Jon Westling

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Jon Westling
8th President of Boston University
In office
1996–2002
Preceded byJohn Silber
Succeeded byJohn Silber (Interim)
Personal details
Born1942
Died (aged 78)
Oxford University

Jon Westling (1942 – 15 January 2021)[1] was an American educator, and was president of Boston University from 1996 until 2002.

Biography

Raised in

Rhodes scholarship. Before joining B.U., Westling taught at Centre College in Kentucky, Reed College, the University of California, Irvine, and at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was a Freedom Rider. In 1963, his participation in a sit-in in southern Virginia landed him several days in jail.[1]

Westling joined the Boston University faculty in 1974. He was named provost in 1984. In this role he was controversial B.U. president

running for Governor.[2][3][4] In 1996, he was chosen to succeed Silber, who became Chancellor of the University after a 25-year tenure as president. Westling's tenure came to an end in July 2002, when he resigned the presidency to return to teaching and research as a Professor of History and Humanities. Silber stepped down as chancellor and reassumed the presidency on an interim basis until Aram Chobanian
was appointed president ad interim in October 2003.

During his tenure, he was instrumental in bringing

Medieval Europe and Tudor England, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, early modern philosophy and political theory, the development of the European state system, and the history and contemporary state of higher education.[5]

After a career spanning 46 years, Westling died on January 15, 2021, at the age of 78. Beyond his tenure as president and provost, he was remembered as a professor within Boston University's Department of History and as an avid motorcyclist. He left behind three children, Emma, Matthew, and Andrew, all graduates of Boston University.[1][6]

Guckenberger v. Boston University

During a court case he was accused of making controversial statements about students with learning disabilities. "President Westling referred to students with learning disabilities as "a plague," and an indication of "a silent genetic catastrophe," and he has made similar statements in letters to the

Boston Globe, campus newspapers, and students' parents."[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Remembering Former BU President Jon Westling". bu.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  2. ^ Russell, Jenna (July 10, 2002). "Westling Resigns As BU President, Silber Takes Reins". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ Dembner, Alice (November 8, 1994). "Some see first hints of a Silber exit in new BU task force on succession". The Boston Globe.
  4. ^ Higgins, Richard (September 10, 1987). "Maitre is Named Dean at B.U. School". The Boston Globe.
  5. ^ "Jon Westling | History". www.bu.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  6. ^ "Jon Westling, former president of Boston University, dies at 78". The Boston Globe. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  7. ^ "Guckenberger v. Boston University, 957 F. Supp. 306 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.

External links

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