September 9th, 2014
To the President and Trustees of Boston University:
The climate change crisis is threatening life on Earth, and demands immediate and
transformative actions by individuals, governments, businesses, and institutions.
The extent of this crisis has only become clearer with the release of the most recent
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report,1 which outlines the ongoing effects
and future threats of climate change, including: increased scarcity of food and fresh
water; extreme weather events; rise in sea level; loss of biodiversity; areas becoming
uninhabitable; and mass human migration, conflict and violence. In response, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science has issued this dire warning: “the
wellbeing of people of all nations [is] at risk.”2
Because it is unlikely that fossil fuel interests (the major source of this crisis) will stop of
their own accord their unrelenting drive to burn these fuels at current rates, we must find
strategies to induce them to stop. As one step in this effort, the undersigned faculty
members, together with the DivestBU student movement, are urging Boston University
to divest its financial investments in fossil fuel interests. We recognize that the transition
to a post-fossil fuel society will be complex, but we must begin to take meaningful action
to promote a rapid phasing out of fossil fuel use.
There is ample evidence3 to suggest that careful divestment will result in no significant
financial hardships for institutions like Boston University. Furthermore, since the true
costs of carbon dioxide emissions are currently not taken into account in determining
fossil fuel companies’ stock prices, investing in them is becoming increasingly risky (the
‘carbon bubble’).4 Most importantly, we have a moral obligation to align our financial
interests with the future of our planet. It is wrong to use our endowment to commission
the destruction of a hospitable climate for our students, our children and - as is
increasingly evident - ourselves. There is a long history of responsible investors who
redirected investments away from socially unacceptable enterprises, and, indeed, our
institution has twice before taken action to disengage from financially reprehensible
actions (i.e., divesting from the Darfur genocide and partially from Apartheid South
Africa).5 Furthermore, Boston University has shown a real commitment to climate
change concerns through its sustainability and energy efficiency programs. The time
has come again to take another clear leadership role – this time taking action that will
accelerate solutions to the climate change crisis.
Thus, we are calling upon Boston University to divest from its fossil fuel holdings as a
moral, rational, and prudent step to take to help stop the climate catastrophe. Our call
aligns us with a growing list of universities, municipalities, and organizations that have
already divested.6
The wake up call has sounded. It is time to act!
1
Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, IPCC WGII AR5
Summary Statement for Policymakers,
http://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/images/uploads/IPCC_WG2AR5_SPM_Approved.pdf
2 What We Know (2014), AAAS, http://whatweknow.aaas.org/get-the-facts/
3 For example, see: Patrick Geddes (Chief Financial Officer, Aperio Group), Do the
Investment Math: Building a Carbon-Free Portfolio (2013).
Http://www.aperiogroup.com/system/files/documents/building_a_carbon_free_portfolio.p
df
4 See, for example, the recent reports on the ‘carbon bubble’ by the Carbon Tracker
Initiative group: http://www.carbontracker.org/site/carbonbubble
5 Leslie Friday, “New Socially Responsible Investing Committee Meets This Week,” BU
Today, December 2, 2013; Muriel Cohen and Fletcher Roberts, “BU Votes to Divest
Selectively,” Boston Globe, April 27, 1979, pg. 19.
6 gofossilfree.org
Name
Rank/Position
Department/School
1. Barbara Brown
Director of Outreach
African Studies Center
2. Shahla Haeri
Assoc. Prof.
Anthropology
3. Jenny White
Prof.
Anthropology
4. Laurie LaPorte
Lecturer
Anthropology
5. James McCann
Prof.
Archeology & History
6. Chris Roosevelt
Assoc. Prof.
Archeology
7. Paul Goldberg
Prof.
Archeology
8. Daniel Ranalli
Prof.
Arts Administration Program
9. Nancy Crooker
Research Prof.
Astronomy
10. Adrien Finzi
Prof.
Biology
11. Francisco Naya
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
12. Fred Wasserman
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
13. Jen-Wei Lin
Prof.
Biology
14. John Celenza
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
15. Karen Warkentin
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
16. Trevor Siggers
Assist. Prof.
Biology
17. William Eldred
Prof.
Biology
18. Cynthia Bradham
Assist. Prof.
Biology
19. Ed Loechler
Prof.
Biology
20. Les Kaufman
Prof.
Biology
21. Ian Davison
Assist. Prof.
Biology
22. Horatio Frydman
Assist. Prof.
Biology
23. James Traniello
Prof.
Biology
24. Michael Baum
Prof.
Biology
25. Kathryn Spilios
Lecturer
Biology
26. Christopher Schneider
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
27. Karina Baum
Lecturer
Biology
28. John Finnerty
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
29. Gloria Callard
Prof.
Biology
30. Pamela Templer
Assoc. Prof.
Biology
31. Gary Benson
Assoc. Prof.
Biology, Computer Science,
Bioinformatics
32. Ahmad Khalil
Assist. Prof.
Biomedical Engineering
33. Bela Suki
Prof.
Biomedical Engineering
34. Jerome Mertz
Prof.
Biomedical Engineering
35. Doreen Miller
Senior Lecturer
Center for English Language &
Orientation Programs
36. Sean Elliott
Assoc. Prof.
Chemistry
37. Adrian Whitty
Assoc. Prof.
Chemistry
38. John Snyder
Prof.
Chemistry
39. John Caradonna
Assoc. Prof.
Chemistry
40. Linda Doerrer
Assoc. Prof.
Chemistry
41. Thomas Tullius
Prof.
Chemistry & Bioinformatics
42. Scott Mohr
Prof.
Chemistry & Bioinformatics
43. Assaf Kfoury
Prof.
Computer Science
44. Richard West
Assoc. Prof.
Computer Science
45. Margrit Betke
Prof.
Computer Science
46. Andrei Lapets
Lecturer
Computer Science
47. Kyna Hamill
Lecturer
Core Curriculum
48. Alan Strahler
Prof.
Earth & Environment
49. James Baldwin
Lecturer
Earth & Environment
50. Rick Reibstein
Lecturer
Earth & Environment
51. Nathan Phillips
Prof.
Earth & Environment
52. Ranga Myneni
Prof.
Earth & Environment
53. Mark Friedl
Prof.
Earth & Environment
54. Suchi Gopal
Prof.
Earth & Environment
55. Cutler Cleveland
Prof.
Earth & Environment
56. Rachael Garrett
Adjunct Assist. Prof.
Earth & Environment
57. Randall Ellis
Prof.
Economics
58. Johannes Schmieder
Assist. Prof.
Economics
59. Todd Idson
Assoc. Prof.
Economics
60. Douglas Zook
Assoc. Prof.
Education
61. Peter Garik
Clinical Assoc. Prof.
Education
62. Don DeRosa
Clinical Assoc. Prof.
Education
63. Marcia Edson
Clinical Assist. Prof.
Education
64. Charles White
Assoc. Prof.
Education
65. Christopher Martell
Clinical Assist. Prof.
Education
66. John McCarthy
Clinical Assist. Prof.
Education
67. Jennifer Green
Assist. Prof.
Education
68. Robert Hoffmeister
Assoc. Prof.
Education
69. Bruce Fraser
Prof.
Education
70. Christina Dobbs
Clinical Assist. Prof.
Education
71. Jane Lannak
Clinical Assoc. Prof.
Education
72. Siddharth Ramachandran Prof.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
73. Robert Kotiuga
Assoc. Prof.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
74. Theodore Moustakas
Prof.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
75. Anita Patterson
Prof.
English
76. Carrie Preston
Assoc. Prof.
English
77. Charles Rzepka
Prof.
English
78. Ha Jin
Prof.
English
79. James Siemon
Prof.
English
80. John Paul Riquelme
Prof.
English
81. Julia Brown
Prof.
English
82. Leslie Epstein
Prof.
English
83. Susan Mizruchi
Prof.
English
84. Maurice Lee
Prof.
English
85. Eugene Green
Prof. Emeritus
English
86. Sam Kauffman
Prof.
Film & Television
87. John Bernstein
Assoc. Prof.
Film & Television
88. Mary Jane Doherty
Assoc. Prof.
Film & Television
89. Garland Waller
Assist. Prof.
Film & Television
90. Roy Grundmann
Assoc. Prof.
Film & Television
91. Susan Kandarian
Prof.
Health Sciences
92. Helen Barbas
Prof.
Health Sciences
93. Kristin Baker
Assist. Research Prof. Health Sciences
94. Nina Silber
Prof.
History
95. Jeffrey Rubin
Assoc. Prof.
History
96. Jonathan Zatlin
Assoc. Prof.
History
97. Sarah Phillips
Assoc. Prof.
History
98. Arianne Chernock
Assoc. Prof.
History
99. Jon Roberts
Prof.
History
100. Marilyn Halter
Prof.
History & American Studies
101. David Mayers
Prof.
History & Political Science
102. Keith Morgan
Prof.
History of Art & Architecture and
American & New England Studies
103. Deborah Kahn
Assoc. Prof.
History of Art & Architecture
104. James Schmidt
Prof.
History, Philosophy, & Political
Science
105. Adam Sweeting
Assoc. Prof.
Humanities Division - College of
General Studies
106. Meg Tyler
Assoc. Prof.
Humanities Division - College of
General Studies
107. Christopher Fahy
Lecturer
Humanities Division - College of
General Studies
108. Neal Leavitt
Senior Lecturer
Humanities Division - College of
General Studies
109. Mitchell Zuckoff
Prof.
Journalism
110. Chris Daly
Assoc. Prof.
Journalism
111. Susan Akram
Prof.
Law
112. David Lyons
Prof.
Law & Philosophy
113. Stacey Dogan
Prof.
Law
114. Robert Volk
Prof.
Law
115. Robert Sloane
Prof.
Law
116. Gerald Leonard
Prof.
Law
117. Stephen Marks
Prof.
Law
118. Alan B. Cohen
Prof.
Management
119. Siobhan O’Mahony
Assoc. Prof.
Management
120. Olga Hawn
Assist. Prof.
Management
121. Samina Karim
Assoc. Prof.
Management
122. Stephanie Watts
Assoc. Prof.
Management
123. Erin Reid
Assist. Prof.
Management
124. Joseph Restuccia
Prof.
Management
125. Jacob Groshek
Assist. Prof.
Mass Comm., Advertising & PR
126. Steve Quigley
Assoc. Prof.
Mass Comm., Advertising & PR
127. David Rohrlich
Prof.
Mathematics & Statistics
128. Margaret Beck
Assist. Prof.
Mathematics & Statistics
129. Takashi Kimura
Prof.
Mathematics & Statistics
130. Joseph Zaia
Prof.
Medicine - Biochemistry
131. Valentina Perissi
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Biochemistry
132. Karina Schon
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
133. Robert Joseph
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
134. Jennifer Luebke
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
135. Farzad Mortazavi
Insructor
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
136. Donald Siwek
Res. Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
137. Louis Toth
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
138. Douglas Rosene
Prof.
Medicine - Anatomy & Neurobiology
139. Ivana Delalle
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Pathology & Laboratory
Medicine
140. Shi Yang
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Pathology & Laboratory
Practice
141. John Cho Lee
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Pathology & Laboratory
Practice
142. Barbara Slack
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Pathology & Laboratory
Practice
143. Barbara Nikolajczyk
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Microbiology
144. Gustavo Mostoslavsky
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Microbiology
145. Jennifer SnyderCappione
Research Assist. Prof. Medicine - Microbiology
146. Jeffrey Browning
Research Prof.
Medicine - Microbiology
147. Richard Cohen
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
148. Stefano Monti
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
149. Robert Friedman
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine; Public
Health - Biostatistics, Epidemiology
150. Thomas Perls
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
151. Richard Sherva
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
152. Susan Phillips
Clinical Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
153. Rebecca Silliman
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine; Public
Health - Epidemiology
154. Thomas Barber
Prof.
Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
155. Karsten Lunze
Research Assist. Prof. Medicine - Dept. of Medicine
156. James Hudspeth
Instructor
Medicine – Dept. of Medicine
157. Amresh Hanchate
Assist. Prof.
Medicine – Dept. of Medicine
158. Shelley Russek
Prof.
Medicine - Pharmacology, Biology &
Program in Neuroscience
159. Susan Leeman
Prof.
Medicine - Pharmacology
160. Olga Gursky
Prof.
Medicine - Physiology & Biophysics
161. Donald Small
Prof.
Medicine - Physiology & Biophysics
162. David Atkinson
Prof.
Medicine - Physiology & Biophysics
163. Esther Bullitt
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Physiology & Biophysics
164. Sudha Seshadri
Prof.
Medicine - Neurology
165. Samuel Frank
Assoc. Prof.
Medicine - Neurology
166. Jeffrey Miller
Prof.
Medicine – Neurology
167. Ali Guermazi
Prof.
Medicine - Radiology
168. Ducksoo Kim
Prof.
Medicine - Radiology
169. Adam Lerner
Prof.
Medicine - Hematology & Medical
Oncology
170. Ajit Bharti
Res. Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Hematology & Medical
Oncology
171. Ellen Silver Highfield
Assoc. Res. Prof.
Medicine - Family Medicine
172. Lance Laird
Assist. Prof.
Medicine - Family Medicine
173. Paul Barbone
Prof.
Mechanical Engineering
174. Daniel Hudon
Lecturer
Metropolitan College - Astronomy
175. Maureen Sullivan
Lecturer
Metropolitan College - Sociology
176. J. Keith Vincent
Assoc. Prof.
Modern Languages & Comparative
Literature
177. Roberta Micallef
Assoc. Prof.
Modern Languages & Comparative
Literature
178. Sunil Sharma
Assoc. Prof.
Modern Languages & Comparative
Literature
179. Wiebke Denecke
Assoc. Prof.
Modern Languages & Comparative
Literature
180. Maggie Cummings
Lecturer
Modern Languages & Comparative
Literature
181. Bayla Keyes
Assoc. Prof.
Music
182. Linda Jiorle-Nagy
Assist. Prof.
Music
183. Lucia Lin
Assoc. Prof.
Music
184. Joshua Rifkin
Prof.
Music
185. Martin Pearlman
Prof.
Music - Historical Performance
186. Phyllis Hoffman
Prof.
Music - Voice & Opera
187. Sharon Daniels
Assoc. Prof.
Music - Voice & Opera
188. Jason Yust
Assist. Prof.
Music Composition & Theory
189. Andre de Quadros
Prof.
Music Education
190. Richard Bunbury
Lecturer
Music Education
191. Jennifer Gottlieb
Research Assist. Prof. Occupational Therapy
192. Aaron Garrett
Assoc. Prof.
Philosophy
193. Alisa Bokulich
Assoc. Prof.
Philosophy
194. Juliet Floyd
Prof.
Philosophy
195. Susanne Sreedhar
Assoc. Prof.
Philosophy
196. Martin Schmaltz
Prof.
Physics
197. Pankaj Mehta
Assist. Prof.
Physics
198. Neta C. Crawford
Prof.
Political Science
199. Dino Christenson
Assist. Prof.
Political Science
200. Irene Gendzier
Prof. Emeritus
Political Science
201. Paul Lipton
Research Assoc. Prof. Program in Neuroscience (CAS)
202. Deborah Belle
Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
203. Deborah Kelemen
Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
204. Kathleen MalleyMorrison
Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
205. Catherine CaldwellHarris
Assoc. Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
206. Jacqueline Liederman
Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
207. Helen Tager-Flusberg
Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
208. Melissa Kibbe
Assist. Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
209. James Cherry
Prof.
Psychological & Brain Sciences
210. David Ozonoff
Prof.
Public Health - Environmental
Health
211. Michael McClean
Assoc. Prof.
Public Health - Environmental
Health
212. David Sherr
Prof.
Public Health - Environmental
Health
213. Jonathan Levy
Prof.
Public Health - Environmental
Health
214. Wendy Heiger-Bernays
Assoc. Prof.
Public Health - Environmental
Health
215. Candice Belanoff
Clinical Assist. Prof.
Public Health - Community Health
Sciences
216. Elizabeth Hatch
Prof.
Public Health - Epidemiology
217. Lauren Wise
Assoc. Prof.
Public Health - Epidemiology
218. C. Robert Horsburgh
Prof.
Public Health - Epidemiology
219. Mark Glickman
Research Prof.
Public Health - Health Policy &
Management
220. Jacob Bor
Assist. Prof.
Public Health - Global Health
221. Kirk Dearden
Assoc. Prof.
Public Health - Global Health
222. Davidson Hamer
Prof.
Public Health - Global Health &
School of Medicine
223. Hillel Levine
Prof.
Religion
224. Michael Zank
Prof.
Religion
225. Deeana Klepper
Assoc. Prof.
Religion
226. Diana Lobel
Assoc. Prof.
Religion
227. Charles Henebry
Lecturer
Rhetoric Division - College of
General Studies
228. Stephanie Byttebier
Lecturer
Rhetoric Division - College of
General Studies
229. Jim Iffland
Prof.
Romance Studies
230. Christopher Maurer
Prof.
Romance Studies
231. Dennis Costa
Assoc. Prof.
Romance Studies
232. John McGrath
Assoc. Prof.
Social Sciences Division - College
of General Studies
233. Richard Samuel Deese
Lecturer
Social Sciences Division - College
of General Studies
234. Susan Lee
Master Lecturer
Social Sciences Division - College
of General Studies
235. Lee Staples
Clinical Prof.
Social Work
236. Ellen DeVoe
Assoc. Prof.
Social Work
237. Maryann Amodeo
Prof.
Social Work
238. Ruth Paris
Assoc. Prof.
Social Work
239. Alya Guseva
Assoc. Prof.
Sociology
240. David Swartz
Assist. Prof.
Sociology
241. Emily Barman
Assoc. Prof.
Sociology
242. John Stone
Prof.
Sociology
243. Julian Go
Prof.
Sociology
244. Nicole Aschoff
Lecturer
Sociology
245. Peter Yeager
Assoc. Prof.
Sociology
246. Stephen Kalberg
Assoc. Prof.
Sociology
247. Susan Eckstein
Prof.
Sociology
248. Itai Vardi
Lecturer
Sociology
249. Patricia Rieker
Visiting Prof.
Sociology
250. Sigrun Olafsdottir
Assoc. Prof.
Sociology
251. Clay Hopper
Lecturer
Theatre
252. Mark Stanley
Assoc. Prof.
Theatre
253. John Hart
Prof.
Theology - Christian Ethics
254. Shelley Rambo
Assoc. Prof.
Theology
255. Diana M. Swancutt
Vis. Assoc. Prof.
Theology
256. Bryan Stone
Prof.
Theology
257. David S. Jacobsen
Prof. of the Practice
Theology - Homiletics
258. Thomas Thangaraj
Prof.
Theology
259. Wanda Stahl
Clin. Assist. Prof.
Theology
260. Alejandro Botta
Assoc. Prof.
Theology
261. Elizabeth C. Parsons
Lecturer
Theology
262. Susan W. Hassinger
Bishop-in-Residence
& Lecturer
Theology
263. Elisabeth Parsons
Lecturer
Theology
264. Hugh O’Donnell
Prof.
Visual Arts
265. Chris Walsh
Assist. Prof. & Assoc.
Director
Writing Program
266. Diane Greco-Josefowicz Lecturer
Writing Program
267. Frederic Fitts
Lecturer
Writing Program
268. Stephen Hodin
Lecturer
Writing Program
269. Joelle Renstrom
Lecturer
Writing Program
270. Marisa Milanese
Senior Lecturer &
Assoc. Director
Writing Program
271. Deborah Breen
Senior Lecturer
Writing Program
272. David Shawn
Senior Lecturer
Writing Program
273. Sarah Madsen Hardy
Senior Lecturer
Writing Program
274. Jura Avizienis
Lecturer
Writing Program & Core Curriculum
275. Somy Kim
Lecturer
Writing Program