MET’s Silva Charged with Expanding Programs
Enrique Silva works to expand the city planning and urban affairs programs at MET.
This summer, Enrique Silva, an instructor and faculty coordinator in Metropolitan College, is working to improve the college’s city planning and urban affairs programs as part of his new position on the MET advisory board.
Last January, Silva became the first faculty member on the board dedicated solely to urban affairs and city planning, which are now part of the department of applied social sciences. As well as the undergraduate and graduate programs in both disciplines, the new department includes criminal justice.
“The program has a really good core set of courses,” Silva says, “but it needs to expand and deepen its course offerings to students and start exploring more cutting-edge areas in planning.” In particular, he wants to update courses that deal with environmental and international urban issues. Silva has been a planner, a policy expert, and a human rights worker in his native Chile, in Bolivia, and in the United States.
Silva also hopes to help build a stronger student community through more events and a monthly e-newsletter and by getting to know the students and faculty better. In addition, he has been making contacts within and outside of BU that will improve the program. “I’ve been given an opportunity to help make something grow,” he says. “To me, it’s a great responsibility.”
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.