Honoring Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel, the Andrew W. Mellon Emeritus Professor of the Humanities at Boston University, died in Manhattan this past Saturday. He was a singular human being and lived a profoundly dignified and meaningful life, bearing witness to atrocity in service of the cause of peace and justice. We are proud to have had him as a member of our faculty, where he was an inspiring presence for nearly forty years. And we join the world in mourning his passing; we will not see his like again.… More
Let the Summer Commence!
Congratulations on completing the 2015-16 academic year with style!… More
Celebrating Teaching
I had the pleasure of presenting teaching awards to six outstanding faculty members at the final CAS faculty meeting of 2015-16. As a teacher myself, I was inspired by the passion the recipients bring to their subjects and share with their students.… More
What We Mean when We Talk about Faculty Diversity
As I reflect on this year at Boston University and in higher education nationally, the theme of diversity and inclusion dominates my thoughts. One important area where activists are pushing for greater diversity is among the faculty, which BU is tackling head on.… More
BU’s Task Force on General Education
Faculty governance will soon have the opportunity to approve BU’s first University-wide General Education program. In this note, I want to state my reasons for supporting the report’s overall approach, as well as offer a specific critique of the proposal that I believe must be addressed.… More
Investing in our Graduate Programs
Our reputation as a global research university depends on the quality and variety of our graduate programs, and on the positions that our graduates take in academia, industry, and governments around the world. We must invest strategically… More
Preparing our Undergraduates for the ‘Real World’
CAS is already offering an impressive number of high quality academic opportunities to our students, but how can we do better?… More
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The day before classes begin, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., Day with a keynote speech by Juan Felipe Herrera, the Poet Laureate of the United States. The work of these two men suggests three themes that I want to briefly consider: inclusion, diversity, and the power of words.… More