A Path with Purpose and Passion
A Note from Dean Harvey Young: Spring 2026
Photo by Natasha Moustache
A Path with Purpose and Passion
A Note from Dean Harvey Young: Spring 2026
He wanted to be a painter. As I walked down Commonwealth Avenue with Richard Raiselis, the esteemed artist-educator told me his story.
Professor Raiselis entered college on a premed path. It was one that would have taken him to medical school and life as a physician. However, he found himself increasingly enamored with art—and the joys of a creative life—as he enrolled in elective courses in painting. This newfound passion was consuming. He changed majors late in his college years. He blazed a new trail for himself.
His story stayed with me. In reviewing the college’s curriculum (which is one of the things that deans do) with School of Visual Arts faculty, we realized that we were denying ourselves the opportunity of reaching, educating, and graduating students who, like Professor Raiselis, found their calling after starting college. In addition to our existing BFA degree, we designed a second undergraduate degree, a BA in Visual Arts, to meet the needs of transfer students as well as those interested in double-majoring. The new degree, an immediate success, brought a new stream of exceptional student-artists to our college. More important, it gave those students the opportunity to chart a new path.
You won’t encounter this story in the feature article on Professor Raiselis. His positive impact on BU is far-reaching. Ana Valdez, in her California studio, told me about her process—from how she mixes colors to how she signs the back of her canvases—before pausing to say, “I learned that from Richard Raiselis.”
Within the College of Fine Arts, several hundred exceptional professional artists are united by their deep commitment to mentoring the next generation of scholar-artists. The impact of their teaching as well as the words that they share in passing—including to a dean on the street—can be profound.
What is a piece of advice from a BU faculty member that shifted your thinking or led to a great breakthrough? I would love to hear about it. Email me at cfadean@bu.edu.
Harvey Young, Dean of Boston University College of Fine Arts
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