Boston University has joined the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities, a partnership dedicated to supporting arts-integrative programs at research universities, according to an email sent to the BU community Friday by Gloria Waters, the BU vice president and associate provost for research.
Ty Furman, the managing director of the BU Arts Initiative, said BU has had a relationship with the alliance for a number of years, and the Arts Initiative has developed as a platform for this network at BU.
“We have been engaged in some ways from the very beginning of a2ru,” Furman said. “We did not opt to join them formally in the initial stages, because my role was brand new at BU and we were still trying to figure out what it was that the BU Arts Initiative needed to be.”
Furman said BU officially decided to pursue a partnership after seeing the alliance’s work since its formation. Furman said he is “very impressed” with some of the alliance’s proposed initiatives that he saw during a conference last November.
“The conversations and presentations I saw at the conference I thought were things that are happening at BU,” Furman said. “These are things that people are committed to and doing research on, so I thought we should be a part of that. ”
Partnering with a2ru would allow BU faculties to form relationships across nationwide institutions and bolster their research through the sharing of ideas within the network, Furman said.
“Our focus is also actively connecting faculty to other faculty across the country,” Furman said. “This isn’t a relationship that will be super visible on campus, but it will be a place where a lot of conversations happen through the many conference opportunities for faculty and students.”
Debra Mexicotte, the associate director of the a2ru, said the alliance’s power lies in its partners who share ideas and infuse education and life with the arts.
“The power of the network is significant,” Mexicotte said. “When you get that many research institutions talking and working together to promote arts and arts integration, it changes the conversation both in the constituent campuses and in the country with educational entities, policymakers.”
Arts in education have the ability to create a dynamic atmosphere that can benefit numerous areas in a student’s life and community, Mexicotte said.
“We know the arts are important to students for the enrichment of their lives,” Mexicotte said, “but we also know that when the arts are engaged around problems or global concerns or diversity issues, that those things become better, richer, more entrenched, and we come up with better solutions for things.”
Mexicotte said the a2ru is pleased to have BU as a partner, and it hopes to continue to grow its network and impact on research universities.
“We are so pleased to have such a great institution like BU join this network,” Mexicotte said. “It makes us that much stronger and able to impact students, faculty and the infusion of the arts. The arts have always been important at research universities, and they continue to be important.”
Several students said the partnership between BU and a2ru would help students be more culturally literate in the art world.
Melissa Trostel, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the partnership would benefit art students as well as students in other majors.
“Art students can hopefully get job opportunities and more money through BU’s cooperation with a2ru,” Trostel said. “[The cooperation] is also important for other students to build a more rounded skillset.”
Albert Wang, a sophomore in CAS, said the university’s art education and research would be stronger following the partnership.
“The decision is good because students can benefit from the alliance,” Wang said. “I do not know about BU’s art aspect, but I am sure we are strong in arts because of the College of Fine Arts program, and it will be stronger with the alliance.”
Tim Hurkmans, a junior in the Questrom School of Business, said though he is not involved in the arts, he appreciates opportunities get more familiar with the field.
“It is good to have students interested with the art world and with expressing themselves,” Hurkmans said. “By building alliance with a2ru, students will be more exposed to the art culture.”
Alex Li contributed to the reporting of this article.
