Chicago's Bright Lights Shine on BU Law Alumni Safeguarding ...

Q&A
with
President
Bob Brown
our energy on strengthening the quality and
impact of our most important programs,
increasing the resources for our faculty
and fostering new, innovative teaching
and research programs across our schools
and colleges. Our goal for the law school,
specifically, is to be regularly ranked in the
top 20 law schools in the country.
Q: What challenges do you see ahead
The biggest challenges facing Boston
University are all related to attracting the
best students and faculty to the University.
There are many things we have to do to
focus on these goals. For our undergraduate
students our challenges hinge on keeping
Boston University accessible to the very
best students, regardless of economic
background, and on creating a vibrant
campus community. For the law school our
biggest challenge revolves around renewing
and expanding the facilities for the School
in keeping with the stature of the law school
today and in the future.
Dr. Robert A. Brown, distinguished
teacher, researcher, administrator
and educational innovator, became
the 10th president of Boston
University on September 1, 2005.
Dr. Brown was the provost of
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) and is a member of
the National Academy of Sciences,
the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences and the National Academy
of Engineering. The Record asked Dr.
Brown about his experience at BU
so far as well as his thoughts on the
University and the School of Law.
Q: What is your assessment of the
University and law school as you approach
two full years in office
Boston University is one of the most
important private research universities
in America. It has a great mission of
undergraduate, graduate and professional
education. Furthermore, both students
and faculty maintain a tradition of serious
knowledge creation and thoughtful
engagement with the community and the
world. The law school is one of the jewels
of the University with a marvelous faculty, a
great tradition of excellence in education and
an intelligent student body.
Q: What goals do you have for both the
University and the law school
My goal is to help make Boston University, as
a whole, a truly great university by focusing
Q: You’ve talked about uniting the schools
of the University. How do you see this
happening
Although the quality and reputation of our
individual disciplines and faculties are
the foundation of the excellence of the
University, we have enormous potential for
new, innovative collaborations. The Faculty
and Administration Task Force on Strategic
Planning identified collaboration across our
schools and colleges as one of the most
important assets of the University. The
majority of today’s societal challenges require
these interdisciplinary collaborations; Boston
University is very well positioned to have
significant impact, through both education
and research. I hope all our schools and
colleges will look for these opportunities
wherever they arise.
8 | The Record | Fall 2007