Dear colleagues –

The SPH education unit includes five distinct offices, Admissions, Registrar, Graduate Student Life, the Career and Practicum Office, and Strategic Educational Initiatives. There are two primary functions of the education unit:

  1. Ensuring academic and personal success of all graduate students at SPH to prepare them for successful and rewarding careers, and
  2. Developing, launching, and evaluating strategic educational initiatives that meet the highest standards of excellence for teaching and learning.

Foundational to these two functions is creating and supporting an inclusive working environment that recognizes and values the unique contributions of each member of the education team, as well as every student, faculty member, and staff member in our community.

The five units within Education work collaboratively to support prospective students, applicants, matriculated students, and alumni, and to provide comprehensive support for teaching and learning across the school in all educational offerings. Staff in education work closely with departmentally based faculty and staff including department chairs, designated associate chairs for education/education directors, program directors, instructional faculty, external teaching professionals, and academic program administrators, and with staff in relevant University offices including the Provost’s Office, BU Virtual, the Office of the University Registrar, and more.

The key functions of each of the five distinct offices within education are outlined below.

Admissions Office.  The admissions office sets the admissions strategy, in collaboration with the Dean and the Associate Deans for Education and Administration and Finance, and oversees all aspects of the admissions process. The admission strategy includes marketing and enrollment, which is managed in collaboration with the Office of Marketing and Communications. Each year, the admissions team sets up applications for each program in SOPHAS (the centralized application service for public health programs) and oversees the entire application process which includes supporting students from the inquiry stage through the application process until they are matriculated students.  The admissions team develops and implements a targeted recruitment process that includes digital and in-person recruiting initiatives.  This includes attending conferences and local meet-and-greets across the country, hosting information sessions, tours of campus weekly during peak admissions periods, and virtual information sessions. The admissions team engages program directors, faculty and staff from across the school in these events, as appropriate. The admissions team oversees application reviews, they process admissions decisions, issue acceptance and denial letters, and manage awarding of scholarships. The admissions team also liaises with the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) to support international students through the process of securing visas and work with key faculty and staff at other BU schools and colleges to manage dual degree applicants. Key members of the admissions team attend regular meetings of program committees (e.g., MPH, Online MPH, DrPH, Master of Science, PhD), to confer on strategy and to provide regular updates.

Registrar’s Office.  The registrar’s office oversees all student records and ensures compliance with all academic policies.  Over the past year, the registrar’s office has been immersed in the deployment of the new Boston University Student Information System (SIS) called MyBU Student. The new system replaces the Faculty, Staff, and Student Links for registration, curriculum management, advising, graduation tracking, reporting, billing, and financial aid.  This initiative has been a major undertaking across the University, and the SPH registrar has led the effort to ensure that our programs are set up correctly, that students are coded correctly, and that the functionality of the new system supports our operations.  The registrar’s office also manages the course scheduling process which involves working closely with department chairs, program directors, academic staff, and the Office of the University Registrar.  The registrar’s office oversees compliance with all academic policies including satisfactory academic progress, academic integrity, waivers, transfers, leaves, and so on.  The SPH registrar is a standing member of the school-wide Education Committee which sets school strategy and policy.  The SPH registrar oversees academic policy that is brought before the Education Committee and on to the University for approval.  Key members of the registrar’s team attend regular meetings of program committees (e.g., MPH, Online MPH, DrPH, Master of Science, PhD), to advise on policy, provide regular updates on key initiatives, and to discuss student issues, as needed.

Graduate Student Life (GSL). GSL supports all on-campus students from matriculation through graduation and with everything in between.  Incoming students are introduced to the school at orientation, which is run by GSL.  Orientation is a multi-day affair, where students are introduced to school leaders, key staff and faculty, and to each other.  GSL also manages a wide range of academic supports available to students including the core course tutoring program, the peer writing coaching program, and the student conference travel fund.  GSL also supports students needing academic accommodations which are issued through the BU Office of Disability and Access Services.  GSL also collates and disseminates resources and opportunities for students on-campus, across the university, in and around Boston.  These include health and wellness programming, housing resources, student organizations and events, and much more. There are currently 14 different student organizations that conduct approximately 15 service projects for the local community each year including very successful collection drives for winter clothing, menstrual supplies and food pantry items that support local service organizations. GSL staff provide leadership training to student organization officers so that they are prepared to maintain their own (modest) budgets, can practice communication and professional skills to support their peers, facilitate meetings, and conduct activities. GSL also provide extensive support to faculty and staff in supporting students.  To ensure that all students are aware of deadlines, resources, opportunities and events, GSL publishes a weekly GSL newsletter that comes out each Monday. And the culminating event each academic year in May, managed by GSL, is SPH convocation. Key members of GSL attend regular meetings of program committees (e.g., MPH, Online MPH, DrPH, Master of Science, PhD), to support program directors, provide regular updates, and to discuss student issues, as needed.

Career and Practicum Office (CPO). CPO offers comprehensive services to all on-campus SPH degree candidates and graduates. Online students also have access to digital resources and programming offered by CPO.  The team takes a relational approach to career advising which is different from other schools who tend to be more transactional. The CPO has a robust team which enables advisors to get to know advisees (students/graduates) and build relationships that start when they arrive on campus and continues well into their public health careers. The CPO philosophy in 1:1 advising is holistic and human-centered. CPO staff meet every advisee where they are in a given moment, and know that the challenges of practicum and job searching do not exist in a vacuum; each person comes into an advising session with a complex life occurring in real time. The advisee leads the direction of each session and the goal is always to have the advisee feel more clear and supported by the end of the session. COP staff recognize that we have all experienced feeling stuck, rejected, and ghosted and have enormous empathy for our advisees. They employ humor, real talk, and success stories to ensure that our students know that they are not alone in their struggles and successes. Students can book appointments with an advisor directly on Handshake.

CPO staff also teach the Career PREP course (required for on-campus MPH students, and open to all other on-campus students) which provides students with the techniques and professional confidence to effectively market themselves during the practicum and job search process and throughout their public health career. CPO staff manage the distribution of funds to support unpaid practicum opportunities as part of the Generation Health initiative. CPO hosts more than 100 employers on campus each year to expose students to various career paths/opportunities and to enhance students’ networks. Employer visit formats include the annual Career Fair and the Practicum and Internship Expo, as well as many alumni career panels starting in the Fall semester. CPO also works with SPH faculty to bring employers into the classroom as speakers. Key members of CPO attend regular meetings of program committees (e.g., MPH, Online MPH, DrPH, Master of Science, PhD), to support program directors and to provide regular updates.

Office of Strategic Educational Initiatives.  Strategic Educational Initiatives manages projects, programs, and initiatives that aim to promote and fulfill the SPH educational mission, including new degree offerings, curricular enhancements, academic compliance, evaluation and continuous quality improvement, instructional innovation and support, and academic partnerships.  The Office manages the school-wide Education Committee, which reviews and approves all new initiatives, and submits approved programs and policies to the university for approval.  The Office provides support to all school-wide program directors, including the MPH and DrPH, and provides extensive leadership and management of the Online MPH, including coordination with BU Virtual who produce and deliver online offerings, supporting the OL MPH Director, and working closely with faculty directors and content contributors.  The Office ensures academic compliance with university policies and procedures and with accreditation criteria as set forth by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and supports all facets of the educational evaluation process. The Office manages all teaching and learning events, including monthly Teaching & Learning conversations, school-wide education retreats, and workshops for all faculty and staff.  The Office liaises with other university offices, as needed, to connect faculty to resources on teaching, educational technology, and new pedagogical innovations.

If you have any questions or need specific support, please use the following e-mail addresses: Admissions, asksph@bu.edu; Registrar’s Office, sphregr@bu.edu; Graduate Student Life, sphgsl@bu.edu; Career and Practicum Office, sphcareeroffice@bu.edu; and Strategic Educational Initiatives, spheducation@bu.edu.

I hope the semester is off to a great start,

Lisa Sullivan

Associate Dean for Education

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