President's Notes XIII.8 | November 16, 2023

At the end of October, five Regis students and Dan Leahy, AVP of Mission, Ministry and Service, attended the 34th annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C. The teach-in brought together 2,000 students, administrators, staff, and faculty from nearly 50 faith-based colleges, universities, and high schools from all over country. Pictured above from left are Jalen Chappelle ’24, Anna Grace Kolodny ‘25, Brigid Morrow ‘27, Valarie Amicangioli ‘26, and Noy Geffen ‘25.

Nathanael Hidden '25, neuroscience and biology major, and Associate Professor of Psychology Helen Consiglio, in collaboration with Associate Professor of Biology Danqing Xiao and former student Elizabeth Evangelista, presented work titled "The Potential Role of Ephrins and Calbindin in the Anterior Cingulate of Alzheimer's Disease" at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C. This event is the world's premier neuroscience meeting, drawing approximately 30,000 attendees each year and offers cutting edge scientific advances and professional development opportunities for neuroscientists and educators at all career stages. This work was funded by a Faculty Kaneb grant.

Break a leg to students performing and participating in the production of The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy premiering tonight through this weekend in the FAC. I'll be there on Saturday to cheer you on Sarah Brown, Helen Brewer, Ashley Kang, Andre Rodriguez, Juliette Lanier, Emily Festa, Diana Pickett, and Rebecca Lorde. Special thanks to production Director Julia Burke.

I'd like to give a big shout out to the Center for Health and Wellness staff. Not only are they serving a large volume of patients, including at the Counseling Center, but last week they hosted a COVID and Flu Clinic with 40 patients.

Rebecca Hill, clinical nurse leader and nurse practitioner in the Health Center, was recently inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in Washington, D.C. in October.

Rebecca joined Regis in April 2021 and previously worked as a nurse educator and nurse practitioner for 13 years in emergency medicine, family practice, and urgent care. In addition, she has written multiple nursing publications. An invitation to this Fellowship recognizes one's accomplishments within the nursing profession. Congratulations, Rebecca, on this incredible honor!

Additionally, Margaret Duggan, women's health NP in the Health Center, recently completed her post-master's certificate in psychiatric mental health at Regis. She has been a women’s health nurse practitioner for 31 years. Here she is at her graduation.

This highlights the high caliber skills and education of the staff in this important student resource. We should be proud and feel confident we are in good hands.

Congratulations to Celeste Baldwin, assistant professor online DNP, for publishing a new resource manual Advanced Oncology Nursing Certification.

Recent event presentations include:

Associate Provost Kate Edney presented a session at the Fall 2023 Scholar-In-Residence Host Webinar titled "Planning for Community Engagement and Supporting your Scholar," as part of her work as one of the inaugural mentors to U.S. institutions hosting a Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence for the first time.

Brandi Fruin, assistant professor of online graduate nursing, presented with a colleague at the Sigma Thea Tau, 47th Biennial Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Their presentation is titled "The Effect of Simulation on Nursing Student Attitudes and Empathy Towards Homelessness."

I am excited to share that Institutional Advancement will be hosting the next Regis Women's Network (RWN) event, the Women Who Inspire Speaker Series, on Wednesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. in Maria Hall. The inspiring speaker is Kimberly Brown, founder of Manifest Yourself, who will give a wonderful talk centered around her book Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning into a Career Love. The entire Regis community is invited and encouraged to attend this complimentary career development workshop. I hope to see you there! Learn more and register.

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I encourage you to mark your calendars for the annual Regis Community Chorus and the Glee Singers Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 2, and Brunch with Santa on Saturday, December. 9. Details and registration for both events here.

The annual Regis Trustees, Faculty, and Staff Christmas Party is on Thursday, December 7.

I had a wonderful visit with the new Weston Superintendent Karen Zaleski yesterday. Our new partnership will include strategies to support paraprofessionals earning a bachelor's degree, master's degree opportunities for teachers, as well as exploring Early College programming.

And later that day, I had the pleasure of meeting Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon, founder of Mustard Seed Communities (MSC). He visited with me, and members of the service trip last spring who volunteered at MSC in the Dominican. A group will be volunteering again next spring in Jamaica.

Thank you to the Center for Ministry and Service for hosting a lovely Interfaith Prayer Service this afternoon, followed by a potluck with dishes prepared by members of our community.

May you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving with your families and friends. There are so many things to be thankful for and we are blessed to have a day to reflect and enjoy.