As the academic heart of BU and its biggest school, CAS’s dynamism is helping propel BU’s recognition as one of the finest research universities in the country. This year:

  • BU launched the Center for Systems Neuroscience, led by CAS Professor Michael Hasselmo, to engage in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research investigating the brain systems underlying functions such as perception and attention, learning and memory, speech and hearing, decision-making, movement, and planning.
  • BU brought on board former Mayor Tom Menino as a Professor of the Practice to partner with CAS political scientist Graham K. Wilson in launching the BU Initiative on Cities (IoC). The IoC brings together faculty members from a range of departments, including many within CAS, to pursue problem-solving research agendas developed in cooperation with mayors across the country and the globe.
  • Azer Bestavros, Professor of Computer Science and Director of BU’s Hariri Institute, along with Computer Science Research Professor Orran Krieger, helped secure a pledge of $3 million in support from the state of Massachusetts for the development of the Massachusetts Open Cloud. Additional details on the project were highlighted in BU Today.
  • BU’s new Center for Autism Research Excellence, directed by CAS psychologist Helen Tager-Flusberg and funded by a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, opened this year.

Research universities across the country face the challenge of declining federal support for research, but CAS faculty have continued to win precious dollars to support their own research and graduate and undergraduate education. During FY 2014, CAS faculty were awarded $63.4 million in research funding. These research efforts help expand the frontiers of human knowledge, and many make an immediate and visible difference in the world.

One of this year’s great research successes at CAS was made by Professor of Psychology Helen Tager-Flusberg who, with her colleagues, wrote the proposal that led to the establishment of the new Boston University Autism Center of Excellence (ACE). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) approved a five-year, $10 million grant to establish the center and will fund research focused on the least-probed aspects of this baffling, yet increasingly common, disorder. Professor Tager-Flusberg, a pioneer in the study of human cognition, will serve as the director of the new center.

Research highlights

Settings for Sharing Knowledge

One of the important ways that our faculty demonstrate their leadership in their fields is by hosting well-received academic conferences on campus. This spring, CAS Professor of Psychology and Director of the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program Deborah Belle organized a conference to bring together many of the key figures from the 1970s women’s movement to discuss lessons learned and also look to the future and the issues facing women today. Held in March, the gathering included over 50 panel discussions and three evenings of films, as well as a staged play. Upwards of 500 people attended, including a large number of young people. Read more

Also this spring, more than 150 mayors, senior government officials, emergency and public health responders, and others attended a daylong symposium on lessons from the 2013 marathon bombings, hosted by BU’s Initiative on Cities (IoC). Former Boston mayor and IoC codirector Thomas Menino (Hon.’01) shared his experience of how city officials, city workers, and hundreds of ordinary citizens were able to come together to effectively manage an unexpected crisis. Read more

Annual Report 2013/2014

  • From the DeanFrom the Dean
    From recruiting ever-better faculty and students to surging ahead in our capital campaign, academic year 2013/2014 was a year of great accomplishments.
  • New Structures for Organizing Discovery and EducationImproving Undergraduate Education
    CAS once again attracted our most talented class of undergraduates ever. And we laid the groundwork to serve them even better, offering expanded academic opportunities and a comprehensive first-year experience program with over 500 first-year student participants.
  • Enhancing a World-Class FacultyStrengthening Graduate Education
    BU and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences saw immediate, strong results from our new five-year PhD funding model that has increased the attractiveness of doctoral programs.
  • Strengthening the Quality of Undergraduate EducationEnhancing a World-Class Faculty
    The quality of a university depends on the quality of its faculty, and hiring the best and giving them a strong start is crucial. In 2013/14, CAS hired 17 new assistant professors and 3 senior professors across the humanities and social, natural, and computational sciences.
  • Strengthening the Quality of Graduate EducationConducting Path-Breaking Research
    As the academic heart of BU and its biggest school, CAS’s dynamism is helping propel BU’s recognition as one of the finest research universities in the country. New initiatives including the Center for Systems Neuroscience, BU Initiative on Cities, and Center for Autism Research Excellence are taking our research to new heights.
  • Strengthening Our Research and ScholarshipDeepening Our Global Mission
    This year, thanks to a generous gift from Frederick S. Pardee (SMG’54, GSM’54, Hon.’06), we laid the groundwork for the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, launched in September 2014 and reporting to CAS. The Pardee School builds on the substantial success CAS has had in creating strong global and international studies programs.
  • Finances and DevelopmentStewarding Our Resources
    Boston University is financially healthy, although it faces the challenges of a continuing weak economy and many other issues that require skilled and careful management in higher education today. CAS is fortunate to benefit from BU’s wise management and our own diligent stewardship of our resources.
  • The Class of 2012Nurturing Connections with Alumni and Friends
    Boston University and the College of Arts & Sciences have made significant steps in building a framework for alumni to engage with faculty, other alumni, and current students in ongoing learning, discussion, and inquiry. Over 6,000 of the alumni attending BU Alumni Association events around the world were CAS alumni (up 11% over the previous year).
  • AppendixGrowing Our Capacity: The Campaign for CAS
    BU is in the midst of our first-ever capital campaign, and CAS is well ahead in its progress toward our original goal of raising $100 million. More than 4,300 alumni and many other friends of CAS contributed during the past fiscal year. By the end of the 2014 fiscal year, CAS had received $83.2 million in gift funds through the campaign.
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