By Rose Hamilton

On her first day at Lasell, Jamie Quinn ’26 stepped out of her parents’ car at the campus drop-off and spied President Alexander waiting to shake her hand.

“I was so nervous on move-in day and President Alexander was the first person I talked to,” Quinn recalls. “Knowing that the president was greeting us was really reassuring. It made me feel so happy that I chose Lasell.”

Michael’s guidance affected hundreds of students like Quinn throughout his 16-year tenure, either as their official advisor or in a more informal role as mentor, coach, or friend. Not all university leaders make student relationships a priority, but these connections are core to who Michael is as Lasell’s president.

Felipe Bida ’24, who is a student and a video production coordinator at Lasell, remembers his first encounter with Michael. As Bida dipped french fries into a ketchup and mayonnaise mixture while lunching in Valentine Dining Hall, Michael approached saying, “You dip fries in ketchup and mayonnaise? I do, too!” When Bida started taking classes at Lasell, Michael became his advisor. The president was always willing to talk through any concerns he had and sent him emails of encouragement each semester.

“It’s been a blessing to have an advisor and friend who I can trust to help me make the right decisions for me and my family,” Bida says.

Informally, Michael connects with students to simply say hello on campus (they flock to him when he is out and about with his dog, Lady Di) or to assist them with a specific project. Yordan Villalon ’17 reached out to Michael when preparing his undergraduate commencement speech and recalls how the president recommended he “cater the message to a broader audience so it would resonate more deeply.”

“Sure enough, I got a standing ovation,” Villalon, lead coach of the Boston Celtics Jr. Celtics Academy, says of his commencement address. “That advice is the foundation of all the speeches and presentations I deliver now.”

While there is a vast network of current students and alumni who have benefitted from knowing Michael, the president says they aren’t the only ones who reaped rewards.

“I get to see how they’ve changed over time, not just the ones I advise, but their friends and their roommates, and the ones I meet in the library, too,” Michael says. “I gain great insight into what they are thinking, how they are adjusting to college, and how they are feeling about their abilit y to succeed.My reward comes with the satisfaction of knowing I contributed to their growth and development in both direct and indirect ways.”