Lasell students will directly benefit from a prestigious grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lasell was one of six schools in the country awarded Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education funding.

With the $59,748 grant, Lasell is expanding its Junior Ethics Experience, a required course that challenges students to explore moral and ethical decision-making in their personal, civic, and professional lives.  
 
Students will directly benefit in two primary ways: 

• New, paid internship opportunities in public philosophy and community leadership, where students will organize events, lead campus conversations, and publish their ideas in a national journal.
• A new intergenerational reading and discussion program that connects students with Lasell Village residents to explore meaningful books and ethical questions across generations. Lasell Village is a senior, independent-living community located on the University campus.  

“These new experiences will give our students more ways to sharpen their thinking, speak up about complex topics, and engage directly with their community,” said James William Lincoln, the Nancy Lawson Donahue ’49 Professor of Ethics, who leads the Junior Ethics Experience. 

“This is learning that doesn’t stop at the classroom door,” said Dennis Frey Jr., a project team member. “It’s about giving students the tools to ask better questions, listen more carefully, and grow into thoughtful leaders.”

Employers are looking for soft skills in new graduates and this grant will help Lasell students to think more critically and be better collaborators, setting up graduates for immediate success in the workplace.

In a true form of collaboration, the grant proposal involved Lasell faculty and partners from Lasell Village.