Looking Ahead - A Message from President Eric Turner
As we begin the 2025-2026 academic year at Lasell University, I'm energized about what lies ahead.
I began my third year as president on July 1st. I am incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished together as a community over the past two years.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality become part of the classroom.
This past December, we opened our state-of-the-art Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Lab. We've been training our faculty on how to use this innovative technology to best serve our students and prepare them for life after Lasell. This semester, our faculty will start implementing this technology into their courses. I couldn't be more excited to see the innovative ways this unfolds.
Workforce Development continues to grow.
The Workforce Development program is currently partnering with 17 area hospitals to train and develop surgical technologists who are ready to step in on day one and support the greater Boston hospital community and their patients.
At Lasell, we do what we do best — teach. For the past several years, we have been working with a nonprofit partner in Northern Ireland, The Odyssey Trust, to help educate teachers in their part of the world. This past May, we welcomed a group of educators from this program to a graduation ceremony on our campus. These adult learners completed a Universal Design for Learning certificate that was designed and taught by Lasell faculty.
Our relationship with the Odyssey Trust started with an annual student trip to Belfast and enrollment of several professional hockey players from the Belfast Giants in our graduate program, and over the next 12 months, we hope to grow our presence in Northern Ireland in ways that benefit both their community and ours.
Lasell students inspire us in the classroom and on the field.
This past year we witnessed incredible success from our athletic teams, including our Women's Volleyball team's remarkable trip to the NCAA tournament. Our Men's Volleyball, Men’s Lacrosse, and Men's Basketball teams also had outstanding seasons, advancing to compete in GNAC championship games.
On the academic side, our students continue to excel on the national and regional stage. Competing against more than 1,300 students from across the country, Lasell placed two students in the top 15 at the national DECA competition in San Francisco - a prestigious event that prepares students for careers in business. Students in our cryptology class placed second in a regional competition hosted by CyberTrust Massachusetts.
Collaboration is a significant aspect of what we do at Lasell, and it's also one of the most important skills employers look for when hiring new college graduates. That's why we've expanded our Collaboration Recognition Program to involve and recognize more students.
Lasell – Forever Forward
Next year, Lasell will celebrate its 175th anniversary. We are the second-oldest institution of higher education in the Boston area. Since 1851, we have been at the forefront of innovation in higher education — starting as a two-year college for women, then becoming a four-year institution in 1988. We welcomed our first class of male students in the fall of 1998. Our graduate program began in the early 2000s, and in 2019, we transitioned from Lasell College to Lasell University.
We have survived the Civil War, two world wars, the Great Depression, multiple recessions, and a global pandemic. We have stood tall during challenging times and thrived because we were willing to be bold and innovative. Today is no different. We face headwinds from many directions, but our mission remains unchanged - to serve our students and prepare them for wherever their careers may take them.
I want to thank everyone who makes our community the special place that it is. They say, "it takes a village," and that couldn't be truer than here at Lasell. Forever Forward.