Laser Accomplishments Abound! This fall, the University inducted four individuals and a full team roster into its Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2019 inductees included Mark DeMieri '08 (men's lacrosse); Tia Pratt '11 (field hockey); Mike Skelton '14 (men's soccer); Ashley Slattery '13 (women's lacrosse); and the 2001-2002 men's basketball team.

Student publication Polished was awarded a Collegiate Gold Crown and Gold Circle Award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. WLAS, the University's student-run radio station, won numerous awards from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Society, including Best Public Service Promotion and the Gold Microphone Award for Outstanding Broadcasting Excellence. The station was recognized as a finalist in 10 other categories.

The first annual Employee Recognition Awards were presented by the institution to peer-nominated winners at a community celebration last spring. Those honored were Rebecca Kennedy, assistant professor of English, for the Champion of Collaboration Award (Individual); Robert Winsor, former police chief and director of public safety, for the Torchlight Award; Rebecca Oliver (pictured below with President Alexander), director of digital marketing, for the Early Distinction Award; and the Plant Operations team for the Champion of Collaboration Award (team).

Photo by John Gillooly

The undergraduate finance major now offers two concentrations: personal and corporate finance. According to Dean of the School of Business Matthew Reilly, students studying personal finance will be qualified to sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam through Lasell's seven-course CFP certificate program.

"The coursework is embedded into the personal finance curriculum, and has been developed in collaboration with other institutions to provide a strong foundation in all aspects of financial literacy, planning, security, and management," he said.

In the division of Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS), several new degree programs and certificates have launched:

• Master of Science in Athletic Training
• Professional Studies certificates in fashion: ecommerce, print design, and footwear design
• Professional Studies certificate in international inclusive education, currently offered to teachers in Antigua through a partnership between Lasell and the Ministry of Education in Antigua
• Master of Science in Communication concentrations in digital media, negotiation and conflict resolution, and public speaking

Those concentrations are also available to non-degree students as professional certificates for credit.

The University has also hired three new full-time faculty members and visiting instructor:

• Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Kellie Wallace
• Program Chair and Assistant Professor of Applied Forensic Science Leanna Farnam
• Associate Professor of Psychology Nickki Pearce Dawes
• Visiting Instructor of Biology Julia Khodor

Pearce Dawes will also serve as Director of the Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) and Internship Programs.

Lasell University opened the fall semester with its first annual Lasell U Belong event - a campus-wide celebration of inclusion - in September.

Food trucks, carnival games, inflatable rides, and music from WLAS filled Arnow Courtyard, where Lasell community members of every ilk, including Lasell Village residents, gathered to kick off the new academic year.

The event came about as a result of the University's strategic planning process, said Jesse Tauriac, assistant vice president and chief diversity officer.

"President Alexander met with several student groups that described how wonderful it was to attend such unifying events as the Senior Soiree and the Spring Carnival," said Tauriac. The students suggested that a similar event in the fall might bring that same feeling of belonging to the campus - and in particular, new students - right at the start of the year.

"We wanted to celebrate our transition to Lasell University and the spirit of our community: a place where we want every single student and employee to know that they fully belong and are welcome here," said Tauriac.

Tauriac and Kate Kennedy '20, a senior event management major, collaborated on the event with support from an abundance of campus partners.

Photo by Rebecca Oliver, director of digital marketing

Lasell University welcomed Tom Williams to the Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) team this summer as its new director of alumni relations and annual fund.

Prior to his arrival at Lasell, Williams worked at Tufts University - his alma mater - for more than 20 years in alumni relations and community engagement roles. Under Williams' leadership at Tufts, the institution developed a young alumni reunion program as well as multiple alumni affinity and shared interest groups.

"I love working with alumni and showing them the value of their lifelong connection to each other, the institution, faculty and staff, and current students," he said.

Williams looks forward to building relationships with Lasers of all class years and locations.

On Saturday, May 11, Lasell awarded 421 bachelor's degrees and 198 master's degrees - an all-time record- at its Commencement ceremony. Congressman Joseph Kennedy III (pictured right) gave the keynote address.

"Instead of advice, I stand here with a challenge: embrace change," he said. "Don't fear it, don't run from it, and don't back down. You have come of age in one of the most tumultuous periods in our nation's history, and you have not backed down yet."

Kennedy's remarks were accompanied by those from President Michael B. Alexander, undergraduate student speaker Rebecca Van Spall-Hood '19, and graduate student speaker Alexis Smith, G'19 (pictured left).

The ceremony included presentation of the Joan Howe Weber '51 Professional Development Grant to Assistant Professor of History Laura Commins and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Elyssa Miller, as well as the Thomas E.J. de Witt Awards for Excellence in Educational Leadership to Professor and Program Director of Fashion Lynn Blake and Assistant Director of Student Activities Sarah Richardson.

Alongside the graduates were members of the Class of 1969, who joined the processional as part of their 50th reunion weekend.

Associate Professors Claudia Rinaldi and Neil Hatem were both interviewed by Boston-area news organizations about their efforts to support high school students on the path to higher education.

Rinaldi was featured on Boston 25 News, where she spoke about Lasell's Pathways to Teacher Diversity (PTD) program and her commitment to recruiting and developing the next generation of teachers.

While on sabbatical this semester, Hatem volunteered his time in three local high schools to help prepare students for the SAT. Hatem also collected and distributed more than 300 calculators to high school students in the Boston metro area who previously did not have access to one.

In 2014, an anonymous Lasell trustee and Lasell Village resident donated $15,000 to support five undergraduate students who had been offered unpaid internships in their field of study. As of 2019, the University has matched that gift to offer a total of $3,000 in stipends to each of 10 students. The stipend is designed to cover the cost of the internship course and summer expenses, such as travel or housing.

Hannah Bowerman '20 (pictured left) hails from Raleigh, North Carolina, but spent her summer interning at the Albright Fashion Library in Beverly Hills, California.

"The stipend helped me cover housing and transportation costs in Los Angeles," she says.

"I would not have been able to afford this opportunity without it."

Amanda Miller '21 (pictured right), worked at the Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

"As a first-generation college student paying for my own education, having this stipend gave me an opportunity without any financial burden," says Miller. 

Interested in supporting students with internship stipend funding? Contact Terri Houston, advancement officer, at thouston@lasell.edu.

Lasell University and Lasell Village continue to be recognized as leaders within the Age-Friendly University (AFU) global network. Forbes, AARP, the Boston Globe, and WBUR all noted Lasell's progressive efforts in recent news stories.

The University's commitment to AFU's principles was most recently recognized through work done by Professor Vincent Bisson, recipient of the 2019 Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty Honor from the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE).

This fall, Joann M. Montepare, director of the RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies, will be honored as an AGHE Fellow at the Gerontological Society of America conference in Austin, Texas. 

Montepare recently collaborated with Elena Ceban, supported living manager at Lasell Village, to educate undergraduate students on the scientific aspects of dementia - including symptoms and prevention research - while simultaneously meeting with their neighbors at Lasell Studios. The supportive living facility within Lasell Village is designed specifically for older adults with cognitive impairments. Weekly exchanges between the neighbors and students were mutually beneficial. 

"Students got to see, firsthand, and on a progressive basis, what dementia looks like," said Ceban. 

"With that comes an understanding of how to react and respond to behaviors and situations unique to this condition."