Boston University President Melissa L. Gilliam’s Vision for the Arts at BU
Photo by Janice Checchio
Boston University President Melissa L. Gilliam’s Vision for the Arts at BU
For BU’s 11th president, elevating the presence of the arts on campus is one of Dr. Gilliam’s main goals.
A new era has begun at Boston University! Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam has assumed the role of the 11th president of Boston University with a rich background and a forward-looking vision. As President Gilliam starts her term, one of her goals is to elevate the presence of the arts on campus.
This will be through displaying public art across the University and strengthening the connection between the campus community and the “fantastic work we’re already doing in places like Tanglewood, BU College of Fine Arts, BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, and BU College of Communication,” says President Gilliam.
What role will the arts play at BU?
“The arts enliven and enrich all of us and have to be a central focus of Boston University.”
-BU President Melissa L. Gilliam
A Conversation: Boston University President Melissa L. Gilliam on First Impressions, Challenges, and Ambitions
This Q&A was first published in BU Today on July 1, 2024. By Doug Most
Throughout its 185-year history, Boston University has had just 10 presidents. On Monday, July 1, 2024, Melissa L. Gilliam, a physician, a researcher in public health, medicine, and the humanities, and a higher education leader for two decades, took office as BU’s 11th president.
Since being named as the next president in fall 2023, she has traveled throughout the region, the country, and the world, to help her understand the history of BU, its place in the city, the people who make it tick, and to begin to shape her vision and the direction she sees for the University’s future.
Gilliam, who spent the majority of her career at University of Chicago and most recently served as provost and executive vice president at The Ohio State University, sat down with BU Today on a warm June Friday for a relaxed, hour-long conversation. With a view of the Charles River behind her and the anticipation of beginning her presidency in front of her, Gilliam spoke openly about some of her initial impressions of BU, the people she’s met both in Boston and around the world, the opportunities that she sees, the challenges she anticipates, and her ambitions for the University she now leads.
BU Today: Over the last six months, you’ve traveled locally and regionally, but also around the world. Can you share some of what you’ve heard from alums, trustees, or anyone else, and any surprises you’ve had?
Gilliam: Our alums, trustees, and families are very proud of Boston University. It was great to hear. In these months, I have learned and seen many terrific things. We have a strong presence in Los Angeles and leaders in film and television. We have a wonderful alumni community of highly accomplished people there. I had the opportunity to hear about the connections between the College of Fine Arts and the College of Communication. I did not know how impactful we’ve been in the arts. I learned [renowned painter and muralist] Philip Guston was here. And, [celebrated abstract artist] Brice Marden was a graduate. I learned about Sargent College [of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences] and the [Chobanian & Avedisian] School of Medicineand their history of promoting women in medicine.
I also learned about our large global footprint, and our strong global reputation. I had the opportunity to speak to parents in international cities. And they talked about why they want their children to go to Boston University. They said it is a wonderful community of people, that your child learns something that is translatable—engineering, business, international relations. And their children are in a safe city. That was appealing to them. As I have traveled, many people have told me that they owe their success to Boston University.
In these months, I have learned and seen many terrific things. We have a strong presence in Los Angeles and leaders in film and television. We have a wonderful alumni community of highly accomplished people there. I had the opportunity to hear about the connections between the College of Fine Arts and the College of Communication. I did not know how impactful we’ve been in the arts. I learned [renowned painter and muralist] Philip Guston was here. And, [celebrated abstract artist] Brice Marden was a graduate.
President Gilliams Answers Your Questions
“I have a big vision for Boston University in the years ahead, I am incredibly ambitious and very confident about what is possible at Boston University.” Those are the words of BU’s 11th president, Melissa L. Gilliam, whose tenure began July 1, 2024.
In this video interview, she talks about her vision for the University, what she has learned so far from members of the BU community, the importance of the arts on campus, and some of the pressing issues ahead.