The construction on the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies’ timber tower is delayed indefinitely from its original start date of May 2026.
Scott Taylor, dean of Pardee, wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that while the anticipated timeline was delayed, important work on the project remains in progress.
The University first informed Pardee faculty of the delay back in May. In an email to all Pardee faculty announcing the construction halt, Taylor wrote the decision reflects a “broader need for financial prudence.”
“We are all aware of ongoing economic pressures and shifts in federal policy facing higher education institutions,” he wrote. “Taking this step now will allow us to protect our long-term vision, prioritize our students and academics, and strengthen the University’s role in the city.”
The new Pardee building — projected to be completed in 2028, according to the building’s website — intends to consolidate the Pardee School, which currently does not have a central location, into one 12-story complex.
“It was a great ambition to bring together all the different parts of the school under one roof and would have created a nice sense of coherence and unity for all of us and our students,” said Quinn Slobodian, Pardee professor of international history.
Maya Boffloinger, a freshman at Pardee, said she does not blame BU for the halt because there of budget cuts,” considering “everything happening right now worldwide with schools.”
Slobodian said it was a “shame” the project was delayed, but he understands the University’s decision given the current political climate.
“The uncertainty around long expected lines of financing for projects like this make [delays a] kind of understandable [for the] reality we all live in,” Slobodian said.
Pardee collaborates with local governments and advocacy groups worldwide, and this project will provide a “central hub” dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration of global issues, according to the building’s website.
“The vision for the new building — and the critical role our school plays in Boston University’s future — remains unchanged,” Taylor wrote. “The planning and design work already completed will guide us when the time is right to move forward.”
