Melissa L. Gilliam to lead Boston University

The Ohio State University Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa L. Gilliam has been announced as the next president of Boston University. She will continue to serve as Ohio State’s chief academic officer through the end of the year, and will join Boston University as President-Elect on January 1, 2024.

As provost, Gilliam led the launch of the university’s Academic Plan, and she created new support structures, including the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Strategic Enrollment Management. The former focuses on faculty recruitment, onboarding, development and recognition, while the latter integrates admissions, financial aid and additional functions to support enrollment and student success on each of Ohio State’s campuses.

“We are grateful for Dr. Gilliam’s service to Ohio State in areas critical to our foundational mission,” said Peter Mohler, acting president and executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge.

“Serving as president of Boston University is a tremendous opportunity for Dr. Gilliam to continue to contribute to the lives of students and their families through higher education. We wish her the very best.”

Ohio State’s Academic Plan, launched in autumn 2022, is a framework for transforming academic life at the university. Gilliam recently provided an update on the progress made over the past year. As part of a focus on faculty excellence, she established programs for all stages of the career lifecycle, including the Provost’s Early Career Scholars Program and the Scarlet and Gray Associate Professors Program. To advance academic eminence, she instituted the Good-to-Great Grants Program, which is investing in departments and colleges with aspirational targets for growth.

Additionally, the Office of Academic Affairs, led by Gilliam since autumn 2021, has continued to focus on student retention and graduation, developing a completion action plan to further accelerate growth in first-year retention and graduation rates. Gilliam also created the Provost’s Council on the Arts, and has helped lead Ohio State’s Shared Values Initiative.

As president, Gilliam will lead Boston University, a private research university and member institution of the Association of American Universities. She will be the 11th president in the university’s 184-year history.

“I am excited to join the community of students, faculty and staff at Boston University, and I am grateful to everyone at Ohio State who worked with the Office of Academic Affairs to advance this institution’s academic mission,” Gilliam said.

More will be shared on transition plans soon as Ohio State prepares for a national search for its next executive vice president and provost.