Marsh Chapel’s 75th Anniversary Luncheon
Anniversaries are joyous occasions. Today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the dedication of the Daniel L. Marsh Chapel at Boston University. And in this spirit, this is a joyous day, as we recognize an institution that has long been at the center of Boston University’s campus life.
For generations, the Boston University community has looked to Marsh Chapel as a place for spiritual guidance, as a place to affirm our university’s values, and as a place to fortify our worldview as we journey outside our campus walls.
As you may be aware, this week, events at Boston University have led to tensions between members of our campus and community … and a painful sense of being unfairly judged and misunderstood. We are struggling with issues of identity, belonging, and political perspectives.
As a leader, my mind goes to security and the deep responsibility of ensuring the safety of each and every one of our community members no matter their viewpoint or actions. And, yes, I feel sadness, knowing there is discord among people who view the world differently. I am pained by the inability to see our common humanity.
But like you, I am here to celebrate. Indeed, we should be celebrating. Because at this time when we are sometimes confused and divided, at the heart of our campus is this chapel that has stood strong throughout times of trial and triumph.
Our university’s values are clear. Presidents who have come before me, beginning with our first president, William Fairfield Warren, envisioned a school in which no person regardless of race, religion, or sex would be turned away from the university. Indeed, our founders bucked the common practices of the day and opened our doors to all.
Our founders’ boldness makes us who we are today. We come from across the country and around the world to form this community. We were raised in different environments, with different religious traditions, economic realities, and family values and yet come together as a community. Our diversity fosters excellence in the laboratory, classroom, and playing field. And sometimes our community is harmonious, and sometimes our community erupts with misunderstanding and anger. But, we should not fear discord and struggle. Because in the wake of struggle, we can reflect. Marsh Chapel is a symbol of that reflection….which has served those before us and will continue to inspire those who will come after.
Dedicated on March 14, 1950, and named after our fourth president, Daniel L. Marsh, who chose every single piece of artwork, from carvings to stained glass, chandeliers, and paintings.
Marsh left a lasting impression on what the chapel should offer to its people. With spiritual guidance he affirmed our values.
“Here in God’s house,” he wrote in his book The Charm of the Chapel, “there shall be no prejudice, nor bigotry, nor narrow sectarianism.”
Marsh hoped that students would affirm these values and carry them out into the world:
“We hope that the procession of immortal youth passing through the halls of Boston University for the next thousand years will be vouchsafed a vision of greatness, and that that vision of greatness will become habitual, and result in moral progress.”
President Harold Case recruited Howard Thurman to be Dean of the Chapel. In 1953, Thurman joined Boston University and became the first Black person to serve as dean of a predominately white institution. That decision would give Boston University one of its greatest leaders.
In this moment in our history, I read Dean Thurman often, and look to his words, for guidance. Born in the rural south and well versed in the pain of hatred and discrimination, Thurman believed that the task before us was not to look outward in judgment of others but to look inward to gain understanding.
Thurman defined compassion as:
“…the awareness that where my life begins is where your life begins; the awareness that the sensitiveness to your needs cannot be separated from the sensitiveness to my needs; the awareness that the joys of my heart are never mine alone – nor are my sorrows.”
That is why we should celebrate today, because through Marsh Chapel we have Thurman’s spiritual guidance. We can sit shoulder to shoulder, face to face with the rich diversity of society and experience our common humanity. “where my life begins is where your life begins…”
***
Marsh Chapel is a place of spiritual guidance, and we are so pleased that one of our most prominent community members is here with us today.
Dean Lawrence Carter, the esteemed Founding Dean of the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, welcome.
Dean Carter also happens to be the mentor of Senator Warnock, who I am also very happy to welcome to Boston University.
In Senator Warnock’s book, he recounts a moving moment, in which Dean Carter finds himself in Marsh Chapel when he heard the news that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated.
While staring up at the beautiful stained-glass window, Dean Carter prayed aloud,
“Lord, help me to do something significant for Martin Luther King, Jr. before I close my eyes.”
Dean Carter – you have accomplished this, and then some.
[PAUSE]
Senator Warnock – we are honored that you are with us, as someone who has fiercely advocated for a more inclusive world, and who embodies the values that are important to us here at BU.
We see you, too, as a member of our extended family.
As pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where our esteemed alumnus Martin Luther King, Jr. presided, who better than you, senator, to offer a sermon on this occasion at Marsh Chapel, an institution where King spent some of his formative years.
Senator, I recently watched the acceptance speech you gave when you won election to the Senate, and I was struck by how you addressed “the multiracial, multi-religious coalition of conscience” who supported you.
“Each of us has value,” you told them. “And if we have value, we ought to have a voice.”
Yes. This is the kind of community we must aspire to at Boston University.
I am glad that you are here with us, and that you are able to reconnect with Dean Carter in this space that has meant so much to him.
Dean Hill – we are grateful for your continued stewardship of one of our community’s jewels.
***
I began by telling you that we have a moment to celebrate this opportunity for spiritual guidance, affirm our university values, and fortify our world view. To our past presidents, deans, and those ministers who stand before us today, thank you for your guidance.
Over the past year, we embarked on a journey to define and embody the values that have guided us over time and will guide us into the future.
After conversations with thousands of community members, we have identified 8 shared values and words to define them:
Integrity
Inclusion
Community
Collaboration
Excellence
Learning
Service
Global
In this moment, I’m compelled to focus on our value of inclusion.
Our community defined “inclusion” to mean, “believing that our diversity makes Boston University a better place to work and learn, we continue to seek ways to be more accessible and inclusive of differences in identity, background, ideas, and abilities.”
Of course, we know that our values must be more than words on a page—they must serve as a compass that keeps us true to who we are while pushing us to imagine what we can become.
***
Over these 75 years, community members from across the spectrum have found respite in Marsh Chapel’s beauty, have protested near its steps, and held vigils on its plaza. They have also found solace in its message of inclusion, and hope and gone out into the world to do great things.
Our campus will erupt in anger and disagreement, but that is also our opportunity for hope.
In his life, the great The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. experienced anger, fear, bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination and yet, he said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
If we learn to care about one another despite our differences and mistakes, we will create a university that is stronger, more inclusive, and more dynamic. We will create a university ready for the challenges of our day, honoring its roots while shaping a future of limitless possibility.
Thank you to all of you here today, who have made such a commitment to guide us through difficult times, and who have, along the way, blessed Marsh Chapel with your brilliance.
As delivered on November 16, 2025.