Briefly Noted: Updates from Campus and the Greater Community
Family, Friends & Alumni Weekend
Hundreds of alumni, parents, and families visited campus October 15–18 for the annual celebration of Lasell.
The event, which was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19, featured a variety of activities for both alumni returning to campus and for parents and families visiting their students.
Highlights included campus tours, the Alumni Beer Garden, Wedeman Art Gallery showcase, pumpkin painting, alumni athlete reception, pub night for young alumni, and River Day races. Lasell’s men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey teams hosted intercollegiate contests. The field hockey, men’s lacrosse, and baseball programs held alumni games.
“We were thrilled to welcome our alumni of all ages, parents, and families back to campus for Family, Friends, and Alumni Weekend,” said Tom Williams, director of alumni relations and annual fund. “We introduced a variety of new programs designed to further connect alumni to each other and to the school they once called home.”
Longe School Celebration
The Lasell community gathered on October 18 to celebrate the new Michal Longe ’95 School of Business and honor the donor whose generosity led to the naming of the University’s largest school.
More than 100 students, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends joined Lasell leaders to thank Barbara Longe P’95, Michal’s mother, for the transformational $6.6 million gift — the largest in University history.
Pictured above L to R: Matthew Reilly '06 G'09, dean of the Michael Longe '95 School of Business; Chelsea Gwyther, vice president of university advancement; donor Barbara Longe P'95; President Michael B. Alexander; Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller; and Provost Eric Turner at the Longe School dedication. Inset: Michal Longe at her Lasell graduation.
The donation, the result of a gift of stock, reflects Barbara’s appreciation for Lasell’s efforts to support Michal, who suffered from cystic fibrosis. Michal, an outstanding business student, earned an associate’s degree in marketing from what was then Lasell College in 1995. She died in 2003.
Speakers at the event at Dunne House included President Michael B. Alexander; Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller; Provost Eric Turner; Matthew Reilly ’06 G’09, dean of the Longe School; alumni siblings Nicholas ’19 and Rachel Carlino ’21; and Michael Woo ’22, a marketing major.
Lights Up on Grellier Field
Lasell’s installation of lights on Grellier Field and a new floor in the Athletic Center have enhanced the student-athlete experience.
The Speed of Change: Strategic Plan Update
Lasell’s new strategic plan, “The Speed of Change,” includes several short-term objectives that have seen significant progress since their approval in April.
- Increase investment in athletics
Crew will be introduced as a club sport, and a coach is in the process of being hired. An assistant athletic director will oversee intramural, club, and recreational sports. More team additions will be explored for upcoming seasons. - Revise Individuals and Society Knowledge Perspective requirement
SOC104: Equity and Intersectionality, will be a team-taught course offered for the first time in spring 2022. It is designed to be taken by first-year students during their second semester. The course will explore, both affectively and theoretically, the structural and systemic biases that lead to forms of disadvantage while affording advantages to certain identities and groups. - Increase the use of consortia courses
Lasell’s professional advising team is broadening awareness of the Rize and Acadeum consortia offerings already available to students. - Infuse industry-recognized credentials into all majors and infuse technology to a greater degree throughout the curriculumEach of Lasell’s five schools is determining appropriate credentials for majors that do not currently offer them. They are also assessing Lasell’s curriculum compared to National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies to address areas requiring incorporation or strengthening of technology.
High School Higher Education
A grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education offered Lasell the opportunity to deliver virtual college-level courses for credit to local high school students during the 2020–2021 academic year.
The dual-enrollment program prioritized students in Massachusetts communities hit hardest by COVID-19, as well as those not in close proximity to a college or university. The program also focused on providing access to students who were Black, indigenous, or people of color and those with disabilities, as well as students who were economically disadvantaged, English language learners, or first generation.
More than 130 students in 11 school districts participated in courses taught by Lasell faculty in biology, crime lab science, physics, education, global studies, business, psychology, American Sign Language, and communications. According to Claudia Rinaldi, the Joan Weiler Arnow ’49 Professor and education program chair, students were paired with a Lasell student mentor.
“The mentors supported the high schoolers with course content and shared information about further studies in their field,” says Rinaldi.
That, on top of the dual-enrollment opportunity, supported Rinaldi’s goal of encouraging more career and higher-education exploration among the high schoolers, with a particular focus on reaching underrepresented minorities.
Laptop Loaner Program
Sue Pegues Spadaccia ’68 and her husband, Bob, recently made a generous gift to support the Brennan Library’s laptop loaner program.
The funding from the Spadaccias allowed the library to purchase dozens of new PC laptops and MacBooks to lend to students.
In particular, students who do not own a personal computer benefit from the program, which extends throughout the academic year so that they can complete their work uninterrupted and with full access to technology.
Other donors to the laptop loaner program include the FAO Schwarz Foundation.
Sue supports Lasell to recognize the impact that the University has had on her life.
“When I arrived at Lasell, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go with my life. I learned a lot, inside and outside the classroom,” she says. “Lasell gave me wings, taught me to fly, and away I went.”
Back in Business
Lasell began its fall semester with a fully operational campus, in-person activities, and a strong cohort of new students. A total of 1,688 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled for the fall semester, with more to join in the Fall II graduate cohort.
New community members and returning students began classes in early September, and club and campus activities launched soon after. Among the first gatherings held was Lasell’s annual U-Belong event, a celebration of connectivity, inclusivity, and friendship.
After a year of hybrid activities, the opening of the academic year was a welcome and fresh start for many community members as campus life returned to its previous vibrancy.
Leadership Updates
The Lasell Board of Trustees appointed Gerry DeRoche (below left) as its new chair and Lori Hindle as vice chair at its October meeting. Former chair Keon Holmes served two full terms and remained in the position for an additional year amid the challenges of COVID-19; he will remain on the board as a full trustee.
DeRoche joined the board in 2010 and has chaired the Innovation Committee since 2014. He is currently the chief executive officer of NEADS, a nonprofit organization that places service dogs with individuals who are Deaf or disabled. He previously held roles at Fleet Bank and founded KAGE Associates, which assisted not-for-profit companies in transition. He has been an active member and leader within multiple advocacy organizations, including the Jimmy Fund Marathon Walk, Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, and National Braille Press.
Hindle was elected to the board and has served as its clerk since 2017. She is currently chief of staff at Slade Gorton and has worked at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Public Financial Management, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Executive Office for Administration and Finance. She is on the board of the Bridgewater State University Foundation and is a member of the Treasurers’ Club of Boston.
“We are incredibly grateful to past chair Keon Holmes for his years of service and continued dedication to Lasell and the Board of Trustees,” said President Michael B. Alexander. “Under the leadership of our new chair and vice chair, our momentum as an institution will continue. We are fortunate to have Gerry and Lori at the helm of our board.”