Who would have thought "nor'easter" or "winter storm warning" would be in our conversations on April 4. Please drive safely everyone.
I'd like to give a special thanks to the faculty advisors and staff who met with students this week to register for summer and fall semesters. Registration begins on Monday.
On behalf of the Center for Ministry and Service (CMS), a big, heartfelt thanks to all those who supported our community through Regalos. As always, it was a wonderful evening of student stories and sharing, and we are grateful to each and every person who contributed in some way! Together, with raffles, ticket sales, and donations, more than $3,000 was raised towards the cost of CMS's Spring Break Service Immersion Program!
Thanks to the Mission Committee who helped plan and support Heritage Week. We are grateful for all who participated in the myriad events. Heritage Week reminds us of our call and responsibility to be the legacy of our Founders, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston. The Charism—unioning love-—is alive and well in our Regis community.
Student News and Achievements
This week we celebrated the academic excellence of student-athletes with a ceremony for sophomores, juniors and seniors who have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above. Thanks to our small class sizes and dedicated faculty, students excel in the classroom and in competition! We are so proud of their incredible achievements. Go Pride!
Also as part of Division III Week, our amazing student-athletes on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted Cuts for a Cure, an event to collect monetary and hair donations to support children with hair loss and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Pictured here are (standing) Zak Latifi '23, MBA '24, SAAC President and member of men's basketball team, and (sitting) Nick Klein '26, member of men's lacrosse team.
Last night the Center for Inclusive Excellence in partnership with Student Affairs hosted this year's Partners In Excellence (PIE) Pinning Ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of the program's 13 graduating seniors. PIE provides tremendous support for both first-generation students and first-year students of color to develop meaningful relationships with faculty, staff, and peers to position them up for success. The impact is evident in these smiling faces!
The Neuroscience Department hosted an event with the Regis Children's Center (RCC) last month during brain awareness week, a global event to build public enthusiasm for brain science and health. The neuroscience students taught the RCC students to make pipe cleaner neurons and brain hats to learn more about the basics of brain organization that underlie our thoughts, feelings, and sensory processes. Pictured here is Zachary Olayiwole '26 with an RCC student.
Jonathan "Fitz" Fitzgerald, assistant professor of general education and humanities, and Julia Lisella, professor of English, are proud to announce Vanessa Aiello '24, an education and English major and writing minor, will represent Regis at the Intercollegiate Poetry Showcase next week. Vanessa's poem will be published in the Intercollegiate chapbook anthology and she will read her work at the event taking place at Porter Square Books in Boston. Congratulations, Vanessa!
Coming up on April 17, Fitz is hosting the launch of Hemetera, Regis' literary magazine. Attendees will receive a free copy of Hemetera 2024 and listen to selected works read aloud.
Faculty and Staff News and Achievements
Some of our other humanities faculty have been quite busy, too.
Bernard Jackson, assistant professor of philosophy, presented a paper on Carter G. Woodson's philosophy of education titled "Philosophy of the Black Experience" at a conference hosted by Howard University.
Jason Clemence, chair of humanities and associate professor of English and film studies, published a personal narrative essay in Cognoscenti about the intersections between his long-term love of running, neurodiversity, physical injury, and the question of whether or not we're necessarily meant to do what we love.
I hope you were able to visit Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Niloofar Gholamrezaei's gallery exhibit on display in the Fine Arts Center last month titled "Wanderer."
At the end of March, Associate Provost Kate Edney attended the Popular Culture Association's (PCA) annual conference in Chicago, where she presented her paper "...Like an Egyptian: Representing Egypt in American Musicals", examining musicals from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries set in Egypt. Additionally, in her role of Area Chair for the PCA in folklore and popular culture, Kate curated and chaired two panels during the conference. As a long-serving editorial board member, she also attended the Journal of Popular Culture's annual meeting during the conference.
Heather Maietta, associate professor in the EdD in higher education leadership program, recently published a book on career support for transfer students titled Ensuring Success for Students Who Transfer: The Importance of Career and Professional Development. The publication was a collaborative effort with the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS), and a select group of colleagues across the country researching and implementing best practices for students who transfer.
The Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) on equity-mindedness, well-being and self-care reconvened and launched a new series on artificial intelligence. FLC members presented at the University of Rhode Island’s Innovative Education Conference regarding the “Transformative Impact of Faculty Learning Communities on Professional Development, Well-being, and Belonging.”
Diana Perdue, senior instructional designer, along with faculty members Jennifer Krusinger, Niloofar Gholamrezaei, and Shannon Hogan presented their ongoing efforts to model human-centered GAI at the conference as well. Their workshop titled “Inclusive AI-Integration through a Studio Arts Model at a Small Liberal Arts College” features three case studies spanning writing, art, and STEM.
Congratulations to Lawana Brown, women's health nurse practitioner program director, for publishing an article in Pulse and receiving an honorable mention for their writing contest. Pulse–voices from the heart of medicine publishes first-person stories or poems about health care. What an inspirational account of your experience, Lawana!
Best wishes to the Regis Community Chorus, Glee Singers, and Chamber Singers for a great concert on Saturday. They will feature music representing the singers, inspired by the Walt Whitman poem “Song of Myself,” including spirited pieces from Nigeria, familiar melodies from Ireland and Scandinavia, poetry by Robert Frost, and popular affirmations like “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman. Purchase Tickets.
President's Office
I was pleased to attend the first meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education's Task Force on Nursing Education and Workforce Development yesterday. The Task Force consists of representatives from legislative committees, health care providers, state nurse licensure agencies, public and private higher education institutions, and industry sector advocates. I'm proud to represent independent colleges and universities. We plan to meet through September and submit our report to BHE in the fall to address the nursing shortage.
This Sunday, we are welcoming accepted undergraduate students and their families to campus for the second spring preview day. Thank you in advance to all faculty and staff who will participate and meet with prospective students.
Enjoy the Patriots' Day holiday on April 15, and if you are running in the race, best of luck!
If you are driving through downtown Weston, you'll see this banner advertising the Summer Scholars program, thanks to our Marketing and Communications team.
