Before students arrived back on campus this fall, I had some time to travel, read, write, and enjoy outdoor adventures—including climbing Mount Bierstadt, a “fourteener” in Colorado, with my son. I also had a chance to take a step back from the minutiae of memos and meetings to engage in some longer discussions and think deeper thoughts about the nature of liberal education, its place in the contemporary world, and the role of the College of Arts & Sciences as Boston University’s standard-bearer for liberal education.
The overarching theme that frames all of my thoughts about BU and CAS is that, fundamentally, we seek continually to build and foster a vibrant intellectual community. Our students, faculty, and alumni are united by a common purpose and shared values; we welcome and celebrate diversity of thought, perspective, and background, and we seek excellence. We aim to nurture students to become thoughtful, engaged, and informed world citizens, and to create new knowledge that benefits humanity. This mission inspires and energizes me every day.
During my first year as dean of Arts & Sciences, I had the opportunity to visit with many alumni across the country. I was struck in many of these visits by just how enthusiastic you were to tell me about your time at CAS and the paths your lives have taken since graduation—and just how eager you are to learn about what our faculty and students are up to and where the College is headed. These conversations also impressed upon me, a newcomer to Arts & Sciences, the amazing diversity of experiences and achievements our alumni have.
CONNECTIONS TO YOUR ALMA MATER CAN BECOME OBSCURED OVER TIME, BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS THERE. AND IT IS A LOT OF FUN TO REDISCOVER THEM.
In this issue of arts&sciences, you’ll read about Jan Seidler Ramirez (GRS’85), the chief curator of the 9/11 Memorial Museum in Manhattan, who has devoted much of the past 15 years to helping the public make sense out of a brutal act of hate. Jan’s choice to spend so much of her energy and passion on public service is heartening; she is among many CAS alums who have made the same choice. You’ll also read about alums who went on from CAS to become leaders and innovators in the technology sector. Together, these alumni are helping to change the way we live. Yet their achievements, while impressive and noteworthy, are just the tip of the iceberg of our alumni’s accomplishments and life experiences.
In this issue, you will also get to know a group of young alums who are full of promise and off to very intriguing starts to their careers. All of them were inspired by a seminal experience in a BU program outside of their undergraduate major, from Core Curriculum to the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. One of them, Cory Chan (CAS’15), studied abroad in Shanghai, China, as an undergraduate, despite not knowing any Chinese. She enjoyed her experience so much that she now lives and works there full time with the goal of starting her own charity to support students in underserved communities.
These are the kinds of stories that inspire me as I work to steer CAS down a path of growth and impact. As dean, I want to learn more about your lives and experiences, and I know that you enjoy hearing news of fellow alums and learning about chances to reconnect with each other—and connect with today’s faculty and students.
That is why I encourage you to become more involved with CAS in whatever way suits you best: share your stories with us through Class Notes by emailing casalum@bu.edu; attend one of the various events we hold on campus, across the US, and online at bu.edu/alumni/events; connect with other BU alums during a season of celebrations at Winterfest 2016–17; build your career with 30 days of networking, professional development webinars, and panels; or help us and thousands of other BU alumni make an impact around the world during the University’s Global Days of Service.
Connections to your alma mater can become obscured over time, but they are always there. And it is a lot of fun to rediscover them. For instance, we’ve received many emails from excited and pleasantly surprised readers who recognize former classmates or professors in the From the Archives photos. I invite youto take a few minutes to peruse this issue, and see what memories surface.