Boston University students, faculty and staff want more rigorous and immersive academics, shared, central campus locations and modern, comfortable spaces, they said in a fall survey held by Boston University’s Campus Planning and Operations department.
The survey, the results of which were recently released, was the first phase of the Campus Framework plan, an initiative aiming to guide decisions on how the University utilizes resources, particularly physical space. The survey was announced in October 2025, and closed on Nov. 14, 2025.
“The Campus Framework is about taking a long-term look at how our campuses can better support the way BU lives, learns and works as the University evolves,” said Gregg Snyder, vice president for campus planning and operations. “Our spaces need to evolve with it, especially in a dense urban setting like Boston.”
The survey, which was limited to the University’s students, faculty and staff by requiring a BU email address, garnered approximately 3,500 responses, about 43% of which were from students. Faculty and staff made up about 36% of survey respondents, and 20% did not specify their role on campus.
The overall project is composed of three phases: discovery and analysis, concept alternatives and final framework and documentation.
For the first phase, the team collected data through the survey.
The second phase, which began in January, aims to refine principles, goals and framework strategies and create concept alternatives.
For the third phase, they will look at estimated costs, give a final presentation and outline a map for implementation. This phase will “serve as a long term guide for campus planning and investment, while remaining flexible enough to adapt as needs change,” Snyder said.
The University’s enrollment, research, housing, student experiences and evolving workspaces will be the main drivers behind understanding and crafting BU’s future space needs, according to the project website.
“This isn’t about immediate changes. It’s about setting direction,” Snyder said. “This effort is focused on long term planning rather than near term projects.”
Zahra Abdi, a senior majoring in ancient Greek and Latin, said she would have liked it if the survey was promoted more. Posting promotional signs around campus would have brought more attention to the survey, she said.
“I would have 100% responded to that survey if I had known about it, because I do think that a lot of these buildings could get a bit of a refresh,” Abdi said.
