The Alexander Years

Lasell reflects on the legacy of student-first, community-centric leadership

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The Alexander Years

By Samantha Mocle and David Nathan

From a young age, Michael B. Alexander H'23 knew that he wanted to be president of a small college.

"I felt and still believe today that here is where you get the strongest education," he says, citing small class sizes, ample leadership opportunities, and access to faculty as cornerstones of the small-college experience.

He grew up observing his grandfather serve as dean of faculty and interim president at Antioch College. Michael's family experiences at the Yellow Springs, Ohio, institution contrasted significantly with his undergraduate years at Harvard, where he yearned to land a seat in coveted smaller classes. Staff and faculty roles at his alma mater, as well as at Barnard, Smith, and Ohio State, reaffirmed his thinking.

"I could see that the quality of the instruction was better," he says.

Michael worked in higher education for nine years before "accidentally running companies" and immersing himself in the business world. Behind the scenes, though, he continued toward the long goal — serving on two university boards, developing nonprofit foundations, and keeping up with industry news through the Chronicle of Higher Education.

In 2006, Lasell sought a "visionary college executive to write the next chapter in an exceptional tale." The job posting called for a "seasoned executive with a creative, entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for the success of small colleges that meet distinctive needs." It was kismet.

President Michael B. Alexander shaking hands with students at 2007 Welcome Weekend

Michael Moments: Anecdotes About Lasell's Ninth President

If you want to understand Michael, watch him on move-in day, says President-Elect Eric Turner, a longtime professional associate and friend of Lasell's president. "I've always been struck by Michael's practice of being out front on move-in day when students arrive," Turner says. "It can be an anxious time for them and their families and he's right there to welcome them." Alexander often wears shorts, a casual shirt, and a hat — a deliberate choice to keep the atmosphere relaxed. "The hat itself has become a tradition," Turner notes. "He takes the time to introduce himself to each and every student, and I think it really shows how down-to-earth he is." Students see him as approachable, Turner adds, and "that's a real tribute to him." On more than one occasion while walking the campus, Turner has heard students talking about Michael and recalls once when a student remarked, "Yeah, he's really cool."

Pictured left at 2007 Welcome Weekend

An Era of Accomplishment

"Being in a job like this for 16 years grants you some wisdom," Michael says in an interview in his office a few months before his retirement on June 30. As much as he has learned on the job, he has given back beyond measure. His list of achievements grows even as he winds down his presidency.

Michael will leave Lasell with a long resume of accomplishments, chief among them the growth of science programs. In earlier years, students interested in medical professions needed to enroll in additional programs or take outside courses. Michael saw opportunity in an industry on the cusp of major growth. "The sciences are what students wanted and where the jobs are," he says.

Today, Lasell has full pre-med academic tracks, is home to state-of-the-art lab equipment within its landmark Science and Technology Center, and offers majors in biology, biochemistry, forensic science, health science, and other growing fields. His investment in the sciences has grown enrollment and kept Lasell at pace with — and at times, ahead of — trends in the job market and in-demand skills.

"Over the last five years, the School of Health Sciences has grown from three undergraduate programs to 10 — and that's with a pandemic on top of everything," says Cristina Haverty, dean of the school. "It speaks to Michael's open-mindedness, strategic thinking, and vision for meeting workforce demands in the sciences."

That type of thinking, which Haverty describes as a comination of academic and entrepreneurial, has made Michael — and therefore, Lasell — succesful in preparing for fluctuating trends in higher education.

Zachary Hamilton '18 in his classroom

Michael Moment: Commitment to the Sciences

From the first days of his presidency, Michael sought to elevate the quality and prominence of the sciences at Lasell. Cristina Haverty, dean of the School of Health Sciences, collaborated with him to establish the forensic science program, and biochemistry, biology, and others followed. Michael's commitment to the sciences — and extraordinary attention to detail — was illustrated once again to Haverty in October 2022 when she bumped into him while conducting a walkthrough evaluation of lab equipment on the third floor of the Science and Technology Center. "Out of nowhere, he asked about the status of the gas chromatography-mass specrometry device that we were purchasing," Haverty recalls. "It struck me not only how invested he was in the sciences, but how immersed he was in his job 24/7. It blew me away."

Pictured left: Michael at the opening of the Science and Technology Center in 2017, recently named the Michael B. Alexander Science and Technology Center in his honor

"From day one, Michael set Lasell up for the future," adds Sara Roberts '14 G'15, a former Lasell student leader, resident assistant, and advisee of Michael's. "He plays the long game. He created so many tangible solutions to the challenges in higher education, including Lasell Works and more recently by lowering tuition."

Michael has long asserted that the biggest problem in higher education is the cost of attendance. "It is just too high," he says, noting that change is critical to ensure that every student who wants a college education can afford it. This fall, he instituted a 33 percent tuition reduction with the goal of eliminating sticker shock for prospective students and better representing the true cost of a college degree. In 2015, he founded the Lower Cost Models for Independent Colleges Consortium (LCMC), a coalition of colleges and universities focused on sharing resources and creating sustainable practices for institutions and students alike. In 2018, he launched Lasell Works, a career preparation program with a built-in cost savings initiative for students.

Michael's plan for institutional growth were ambitious at times — but that, he says, is part of the job.

"The president has to be a change agent. You take some heat for that because your'e always stirring things up," he says. "You have to change to adapt to a world that is changing around you. If a leader doesn't create chaos, they aren't doing their job. I'd like to think I was good at that."

President Michael B. Alexander with Blue Key Society students in 2016

Michael Moment: Advocate for Affordability

In June 2015 in Indianapolis, Michael delivered the opening address to a group of presidents of small colleges about the affordability crisis facing higher education. Jeffrey R. Docking, president of Adrian College in Michigan, came away impressed. "He put students front and center in the meeting," Docking remembers. "He said, 'If you believe students come first, we have to drop the cost of attendance.'" During two days of meetings, Michael emphasized that unless college cut their costs by 30-40 percent, the students who would most benefit from four years of a residential college experience would be unable to attend. The gathering, sponsored by the Gates Foundation and the Lumina Foundation, led to Michael founding the LCMC. Membership now numbers 135 institutions.

Pictured left with Blue Key Honor Society students in 2016

Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) enrollment was around 40 students in 2007. Today, about 500 students take courses each semester thanks to Michael's entrepreneurial spirit and business acument. He describes GPS and Lasell Village as "substantial, successful operations that make money." The Village was still a new business in 2007; it has since stabilized and is poised today to "skyrocket" as the senior living industry expands to accomodate an unprecedented number of retirees.

Michael refined the University's definition of Connected Learning and partnered with faculty to modify the Core Curriculum and learning outcomes. The junior-year ethics experience, in particular, is a point of pride.

"Students learn how the world operates. It is so important to society for them to graduate with that foundation," he says. "They are forced to think about problems where the answers are not clear." When they encounter moral dilemmas after graduation, he adds, that kind of practice becomes even more valuable.

His own experiences with those kinds of learning cohorts influenced his vision for implementation across the curriculum at Lasell. The resulting courses, compared to the general education framework in 2006, are among the most challenging and rigorous at the University.

President Michael B. Alexander at Lasell Commencement

Michael Moment: A Lifelong Learner

Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow, at the time the president of Tufts University, met Michael as a student in a course that the Harvard Graduate School of Education runs for new college presidents, which Bacow was teaching in. He was curious as to why Michael wanted to run a college after a career spent largely in the private sector, and Michael replied with no hesitation. "Shortly after I graduated from Harvard, I worked in the Office of Residential Life," said Michael, to Bacow's recollection. "I loved it and always wanted to return to higher education." As a fellow university president, Bacow admires the job that Michael has done at Lasell. "I think he has been incredibly creative. He has a hard head and a soft heart. It's a great combination: He brings the business acuity necessary to manage efficiently, but he also understands and engages with the academic mission of the place."

Pictured left at a Lasell Commencement ceremony

Students First

"As a student, I had so many encounters with President Alexander," says Micah Aiu '11, a former men's volleyball player for the Lasers and current Hawaii state representative. "That speaks volumes to how present he was on campus and how involved he was with the students. He is one of the best things to ever happen to Lasell."

Michael's campus presence is unparalleled. He can be found eating in Valentine Dining Hall, cheering on the Lasers at games, rowing on the Charles on River Day, dishing out meals at Midnight Breakfast, and working one-on-onev with his own set of academic advisees. Everything he does is with the intention of creating the most positive student experience possible, says Kate O'Connor, retired vice president for enrollment management.

"That attitude informed the values we use for ethical decision making at the senior management level," she says. "He was adamant that we stick to those and make decisions based in integrity and honesty, and in the best interest of the students."

Michael B. Alexander with students in de Witt Hall

Michael Moment: Dedication to Students

Sara Roberts '14 G'15 says she was fortunate to have Michael as her faculty advisor while at Lasell. Alexander helped her focus on her long-term plans. "I had a lot of goals — three internships, study abroad, a fifth-year master's degree," Roberts says. "He helped me meticulously plan and I was able to do everything I wanted to do." Over time, she sought Alexander's assistance in other ways and considered him a mentor. When she became a resident assistant at Woodland Hall, she asked Alexander to join a floor meeting to answer students' questions. He readily agreed and was thrilled to be part of the discussion, even when students complained about the showers, Roberts remembers.

Pictured left with students in de Witt Hall

Those decisions weren't always easy. Throughout his presidency, Michael and his team faced dilemmas ranging from how to handle COVID protocols to tackling global stances on gay rights and racial injustice on campus. A hallmark of his leadership is the transparency with which these issues were presented to the entire community.

Lasell once ran a service learning program in Uganda that was revered by its students and alumni. When the Ugandan government banned homosexuality, the University had to determine whether it could continue the program. Michael brought the decision-making process to the community.

"We held a town hall and opened it up to everyone," he says. "There were strong arguments on both sides and it was very emotional. It was an uncomfortable thing to talk about."

The community was split down the middle, as was senior management, leaving it up to Michael to decide to discontinue the program.

"Everyone accepted my choice, though it didn't matter what it was," he says. "It was the process we went through; they accepted it because of how involved they were. People felt it pulled us together as a community, even if the vote was 50-50."

As a student at the time, Roberts found the process powerful. For Michael, it was the obvious thing to do.

"There is almost no limit to how open you can be," he adds. When I came to Lasell, I was dedicated to being transparent and wanted everyone to know everything."

Science and Technology Center

Michael Moment: Commitment to Environmental Justice

When he became president, Michael established a task force composed of students, faculty, staff, Village residents, and alumni to analyze energy use and develop recommendations so Lasell could become more sustainable and ultimately achieve green status. Biology professor Stephen Sarikas served as co-chair of the committe, which developed a comprehensive list of goals upon the release of the group's report in April 2008. Michael signed the task force's pledge to reduce Lasell's use of greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050. Michael and Sarikas revisted the pledge last year while Sarikas served as chair of the Faculty Assembly. "I was impressed both then and so many years later by his dedication to this topic," remembers Sarikas, who joined the Lasell faculty in 1989. "He is not only a longstanding and consistent supporter for environmental justice, but social justice in all of its forms."

Michael maintained that line of thinking as a way to help the community through difficult times. In 2018, tensions rose and a detrimental racial climate grew on campus. One of Michael's first courses of action was to bring the issue directly to the people.

"Those town-hall conversations were difficult, emotional, and eye-opening," he said in an email at the time. "Yet, they provided our community with opportunities to engage and revisit our commitment to living up to the values we espouse."

Higher education is often reactive to these kinds of issues, but in Michael's case, he has always championed leading with kindness, transparency, and an eye on justice. That attitude was apparent to now-Provost Eric Turner even before Michael assumed the presidency.

"It really stuck with me during the presidential search process how much he was invested in truth, honesty, openness, fairness, and equity," says Turner. "At his heart, Michael is a social justice cruasder."

Michael B. Alexander at a Lasers game

Michael Moment: Champion of Community

An acknowledged football and baseball fan when he arrived at Lasell, Michael grew to appreciate soccer by following women's coach Vito La Francesca's highly successful teams. And La Francesca, whose Lasers have won eight Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships since he joined Lasell in 2007, developed a greater understanding of Michael's warmth, personal touch, and sense of community. In addition to cheering for Lasell at home matches, Michael occasionally dropped in on practice to chat with La Francesca and always sent the coach a thank you note after every season. Before this season's league title game, he emailed his best wishes to La Francesca, who read portions of the note to his players. "For the president to take time out of his day to share personal messages shows how involved and in touch with the community he is," La Francesca says.

Pictured left at a Lasell athletic match

Forever Forward

Changes in higher education are often hindered by adherence to rote practices and attachment to the way things have always been done. For Michael, there is no fun in that.

"The fun comes from growing and changing," he says. "A leader has to stir the pot and get people to move in the same direction toward common goals."

Ahead of this next big change at Lasell, Michael hopes that the community will welcome a new president with the same open arms and minds that embraced him 16 years ago. That, he says, will given them the greatest chance for success. While his focus will shift to his wife and daughterz, he will take with him a sense of pride and accomplishment in the impact he had at Lasell.

"I will miss the people," he says. "The students are why I did this in the first place, and there is satisfaction in seeing them grow in front of my eyes and feeling like I had a little bit to do with that."