Boston University alumna Shamim Dahod and her husband Ashraf Dahod donated $2 million to renovate the historic BU Castle into an alumni center, the university announced Thursday.
The construction is scheduled to begin in the spring. After the renovation, BU Castle will be renamed as the Dahod Family Alumni Center, according to the university.
Shamim Dahod, also a member of BU Board of Trustees, graduated from the College of General Studies in 1976, the College of Liberal Arts in 1978 and the School of Medicine in 1987. Since then, as an alumna, she has given back to the university extensively, university spokesperson Colin Riley said.
“They made an extremely generous $10.5 million gift to the School of Medicine about eight years ago for breast cancer research, and within that gift were [the creation of] international scholar and assistant professor positions,” Riley said.
The Dahod family has been involved with the Campaign for Boston University fundraising project, which has surpassed its initial $1 billion goal, Riley said. Funds raised through the campaign benefit a variety of projects at BU, ranging from scholarships to construction projects.
The Dahods’ most recent contribution will revitalize the BU Castle, a building that is more than 100 years old.
“It was a generous and wonderful gift to the university,” Riley said. “It will restore and update the most iconic beautiful building on the Charles River Campus and create a new focal point for alumni activity.”
Riley said the new alumni center will provide a physical location for all of the events and work that is done by the BU Alumni Association.
“There’s hundreds and hundreds of activities throughout the year for our alumni, and to have a central location where the staff work and also have a space to hold functions and events is a great thing,” Riley said.
Steve Hall, BU’s vice president for alumni relations, wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that the project will serve as a symbol of the permanency of the relationship that alumni have with their alma mater.
“We hope that alumni will realize that the Dahod Family Alumni Center is a testament to how important alumni are to the future of the university,” Hall said. “It’s a physical representation that alumni are not just ‘from’ BU, they are ‘of’ BU. Of course, the Alumni Center at the Castle will continue to be a wonderful venue available to our alumni.”
Hall said the renovation will allow BU to expand programs that connect alumni to the university and to other alumni.
“It will be a portal through which BU alumni can re-enter their relationship with the campus; a place where they can find out how to get involved, meet with faculty, fellow alumni or students, or simply a place to call home when they are visiting campus,” Hall said. “This is indeed an exciting moment for BU and alumni.”
Several students said they were excited by the prospects of renovating the BU Castle into an alumni center.
Amelia Rosenthal, a freshman in the College of Communication, said the project could help students connect to and network with alumni.
“I think the Dahods are making an extremely generous gift,” Rosenthal said. “Renovation of the BU Castle will benefit not just the alumni but also those who want to make connections with them and the BU community as a whole.”
Carly Berke, a freshman in COM, said as long as the integrity of the building remains intact, the renovation will have a positive impact on campus.
“I love the outside of the Castle and the gothic feel it gives to Bay State Road,” Berke said. “It’s one of my favorite parts of BU and I love taking pictures of it and admiring it. I wouldn’t want BU to change the classic features of the castle, especially because it’s such a prominent and well-liked part of campus.
Thomas Batson, a freshman in the College of Fine Arts, called the renovation “a worthwhile endeavor” because it shows that the university is committed to serve its current and past students.
“My mom, being a CFA alumnus, will be pleased to know that her alma mater is making strides to include their alumni and show current students that they will always have a place at BU,” Batson said.
Abigail Brann contributed to the reporting of the article.
