Summer session I is winding down and next week will kick off summer session II, pre-college programs, and summer camps will be arriving on campus.
As we complete Academic Year 2022-23, I want to take the opportunity to thank faculty and staff. This spring we held many celebratory events to recognize our students' achievements, which would not have been possible without each one of you and the myriad contributions you make every single day. Together, we are fulfilling our mission to provide access to education and opportunities to Regis students. It isn’t always easy, but it is worthwhile and rewarding work.
In this competitive environment with rising costs and less students entering higher education, along with peer institutions, Regis is facing challenges. But through our collective work, we will think creatively and address the challenges of rising expenses and decreasing enrollments. We are responsible for shaping individuals into strong leaders who are passionate about serving others and making the world a better place. That is a big responsibility. But one that I am confident we can follow through on because of you—the faculty and staff who work hard each day and take care of our students.
Thank you for your support, your dedication, your passion for Regis—and for all you do to support this university.
Student Achievements
I told you in my last edition that four recent alums attended the American Medical Student Association conference in Phoenix, AZ to present their poster, "Development of a Novel Phage Display Protocol to Identify a Peptide Diagnostic for Early-Stage Epithelial Ovarian Cancer." I'm so proud to share that they won best overall pre-med honorable mention award! Their poster stood out among 180 submitted for the recognition. Congrats Coriander Tighe '23, Nia Ramos '23, Mariama Sanneh '23, Hannah Morine '23, Santiago Pedraza Novak '23, Aria Ulmer '23, and Assistant Professor Shannon Hogan.
Congratulations also to recent master's in strategic communication alumnae Victoria Lux '21 and Sarah Assante '19 who were both named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's "30 under 30" list.
Faculty and Staff News and Achievements
Over 130 alumni, friends, and staff took part in the 22nd Annual Regis Golf Tournament on Tuesday at the Marlborough Country Club. The tournament supports our 20-sport NCAA Division III athletic program which instills the values of teamwork, dedication, and perseverance in our student-athletes. The event was a big success, raising over $50,000. Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Courtney Duggan (on right) and her teammates Dan Duggan (on left) and Kristina Drew (middle) were excited about the money raised to support athletics and student life—and because Kristina sank her putt in the putting contest to win one of the day's prizes! I was happy to join the participants at the post-round reception and express my gratitude for their support. Special thanks to Athletics and Institutional Advancement divisions for co-hosting the event. Go Pride!
I was also happy to celebrate the Regis Children's Center's Pre-K and Kindergarten graduation last week and award the diplomas. Congratulations to our youngest graduates!
Now serving in her second year as an alumni host mentor for institutions new to hosting Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence, Associate Provost Kate Edney served on two discussion panels as part of the 2023-24 orientation series for scholars and their hosts. During the next year, Kate will be serving as a mentor to administrators at nine U.S. higher education institutions that will be welcoming a Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence to their campuses in the fall.
Assistant Provost Ericka Hollis is co-presenting on a panel "Reimagining Institutional Support for Teaching" at the inaugural National Higher Education Teaching Conference 2023 hosted by the Association of College and University Educators.
Heather Maietta, professor in the doctorate of higher education leadership program, co-authored an article titled "The ever-fluctuating skill set, the college-to-career transition, and the T-student" for the National Association of Colleges and Employers NACE Journal. Nice work, Heather!
Professor of English Julia Lisella co-facilitated a summer poetry workshop—Breathe In Experience, Breathe Out Poetry—earlier this month at the Old South Meeting House in Boston, sponsored by the Italian American Writers Association. The second workshop in the series will take place July 12. Julia is the author of four books of poetry and her poems are widely anthologized and have appeared in The Common, Ploughshares, Pangyrus, On the Seawall, Paterson Literary Review, MER, and many others.
Elizabeth Pitney Seidler, associate professor of economics, was elected to the Worcester Economic Club Board of Directors for a three-year term. Founded in 1903, it is one of the oldest and largest organizations of its kind in the country and provides professionals in the Worcester county area a forum for the discussion of economic, civic, educational, and sociological subjects of interest to members.
Congratulations to Deborah Jean-Baptiste, assistant professor and director of adult gerontology primary care NP program, who achieved the National League for Nursing's Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®) credentialing.
This is part of Associate Professor of DNP Online Graduate Nursing C. Andrew Martin's pilot project "Nursing Faculty’s Perceived Value of Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®)/Certified Nurse Educator Novice (CNE®n) Credentialing." The project was a quantitative pilot project funded by a Kaneb Faculty grant that would reimburse exam fees for fourteen faculty members who successfully passing the CNE or CNEn exam. As of spring 2022, sixteen percent of full- and part-time academic nurse educators possessed CNE certification. The goal of the study was to increase the percentage to at least 20% over the one-year period. I'm pleased that the project surpassed its goal with 22% faculty who achieved CNE certification! This demonstrates faculty’s critical thinking skills and mastery of the full scope of the NLN Core Competencies.
President's Office
I was pleased to be included in a Boston Globe editorial last week about nursing schools meeting the growing demand for nurses. Finding clinical placements is an issue facing our students and exacerbated by the nursing workforce shortages. In addition to educating the next generation of nursing leaders, Regis is working tirelessly with AICUM and state legislators on proposals that will support efforts to graduate more qualified nurses.
Regis was also featured in a Boston Business Journal article about how we are addressing the state's nursing shortage. These articles are important reminders of Regis' relevance on pressing issues.
In addition, we are awaiting the Supreme Court's decisions regarding race-conscious admissions policies in two higher education admissions cases: Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. University of North Carolina. I, along with other college president members of the AICUM and Governor Healey's administration, co-signed a statement that will be released shortly after the decisions are announced. The statement affirms our commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive institution.
And finally, please save the date for the annual Let It Shine Gala on October 12 to support student scholars and honor John J. Tegan, Jr., MEd, Hon LLD as he receives the 2023 Shining Example Award. 100% of the funds raised go to student scholarships. Learn more on the Let It Shine website. I look forward to celebrating with you!