating appropriate spaces for collaborative work and learning activities, and offering research support as well as library and digital infrastructure.
Status as of 5/23:
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- Second joint program with BU Libraries to advance digital resources for the humanities and social sciences underway.
- STEM Research Support Committee, an ad hoc faculty and staff committee, was convened and has provided recommendations on enhancing support structures for extracurricular grant-seeking and grant-management.