A Message from the President

The past year – my first as President of the College – has been a full and rewarding one as the Regis learning community grew in academic stature, student-centered scope, and technological access and innovation. Regis College is getting known around the region as a small university; we have as many or more graduate students as undergrads!

Regis College is also identified around the nation by the National League of Nursing as a “Center of Excellence in Nursing Education” (2011-2015) with multiple access points for various degrees in health professions and nursing, all the way through the DNP (doctorate of nursing practice).

One of our special endeavors on the global stage is the Regis College Haiti Project, which aims to educate nursing faculty in Haiti and help rebuild the human infrastructure in that earthquake-devastated country. This past year, the Haiti Project was recognized by the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund with significant funding.

Locally, too, we are “building” the campus infrastructure students need to succeed. A solid liberal arts and sciences tradition is the historical heart of Regis College, and we are taking steps both to protect it and to advance it. The enduring significance of a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum in our complex world makes it essential that this College stay committed to the education of the whole person and help lead her or him into a meaningful professional pathway. Helping to achieve this goal, our new Associate Dean of Graduate Affairs and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs will spearhead the effort to keep a Regis education centered on students and connected to the marketplace. A Director of Internships and Career Placement will spearhead the kind of educational experience students have out in the workplace while they are students. Our Dean of Institutional Research and Assessment is not only guiding us through the NEASC reaccreditation process this year, but working with our faculty to construct the kind of routine assessment of outcomes that will make our programs cutting edge in their different disciplines.

At the core of the energy and dedication that permeate Regis is the Catholic faith that has been informed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston and their expression of values: The pursuit of truth; service to others; social justice; outreach to the marginalized dear neighbor; commitment to excellence with gentleness, peace and joy; hospitality; inclusiveness and responsiveness to the needs of all. A collective dedication engages the whole Regis community in making what may seem impossible to you, possible.

The practical side of this kind of dedication shows up in the campus-wide strategic planning process my administrative team and I carried out this year.  Ours is not a plan that sits on a shelf, but an actual tool for implementation so that Regis College will be the best that it can be. Our plan includes

1. Building faculty and staff morale through community, group and individual meetings and consultations with faculty and staff in numerous dialogues and monthly receptions with faculty/staff, graduate students and undergraduate students.
2. Launching a College Master Plan through all-campus input and consensus building as to institutional and departmental priorities inclusive of the Facilities Audit.
3. Carrying out the campus-wide priority of technological advancement and innovation. This past summer, we developed the capacity for all-campus Wi-Fi, and this fall we began making Regis an all iPad institution by giving out iPads to all full-time faculty, full-time undergraduates and a number of graduate students. Thirteen faculty members have already developed technological innovation/digital pedagogy projects to be implemented in 2012-2013, and others are now signing up to do the same.
4. Continuing to create partnerships with academic institutions and industry so that our students have the best options to fulfill their professional goals.
5. Supporting initiatives to increase global awareness on our campus and to grow our international enrollment.

 

In the evolving educational and professional practice needs of our society, especially in the competitive New England higher education marketplace, Regis is moving forward by fostering evidence-based, interprofessional and interdisciplinary curricula. We have also developed ten interdisciplinary “pathways of achievement” to help both our undergraduates and our non-traditional and graduate students find their professional way.

 

Explore this website and you’ll see what I mean.  Better yet, come and visit the campus. You will experience our welcome first hand as we pursue excellence tempered by gentleness. And you will find your path and fulfill your purpose.

Antoinette M. Hays, PhD, RN

President

September 2012