Above: President Melissa Gilliam joins student volunteers who drive the success of BU’s Giving Day every year.
Gifts boost clinical skills, Alzheimer’s research, IDEA Con
The extraordinary generosity of BU’s friends and alumni this year once again enabled the University to deliver groundbreaking research and life-changing scholarships, paving the way for new discoveries and new leaders to make an impact on the world.
President Melissa Gilliam received an enthusiastic reception from alumni, students, parents, and supporters at events in New York, Miami, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C., as well as Los Angeles and Menlo Park, California. She answered audience questions about the state of higher education, the future of research, and campus discourse. International events are set for the coming year.
“I can’t think of a better place to be when sharing with our nation and the world how universities like ours make meaningful contributions to society,” says Michele Schiele (COM’89), who became senior vice president for Advancement in June. “We help students learn and grow, and we enable faculty to explore difficult questions and leverage their creativity. Those who support BU philanthropically and by volunteering power all of this, and more.”
Rod Hochman (CAS’79, CAMED’79) and Nancy Hochman (Sargent’77,’83) gave $10 million to build and operate a state-of-the-art center for clinical skills development at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. The Rod Hochman Family Clinical Skills & Simulation Center opened in June 2025.
Chuan Ping (CAS’15) became BU’s youngest William Fairfield Warren Society member through his gift of $1 million to establish a scholarship benefiting students enrolled at the College of Arts & Sciences. Aydin Senkut (Questrom’92) made a generous gift to the Senkut Family Scholarship, which provides financial assistance for undergraduates at the Questrom School of Business. Both gifts qualify for BU’s Century Challenge, an initiative that matches the income paid out from the scholarships for a full century—doubling their impact.
Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center will benefit from two generous gifts. Monita Lam honored her late mother, Kum Fung Lau, with a gift establishing a research fund in recognition of the best-in-class memory care her mother received from clinicians associated with the center. “The care my mother received in her native language and at home supported her with dignity,” says Lam. Hugh and Cheryl Mensch also gave generously after the disease touched the lives of several friends.
An entrepreneur and vice chair of BU’s Board of Trustees, Cynthia Cohen (MET’77) was an early supporter of Innovate@BU, and she recently made an additional $1 million gift to sponsor its signature IDEA Con innovators conference for five years.
College of Fine Arts Dean’s Advisory Board member Clare Hodgson Meeker (CFA’75) and her husband Dan Grausz gave $700,000 to expand the Clare Hodgson Meeker Endowed Fellowship to a total of $1 million. The fellowship funds professional and academic development opportunities for School of Music undergraduates.
More than 12,000 donors gave $4.5 million during Boston University’s 11th Giving Day in April, setting Giving Day records for both number of donors and dollars raised (by more than $500,000). Donors from 53 countries and all 50 states contributed to 750 causes across the University.
Donors gave $4.5 million during Boston University’s 11th annual Giving Day
More than 800 members of the BU community signed up to be Giving Day Advocates and encourage friends, families, and peers to make gifts.
“Our alumni, parents, and friends have a powerful role to play in BU’s future excellence,” says Schiele, “and we’ll work to build new and productive partnerships with foundations and industry, too. The wider our community of support, the bigger the difference we’ll be able to make.”