Offices and Initiatives

Efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion exists in schools, colleges, and offices across BU’s campuses.

Boston University Statement on Diversity

Read the official Boston University Statement on Diversity.

University Offices and Initiatives

Below, you’ll find a list of diversity resources for the Boston University community, including our graduate and professional students. Additionally, if you’re looking for other ways to connect with fellow students, check our listing of student groups and associations.

BU Diversity and Inclusion

BU Diversity & Inclusion works closely, and collaboratively, with academic leaders in all 17 schools and colleges and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, countless centers and institutes, as well as administrative offices across the University to build a positive and inclusive campus environment, to help ensure that not only are we more diverse but also that pathways to success and participation are open to every member of the BU community. 

The Newbury Center for First-Generation Students

The Newbury Center celebrates and fosters the success of first-generation undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at Boston University. Through various programs and events, and with the support of faculty, staff, and alumni, the Newbury Center creates a community of belonging and the ability for first-generation students to thrive.

LGBTQIA+ Center for Students

The LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center will be an inclusive and safe environment for all members of the BU community. With a deep commitment to recognizing and addressing the unique challenges faced by queer and trans students, the center will offer accessible resources, sustain inclusive community groups, introduce intersectional programming, and empower individuals in their pursuit of authentic self-expression within the university setting.

LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty and Staff

The LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff engages the BU community to foster a sense of belonging and connectedness for LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff; increase the visibility of LGBTQIA+ resources, research, and scholarship; celebrate the contributions of the diverse LGBTQIA+ community at BU; and improve recruitment and retention of LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff in the development of an inclusive and equitable workplace.

School and College Offices and Initiatives

Boston University has diversity and inclusion professionals located across all of our campuses, and in each of our graduate schools and colleges. A full list is available on the Diversity & Inclusion website.

Community

Diversity & Inclusion Events at BU

Boston University Diversity and Inclusion hosts a variety of community events aimed at sparking dialogue, nurturing a positive campus climate, and connecting BU faculty, students, and staff around issues of diversity, access, and inclusiveness.

Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground

The Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground preserves Dr. Howard Thurman’s (Hon.’67) legacy of breaking barriers of divisiveness, providing opportunities for personal growth and community building through special programs, events, and resources.

Resources for Women

ARROWS: Advance, Recruit, Retain & Organize Women in STEM

The ARROWS mission is to organize, align, and vertically integrate programs created to advance women throughout the STEM community at Boston University.

Graduate Women in Science & Engineering

Graduate Women in Science & Engineering (GWISE) at Boston University strives to create a community to support and promote women in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Through professional development seminars and workshops, social events, mentoring, and outreach, GWISE fosters interaction across all disciplines at BU and connects graduate students to postdocs, faculty, and broader networks in Boston and beyond.

Boston University Women’s Guild

The BU Women’s Guild is a woman-to-woman organization that provides the women of BU with a forum to discuss topics of common interest and with the opportunity to meet women from across the University whom they otherwise might not get to know.

Women’s Professional Development Committee

The Women’s Professional Development Committee provides a supportive space to host professional development opportunities for graduate-level women in science at Boston University through establishing and cultivating a network of exemplary mentorship with women in a diversity of scientific careers.

Access

Disability & Access Services

The Disability & Access Services is committed to providing equal and integrated access for all members of the University community.

Equal Opportunity Office

The Equal Opportunity Office works to promote and realize the University’s commitment to equal opportunity and affirmative action and ensure that the University meets its obligations under federal and state laws and regulations.

Office of the Ombuds

The Office of the Ombuds is an independent, impartial, informal problem-solving resource serving faculty, staff, and students on the Charles River, Fenway, and Medical Campuses.