As University Librarian, Mark Newton Will Lead Effort to Reimagine BU’s Library Program
Mark Newton has been appointed to the position of University Librarian. As University Librarian, he will lead the BU libraries’ transition to 21st-century knowledge repositories. Newton succeeds K. Matthew Dames, the University Librarian from 2018 to 2021.
Leading Texas Scholar Is New Dean of the School of Social Work
Barbara Jones is the new dean of the School of Social Work. She was previously associate dean for health affairs at the University of Texas Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work and chair of the department of health social work at UT Austin’s Dell Medical School. She succeeds Jorge Delva, who will join the SSW faculty after a sabbatical.
Royal Society of Chemistry Honors BU’s Mark Grinstaff
Chemist, biomedical engineer, and William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor Mark Grinstaff has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Centenary Prize in “recognition of brilliance in research and innovation.” The Centenary Prize is given to “outstanding chemists, who are also exceptional communicators, from overseas,” according to its website.
Engineering Dean Named Interim University Provost
College of Engineering Dean Kenneth Lutchen has been named Boston University’s interim provost and chief academic officer after Jean Morrison stepped down. Lutchen, who is a professor of biomedical engineering, says he is “deeply honored” by the new assignment.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Tells Graduates to Pursue Their Passion
“Show up.” Those two words are the most important advice for success, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and President David Zaslav (LAW’85) told Boston University graduates and guests at Sunday’s 150th Commencement. The ceremony turned occasionally raucous, with protests inside and outside Nickerson Field, in support of the ongoing writers strike in Hollywood and condemning the choice of Zaslav as the University’s speaker because of his role in the contract negotiations.
Travis Roy Foundation Endows Sargent College Scholarship
The Travis Roy Foundation has given $1 million to Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences to create the Travis M. Roy Endowed Scholarship Fund. The fund will provide annual scholarships to one or more graduate students studying occupational or physical therapy at the College. Paralyzed by a crash into the boards during his first BU hockey game, Travis Roy (COM’00, Hon.’16) devoted his life to helping those with similar injuries.
New Dean of Students Appointed
Jason Campbell-Foster will serve as Boston University’s next Dean of Students, assuming a role he’s held on an interim basis since July 2022. Campbell-Foster emerged as the top candidate after a competitive, yearlong national search. Campbell-Foster joined BU as senior associate dean of students in 2019—a role that quickly expanded with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he oversaw the University’s student-centered response.
CFA’s Karin Hendricks to Receive the 2023 Metcalf Cup and Prize
A College of Fine Arts associate professor and chair of music education, Karin Hendricks has been named this year’s winner of the Metcalf Cup and Prize, the University’s highest award for teaching. Gregory Melchor-Barz, director of CFA’s School of Music wrote in support of her nomination and praised her crucial contributions to the success of her program: “The department is now considered nationally and internationally as one of the top music education programs for undergraduate and graduate study.”
FDA Clears Bionic Pancreas Developed in BU Lab for People with Type 1 Diabetes
A bionic pancreas—a wearable, pocket-sized, automated insulin delivery device—that was first developed in a Boston University lab has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The iLet Bionic Pancreas is now commercially available, bringing fresh hope to the almost two million Americans with type 1 diabetes.
Robert A. Brown Reflects on 18 Years as BU President
“When I came to Boston University in 2005, I joined a university in turmoil caused by a failed presidential search that exposed weak leadership and broken governance. A university with a dedicated and talented faculty and staff, and an aspiring and engaged student body—but with little thought about, or unity around, the prospects for the future. From this beginning, we have developed a vision of Boston University as a wonderfully interconnected private research university committed to inclusive excellence, but grounded in a gritty pragmatism that faces head on what is needed to make this vision a reality,” says President Brown.
