Dear colleagues –

The SPH education unit includes five distinct offices, Admissions, Registrar, Graduate Student Life, the Career and Practicum Office, and Strategic Educational Initiatives. There are two primary functions of the education unit.  First, ensuring academic and personal success of all graduate students at SPH to prepare them for successful and rewarding careers, and second, developing, launching, and evaluating strategic educational initiatives that meet the highest standards of excellence for teaching and learning.

The five units within Education work collaboratively to support prospective students, applicants, matriculated students, and alumni, and to provide comprehensive support for teaching and learning to faculty and staff across the school.  Staff in education work closely with departmentally based faculty and staff, and with staff in relevant University offices including the Provost’s Office, BU Virtual, the Office of the University Registrar, and more.

The key functions of each of the five distinct offices within education are outlined below.

Admissions Office.  The admissions office sets the admissions strategy and oversees all aspects of the admissions process.  They develop and implement a targeted recruitment process that includes digital and in-person recruiting initiatives.  The admissions team oversees application reviews, processes admissions decisions, issues acceptance and denial letters, manages awarding of scholarships, and liaises with the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) to support international students through the process of securing visas.

Registrar’s Office.  The registrar’s office oversees all student records and ensures compliance with all academic policies including satisfactory academic progress, academic integrity, waivers, transfers, leaves, and so on.  The SPH registrar oversees course scheduling, registration, graduation advising/reviews, and academic policy that is brought before the Education Committee and to the University for approval.  They also advocate for our community to ensure that MyBU Student, the new Boston University Student Information System for registration, curriculum management, advising, graduation tracking, reporting, billing, and financial aid, is aligned with our needs.

Graduate Student Life (GSL). GSL supports all on-campus students from matriculation through graduation and everything in between.  GSL manages orientation, a wide range of academic supports,  they assist students needing academic accommodations issued through the BU Office of Disability and Access Services, and they collate and disseminate valuable resources and opportunities including health and wellness programming, student organizations, student communications (e.g., the Student Weekly), and much more to ensure that all students stay informed and engaged throughout their academic journey.

Career and Practicum Office (CPO).  CPO offers comprehensive services to all on-campus SPH degree candidates and graduates. Online students also have access to digital resources and programming offered by CPO.  CPO staff teach the Career PREP course (required for on-campus MPH students, and open to all other on-campus students), and host over 100 employers annually on campus and online through Career & Internship Fairs, info sessions, networking events, and more. They also organize numerous alumni career panels and career development programs throughout the year.

Office of Strategic Educational Initiatives.  Strategic Educational Initiatives manages projects, programs, and initiatives that aim to promote and fulfill the SPH educational mission, including academic compliance, continuing education and professional development opportunities, evaluation and continuous quality improvement, instructional innovation and support, and academic partnerships.  The Office manages school-wide committees and working groups, including the Education Committee, supports program leadership for all degree programs (including the online MPH), and curates and disseminates resources to support excellence in teaching and learning at SPH.  The Office manages all teaching and learning events, including monthly Teaching & Learning conversations, school-wide education retreats, and workshops for faculty and staff.

If you have any questions or need specific support, please use the following e-mail addresses: Admissions, asksph@bu.edu; Registrar’s Office, sphregr@bu.edu; Graduate Student Life, sphgsl@bu.edu; Career and Practicum Office, sphcareeroffice@bu.edu; and Strategic Educational Initiatives, spheducation@bu.edu.

I hope the semester is off to a great start,

Lisa

Lisa M. Sullivan, PhD
Associate Dean for Education

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