New BU LA Programs Head
Charisse McGhee-Lazarou, former vice president of NBC’s primetime programs, becomes head of BU’s Los Angeles Programs, which provide internship-based experiences in the entertainment industry for BU students. She plans to create an innovative, modern program that prepares students for and helps them navigate an ever-changing and challenging field.
BU Student and Alums Skate for Olympic Gold
BU student Jordan Greenway (CGS’17, CAS’19) joins alums Matt Gilroy (MET’09) and John McCarthy (CAS’09) representing Team USA in ice hockey at the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea, along with Team USA assistant coach Scott Young (CAS’87, MET’18). Also skating for more Olympic gold as part of Team Canada are alums Jennifer Wakefield (CAS’12) and Marie-Philip Poulin (CAS’15). Poulin scored the gold medal–winning goals in both 2010 and 2014.
New CFA Dean Is Arts Historian and Advocate
BU names Harvey Young as the new dean of the College of Fine Arts. Young, a prominent theater historian and arts advocate and author of the award-winning book Embodying Black Experience, champions transformative experiences of the arts and plans to promote and expand BU’s reputation in the arts.
Jorge Delva Is New Dean of School of Social Work
A prolific author and researcher and a nationally recognized expert on the economically disadvantaged, Jorge Delva joins BU as the new dean of the School of Social Work. His goal is for SSW to become the school of choice for students pursuing a top-notch education in social work research and practice.
NEIDL BSL-4 Lab Gets Green Light
The University receives final approval from the Boston Public Health Commission to conduct research at Biosafety Level 4 at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories. This authorization paves the way for BU researchers to study Ebola, Marburg, and other BSL-4 pathogens at the Medical Campus facility.
BU Trustees Approve Aggressive Climate Action Plan
The BU Board of Trustees approve a Climate Action Plan to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions across Boston-area campuses and fund broad infrastructure improvements in preparation for flooding or heat surges in the coming decades. The plan recommends new building efficiencies, changes to renewable energy sources, and ways to make climate change a bigger part of the University’s curriculum and research.
New Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre Opens
BU officially opens a new 75,000-square-foot theater complex, which houses the 250-seat Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and the CFA Production Center. The new building is made possible with a $10 million gift from BU trustee Steve Zide (LAW’86), with the theater named to honor of his wife’s parents, Joan and Edgar Booth.
BU Ranks Sixth Internationally in Employability of Graduates
Times Higher Education says the employability of BU alumni ranks 6th internationally and 5th in the United States, up from 11th internationally and 7th nationally in 2016. In breaking the top 10 globally, the University joins Harvard (2nd), Columbia (3rd), MIT (4th), Stanford (7th), Yale (10th), and the list-topping California Institute of Technology.
University Launches $20 Million Innovate@BU
Funded by a partnership between the University and a group of alumni, BU creates Innovate@BU with support of $20 million for the first 10 years. The University-wide initiative gives all students opportunities to engage in solving real-world problems and hands-on innovation.
BU Announces First Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion
BU names award-winning poet Crystal Ann Williams to the newly created position of associate provost for diversity & inclusion. Charged with promoting diversity among the University’s ranks, Williams’ goals include helping Provost Jean Morrison develop practices and programs to further diversify BU’s faculty.
