BU Joins Online Education Group edX
In May, BU joined edX, the Harvard- and MIT-led online learning platform that shares the University’s commitment to using technology’s benefits for students on campus as well as off. The partnership gives BU professors more flexibility in designing their courses and discerning which educational methods work best with students.
Mayor Approves Master Plan
In May, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (Hon.’01) signed off on the Charles River Campus Institutional Master Plan (IMP), clearing the way for a series of strategic changes on BU’s Charles River Campus that will reflect the University’s growth and prominence and improve its standing in the future.
State OKs NEIDL Research Levels
In March, the Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs gave approval for BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) to conduct research at Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) and Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4). The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) certificate clears the way for the issuance of final state permits for the project.
Moody’s Upgrades BU’s Bond Rating
The rating agency recently raised the University’s bond rating to A1 from A2. The upgrade “reflects BU’s sustained improvement in its student market and research profile following years of strategic governance and leadership changes that have elevated BU to a more competitive position,” Moody’s wrote in a report on its decision. “The University is also beginning to generate philanthropic support more in line with its size and prominence and has launched its first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign.”
Study Abroad Expands
BU offers programs in more than 30 cities on 6 continents across the globe, with concentrations ranging from anthropology to public health to finance. This year, 7 new programs were offered in locales such as Washington, DC, Zanzibar, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Dakar, and Paris.
New SHA Dean
Arun Upneja takes over the reins at SHA after 15 years as associate dean for academic affairs at Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer Honors College and professor of hospitality management at Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management, where he established new interactive honors programming for students and faculty.
Record-Setting Applicant Pool
Some 52,532 students applied for admission at Boston University, a nearly 20% spike over last year’s record of 44,006 applicants. The University saw a 19% increase in applications from African American students and Hispanic and Latino students, and a 39% increase from international students.
Association of American Universities
BU was invited to join the Association of American Universities (AAU), an elite organization of 61 other leading research universities in the United States and Canada. "Boston University’s admission to the AAU is first and foremost an acknowledgment of the quality and productivity of our outstanding faculty,” says Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer.
Campaign for Boston University Is Announced
The community holds a dazzling, celebratory gala to mark the formal announcement of the Campaign for Boston University—BU’s first major comprehensive fundraising effort. With an ambitious goal of raising as much as $1 billion for financial aid, faculty support, research, and facility improvements, the campaign will place the University on a list of just 53 universities that have attempted 10-figure fundraising initiatives. More important, it will help elevate the University’s academic standing, extend its global impact, and make the BU experience more accessible for students across the broadest possible socioeconomic spectrum.
Kilachand Honors College Students Get Their Own Home
The Kilachand Honors College receives another $10 million donation from Rajen Kilachand (Questrom’74), who donated $25 million last year and renamed the University Honors College for his parents, Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand. The newest gift will renovate Shelton Hall, now known as Kilachand Hall, as a dorm for Kilachand Honors students.
