Boston University

Boston University (most commonly referred to as BU) is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers. The university is nonsectarian, but is historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

BU is categorized as an RU/VH Research University (very high research activity) in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In 2009–2010, BU had research expenditures of $407.8 million, or $553 million if the research led by the Medical School faculty at Boston Medical Center is included. BU is a member of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education and the Association of American Universities.

Among its faculty and alumni, BU counts seven Nobel Prize winners, including Martin Luther King, Jr. (PhD '55); 22 Pulitzer Prize winners, and numerous Guggenheim and MacArthur fellows.

The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees, and medical and dental degrees through 18 schools and colleges on two urban campuses. The main campus is situated along the Charles River in Boston's Fenway-Kenmore and Allston neighborhoods, while the Boston University Medical Campus is in Boston's South End neighborhood. BU also operates 75 study abroad programs in over 33 cities in over 20 countries and has internship opportunities in 10 different countries (including the United States and abroad).

The Boston University Terriers compete in the NCAA's Division I. BU athletic teams compete in the America East, Hockey East, and Colonial Athletic Association conferences, and their mascot is Rhett the Boston Terrier. Boston University is well known for men's hockey, in which it has won five national championships, most recently in 2009.

Predecessor institutions and University Charter
Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury, Vermont in 1839, and was chartered with the name "Boston University" by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869. The University organized formal Centennial observances both in 1939 and 1969.

On April 24–25, 1839 a group of Methodist ministers and laymen at the Old Bromfield Street Church in Boston elected to establish a Methodist theological school. Set up in Newbury, Vermont, the school was named the Newbury Biblical Institute.

In 1847, the Congregational Society in Concord, New Hampshire, invited the Institute to relocate to Concord and made available a disused Congregational church building with a capacity of 1200 people. Other citizens of Concord covered the remodeling costs. One stipulation of the invitation was that the Institute remain in Concord for at least 20 years. The charter issued by New Hampshire designated the school the "Methodist General Biblical Institute", but it was commonly called the "Concord Biblical Institute."

With the agreed twenty years coming to a close, the Trustees of the Concord Biblical Institute purchased 30 acre on Aspinwall Hill in Brookline, Massachusetts as a possible relocation site. The Institute moved in 1867 to 23 Pinkney Street in Boston and received a Massachusetts Charter as the "Boston Theological Institute."

In 1869, three Trustees of the Boston Theological Institute obtained from the Massachusetts Legislature a charter for a university by name of "Boston University." These three were successful Boston businessmen and Methodist laymen, with a history of involvement in educational enterprises and became the Founders of Boston University. They were Isaac Rich (1801–1872), Lee Claflin (1791–1871), and Jacob Sleeper (1802–1889), for whom Boston University's three West Campus dormitories are named. Lee Claflin's son, William, was then Governor of Massachusetts and signed the University Charter on May 26, 1869 after it was passed by the Legislature.

As reported by Kathleen Kilgore in her book, "Transformations, A History of Boston University" (see Further Reading), the Founders directed the inclusion in the Charter of the following provision, unusual for its time:


 * No instructor in said University shall ever be required by the Trustees to profess any particular religious opinions as a test of office, and no student shall be refused admission . . . on account of the religious opinions he may entertain; provided, nonetheless, that this section shall not apply to the theological department of said University.

Every department of the new university was also open to all on an equal footing regardless of sex, race, or (with the exception of the School of Theology) religion.

Early years (1870–1900)
The Boston Theological Institute was absorbed into Boston University in 1871 as the BU School of Theology.

In January 1872 Isaac Rich died, leaving the vast bulk of his estate to a trust that would go to Boston University after ten years of growth while the University was organized. Most of this bequest consisted of real estate throughout the core of the city of Boston and was appraised at more than $1.5 million. Kilgore describes this as the largest single donation to an American college or university to that time.

By December, the Great Boston Fire of 1872 had destroyed all but one of the buildings Rich had left to the University, and the insurance companies with which they had been insured were bankrupt. The value of his estate, when turned over to the University in 1882, was half what it had been in 1872. As a result, the University was unable to build its contemplated campus on Aspinwall Hill and the land was sold piecemeal as development sites. Street names in the area, including Claflin Road, Claflin Path, and University Road, are the only remaining evidence of University ownership in this area.

Boston University established its facilities in buildings scattered through the less fashionable parts of Beacon Hill, and later expanded into the Boylston Street and Copley Square area before building the Charles River Campus after 1937.

20th century and establishment of the Charles River campus
Seeking to unify a geographically scattered school and enable it to participate in the development of the city, school president Lemuel Murlin arranged that the school buy the present campus along the Charles River. Between 1920 and 1928, the school bought the 15 acre of land that had been reclaimed from the river by the Riverfront Improvement Association. Plans for a riverside quadrangle with a multistory administrative tower modeled on the "Old Boston Stump" in Boston, England were scaled back in the late 1920s when the State Metropolitan District Commission used eminent domain to seize riverfront land for Storrow Drive. Through a series of fundraising campaigns by Murlin, the school slowly filled in its new campus. By spring 1936, the student body included 10,384 men and women.

In 1951, Harold Case became the school's fifth president and under his direction the character of the campus changed dramatically, as he sought to transform the school into a national research university. The campus tripled in size to 45 acre, and added 68 new buildings before Case retired in 1967. The first large dorms, Claflin, Rich and Sleeper Halls in West Campus were built, and in 1965 construction began on 700 Commonwealth Avenue, later named Warren Towers, designed to house 1800 students. Between 1961 and 1966, the BU Law Tower, the George Sherman Union, and the Mugar Memorial Library were constructed in the Brutalist style, a departure from the school's traditional architecture. The College of Engineering and College of Communication were housed in a former stable building and auto-show room, respectively. Besides his efforts to expand the sleepy riverside university into a rival for Greater Boston's more prestigious academic institutions, such as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (both in Cambridge across the Charles River from the B.U. campus), Case involved himself in the start of the student/societal upheavals that came to characterize the 1960s. When a mini-squabble over editorial policy at College radio WBUR-FM – whose offices were under a tall radio antenna mast in front of the School of Public Relations and Communications (later College of Communications) – started growing in the spring of 1964, Case persuaded university trustees that the university should take over the widely heard radio station (now a major outlet for National Public Radio and still a B.U.-owned broadcast facility). The trustees okayed the firing of student managers and clamped down on programming and editorial policy, which had been led by the late Jim Thistle, later a major force in Boston's broadcast news milieu. The on-campus political dispute between Case's conservative administration and the suddenly active and mostly liberal student body led to other disputes over B.U. student print publications, such as the B.U. News and the Scarlet, a fraternity association newspaper.

The Presidency of John Silber also saw much expansion. In the late 1970s, the Lahey Clinic vacated its building at 605 Commonwealth Avenue and moved to Burlington, Massachusetts. The vacated building was purchased by BU to house the School of Education. Then in the late 90s, concerns over lack of a "campusy" feel and the physical divide between the east and the western portion of campus triggered another wave of development. The John Hancock Student Village or StuVi was constructed with the intent of unifying the two campuses. This facility includes a new Fitness and Recreation Center (FitRec), a large multipurpose arena, and three new dormitories, one of which opened in 2000, the other two were finished by fall of 2009, including a 26-story new tallest on-campus building (left). The 19 and 26-story towers, known as StuV-II, house another 960 students, and have made possible the guarantee of on-campus housing to the 80% of its 16,000 undergrads who opt for it, without shunting overflow into nearby hotels as was the practice in past years.

In addition to the John Hancock Student Village, other projects were also completed under Silber. These projects range from the construction of the Photonics Center for the study of light, to the construction of the Life Science and Engineering Building for interdisciplinary research, to the renovation of 928 Commonwealth Ave in order to create a permanent home for the School of Hospitality Administration (SHA), were complete under Silber.

The 21st century
Dr. Robert Brown's presidency, which started in 2005, will seek to further the consolidation of campus infrastructure that was commenced by Case and continued by Silber. In particular, Brown has committed Boston University to investing $1.8 billion in the fulfillment of its 10-year strategic plan, devoting new resources to unlocking cross-college opportunities for undergraduates, improving the campus’s academic and residential facilities, and recruiting new faculty for the University’s largest college. The strategy, titled "Choosing to Be Great," sets goals to be carried out over the next decade, and calls for increasing annual expenditures of up to $225 million for support of the plan’s major goals.

The cornerstone of the plan, which calls for more campus-wide collaboration, is a focus on undergraduate education, starting with an effort to encourage cross-registration among schools and colleges and to encourage undergraduate students to take full advantage of both the liberal arts and the professional programs available. In an attempt to strengthen the liberal arts, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are slated to hire 100 new tenure-track faculty members over the next decade. In addition, interdisciplinary research that spans traditional branches of study has also been identified as a current strength with room for growth. Andrei Ruckenstein, a CAS professor of physics and the newly appointed associate provost and vice president of research, is working with the faculty to identify BU’s current strengths in cross-disciplinary research and to drive the hiring of up to 30 new faculty members to help grow these activities across the University.

Several of the University’s professional schools have also been targeted as current strengths and candidates for growth. The School of Management will hire 20 new faculty. The School of Law will begin its capital campaign for an expanded and fully renovated facility, with a dollar-for-dollar match in funding from the University. The College of Fine Arts, long recognized for integrating its undergraduate and graduate programs with respected arts institutions throughout greater Boston, also has plans for facilities renovation and expansion, with the same financial commitment from the University.

The School of Medicine also is poised for growth. Already with a national reputation in medical education, clinical practice, and research, the school is moving to expand its research efforts, especially in select areas of emphasis. The School of Medicine will also devote substantial resources towards facilities renovation and the development of more affordable student housing.

Initiatives focusing on life outside the classroom are considered key to the plan’s success, and efforts to engage both current students and alumni have already begun. The ongoing construction of the Student Village 2 residence hall is part of a long-range expansion campaign that includes renovations to housing, recreational facilities, and dining halls and a focus on leveraging this commitment to strengthen the campus community. In order to accommodate this physical expansion, Boston University has declared intentions to procure air rights over the Mass Pike. In addition to freeing up land, it's hoped the move will unify the Charles River area with South Campus, as well as bring width to a long narrow campus.

Initiatives intended to carry out the plan have already begun. In the Fall of 2009, in the midst of the financial crisis, $2.5 million revamp of BU's computer services took place. The initiative involved a complete renovation of Mugar Library’s first floor, the purchase of 200 energy-efficient ThinClient workstations, and the relocation of the computer lab and IT Help Center from 111 Cummington St. Several thousand books were moved to make way for the computer clusters, a shift that reflects changes in the way students and faculty use and exchange information, says Hudson. This new hub of study and interaction on campus, aptly named BU Common @ Mugar, includes an IT Help Center that occupies the wall that formerly displayed books by BU authors, as well as a reference desk, where students can seek professional help. In addition, 888 Commonwealth Ave. has become Boston University’s first geothermal building. It currently houses the Kidney Center, the University’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs classrooms, the International Programs offices, and several retail shops and restaurants. Last but not least, the University is planning to build a six-story, 106000 sqft structure housing state-of-the-art dining services and a new home for an expanded Career Services Center and the Educational Resource Center (ERC), as well as the Writing Program, Freshman Advising, and Professional Advising offices from the College of Arts & Sciences. Construction of the estimated $50 million East Campus Center for Student Services began in Fall 2010, with an opening date set for fall 2012.

Boston campuses and facilities
The University's main Charles River Campus follows Commonwealth Avenue and the Green Line, beginning near Kenmore Square and continuing for over a mile and a half to its end near the border of Boston's Allston neighborhood. The Boston University Bridge over the Charles River into Cambridge represents the dividing line between Main Campus, where most schools and classroom buildings are concentrated, and West Campus, home to several athletic facilities and playing fields, the large West Campus dorm, and the new John Hancock Student Village complex.

As a result of its continual expansion, the Charles River campus contains an array of architecturally diverse buildings. The College of Arts and Sciences, Marsh Chapel (site of the Marsh Chapel Experiment), and the School of Theology buildings are the university's most recognizable and were built in the late-1930s and 1940s in collegiate gothic style. A sizable amount of the campus is traditional Boston brownstone, especially at Bay State Road and South Campus where BU has acquired almost every townhouse those areas offer. The buildings are primarily dormitories but many also serve as various institutes as well as department offices. From the 1960s–1980s many contemporary buildings were constructed including the Mugar Library, BU Law School and Warren Towers, all of which were built in the brutalist style of architecture. The Metcalf Science Center for Science and Engineering, constructed in 1983, might more accurately be described as Structural Expressionism. Morse Auditorium, adjacent, stands in stark architectrual contrast, as it was constructed as a Jewish temple. The most recent additions to BU's campus are the Photonics Center, Life Science and Engineering Building, The Student Village (which includes the FitRec Center and Agganis Arena), and the School of Management. All these buildings were built in brick, a few with a substantial amount of brownstone.

Student housing


Boston University's housing system is the nation's 10th largest among four year colleges. BU was originally a commuter school, but the university now guarantees the option of on-campus housing for four years for all undergraduate students. Currently, 76% of the undergraduate population lives on campus. Boston University requires that all students living in dormitories be enrolled in a year-long meal plan with several combinations of meals and dining points which can be used as cash in on-campus facilities.

Housing at BU is an unusually diverse melange, ranging from individual 19th-century brownstone town houses and apartment buildings acquired by the school to large-scale high-rises built in the 60s and 2000s.

The large dormitories include the 1800-student Warren Towers, the largest on campus, as well as West Campus and The Towers. The smaller dormitory and apartment style housing are mainly located in two parts of campus: Bay State Road and the South Campus residential area. Bay State Road is a tree-lined street that runs parallel to Commonwealth Avenue and is home to the majority of BUs town houses, often called "brownstones". South Campus is a student residential area south of Commonwealth Avenue and separated from the main campus by the Massachusetts Turnpike. Some of the larger buildings in that area have been converted into dormitories, while the rest of the South Campus buildings are apartments.

Boston University's newest residence and principal apartment-style housing area is officially called 33 Harry Agganis Way, StuVi2 unofficially, and is part of The John Hancock Student Village project. The north facing, 26 story building is apartment style while the south facing, 19 story building is in an 8-bedroom dormitory style suite. In total, the building houses 960 residents.

Aside from these main residential areas, smaller residential dormitories are scattered along Commonwealth Avenue.

Boston University also provides specialty houses or specialty floors to students who have particular interests.

All large dormitories have 24/7 security and require all students to swipe and show their school identification before entering.

At least one dorm, Shelton Hall, is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of playwright Eugene O'Neill. O'Neill lived in what was originally room 401 (now 419) while the building was a residential hotel. He died in a hospital on November 27, 1953, and his ghost is rumored to haunt both the room and the floor. The fourth floor is now a specialty floor called the Writers' Corridor.

John Hancock Student Village


The Student Village is a large new residential and recreational complex covering 10 acre between Buick Street and Nickerson Field, ground formerly occupied by a National Guard Armory, which had been used by the University for indoor track and field and as a storage facility before its demolition and the start of construction. The Student Village was designed with the intention of fostering community and bridging the divide between the eastern and western portions of campus. The dormitory of apartment suites at 10 Buick Street (often abbreviated to "StuVi" by students) opened to juniors and seniors in the fall of 2000. In 2002, John Hancock Insurance announced its sponsorship of the multi-million dollar project. In 2009, Student Village II, the 26 story luxury dorm opened at 33 Harry Agganis Way.

The Agganis Arena, named after Harry Agganis, was opened to concerts and hockey games in January 2005. The Agganis Arena is capable of housing 6,224 spectators for Terrier hockey games, replacing the smaller Walter Brown Arena. It can also be used for concerts and shows. In March 2005, the final element of phase II of the Student Village complex, the Fitness and Recreation (FitRec) Center, was opened, drawing large crowds from the student body. Construction on the rest of phase II, which included 19- and 26-story residential towers was finished in fall 2009.

Other facilities
The Mugar Memorial Library is the central academic library for the Charles River Campus. It also houses the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, formerly called the Twentieth Century Archive, where documents belonging to thousands of eminent figures in literature, journalism, diplomacy, the arts, and other fields are housed. Among them are Isaac Asimov's personal papers from 1965 onward, documents from distinguished alumnus Martin Luther King Jr, and the recent addition of Mary-Louise Parker's personal papers.

The George Sherman Union (GSU), located next to Mugar Memorial Library, provides students with an food court featuring many fast-food chains, including Panda Express (which opened Fall 2006), Starbucks and Jamba Juice. The GSU also provides lounge areas in which to study. The basement of the George Sherman Union is home to the BU Central lounge, which hosts concerts and other activities and events. There is also a United States Post Office in the basement of the GSU.

"The Castle" located on the West end of Bay State Road is one of the older buildings on campus. According to lore, the castle was built by millionaire William Lindsay for his daughter Leslie Lindsey Mason as her wedding gift. However, she was killed when her ship, the RMS Lusitania, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarines on May 7, 1915. In fact the building was commissioned by William Lindsay for his own use in 1905, long before his daughter's honeymoon on the Lusitania. In 1939, the University acquired the property by agreement with the city to repay all back taxes owed; these funds were raised through donations from, among others, Dr. William Chenery, a University Trustee. It served as the residence of the University president until 1967, when President Christ-Janer found it too large for his needs as a residence and turned it to other uses. It is now a conference space. Underneath the Castle is the BU Pub, the only BU-operated drinking establishment on campus.

Parts of the 2008 film 21 were filmed at The Castle after undisclosed legal reasons prevented Robert Luketic from filming at MIT. Other areas around the Boston University campus, including BU's School of Management, Mugar Library and FitRec, also provided production locations for the film.

Boston University School of Education located at 605 Commonwealth Avenue is housed in the original location of the Lahey Clinic. It was the merger of two pre-existing buildings, which explains its half floors (3½, 4½, 5½, etc.).

The Florence and Chafetz Hillel House on Bay State Road is the Hillel House for the university. With four floors and a basement, the facility includes lounges, study rooms and a kosher dining hall, open during the academic year (including Passover) to students and walk-ins from the community. The first floor also includes the Granby St. Cafe as well as TVs and ping-pong, pool and foosball tables. The Hillel serves as a focal point for BU's large and active Jewish community. It hosts approximately 30 student groups, including social, cultural and religious groups and BU Students for Israel (BUSI), Holocaust Education and the Center for Jewish Learning and Experience. It hosts a plethora of programs and speakers as well as Friday and Saturday shabbat services and meals.

Weld House, the office of the president of Boston University, is the former home of Charles Goddard Weld, a member of the wealthy Weld family of Massachusetts. The adjoining Dunn House contains the Office of the Chancellor.

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers at Boston University is the university's bookstore, which is located on Kenmore Square. In its five floors the bookstore sells products ranging from books to clothes to coffee. Materials for others schools such as the Boston Architectural College are also available.

Boston University is in the process of building a new center for student services, Marciano Commons, at 100 Bay State Road in Kenmore Square. The facility will contain the school's Educational Resource Center, Center for Career Development, a new dining hall (referred to as "GS2" by students), the Writing Center, an Academic Advising Center, and more, including numerous classrooms. The building is currently scheduled to open in August 2012.

Cultural life
Located at the junction of Fenway-Kenmore, Allston, and Brookline, the University has long enjoyed these neighborhoods' cultural offerings. In the Fenway-Kenmore area are the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Landsdowne Street. Allston has been Boston's largest bohemian neighborhood since the 1960s. Nicknamed "Allston Rock City", the neighborhood is home to many artists and musicians, as well as a variety of cafés, and many of Boston's small music halls.

Beyond the southern border of the campus in Brookline, Harvard Avenue offers independent and foreign films at Coolidge Corner Theatre, and author readings at the Brookline Booksmith. Other local destinations for campus intellectuals and culture lovers include Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, the main branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, the art and commerce of fashionable Newbury Street, and across the Charles River, the museums, shops, and galleries in Harvard Square and elsewhere in Cambridge.

The combined proximity of so many cultural institutions, colleges, public spaces, and performance outlets, with the University's own College of Fine Arts, College of Communication, University Professors Program, and other on-campus sources for cultural energy, has enabled BU to cultivate a thriving creative community. The George Sherman Student Union at 775 Commonwealth Avenue hosts concerts and performers at "BU Central" and Metcalf Hall. There are 12 a cappella groups on campus, two notable of which are the co-ed group "The BosTones" and the all-male group the "Dear Abbeys".

BU is home to the Huntington Theatre Company at the BU Theatre (264 Huntington Avenue), as well as Boston Playwrights' Theatre.

BU hosts campus and non-campus musical performances in the Tsai Performance Center at 685 Commonwealth Avenue, and the CFA Concert Hall at 855 Commonwealth Avenue.

Visual art works by students and by visiting artists are displayed in rotating exhibitions in the University's three galleries: the BU Art Gallery (BUAG) at the Stone Gallery, the 808 Gallery, and the Sherman Gallery, located respectively at 855, 808, and 775 Commonwealth Avenue. In addition, BU is associated with the Photographic Resource Center located at 832 Commonwealth Avenue, which mounts several exhibitions yearly, as well as special events for student and professional photographers.

Guest and visitor policies
Prior to September 2007, Boston University had a rather restrictive visitor policy, which limited the ability of students from different dormitories to visit each other at night. This changed when a new policy approved by Brown took effect. The new policy allows for students living on campus to swipe into any on-campus dormitory between the hours of 7 am and 2 am using their ID cards. Student residents can also sign in guests with photo identification at any time, day or night. Overnight visitors of the opposite sex are no longer required to seek a same-sex "co-host". However during the week before final exams no guests are permitted in the halls overnight, and are expected to be out of the hall by 2 am.

Mass transit
Most of the buildings of the main campus are located on or near Commonwealth Avenue. The Kenmore Square area of campus (including the Boston University Bookstore, Shelton Hall and Myles Standish Hall) may be accessed using the Kenmore stop on the MBTA Green Line B, C and D trains. Most of the rest of the main campus may be accessed using the B trains of the Green Line between the Blandford Street and Babcock Street stops. The #57 Bus runs from Kenmore Square along Commonwealth Avenue, and into Allston and Brighton. The MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line also stops near campus at Yawkey station.

The Medical Campus is served by the #1 and CT1 crosstown buses which run along Massachusetts Avenue, as well as the #47 and CT3 crosstown buses which connect the Boston University Medical Center with the Longwood Medical Area. The Silver Line Washington Street Branch runs the entire length of the Medical Campus, one block north of most parts of the campus; it connects Boston University Medical Center with Tufts Medical Center station and downtown Boston. The nearest underground subway station is the Massachusetts Avenue station on the Orange Line, located three blocks north of the Medical Center.

The Boston University Shuttle (BUS) serves to connect the Charles River Campus, Boston University Theater, and the Medical Campus.

Sustainability
Boston University's sustainability committee is working to "reduce energy consumption and decrease waste across the campus by concentrating on four crucial areas: recycling and waste management, energy efficiency, sustainable building development and operations, and communications, education, and outreach." One of the University's early steps toward creating a greener campus was implementing tray-free dining, which saved both water and cash. Moving forward, BU's newly hired Director of Sustainability, Dennis Carlberg, will continue to focus the University more intensely on sustainability issues.

In 2010, The Princeton Review rated BU as one of the greenest schools in the country.

Brussels Campus
Boston University Brussels, officially named the Boston University Brussels Graduate Center, and also known as BUB, is part of Boston University's Metropolitan College (MET), one of seventeen degree granting colleges that make up Boston University. In 1972 Boston University became the first major American university to offer graduate business management degrees in Europe with the opening of its campus in Brussels, Belgium. Due to its location in the capital of Europe, home to the European Union and NATO, the school places a strong emphasis on international business, and the student body comprises a diverse range of nationalities and cultures.

Dubai Campus
The University opened a new dental school in Dubai, UAE in 2007. The new dental program admitted its first group of students in July, 2008. In addition to BU’s dental facilities, the campus will eventually contain a wellness center, private clinics, and a major teaching hospital. "Dubai Healthcare City is a free medical zone within the Emirate of Dubai, has been developed as a world-class, academic medical community, which will be developed around the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center, Boston University Institute for Dental Research and Education, and a major university hospital", according to Kathi Ferland, director of admissions at GSDM.,

London Campus
Boston University's largest study abroad program is located in London, England. Boston University British Programmes offers a semester of study and work in London through their London Internship Program (LIP), as well as an adjunct non-internship program at Oxford University, St. Anne's College. Starting in Fall 2008, the programme at Oxford will only be a full academic year term, not just one semester as its been structured in the past. The LIP program combines a professional internship with coursework that examines a particular academic area in the context of Britain’s history, culture, and society and its role in modern Europe. Courses in each academic area are taught by selected British faculty exclusively to students enrolled in the Boston University program. Upon successful completion of a semester, students earn 16 Boston University credits. BU British Programmes are headquartered in South Kensington, London. The campus consists of the main building at 43 Harrington Gardens, as well as six flats that have been converted to house students. This program is open to Boston University students, as well as students at other American colleges, and enrolls between 650 to 850 students across Fall, Spring and Summer terms each year.

Los Angeles Campus
In Los Angeles, BU has an internship program for students to study and work in the heart of the film, television, advertising and public relations, and entertainment management and law industries. The program offers three tracks from which undergraduate and graduate students can choose: Advertising and Public Relations, Film and Television, and Entertainment Management. Graduated students have the opportunity to continue their education by enrolling in the Los Angeles Certificate Program, where students can choose either the Acting in Hollywood or the Writer in Hollywood track. Courses are taught by Boston University faculty and alumni who serve as mentors in and out of the classroom. Upon successful completion of a semester students will earn 16 Boston University credits. Students who successfully complete the Los Angeles Certificate Program will receive eight Boston University credits and a certificate from Boston University College of Fine Arts or College of Communication.

Washington, DC Campus
In Washington, D.C., BU has internship, journalism and public relations programs. Students study in the University's building on Massachusetts Avenue in Dupont Circle and take advantage of the city by interning at different locations. The program allows students to act as Washington, D.C. correspondents for newspapers and television stations across the Northeast and New England while interning at major news outlets in the city, as well as at many PR internships in politics, government and public affairs.

Sydney Campus
In Sydney, BU has internship and management as well as film festival and travel writing programs that vary based on semester. Around 150 students live in the University's newly constructed building in Chippendale developed by Tony Owen Partners. The building uses "fissures to provide maximum solar access to bedrooms as well as natural ventilation throughout the building." The new building opened in the beginning of 2011 and features underground classrooms, a lecture hall, office space, library, and a roof patio.

Other internship and study abroad opportunities are available through the International Programs office.

Admissions/demographics
In 2012, "a record-breaking 43,979 students applied for 3,900 spots, and the University offered admission to only 45.5 percent."

BU's class of 2010 is 68% white, 15% Asian, 7% international students, 7% Hispanic, and 2% black. The international community at Boston University is 18% Chinese, 12% Korean, 11% Indian, 6% Taiwanese, 6% Canadian, 4% Japanese, 3% Turkish, 2% Thai, 2% Saudi Arabian, and 2% Mexican. Of the 7% of students who are international students, 26% are pursuing undergraduate degrees and 47% are pursuing graduate degrees, with the remaining 27% engaged in other educational activity. BU also has the second highest number of Jews of any private school (after NYU) in the country with between 3,000 and 4,000, or roughly 15% identifying as Jewish.

The plurality of registrants were from Massachusetts (19%), followed by New York (16%), New Jersey (9%), California (8%), Connecticut (4%), Pennsylvania (4%), and Texas (2%).

Academics
Boston University offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees, and medical and dental degrees through its 18 schools and colleges. Each school and college at the university has a three letter abbreviation, which is commonly used in place of their full school or college name. For example, the College of Arts and Sciences is commonly referred to as CAS, the School of Management is SMG, the School of Education is SED, etc.

Colleges and schools
Colleges and schools at Boston University include:
 * College of Fine Arts (CFA) - 1954
 * College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) - 1873
 * Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) - 1874
 * College of Communication (COM) - 1947
 * College of Engineering (ENG) - 1963
 * College of General Studies (CGS) - 1952
 * College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College) (SAR) - 1881
 * School of Education (SED) - 1918
 * Division of Extended Education
 * School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) - 1981
 * School of Law (LAW) - 1872
 * School of Management (SMG) - 1913
 * Metropolitan College (MET) - 1965
 * Boston University Brussels (BUB)
 * Boston University Science and Engineering Program (SEP)
 * School of Social Work (SSW) - 1940
 * School of Theology (STH) - 1839
 * School of Medicine (MED) - 1848
 * Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS)
 * Goldman School of Dental Medicine (SDM) - 1963
 * School of Public Health (SPH) - 1976
 * Boston University Academy

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) was formerly named the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). The College of Communication was formerly named the School of Public Communication (SPC). The School of Management (SMG) was formerly named the College of Business Administration (CBA). The College of General Studies (CGS) was formerly named the College of Basic Studies (CBS). The School of Nursing (SON) and the College of Practical Arts and Letters (PAL) are units that have been discontinued.

The Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems' technology lab, directed by Gail Carpenter has software, on topics ranging from remote sensing to text mining, available for download.

Rankings
U.S. News & World Report ranks Boston University 51 among national universities for 2013. Boston University was also ranked 11th among public health graduate schools, 22nd among law schools, 22nd among social work schools, 31st among business schools, 34th among medical schools, 42nd among engineering schools, and 56th among education schools.

In 2012, Emerging, a human resources company based in Paris, and Trendence, an institute that researches employer branding, personal marketing and recruitment, ranked Boston University 17th worldwide and 7th in the United States for employability of its graduates.

QS World University Rankings in 2012 ranked Boston University 64th overall in the world, the 23rd highest ranked U.S. school on its list. It has also received the maximum five stars under the QS Stars evaluation system.

Times Higher Education in 2011 ranked Boston University 54th overall in the world, the 32nd highest ranked U.S. school on its list.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities ranks Boston University 43rd in the United States, and 71st in the world, in its 2012 list of the Top 500 Universities.

Newsweek (International Edition), in its list of the Top 100 Global Universities, ranked Boston University the 35th in the United States, and 65th in the world.

In a 2003 survey, Gallup polls asked American adults, "All in all, what would you say is the best college or university in the United States?" Boston University was one of only 35 schools to be named by at least 1% of the American public as the best school in the country.

The Biomedical Engineering Graduate and Undergraduate Programs are ranked 7th and 8th respectively in the nation and rising by U.S. News & World Report. The undergraduate program is also the sixth-largest ABET-accredited program in the nation.

Additionally, all of the professional graduate programs in the Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College rank within the top 8% in the country. The Occupational Therapy Program ranked 2nd out of 156 programs; the Physical Therapy Program ranked 16th out of 201 programs; and the Speech-Language Pathology Program ranked 21st out of 250 programs.

Business Week ranks Boston University's MBA program 38th, and its undergraduate business program 18th.

The Economist ranks Boston University School of Management 42nd among global MBA programs in 2010.

The Financial Times ranks Boston University's MBA program 68th in the world.

Quantnet ranks Boston University's Mathematical Finance program 17th in the world.



The Center for Measuring University Performance. ranks Boston University among the top 50 research universities in the country

BU is one of 96 American universities receiving the highest research classification ("RU/VH") by the Carnegie Foundation.

In 2010, the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) conducted by the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University in Turkey ranked Boston University 64th in the world and 33rd in the United States. The criteria for the URAP was an aggregation of six academic research performance indicators: current productivity (number of published articles), long-term productivity (from Google Scholar), research impact (citations from Institute for Scientific Information), impact (cumulative journal impact), quality (H-index), and international collaboration.

In the 2011 Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities, produced by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT), which is designed to assess research universities by measuring both long-term and short-term research performance, Boston University is ranked 54th in the World and 36th in the United States.

In 2010, The Center for Measuring University Performance ranked Boston University among the top 53 American research universities overall, and among the top 33 private American research universities. Their methodology is based on data such as research publications, citations, recognitions and funding, as well as undergraduate quality such as SAT scores.

The 2012 SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR), an international ranking of worldwide research institutions, ranked Boston University 129th in the world and 47th in the United States. SCImago Research Group, a Spain-based research organization, ranked schools in areas such as: research output, international collaboration, normalized impact and publication rate.

Cost
The 2012-2013 school year full-time tuition totaled $42,400 with exceptions to some schools. The total cost including room and board averages $56,184.

On-campus dormitory housing ranges from $8,600 to $11,990 a year while more premium choices in the newer Student Village residence halls and on-campus apartments range from $11,210 to $14,990 a year. By comparison, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Allston-Brighton area is $1,300, or $7,800 per person per year.

Grade deflation
The independently run student newspaper at Boston University, The Daily Free Press, as well as The New York Times, have published articles exploring the existence of grade deflation. The Times discovered that administrators have suggested to faculty members deflated ideal grade distributions. Though an article in the staff's BU Today asserted that "the GPAs of BU undergrads and the percentage of As and Bs have both risen over the last two decades", The New York Times has found BU grades rising more slowly with respect to many other schools.

In 2004, the average GPA of a BU undergraduate was 3.04, compared to the averages of 3.35 for Boston College, (2007) 3.48 for Amherst College, (2006) 3.41 for New York University (2002) and 3.43 for Harvard University (2004).

About 81 percent of all grades earned in either the A or B range (75% in the B range). The article went on to note that although the university attempted to curb grade inflation and inconsistency in the late 1990s both the percentage of A's and GPAs have been rising since. They attributed the grade deflation not to teachers' grading policies, but to the increasing quality of each incoming class which leads to more top grades.

Journals and publications
Boston University is home to several academic journals and publications. The School of Law hosts six nationally recognized law journals, including the Boston University Law Review, American Journal of Law and Medicine, Review of Banking & Financial Law, Boston University International Law Journal, Journal of Science and Technology Law, and Public Interest Law Journal. The School of Education houses The Journal of Education, which is the oldest continuously published journal in the field of education in the country. The American Journal of Media Psychology and the Public Relations Journal are currently edited by professors at the College of Communication, which is also home to the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, which generates numerous publications yearly. Studies in Romanticism is housed at the Department of English and The Journal of Field Archeology is housed at the Department of Archeology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Core Curriculum
Offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Core Curriculum offers an intensive great books program for any incoming freshmen who choose to participate. Occupying two classes a semester during freshman and sophomore years, the program has four humanities sections which start with the Epic of Gilgamesh and work their way through Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, Bach and many more. The Social Sciences part of the program includes Hobbes, John Locke, Rousseau, Adam Smith, Marx, and continues through contemporary works. Lastly, the science aspect of the program deals with major ideas such as big bang theory, evolution, quantum mechanics and more. Ultimately, the program seeks to combine science, math, humanities, art, and the social sciences into a cohesive program to give students insight into their world and help them become more refined writers and scholars.

University Professors Program
The University Professors Program (UNI) was an interdisciplinary program that allowed students to pursue a broad range of academic interests. With a student to faculty ratio of 4:1, UNI offered students a broad education in a more personalized atmosphere. Students took a common, intimate, "Core" program consisting of liberal arts courses taught by University Professors in small seminar settings. They then worked closely with an advisor to craft a course of study which led them to an interdisciplinary degree, culminating in a senior thesis. Based upon the report of an academic review committee, a new University-wide honors program was developed and the UNI program was replaced by the University Honors College.

Kilachand Honors College
The University Honors College matriculated its first class in 2010. In 2011, it was renamed Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College following a $25M donation from Rajen Kilachand; the largest donation in the history of the University. The Kilachand Honors College is a university-wide community of faculty and students dedicated to preserving, renewing, and rethinking classic ideals of liberal education: love of learning, intellectual curiosity, self-discovery, empathy, clarity of thought and expression. It rests on three pillars: an integrated, four-year curriculum; an extensive series of co-curricular events that include site-visits to leading cultural institutions as well as talks and readings by leading figures in the arts, sciences, and professions; and, finally, a “living and learning” community that offers students the personal atmosphere of a small liberal college and fosters responsibility and citizenship.

Boston University Academy
Boston University Academy is a private high school operated by Boston University. Founded in 1993, the Academy is known for its strong academic program, classical curriculum, and its unique connection to university resources.

Student publications
Despite a Student Activities policy which prohibits student-run publications from receiving University funding for printing costs, student journals continue to thrive at Boston University as department-sponsored publications, edited by students under the supervision of faculty and staff advisors. The coordinator for undergraduate publications, responsible for acquainting new editors with University guidelines and directing publications staff to campus production and financial resources, has been Zachary Bos of the Core Curriculum since 2006.

Although officially and entirely independent from the University, The Daily Free Press (often referred to as The FreeP), is the campus student newspaper, and the fourth largest daily newspaper in Boston. Since 1970, it has provided students with campus news, city and state news, sports coverage, editorials, arts and entertainment, and special feature stories. The Daily Free Press is published every regular instruction day of the University year and is available at BU dorms, classroom buildings and commercial locations frequented by students.

Synapse is the Boston University Undergraduate Science Magazine and is published online every semester. The "Science" focus is on many disciplines ranging from life sciences to physical sciences, engineering to mathematics, and finance to economics. The magazine is peer and faculty reviewed, and is advertised with routine, campus-wide distribution of pamphlets highlighting featured articles. Synapse was first published in the spring of 2009 and continues to publish articles each semester.

The Brownstone Journal is the longest-running campus publication, having been publishing undergraduate research, scholarly articles and essays, and literary work in translation, since 1982. The Brownstone is currently sponsored by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, but was originally a departmental publication of the University Professors Program. The staff operates from their offices in the former yearbook space in the basement of 10 Lenox Street, beneath the editorial offices of Bostonia.

The literary arts magazine Clarion has been printed since 1998. The first issue, titled "?", was published by the group Students for Literary Awareness with the sponsorship of the Department of English; subsequent issues have been issued by the BU Literary Society. Burn Magazine is a younger literary magazine, published biannually.

In 2006, the first issue of Pusteblume journal of translation was published by a group of former and current students of a co-curricular poetry seminar run by Professor George Kalogeris of the Core Curriculum. The journal, jointly sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages, the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures, and the Core Curriculum, publishes literature in translation and articles concerning translation.

The Journal of the Core Curriculum has been published continuously since 1992 by the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum. Produced by a student editorial staff with the guidance of a faculty advisor, the very interdisciplinary Core Journal publishes academic prose, literary imitations, fictitious encounters between figures from the 'great works', original poetry and creative writing, essays, artwork, translations, and even—in Vol. XVI, Spring 2007—original musical compositions. The Back Bay Review is a student-run journal of critical writing.

Arché is an annual journal of undergraduate work in philosophy, whose first issue was released in the summer of 2007. It is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and published by the Undergraduate Philosophy Association.

The International Relations Review began in 2009 as a subsidiary publication of The Boston University International Affairs Association. Entirely student-run, The IR Review is an independent scholarly journal publishing articles from all areas in international affairs. The goal of The IRR is to unite the many talents and experiences within BU's vast department of international relations.

Even more independent, The Student Underground, focuses on alternative political and cultural activity. Since 1997, issues have been published roughly monthly by a "not-for-profit collective" composed mostly of BU students. In 2007, the paper began operating under the name The Boston Underground; the original editorial focus on campus issues has over the years weakened as the founding editors graduated from BU or left Boston altogether.

The Sam Adams Review was a short-lived monthly student newspaper "providing news for the American Spirit," geared toward a conservative readership. Its staff was not officially recognized as a registed student activity group but, like the Underground, was entirely student-run.

Boink was launched in February 2005 by a group of undergrads led by Alecia Oleyourryk, who was then a senior at the College of Communications. The magazine features BU students posing nude, as well as articles on sexuality. At the time of its first issue, the Dean of Students issued a statement explaining that "the University does not endorse, nor welcome, the prospective publication Boink." The magazine was then, and remains, unaffiliated with the University.

In September 2005, the student paper The Source began to appear weekly, and was characterized by a predominance of arts and entertainment coverage. No new issues were printed after November 2006, and it appears the publisher Greenline Media is now defunct.

The "BU Quad" is an independent, student-run online magazine started in fall of 2009. The magazine features articles and columns on topics including campus news, television, food, politics, and music.

BU Culture Shock is the official blog of the Howard Thurman Center, Boston University's multicultural center. It is dedicated to free expression and open discussion. Culture Shock is notable for its coverage of the 2011 Boston University Union election, inviting contributions from candidates along with other students.

Founded in spring 2009 by magazine journalism students Allie Vasilakis (COM ’11) and Marisa Morrison (COM ’11), The BUZZ is BU's lifestyle magazine on news and happenings on and off campus. Sections include fashion, food, music, arts and entertainment, city guide, and news. From writers to photographers, graphic designers to models, positions on the magazine's staff are all filled and run by students. The BUZZ prints one issue at the end of each academic semester and sells for $2 per issue.

Community Service Center
The Boston University Community Service Center (CSC) is almost entirely student-run. Each semester, the CSC runs 13 volunteer programs related to issues of local, national, or global concern, including hunger, children, elders, disabilities, homelessness and affordable housing, human rights, AIDS awareness, gender issues, and the environment.

The CSC also runs two immensely popular one-week programs. During the First Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP), upperclassmen lead groups of freshmen in volunteer activities throughout Boston before the start of first semester. For Alternative Spring Break (ASB), hundreds of students travel by 12-passenger van, bus, and airplane to locations throughout the country to do service projects in various areas of need. Before registration moved online, students camped out the day before to get spots on trips. Starting in 2010, registration process moved online. For the ASB 2012 program, its registration site crashed due to overwhelming traffic. When registration resumed later that day, spots on all trips filled within minutes, according to The Daily Free Press.

The CSC boasts the most student involvement of any organization on campus.

Graduate workshops
Willing Suspension Productions provides graduate English students the opportunity to present rare Early modern drama before a Boston audience. The program was founded in 1993 and produces one play per year.

ROTC
The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at BU traces its origins back to August 16, 1919 when the U.S. War Department stood up the Students’ Army Training Corps at Boston University, the predecessor to the current Army ROTC program. Today, BU is one of twenty five colleges and universities in the country to host all three ROTC programs – Army, Navy, and Air Force. Students wishing to be commissioned into the Marine Corps study as Navy Midshipmen.

Honor Societies
Alpha Phi Sigma - Nu Mu Chapter

Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, recognizes academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate criminal justice students, as well as Juris Doctor (JD) students, inducting new members twice yearly. The goals of Alpha Phi Sigma are to honor and promote academic excellence, community service, and educational leadership and unity. The society was originally founded in 1942 at Washington State University. The Nu Mu chapter was chartered May 2012 at Boston University. Alpha Phi Sigma is the only criminal justice honor society certified as a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and affiliated with the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Other clubs and activities

 * The Boston University Dear Abbeys is an acclaimed All-Male student a cappella group. In 2005, they won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, a prestigious nation-wide tournament for collegiate a cappella groups.


 * Boston University is one of the 22 nation-wide college sites where there is a branch of Peer Health Exchange. Peer Health Exchange trains college students to become PHE Health Educators in neighboring public high schools that lack funding for health education. Health Educators teach the following topics in ninth grade classrooms: Decision-Making and Communication I, Sexual Decision-Making, Pregnancy Prevention, Sexually Transmitted Infections & HIV, Healthy Relationships, Abusive Relationships, Rape & Sexual Assault, Nutrition & Physical Activity, Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, Mental Health, and Decision-Making and Communication II.


 * Boston University Stage Troupe is the University's oldest and largest performing arts group. Open to undergrads not majoring in theatre, the group performs many shows a year, and also hosts special events, some of which are coordinated with the Dean of Students.


 * The Boston University Debate Society regularly competes on the American Parliamentary Debate Association debate circuit. During the 2010–11 season, BUDS fielded debaters who won both "Team of the Year" distinction as well as the 2011 National Championship at West Point, NY. The team hosts an unopposed national tournament on campus each spring, with nearly every APDA college represented.


 * The Boston University Figure Skating Club is a team of students who figure skate and ice dance, and a fully fledged member of the United States Figure Skating Association. It is the reigning two-time U.S. National Intercollegiate Team Champion.  In addition, the "Boston University Terrierettes" compete in Collegiate Synchronized skating, and have routinely placed in the top ten at the United States Synchronized Team Skating Championships.


 * The Boston University International Affairs Association (BUIAA) is the evolution of the Boston University Model United Nations Association (BUMUNA), which was founded in 1973. This club also hosts two conferences annually, one for high school students and one on the collegiate level.  BosMUN, BUIAA's high school conference, hosts over 1,000 students annually from all across the globe.  Last year, schools came from China, Guatemala, and Canada.  BarMUN (Boston Area Model United Nations Conference) is BUIAA's college level conference.  BarMUN stands apart from other college conference in that the conference is a full scale simulation, ranging from 4 to 8 committee joint crises.


 * The Hug Don't Hate grassroots peace-building campaign was founded in 2006 at Boston University with the mission of creating lasting peace through happiness, understanding and respect. All of Hug Don't Hate's activities are focused on helping individuals find common ground. The activities are divided into 4 branches: 'Free Hug Fridays', 'Urban Smiles', 'Connective Kindness' and 'BUNITED'. Hug Don't Hate is also currently expanding to different locations.


 * The Boston University Crafts for Charity Club is an organization of students which creates crafts for local charities. Although one of the smaller clubs on campus, its future looks promising under the leadership of its new president Kat Meigs.


 * The Greek community on BU's campus consists of nine sororities (nine Panhellenic chapters), ten fraternities (seven Inter-Fraternity Council chapters) and recently created Multicultural Greek Council (four fraterneties and one sorority). The student population that is enrolled in fraternities and sororities is currently 8% and growing. In 2008, over 560 women went through formal sorority recruitment which occurs the first weekend of 2nd semester.


 * The Boston University India Club is the University's largest student-run organization. Open to students of all ethnic backgrounds, the club sponsors cultural shows, performances and activities that showcase South Asian culture. BUIC also hosts and organizes the annual GarbaFest Competition, a garba raas competition.


 * Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛΧΑ), a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) and one of the largest men's general fraternities in North America, was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a student at Boston University, on November 2, 1909.


 * Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ) was founded at Boston University on Thanksgiving Eve, 1888. Sarah Ida Shaw, later known as Ida Shaw Martin, founded Tri Delta without the assistance of a men's fraternity, a unique accomplishment for her time.


 * The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean's Hosts are a premier student volunteer organization where members serve as liaisons between CAS students and faculty members. Most notably, CAS Dean's Hosts along with CAS Student Government throw the Top of the Hub formal in downtown Boston annually.


 * The "Boston University Soccer Club" is an athletic-based club that allows members of the BU community to participate in a variety of soccer-related events ranging from pick-up futsal games at the Fitness and Recreation Center, to philanthropic fundraising matches such as the annual "Lose the Shoes" charity tournament, from which all the proceeds go to the GrassrootSoccer campaign. The motto of the club is: "Unifying diversity through the love of the world's beautiful game."


 * CAS Student Government is the University's largest individual student government group. Each year they work with the administration of the College of Arts and Sciences to deal with multiple student affairs issues within CAS.  They also program many events for the students of CAS including: Celtics Night, Coffee at Finals, Ice Skating at Frog Pond, Senior Reception, and many more.


 * Boston University offers close to 500 student organizations on campus.

Athletics


Boston University's NCAA Division I Terriers compete in basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and wrestling, while the Lady Terriers compete in basketball, dance, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and track. Boston University athletics teams compete in the America East, Hockey East, and Colonial Athletic Association conferences, and their mascot is Rhett the Boston Terrier. As of July 1, 2013, a majority of Boston University's teams will compete in the Patriot League.

The Boston University men's hockey team is the most successful on campus, and is a storied college hockey franchise, with five NCAA championships – including the 2009 NCAA title, which was a classic last-minute comeback victory. The team is coached by hall-of-famer Jack Parker, and is a major supplier of talent to the NHL, as well as to the 1980 U.S.A. Gold Medal-winning men's hockey team. Boston University's hockey team has won 29 Beanpot titles, more than any other team in the tournament, which includes Harvard University, Boston College, and Northeastern University. Boston University also won the Sun Life Frozen Fenway contest in 2010 against Boston College by a score of 3–2. It was an outdoor Hockey East college game played at Fenway Park a week after the NHL Winter Classic.

BU has also won two national championships in women's rowing, in 1991 and 1992.

Boston University recently constructed the new Agganis Arena, which opened on January 3, 2005 with a men's hockey game between the Terriers and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Agganis Arena is also used occasionally to host other non-sporting related events.

Boston University disbanded its football team in 1997. The university used the nearly $3 million from its football program to build the multimillion-dollar John Hancock Student Village and athletic complex. Among the biggest benefactors of the decision was BU women, who saw the funding for their teams increased. "By implementing the total plan, we can achieve a much more balanced set of sports programs for both men and women, which is consistent with the philosophy underlying Title IX," said former BU athletic director Gary Strickler.

Club sports
Boston University students also compete in athletics at the club level. Thirty six club sports are recognized by the university, including: Synchronized Skating, Baseball; Inline Hockey; Men's Volleyball; Women's Volleyball; Men's Lacrosse; Snowboard; Ultimate Frisbee; Kung Fu; Fencing; Rugby Football; Synchronized Swimming; Cheerleading; Table Tennis; Women's Water Polo; Men's Water Polo; Women's Rugby; Alpine Ski Racing; Snowboarding; Cycling; Badminton; Ballroom Dance; Figure Skating; Golf; Gymnastics; Jiu Jitsu; Kendo; Shotokan Karate; Sailing; Taekwondo; Triathlon; Dance Theater Group; Squash, Curling, Equestrian, and Men's Club Football.

The BU Dinghy Sailors are among the most prestigious sailing teams in college sailing. They have won 7 Collegiate National Championships, most recently in 1999. They have also had 3 team members graduate as "College Sailor of the Year." Notable alumni of the team include Ken Read, skipper for PUMA Ocean Racing in the Volvo Ocean Race, and 2012 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year nominee, John Mollicone.

The BU Inline Hockey Team advanced to the NCHRA Tournament in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The team advanced all the way to the Final Four in 2001.

The BU Table Tennis team has won the divisional championships a number of times this decade, most recently in 2006 (Men's) and 2007 (Women's). Both Men's and Women's Intervarsity Table Tennis Teams have attended the National Collegiate Table Tennis Tournaments and ranked as high as the top 10 nationwide.

The BU Figure Skating Team won the 2009 Intercollegiate National Figure Skating Championships held in Colorado Springs.

Fight song: "Go B.U."
Go BU, Go BU! Sing her praises loud and true! We'll fight for our alma mater, On to sure victory!! Fight! Fight! Fight! Go BU, Go BU! Down the field to score anew! Our hearts are with you as you meet the foe. We hail you, Ole BU!

The word "field" in the song's seventh line is replaced by "ice" when sung at hockey games and by "court" at basketball games.

Notable alumni and faculty


There are 285,000 Boston University alumni, representing almost every country in the world. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of BU's most notable alumni. Three other alumni hold historical importance: Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first African-American woman and Charles Eastman (first named Ohiyesa) the first American Indian to be certified as doctors, and Helen Magill White was the first woman in the US to earn a PhD.

Other well-known alumni include actors Ginnifer Goodwin, Marisa Tomei, Emily Deschanel, Julianne Moore and Geena Davis, Taiwanese composer Wen-Pin Hope Lee, former Defense Secretary William Cohen, current Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, former Senator Judd Gregg, radio personality Howard Stern, celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, J.Crew CEO and former Gap Inc. CEO Millard Drexler, sports writer Bill Simmons, radiologist Jean Francois Geschwind, television personality Bill O'Reilly, Bravo executive Andy Cohen, former Second Lady Tipper Gore and cohost of Project Runway and fashion editor for Marie Claire Magazine Nina Garcia. The former First Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Earle O. Latham. The American painter Franz Kline attended BU. The founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Fan S. Noli, received a doctorate from BU. Infosys co-founder S. D. Shibulal did his MS from BU. American YouTube personality Jenna Mourey received a master's degree from Boston University.

Current and former faculty of BU include Alexander Graham Bell, Elie Wiesel, Andre de Quadros, Howard Zinn,  Isaac Asimov,  Derek Walcott,  Robert Pinsky,  Bob Zelnick, Andrew Bacevich and Jhumpa Lahiri.

A more infamous connection is with Philip Markoff, the "Craiglist Killer", who was a medical student at BU.

Former Miss USA and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo attended classes at BU.