Boston-Bouvé College

At left: Brochure describing new facilities for Boston-Bouvé College on the campus of Northeastern University, ca. 1965.
Above: Ground-breaking ceremony for Dockser Hall, 1965.

Merger with Northeastern University

In 1963, Tufts University trustees and administrators decided to fundamentally change the university’s organizational structure and curriculum. The new mission would emphasize a liberal arts education, with specialization in professional fields relegated to electives or a fifth year of study. This structure diverged from the Bouvé-Boston School programs, which incorporated professional training throughout the students' four years of school. BBS leaders proposed an alternative plan for their students, but Tufts remained firm.

 

Dean Minnie L. Lynn began the search for a university partner that would support Bouvé without fundamentally altering the School’s curriculum and culture. Talks with Northeastern University President Asa S. Knowles occurred throughout summer 1964. The University’s mission of practice-oriented education, exemplified by its cooperative education model, aligned with Bouvé’s emphasis on hands-on, civic engagement. That fall, the Bouvé-Boston School merged with Northeastern University and became Boston-Bouvé College. The new basic college would move its equipment to the Huntington Avenue campus over the next four years.

New Facilities

As part of the merger agreement, Boston-Bouvé College received its own building on the Northeastern campus. The physical therapy department shared space with the nursing program in Robinson Hall. In 1968, the physical education department as well as the college’s administrative staff moved into Charles and Estelle Dockser Hall, complete with offices, classrooms, gymnasium, dance studio, library, laboratory, and other recreation facilities. Northeastern provided additional facilities such as the Warren Center, a camping area wholly owned and operated by the University. A natatorium, new handball courts, and the Mugar Life Sciences building met the needs of both the physical education and physical therapy programs.

 

Architectural sketch of Dockser Hall, ca. 1965.

College Names

  • 1980 - 1992, Boston-Bouvé College of Human Development Professions
  • 1992 - Present, Boston-Bouvé College of Health Sciences