Boston University Provost Gloria Waters will step down from her role at the end of the 2025-26 academic year and return to BU faculty, BU President Melissa Gilliam announced in a Sept. 30 letter to faculty.
Waters has served as provost and chief academic officer since July 2024. When Waters stepped into the provost role, it was intended as a limited tenure to help lead the transition between administrations when Gilliam joined BU, Gilliam wrote.
A national search for her replacement is underway, with a new provost expected by summer 2026.
In a statement to The Daily Free Press, Waters said she hopes to continue her work of strengthening the BU community for the remainder of her tenure.
“My goal is to see the strategic plans for schools and colleges through to completion, continue to strengthen our support for faculty and student success, and position the next provost to partner with President Gilliam in re-envisioning Boston University’s future,” she wrote.
Waters also emphasized her appreciation for the opportunity to serve as provost.
“It has been a privilege to serve this community and to help set the stage for what comes next,” she wrote.
As provost, Waters was BU’s second-ranking official and oversaw academic and faculty affairs, strategic initiatives and global programs. The deans of BU’s schools and colleges also worked closely with Waters to ensure the academics and research of each school received the proper support.
College of Engineering Dean Elise Morgan, who was appointed under Waters, praised her leadership efforts.
“She’s been an extraordinary provost,” Morgan said. “She’s a very steady, philanthropic leader who cares deeply about the University and has an incredible mind for managing complex systems.”
Vice President of the Office of Research Kenneth Lutchen wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that during her tenure, Waters “demonstrated remarkable dedication in advancing excellence” across BU.
“One of her most significant accomplishments was enhancing the student experience through reimagined academic advising and career development programs, as well as helping to launch the Artificial Intelligence Development Accelerator (AIDA) and the Institute for Excellence in Teaching and Learning,” Lutchen wrote.
BU Spokesperson Colin Riley said Waters did an “excellent job” handling major budget challenges due to federal policy changes and working closely with the university’s 17 deans to identify necessary budget cuts.
Gilliam echoed this success in her letter and emphasized Waters’ strong connection with the BU community.
“Gloria has tackled some of the University’s most complex challenges with clarity and resolve,” Gilliam wrote. “She led negotiations and swiftly implemented the new graduate union contract while maintaining strong relationships across our academic community.”
Waters was involved in the negotiation of a new contract with the BU Graduate Workers Union over fair wages and benefits. The first contract in October 2024 ended a seven-month strike, the longest in BU’s history.
The graduate workers’ strikes were a point of contention for the University last year. Freddy Reiber, a fourth-year graduate student who was involved in the negotiations, believes Waters did little more than repeat BU’s standard position in negotiating.
Reiber said, in his interactions with Waters, he remembers her work as nothing “out of the norm.”
“I don’t think it’s any surprise that Gloria was unwilling to provide meaningful concessions at the table, above and beyond what they thought was the minimum,” Reiber said.
He hopes the next provost focuses more on social justice, though he said he doesn’t “have any expectations for a university provost” to bring change.
Lutchen wrote he hopes the next provost “will be a unifying leader” as well as prioritize research.
“As BU looks to the future, I hope the incoming Provost … forges strong partnerships not only with the president of course, but across campus and with external stakeholders to advance research that improves lives and prepares the next generation to serve society,” he wrote.