Professor David Carballo to Step Down as Assistant Provost for General Education
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
and Dr. Amie Grills, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs
Having completed his three-year term as assistant provost for general education, Professor David Carballo has announced plans to return to the faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences, where he is professor of archaeology, anthropology, and Latin studies. Professor Carballo will remain actively involved with the BU Hub team in the upcoming transitional year, but is also looking forward to engaging more fully in his research with a planned sabbatical in 2024.
Professor Carballo has served as assistant provost for general education since 2019, providing leadership and support for the growing BU Hub program. Launched in 2018, the BU Hub is the University-wide general education program for undergraduate students, designed to provide intellectual exploration, diverse knowledge application skills, interdisciplinary learning, and widely applicable habits of mind. BU Hub learning outcomes are spread over Hub units, which are applied to new and existing courses at BU through an extensive approval process. Professor Carballo has guided the evolution of the BU Hub as co-chair to the General Education Committee of the University Council and as chair of the BU Hub Council. With the Hub leadership team, he has been actively involved in expanding opportunities for students through cocurricular offerings, the Cross-College Challenge program, and the recently launched Social and Racial Justice course sequence.
With a focus on faculty oversight, Professor Carballo has also implemented ongoing assessment of the Hub program, including leading the first BU Hub assessment workshop in 2022 and initiating student and faculty surveys regarding the program. Professor Carballo has attended and presented work on the Hub at national conferences and events, including the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities. Through this work, he has developed collaborations with colleagues focused on student-centric models of general education at research universities across the US and has convened meetings of faculty overseers at peer institutions to share strategies for programmatic assessment and reform. He has also worked to provide resources and instruction to faculty across campus to help improve the implementation of the BU Hub and expand engagement in undergraduate programs and departments. Under Professor Carballo’s leadership, the general education program has grown to over 1,900 Hub courses, increasing the opportunity for undergraduate students to explore diverse topics while completing their undergraduate degree.
Beyond these administrative achievements, Professor Carballo is an internationally respected archaeologist and scholar, specializing in prehispanic cultures of Latin America. His two ongoing projects in the ancient city of Teotihuacan include the Proyecto Arqueológico Tlajinga, Teotihuacan, and the Proyecto Plaza de las Columnas. He has authored multiple acclaimed books, including 2020’s Collision of Worlds: A Deep History of the Fall of Aztec Mexico and the Forging of New Spain and 2016’s Urbanization and Religion in Ancient Central Mexico, with another title, Collective Action and the Reframing of Early Mesoamerica, forthcoming. Professor Carballo’s research has been funded by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and other agencies At BU, he has also served as director of the archaeology program and on the executive committee of the Center for Latin American Studies.
An internal search will commence to identify the next assistant provost for general education. A formal position description will soon be posted and circulated, with the hope of identifying an incumbent before the end of the 2022-2023 academic year.
On behalf of the University community, please join us in thanking Professor Carballo for his excellent leadership in general education and in wishing him continued success as he returns to his responsibilities as a member of the faculty.
Professor David Carballo to Step Down as Assistant Provost of General Education – 1.20.23