A Year of Building
During the 2017/18 academic year, the college and graduate school continued their forward momentum from recent years, strengthening and growing existing programs and initiatives. CAS faculty members helped lead the creation and launch of BU’s new general education curriculum, the BU Hub, which opens up new possibilities for our students and affirms the place of the arts and sciences as the foundation of BU undergraduate education. We created a new living-learning program, Global House, which launched this fall and brings students of 10 different languages under one roof to engage with and learn from each other. Emily Barman, our new associate dean for graduate studies, began in fall 2017 with a determination to expand support services for students, enhance diversity and inclusion efforts for our graduate programs, and continue a pattern of growth in the number of master’s students while maintaining and enhancing the strength and excellence of our PhD programs.
This past year, we hired 33 new faculty members across all disciplines and enhanced the gender and racial/ethnic diversity among our faculty. Of the professors we hired (assistant, associate, full, and clinical), 18 were women and 15 were men. Of the 11 senior faculty members we hired (full professors and clinical professors), four are underrepresented minorities. This is a promising development, given the release of a strategic planning committee’s recommendations this past year on diversity and inclusion at CAS.
The past year’s achievements cap a successful three years for CAS under Dean Cudd’s deanship. The progress we have made over the past three years includes the expansion of and renewed engagement with the Dean’s Advisory Board; surpassing our fundraising goals in the Campaign for CAS and creating a stronger sense of donor community and donor inclusion in the school’s strategic vision; the creation of the CAS Think Tank; dramatic growth in the field of computer science; and the development of the BU in San Francisco program. Under Dean Cudd’s leadership, CAS has also created, helped create, or enhanced other experiential learning programs: Earth House, the CAS On-Campus Internship Program, humanities internships in publishing, and public humanities internships in nonprofit civic, educational, and arts organizations.
Annual Report 2017/2018
From the Dean
Leading a dynamic college and graduate school of arts and sciences within a major research university is by definition a team effort. Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences Stan Sclaroff is determined to build on the accomplishments of former Dean Ann Cudd. The dean search that gets underway this fall is also an exciting opportunity for the school’s leadership, staff, and faculty to continue to imagine what is possible for our college.
A Year of Building
During the 2017/18 academic year, the college and graduate school continued their forward momentum from recent years, strengthening and growing existing programs and initiatives. We helped lead the creation and launch of BU’s new general education curriculum, the BU Hub; launched a new living-learning program, Global House; and continued a pattern of growth in the number of master’s students while maintaining and enhancing the strength and excellence of our PhD programs.
Strengthening Undergraduate Education
At CAS, we provide students with an education for the 21st century—one that is flexible, forward-looking, grounded, and rigorous. In 2017/18, we matriculated one of our most talented ever classes of first-year students. And we worked hard to expand the experiential learning opportunities available to them, most notably with the launch of Global House. We also took the lead in developing a new BU-wide general education curriculum, the BU Hub.
Enhancing Graduate Education
A year ago, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) welcomed a new associate dean: sociologist Emily Barman. Since taking the helm, Barman has focused on expanding support services for students, enhancing diversity and inclusion efforts for our graduate programs, and continuing a pattern of growth in the number of master’s students while maintaining and enhancing the strength and excellence of our PhD programs.
Maintaining a World-Class Faculty
In order for CAS to provide its students with a world-class undergraduate and graduate education and maintain its reputation as a leading research institution, the college must continually renew and enhance its faculty. In 2017/18, CAS hired an excellent and diverse group of new lecturers and junior and senior faculty members.
Conducting Pathbreaking Research
In 2017/18, our faculty continued pushing the boundaries of research in a vast array of fields. Discoveries both major and incremental will have a real, positive impact on people’s lives. One of the biggest leaps forward came with the opening in fall 2017 of the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering.
Building Our Future Together
In 2017/18, the eighth year of the Campaign for Boston University, numerous alumni, friends, and parents have helped to raise $136.2 million for CAS—far exceeding our ambitious goal of $100 million.
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