Since Boston University Provost Jean Morrison tasked a Space Program Committee to develop a renovation plan for the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground four months ago, the committee has been meeting weekly to deliver the plan.
HTC Assistant Director Pedro Falci, co-chair of the committee, wrote in an email that the committee’s priority is to make recommendations that build on the work of the Howard Thurman Center Vision Committee, which was initially founded in December 2015 to expand the center.
“Our job is to create a plan for a physical space that is highly visible, accessible, hospitable, flexible, culturally-engaging and ecologically inspiring,” Falci said.
The Space Program Committee has been meeting weekly with a team of architects to determine what functions and facilities could be included in the expanded Thurman Center.
In addition to physical expansions, the HTC has added three new positions: assistant director of marketing and communications, assistant director of the Thurman Center Network and an assistant director for arts, services and grants.
The committee has polled the BU community by hosting public listening sessions and distributing an online survey that was released last month, Falci said.
Falci added that in addition to the expansion of the HTC, two clerical positions in the center are currently open and in review of resumes.
BU spokesperson Colin Riley said the funding for these renovations comes from the university’s operating surplus.
“There’s always a certain portion of the surplus that goes to facilities for renovations,” Riley said. “In this case, renovations are a smaller project, and I don’t know the size of this one or the amount, but they’re [doing this] through the money the university sets aside from its operating surplus — from money it has left at the end of the fiscal year that is then put into the next year’s budget designated for renovation and maintenance and improvement. “
Several BU students said they are excited to see how HTC will expand and what it will bring to the BU community.
Lucas Watson, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said he’s excited to see if an expansion of the HTC will attract more students.
“The HTC is certainly accessible to all, but I’m excited to see how the expansion might bring more students into the HTC, particularly those who don’t know about the diverse range of programs it has to offer,” Watson said. “I attended the public chat with the architects last semester, and everyone was very excited about the HTC entering a new space; one that will allow the programs to expand even more and reach more students.”
Briana Lopez, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, works in the HTC as an office assistant. She said she tries to attend programs whenever she is able to.
“I use the space a lot for studying or to just have a nice space to relax,” Lopez said. “I think [the HTC] is accessible because it’s in Central Campus at the [George Sherman Union], but since it’s in the lower floor it is sometimes hard to find when you look for it. I love the community feel that the HTC has and I’m excited to see the expansion.”
Abigail McCracken, a freshman in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said she values HTC’s presence on campus.
“I think it’s absolutely an asset to the university,” McCracken said. “It’s a place where students from all walks of life can come together and share their thoughts and opinions. It’s very representative of everything Howard Thurman stood for. And I think Coffee and Conversation is one of the best events that happens there.”
