Friday, April 4, 2008 Michael B. Alexander is Inaugurated Ninth President of Lasell College

With a pronouncement by Eric M. Turner, Chairman of the Board, and the medallion’s placement, Michael Alexander became the ninth president of the storied, 157-year-old college.

The rain and chill of a reluctant spring did not dampen a day of celebration for Lasell as some 500 people crowded into the College’s Athletic Center on Friday, April 4, 2008, to bear witness to the investiture of Michael B. Alexander.

In a ceremony that reflected the weeklong celebration of "Embracing Diversity," there was poetry, dance, and rich reflection. Mayor David B. Cohen provided greetings from the City of Newton and proclaimed April 4, 2008 as "Michael Alexander Day."

Students from "Divine Step," a group of accomplished and energetic "stompers" from Lasell, offered a rousingly emphatic opening performance to welcome the new president. Poet and playwright Magdalena Gomez offered an ardent and moving poem, "A New Way to Stand," written specifically for Alexander. And, the new president’s wife, Mary Barbara Alexander -- an actress, zoologist and activist – provided a touching, personal biography of the new president (the couple has been together for 41 years and have a daughter) along with an expert reading on one of Alexander’s poems, "Midnight".

"There are many values about which we care," Alexander said, talking about the College community and Lasell Village, the trend-setting living and learning retirement community that he characterized as "the most livable retirement community in America."

"But as a community, we have determined that four have priority," Alexander said in his speech, referring to the five-year strategic plan that he helmed as a community effort: "student focus; innovative education across the lifespan, integrity, honesty and ethical decision-making and social responsibility. And of these, the focus on the needs of students is primary."

Invoking the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, on the 40th anniversary of his assassination, Michael Alexander talked about the need to face a daunting and uncertain future without fear saying, "Lasell’s challenge today is to build upon the foundation created by the stewards of the past, to raise the College’s prominence to a level commensurate with its recent achievements and those about to come.

"Part of my job," he continued, "is to spread the word that what we have here in Auburndale is something special, a place where we plow the solid ground of our elders to grow beautiful new blossoms, where we have a distinctive way of customizing our teaching to the learning styles of our students, where we infuse every department and service at the College with the idea that the intellectual and personal development of our students is paramount.

"Like Dr. King, we do so without trepidation but rather with courage and with the conviction that, through the power of higher education, we can do our part to make the world right for our children."

An innovator in education for more than 150 years, Lasell College today is a comprehensive coeducational college offering professionally oriented bachelor's and master's degree programs.