Anne Doyle resigned as president of Lasell Village after more than seven years leading the nation’s first senior living community that requires residents to enroll in educational classes.

In her resignation letter to the Lasell Village community, she wrote that her “next professional steps will continue to shake up outmoded stereotypes about aging.”

Her immediate plans included a wilderness canoe expedition on the Thelon River in the Canadian Northwest Territories and a 1,000-mile cycling adventure from the southern tip of England to the northern tip of Scotland.

“I am sad that Anne has decided to leave us, yet I understand and empathize with her desire to head out on new adventures and explore new paths forward in her life,” Lasell President Michael B. Alexander said. “I am grateful for all Anne has done for Lasell Village, its residents and employees, and the University."

A new leader is expected to be in place by early 2023.

The School of Fashion plans to open an on-campus Career Closet to provide professional attire rental and premier styling services for students attending conferences, interviews, corporate trips, and more.

The initiative was launched by Kristin Kinsky, assistant professor of fashion, and Madison Cormier ’22, who majored in fashion and retail merchandising. The F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation provided preliminary funding.

Kinsky and colleagues realized that there is a broad definition of what is considered “professional dress” among students, particularly across different industries.

“Most students might not want to keep those kinds of items in their closets or want to spend money on something they will wear only a few times,” says Kinsky.

The Career Closet represents an opportunity for donors or companies to positively impact three of the University’s areas of focus: equity and inclusion, career readiness, and sustainability.

“The dream is to work with companies that can donate new, current fashions that enable us to meet the needs of every student on campus,” she says.

Do you know of a donor or work for a company that would be interested in supporting the Career Closet? Contact Kristin Kinsky (kkinsky@lasell.edu) or Sarah Neill, philanthropy and engagement officer (sneill@lasell.edu).

The Black Student Association launched during the spring to promote unity among Black students and allies through social and cultural events.

Co-founders Claudine Heureuse Jules ’24 and Lynn Hilton ’24 wanted to create an organization to provide Black students with emotional and intellectual support while also educating individuals on issues impacting the Black community and ways to contribute in the fight for social justice.

“I wanted Black students who are overloaded with every obstacle to have an opportunity to come to our meetings and events and not have to worry about everything on top of being Black,” Jules says.

Adds Hilton, “We wanted to give a group of people that has been labeled as disadvantaged a chance to learn together and unite in our excellence. It is important to me that we have fun, but also become educated on things that apply to our futures in the real world.”

Since its launch, the organization has hosted a Black History Month Gala, a financial literacy seminar, and an “I Have a Dream” event that featured students talking about their academic dreams and career goals.

The spring semester marked the return of in-person student-produced runway shows, featuring the work of more than 70 student designers.

RUNWAY: Reimagined was coordinated by a student team of more than 150 production personnel, led by directors Madison Cormier ’22 and Karina Fernandes ’22 and production assistant Madison Whiteley ’22. The team put on four shows in two nights.

“It was important for us to run a show that aligned with the fashion industry while still allowing room for our team's creativity,” Cormier said. “The level of communication, organization, and passion it took to put on these shows was something that couldn’t just be taught. We had to experience the process for ourselves, which has definitely prepared us for our careers.”

The first set of shows featured undergraduate student-designed work across 10 categories, including athleisure, lifestyle separates, and non-textile. The senior showcase highlighted graduating fashion design and production majors, who each presented a full clothing line they developed during the year.

The University's undergraduate forensic science program is now accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) in conjunction with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The Lasell bachelor's degree program is the only undergraduate offering in Massachusetts with FEPAC accreditation, and one of only two in New England.

According to Cris Haverty, dean of the School of Health Sciences, the FEPAC accreditation process employs rigorous standards to assure and advance academic quality. This gives students who graduate from Lasell's program an advantage in the job market since FEPAC accreditation signals to laboratory employers that students are trained in accordance with industry standards.

Parents Council Co-Chair Linda Peters P'21 welcomed nearly 50 new parents and families to the Lasell family during a summer event at her home on Cape Cod.

Parents and students learned about the Lasell community from members of both the admission and student activities teams.

Pictured left to right: Parents Council members Jay and Tara Willerup P ’24 and Donna Thompson P ’24; Alexa Donegan, ’16 G ’20, director of parent and community relations; and Linda Peters P ’21, Parents Council co-chair and event host.

Lasell and Newton-Wellesley Hospital announced a collaboration designed to diversify the health-care profession, create a pathway to professional-level jobs in the medical field, and help address the national shortage of skilled surgical technologists.

The Surgical Technology Certificate program will train health-care professionals to assist in the operating room and combine classroom and lab-based learning with hands-on clinical experience at the hospital.

The program offers flexible scheduling and a path toward earning the certificate with the option of pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

The University also welcomed the Solstice Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. The program, previously housed at Pine Manor College, is nationally recognized for its devotion to nurturing new and emerging voices in fiction, non-fiction, graphic narrative, poetry, and other written art forms. Students will continue to work with Solstice’s award-winning faculty and writers-in-residence, including Terrance Heyes, Renée Watson, Dennis Lehane, José Angel Araguz, and Sandra Scofield.

Nearly 600 members of the Class of 2022 received their diplomas at Lasell’s 168th annual Commencement ceremonies on May 13–14.

During their addresses, graduate student speaker Ryan Tillery ’21 G’22 and undergraduate student speaker Gabriella Bertoldi ’22 applauded their fellow students’ determination, allegiance to one another, and commitment to their communities.

At the undergraduate ceremony, Elly Pollan, 92, became the first individual to earn an associate’s degree from the University while living and learning at Lasell Village.

Associate Professor of Journalism Marie Franklin and Tiesha “Byrd” Hughes, associate director for the Center for Community-Based Learning, received the Thomas E.J. de Witt Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership.

Keynote speaker Razia Jan, an award-winning humanitarian and founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, addressed graduates at both ceremonies and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.