When Boston University tries to tell the country, the media and academia about its plans for the future, it capitalizes on facts and figures, when really the strength of the vision drawn out in a plan two years in the making is its focus on the intangibles of the university. When the university obsesses with its status in comparison to other schools, it detracts from the spirit of intellectual and institutional development and plays to the simplified demands of frenzied prospective students and overblown ranking systems, rather than the spirit of education.
Any university trying to enhance its ineffable character is forced to talk in terms of endowment, its student-to-faculty ratio and, unfortunately, how it matches up to other similar schools, at least according to outside industries and often through meaningless magazine surveys. When President Robert Brown told The Boston Globe he wants BU to place in the top 30 colleges ranked by the U.S. News and World Report, he simplified institutional respect. The updated plan Brown released yesterday enhances his vision and explains how the university will fund its future — and it is far more nuanced and thoughtful than a ranking can reveal.
Brown and the committee members behind the long-term plan realize that a meager endowment now restricts many aspects of the university. In the plan released yesterday, Brown made several commitments to students. The report notes the endowment limits the amount of financial aid the university can offer students – and though it does not touch upon the issue, the endowment explains why BU’s tuition is higher than that of comparable private universities. By allocating 18 percent of the proposed planning budget in the next decade to student aid, BU has wisely decided to attract highly qualified students.
The report also touches upon the fact that BU must continue to improve its facilities to make sure students recall their experience at the school fondly and become what the report calls “loyal and involved alumni” – or those satisfied enough with their experiences to contribute financially to the university so others can have the same education.
In May, Brown announced BU will work to hire 100 professors for the College of Arts and Sciences, 20 to 30 for interdisciplinary work and 20 for the School of Management. Yesterday, the report explained how 11 percent of a $225 million per year budget over 10 years will fund the faculty expansion, and another 11 percent will go toward faculty development. Julie Sandell, chairwoman of the Faculty Council, however, noted that increased salaries are not the only factors that motivate bright young scholars to join a university as tenure-track professors.
By making sure BU is not just about impressive statistics, the administration can ensure talented faculty, as well as promising students, decide to study here. More than increased salaries and student aid, a boost to research funding and fellowships will draw gifted scholars to BU.
Brown and BU must think less about rankings and ratios and more about providing satisfying experiences to students and their teachers. While these figures may make for good sound bytes, true academic accomplishment can be derived from the full, thoughtful program proposed yesterday.