Melissa L. Gilliam installed as Boston University’s 11th president

BU President Melissa L. Gilliam sitting in the leather chair that belonged to one of BU’s founders, Isaac Rich. The chair was used in 1869 when BU’s three founders signed a petition to charter BU as a new corporation, and it has been featured at nearly every inauguration since. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi In historic inauguration, she calls for greater investment in student internship opportunities, in faculty interdisciplinary research, and ensuring access for all BOSTON, Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On Friday, September 27, the Boston University community leapt to its feet to celebrate the historic inauguration of Melissa L. Gilliam as the institution’s 11th president since its founding in 1839. “Boston University has been a place for courage in the face of challenges,” Gilliam said in her speech at Agganis Arena to more than 2,000 students, faculty, staff, and dignitaries gathered on a beautiful fall afternoon. “A place of openness in a society that was often closed; a place of optimism during times of hopelessness; and a place that has been open to an increasingly global world, when many others could only see what was directly in front of them. “To Boston University’s trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and...