Anh Le Tran (pictured left) was selected as the Joan Weiler Arnow ’49 Professor and James Lincoln G’13 as the Nancy Lawson Donahue ’49 Professor of Ethics effective this academic year.

Tran, a professor of economics and management in the Michal Longe ’95 School of Business, was named the 10th recipient of the Arnow professorship. The endowed chair was established by Robert and Joan Arnow to support a scholar-teacher whose commitment to teaching and personal interest in students enhances the learning process and makes a significant contribution to the Lasell community. The professorship was previously held by Claudia Rinaldi, program chair of education.

Tran earned his doctorate in law, policy, and society from Northeastern University. His research interests are in economic development, international trade policy, and U.S.-Vietnam relations.

Lincoln is an assistant professor of philosophy and coordinator of the Junior Ethics Experience. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Kentucky in 2020 and his master’s in philosophy from Boston University in 2013. He also holds graduate certificates in college teaching and learning, gender and women’s studies, and social theory. He served as a lecturer of morals and ethics at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy last year and has also taught at the University of Louisville. His research focuses on issues of social justice and moral perception.

Lincoln is quite familiar with Lasell. From 2007-13, he worked as an area coordinator in the Office of Student Life and earned a master’s degree in project management in 2013. He also served as a lecturer at Lasell during the 2021-22 academic year. He is the second holder of the Donahue professorship, succeeding Tom Sullivan, who retired last spring after 13 years on the Lasell faculty.

Fifteen Lasell students received stipends fromp generous donors to support their pursuit of summer internships in their respective fields. The stipend makes possible internship opportunities that might have otherwise been cost-prohibitive for students as they grow their industry experience.

“I would not have been able to pursue this unpaid internship opportunity if it weren’t for the stipend program,” says Meaghan Csongor ’24 (pictured left), a marketing major who devised organic and paid social media campaigns and learned how to optimize their performance at GOAT Social Media. She remains a part-time employee of the company.

Katrina Abouzeid ’24 (right), an exercise science major, discovered a love for working with children and athletes while interning at Elite Sports Performance and Physical Therapy in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

“Receiving this stipend allowed me to do my internship over the summer, which helped put me on track to graduate early.”

Other stipend recipients held internships at companies and organizations including WHDH TV, Batavia Bioscience, and the Marblehead Racial Justice Team.

Graduates sat under blue skies and 80-degree temperatures on a packed Taylor Field with family members and friends from around the world to celebrate the Class of 2023 in May. The University awarded more than 325 bachelor's and 200 master's degrees, in addition to three honorary doctorates: Andrew DeFranza, executive director of Harborlight Homes; Marvin Gilmore, civil rights activist; and outgoing President Michael B. Alexander. DeFranza delivered the graduate keynote address on Friday, May 12, and Gilmore the undergraduate address on Saturday, May 13. 

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded Lasell a grant of $744,629 to help the University purchase cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) equipment. 

The new equipment will have a significant impact on the recruitment and classroom engagement of students pursuing careers in STEM fields and provide those students with hands-on exposure to VR/AI technology in preparation for internships and jobs. 

"We thank the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for a significant investment in Lasell and our students," said Cris Haverty, Lasell's assistant vice president of workforce development and global engagement. "This grant will have a tremendous impact on the quality and vigor of STEM education at Lasell and the professional future of our STEM graduates for years to come."

Chrystal Porter was appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs in July. As the University’s chief academic officer, she leads a re-envisioned academic affairs unit that centralizes faculty, support systems, and student services for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Porter joined the Lasell community in July 2020 as vice president of graduate and professional studies, and then served as vice president for enrollment and marketing starting in 2021. In her new role, she will plan and develop curricular and co-curricular programming, provide leadership in support of teaching and learning excellence, and oversee all faculty-related activities.

“I am dedicated to advancing a progressive and student-centric educational experience,” says Porter. “By focusing on innovative curriculum development, faculty support, and operational efficiencies, I aim to create an environment in which our institution thrives and all stakeholders can reach their full potential.”

Porter has previously served as an associate provost, assistant director of graduate and undergraduate admission, assistant director of retention, and as a full professor of sport marketing, sport finance, sport sales, social media marketing, and higher education leadership. Earlier in her career, she worked for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.

Students celebrated the start of the new school year at our annual UBelong event, complete with food, music, games, and sunshine on Arnow Quad. 

In Professor José Guzmán’s Spanish for Educators program, the students become the teachers.

The community program, based at Lasell and sponsored by Waltham Public Schools (WPS) and the Waltham Partnership for Youth (WPY), just completed a successful first year of bilingual conversation courses in which educators, librarians, and cafeteria staff at WPS learned conversational Spanish from Lasell and WPS students with the goal of having educators become more comfortable communicating with families in the Waltham community.

Guzmán supervised Lasell students Katie Daby ’23 G’24 and Debora Ramon ’26, along with WPS students, to teach basic and advanced conversational Spanish to educators. The WPS high school leaders served as conversation partners, while Daby and Ramon prepared and taught weekly classes. By spring 2023, program demand tripled; 65 educators enrolled at the start of the semester and received professional development credits upon completion. Lasell undergrads Millena Vasconcelos ’26, Laidaliz Suarez ’24, and Rachel Taylor ’23 joined Daby and Ramon in teaching the growing cohort.

Assistant Superintendent of Waltham Public Schools Sarah Kent, Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, and the School Committee of Waltham all had high praise for the program in its inaugural year, lauding its use of Lasell’s Connected Learning model in workforce development.

The redesigned Alumni and Friends website makes it easier to stay current with alumni and campus news, register for events, and connect with Lasell classmates and friends. 

The mobile-friendly website provides simple navigatino to information about events, volunteering and making gifts. 

The redesigned site features a community section that provides quick access to information on engaging and networking; profiles and videos of community members who are making a difference; and a giving page that offers a quick way to support the area of Lasell that is most meaningful to you.