Laura Johnson
As the Boston University Director of Advising, Laura is responsible for supporting and assuring excellent academic advising across the undergraduate schools and colleges for the BU Hub, Boston University’s first university-wide general education program. She collaborates with academic and operational units across campus to develop strong supports for students. She regularly convenes the Hub Advising Steering Committee, composed of representatives from the schools and colleges, to establish best practices and develop appropriate resources and training for advisors. She also relies on her Student Advisory Board for input on the student experience.
Before joining the Provost’s Office, Laura served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the School of Education. Prior to her time at BU, Laura served as a faculty member in History & Literature and in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Harvard University. She also held positions at Harvard as Assistant Dean of Advising Programs, Resident Dean of Dudley House and then of Currier House, and Senior Resident Dean.
Laura holds a doctorate in American Studies from Boston University, with a specialization in gender studies. She also studied student development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and she is particularly interested in the social and emotional development of students, in helping students learn to identify a sense of purpose and to make personally meaningful decisions, and in promoting faculty-student engagement outside the classroom.