Melissa Gilliam was officially inaugurated as the 11th President of Boston University in a ceremony held today at Agganis Arena.
In her inaugural address, Gilliam explained what drew her to BU, acknowledged the University’s history and announced a variety of campus-wide initiatives.
The initiatives Gilliam announced involved connecting colleges across the University, strengthening BU’s relationship with the city of Boston, expanding external partnerships and investing in student internships.
She discussed how the traditions BU holds allow the University to continue growing in a variety of disciplines.
“Our sense of collaboration and our commitment to society compel us to reach new heights, and this tradition holds the key to our next transformation,” Gilliam said. “Over this next decade, we will fully embrace the power of collaboration and the power of crossing disciplines.”
Gilliam said the time she spent living in Washington, D.C. and Chicago — communities which she described as “diverse, multicultural and global” — influenced her decision to work at BU.
Gilliam said she intends to implement a “multidisciplinary” faculty advisory council to acknowledge and eliminate barriers to education, collaboration and research. She announced her plans to make laboratories and workplaces more accessible for students who are completing “career-building internships.”
Gilliam mentioned that wants to reestablish the relationship between the BU Medical Campus and Boston Medical Center.
She also announced the formation of an arts advisory council, led by College of Fine Arts Dean Harvey Young.
“At times when the logic, beauty and grace of science fail to convince minds, I can think of nothing more salient, more penetrating, more perfect than art,” Gilliam said.
Shortly after Gilliam began her speech, protestors at the ceremony stood up and began chanting while holding banners calling for BU to divest from Israel before being escorted out by security, according to BU Spokesperson Colin Riley. The protests were shortly followed by loud clapping of the attendees at the inauguration.
Junior Nathalie Garcia said it was “a little strange” when the audience tried “to calm down the voices by clapping.”
“It moved pretty fast,” Garcia said. “It was almost a little hard to identify what exactly was going on.”
Gilliam acknowledged the protestors and announced another initiative that focuses on bolstering values and fostering discourse across the University.
“As you can see, we have a proud history of advocacy and protest here at Boston University,” Gilliam said. “We also have a deep tradition of discourse across our differences.”
Riley said the University “anticipated the disruption,” but the ceremony was “celebratory.”
Student Body President Akwasi Antwi, who gave a speech at the ceremony, said he appreciated that Gilliam addressed the protest in her speech considering BU’s “progressive student population.”
“You see administration and other people being able to speak and then also students trying to make their voices heard,” Antwi said.
A variety of group representatives spoke at the ceremony, including Meghan Chiasson from the Staff Advisory Council. This was the first time the Staff Advisory Council was included in an inauguration ceremony, Chiasson said during her speech.
“The inclusion of staff in welcoming our 11th President underscores the growing recognition of our role in shaping the future of this great institution,” she said.
Other speakers represented the Board of Trustees, BU Alumni Association, Faculty Council academic community and students.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey both sent their greetings via a pre-recorded video.
Christopher Boyd Brown, an associate professor in the School of Theology, said “there was a lot of enthusiasm in the room” for Gilliam at the inauguration.
“The way President Gilliam and her address connected to the past of the University and laid out her vision for the future was exciting,” Brown said.
Junior Sean Tomany, who attended the inauguration ceremony said he enjoyed that Gilliam highlighted initiatives she plans to implement at BU.
“It was great that she talked about that right off the bat, because it shows that she’s taking initiative and wants to listen to the voices of the students,” Tomany said.
Tomany added that he supports students’ rights to protest “to get their voice[s] heard” and found it “interesting” that Gilliam chose to address the protests “in the middle of her speech.”
“I think it would have been better if she brought attention to it in a way that shows that she does support the voices of the students, even when it was during her inauguration,” Tomany said.
Garcia said Gilliam’s appointment opens new doors for BU.
“I really hope that the values she shared so far continue throughout all of her time being president of BU and that it leads us to becoming a better University,” Garcia said. “[I hope] that we lead with that diversity and inclusion and ethics in mind.”
Kayla Baltazar contributed reporting.
