New Pardee School of Global Studies Opens

The Pardee School of Global Studies is BU’s newest college and has the simple yet monumental mission of improving the human condition around the globe. It was founded with the $25 million donation of Frederick S. Pardee (Questrom’54, ’54, Hon.’06) and offers five majors: international relations, Asian studies, Middle East and African Studies, European Studies, and Latin American studies.

Mass. Governor Urges Grads to Be Present for Others

At the University's 141st Commencement at Nickerson Field, Deval Patrick advises graduates that life’s journey is often more important than getting the answers and that real human connection requires intimacy. “Sometimes, the open-ended question is not about getting to the answer, but rather about the journey, and Google has little to do with that,” the governor said. “Real human connection, the nuance of empathy and understanding, is often more gradual and elongated than Twitter. It requires intimacy. And I worry that the demands of constant communication and infinite information through social media are crowding out intimacy.” The governor concluded his Commencement address by asking a promise of his listeners: “Sometime today, put your tablet or smartphone aside, look your Mom and Dad in the eye, and tell them that you love them. Hold your roommate’s hand and tell them you appreciate them for helping get you through to today.…Thank one of your teachers in person. Be present—and see what a difference it makes in your lives and the world.” His remarks earned a standing ovation from the graduates and guests.

BU to Launch Joint MD/JD Program

Boston University will offer a joint Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Law (JD) degree program starting in fall 2014, becoming only the second New England university, along with Yale, to offer the dual degree. The new program will be highly selective, initially accepting two students a year.

Citing the increasing interaction between the fields of health and law and recent changes to government regulations and health policy, MED and LAW administrators believe that the program will appeal to students interested in health care administration, health care legislation, medical licensing, and intellectual property issues focusing on medical research.

EPIC Welcomes Industry to BU

Companies like Apple and GE are bringing high-tech facilities back home from overseas. While a positive development, the problem is now there aren’t enough engineers trained in highly technological methods. The Engineering Product Innovation Center (EPIC) helps fill that void.

Funded through the University, ENG alumni and friends, and a $18.8M gift, the College of Engineering is transforming its curriculum so that all students, regardless of major, will graduate with a thorough understanding of how to develop new products, from concept and design through manufacturing and delivery. EPIC’s 15,000-square-foot space houses a computer-aided design (CAD) studio, demonstration areas, fabrication facilities, materials testing, and project management software. The facility has a flexible design and offers students supply chain management software, 3-D printers, robotics, laser processing, and around-the-clock digital access to the studio’s online resources.

“We’re hoping to set a standard for the training of engineers for the future manufacturing economy in this country,” says EPIC Director Gerry Fine, an ENG professor of the practice.

New Initiative on Urban Life

Outgoing Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, whose leadership transformed Boston, joins the BU faculty as codirector of the Initiative on Cities (IoC), which will convene the best current and former leaders of cities to share with academics and scholars from around the world their practical knowledge of how urban areas drive growth. The IoC will be affiliated with BU’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future and Graham Wilson, a College of Arts & Sciences professor and chair of political science, will codirect the IoC.

“Cities are the engines that drive regional growth,” says Menino. “Jobs, economic development, housing, and education all contribute to their success or failure, but it’s the leadership of those cities that makes the difference.”

Let Games Begin on New Balance Field

Over the summer, West Campus students watch a tired brick building and a parking lot transform into a 110,000-square-foot athletic field and state-of-the-art underground parking facility, made possible by a $3 million donation from Brighton-based shoe manufacturer New Balance. Returning students discover the bright green New Balance Field, which is dedicated by the Board of Trustees in a ceremony on September 19.

The new field essentially doubles BU’s playable green space and makes it possible to bring field hockey back to campus and to add men’s lacrosse to the roster of Terrier varsity teams, as well as to provide practice space for varsity teams and the more than 8,000 students who play intramural and club sports.

BU Appoints First Chaplain for International Students

The Rev. Brittany Longsdorf starts in June as the University’s first chaplain for international students, embodying what she calls “a true spirit of hospitality that I think is theologically backed.” (Hospitality is both an injunction and a path to reward in the Bible, as exemplified in a story in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus offers God’s kingdom to those who welcome the stranger.)

University Jumps in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Boston University jumps 10 positions, from 51 to 41, in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s colleges and universities, and now appears on a short list of “Up and Comers,” chosen for their “promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities.” The publication makes special note of BU’s robust undergraduate research program as well as its extensive study abroad opportunities, and it cites the undergraduate business and engineering programs as among the best.

Lu Lingzi Memorial Scholarship Honors Slain Student

Just days after the Boston Marathon bombing, BU Trustee Kenneth Feld (SMG’70), chair of the Campaign for BU, proposes establishing the Lu Lingzi Memorial Scholarship Fund. Thanks to support from more than 1,300 individuals across the globe, the scholarship fund named for Lu reaches its $1 million goal in record time.

“This tragedy reflected the best and the worst of humanity,” says Senior VP for Development & Alumni Relations Scott Nichols. “You see this horrific, senseless terrorist act and then you see the response from total strangers worldwide.”

The Lu Lingzi Memorial Scholarship Fund endows two scholarships for graduate students.

TFA’s Kopp Rallies Grads

Wendy Kopp developed the idea for a national teacher corps as her senior thesis. Just a year later, her vision became Teach For America, an organization that trains recent college graduates to teach in some of the nation’s most needy public schools.There’s no how-to guide for how to change the world,” Kopp said at BU’s 140th Commencement. “We are making progress today not because of a big idea, but because of a big commitment. Because we plunged in and embraced the journey of constant learning and improvement.”