Jon Westling stepped down July 9 as president of Boston University and will be replaced on an interim basis by Chancellor John Silber, the University announced.
Citing the University’s need for a president who can make a long-term commitment to BU’s strategic plan, and his own desires of returning to the classroom, Westling’s resignation is effective immediately and he will take a one-year sabbatical before returning to the University next year as a professor.
“It has long been my hope to again spend a portion of my career in the classroom and in the library,” Westling wrote in his resignation letter. “That was why I entered academic life in the first place, and it is what I had intended to do when I – temporarily, as I then thought – joined Boston University’s administrative staff 28 years ago.”
Westling became BU’s eighth president on June 1, 1996, when he replaced Silber. During his term, applications to the University increased more than 15 percent, and SAT scores jumped 45 points, according to Richard DeWolfe, chairman of BU’s Board of Trustees, who said philanthropic grants to the school tripled during Westling’s tenure, while research grants and contracts are up nearly 70 percent since 1996.
That fundraising allowed Westling to spearhead several ambitious building and research endeavors, including the creation of Boston Medical Center and the groundbreaking of the Student Village. He also leaves on his desk a Student Union proposal to change the school’s Guest Policy.
“I think the project I was working on will continue to be worked on, and the administration and the faculty will carry on in the normal way,” Westling said in a phone interview Tuesday night.
However, as he gets ready to separate himself for a year, Westling said his daily routine will be the hardest to leave behind.
“I’m pretty sure what I will miss most and that is the daily contact with my colleagues on my staff and in the administration, who are a wonderful group of people: dedicated, professional and fun to be with,” he said.
Westling said the most difficult aspect of his presidency was trying to keep up with events outside the University that needed his attention.
“I think from the standpoint of me personally, the most trying thing about the job was the constant drumbeat of events outside the University, which required that the University be represented and that it be represented by the president,” Westling said.
In-house, Westling’s toughest decisions came when deciding on changes and additions to the faculty.
“The hardest decisions are always decisions about the appointment and the promotion and the award of tenure to individual faculty members,” Westling said. “That is where the real essence of the University lies and where trying to get as many of those decisions right as you possibly can is of absolutely crucial importance.”
Westling said though he “would be glad to talk to potential candidates and answer any questions,” he has no plans to assist the University in finding his replacement, which at the request of the Board, will be filled ad interim by Silber, who was BU’s president from 1971-96.
“Jon Westling has served Boston University brilliantly in a variety of demanding assignments and for 10 years as provost before he assumed the presidency following my resignation,” Silber said in a statement. “His accomplishments as President are apparent in the continuing improvement in the quality of students; in the development of the physical plant, and especially the launching of the Student Village; in setting new records each year in the research grants won by faculty through peer review; and in setting new records each year in fundraising.
“He has given Boston University distinguished public representation as an articulate and eloquent exponent of Boston University’s mission as an open university singularly free of fads and ideological dogmas.” During Silber’s first presidency, Westling served as Provost and Executive Vice President from 1991-1995. He served as Executive Vice President from 1988-1991 and as Provost from 1984-1988. Westling was also named Acting President during President Silber’s sabbatical in 1987 and served as President ad interim while Dr. Silber was on leave in 1990.
“This has been a difficult decision, but one that affords me the opportunity to return to my first love,” Westling said in his announcement. “I also believe the timing is right for the University. With the strong leadership and clear vision of the Board of Trustees, with the depth and strength of my colleagues in administration, and with the dedication and energy of our outstanding faculty, I have great confidence in Boston University’s future.”
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