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The Latest News
Social Work Alum on Oncology Social Work at Dana-Farber
Josh Ozer ’24MSW is a clinical social worker at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where he provides one-on-one counseling to patients as well as psychosocial support to their families and caregivers.
Incoming Student-Athlete Featured in The Herald News
The Herald News (Fall River, MA) recently featured Westport High School senior and incoming student Tess Silvia, who will play soccer and softball for Simmons.
MassLive Celebrates President Wooten’s Leadership
To honor Black History Month 2025, MassLive featured Black leaders throughout the state of Massachusetts who are performing significant and meaningful work. Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten is among the ten individuals spotlighted.
Review of Federal Policies and Announcement of Webinars for Faculty and Staff
President Wooten provides an update on the latest federal orders, including a Dear Colleague letter regarding DEI, and announces a series of webinars for faculty and staff.
Join the Discussion on Women’s Health at the 2025 Ifill Forum
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities and Social Sciences will host the Ifill Forum, our annual signature event in honor of Gwen Ifill '77, '93HD. This year’s event focuses on Women’s Health and will feature a panel discussion featuring Simmons faculty experts and a keynote speech featuring Dr. Sharon Malone, moderated by WBUR Anchor Lisa Mullins ’80 ’05HD.
Simmons Receives Mellon Grant for Information Literacy
With funding from the Mellon Foundation, Simmons will establish the Center for Information Literacy, which aims to promote informed decision-making and nurture civic participation.
Archivist Cherishes Communal Essence of Libraries
National Library Lovers’ Month is, according to the Boston Public Library, “a time to recognize the value of libraries and all the special things we love about them.” To celebrate National Library Lovers’ Month, we spoke with University Archivist Kelsey Kolbet ’21MS/MA about her love of archives and women’s history, and why she chose Simmons.
2025 Simmons Leadership Conference Announces Speaker Lineup
On March 20, 2025, the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership will host its annual Leadership Conference. An inspiring array of speakers will animate this year’s theme, “Leading Change.” Members of the Simmons community are entitled to complimentary virtual attendance.
Leadership in the News
2025 Simmons Leadership Conference Announces Speaker Lineup
On March 20, 2025, the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership will host its annual Leadership Conference. An inspiring array of speakers will animate this year’s theme, “Leading Change.” Members of the Simmons community are entitled to complimentary virtual attendance.
Simmons Welcomes New Cohort of Bonner Community Leaders
The Bonner Community Leaders Program is a unique opportunity for students who want to combine a strong commitment to service with personal growth, teamwork, leadership development, and scholarship. We spoke with Ellie Foss ’28, Jocelyn Miranda Landaverde ’28, Bridget Swezey ’28, and Soraya Timas ’28 about what drew them to the program.
Celebrating the 2024-25 Passionate Leaders Scholars
Six Simmons undergraduate scholars from different disciplines have been selected to join the 2024-2025 Passionate Leaders Project cohort.
Women in Leadership and Social Justice
Local leaders recently gathered at Simmons University to discuss what it means to lead in today’s world. The event was part of the Unpacking Series and was hosted by the Simmons Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in collaboration with the Institute for Inclusive Leadership, the School of Management, the School of Social Work, and the Stephen D. London Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice.
Mother and Daughter Alumnae Reflect on Shared Simmons Pride
To commemorate Simmons’ 125th anniversary, we spoke with Karen MacKenzie ’10, ’12MSW and her daughter Jennifer “Jen” DiRico ’12MBA about graduating alongside one another, Simmons’ spirit of inclusivity, and the formative power of a women’s-centered education.
Institute for Inclusive Leadership CEO Responds to “the Broken Rung” on CBS News
According to Susan MacKenty Brady, “a massive amount of value is lost when we aren’t fully tapping into the available talent in our organizations. . . . The traction of early promotion is where we need to mend, and where we need to lift up and create more resources and more opportunity for women.”
Professor Visits University of Johannesburg as Fulbright Specialist
Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason received a Fulbright Specialist Award this year. Recipients of the Fulbright Specialist awards are "selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad."
Simmons Social Work Doctoral Student Awards Kindest Kids in America
Jessie Hansen ’26DSW recently started the program The Kindest Kid in America, which awards young students who are exemplars of kindness. Hansen is a representative of Think Kindness, an organization that aims to promote acts of kindness in school and communities.
STEM in the News
SLIS Professor Explains the Technological Shift to AI
Simmons School of Library and Information Science is leading efforts to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy into the curriculum. Assistant Professor Don Simmons offered a virtual webinar covering the basics of AI and how it is shaping how we work and learn.
Simmons Awarded Grant Funding from Luce Foundation
Funding from the Henry Luce Foundation will support Simmons’ efforts to advance student success, retention, and confidence in STEM-related fields as well as a Clare Boothe Luce Professorship.
Nursing Dean Discusses Tech Advances in The Boston Globe
Nursing schools are turning to virtual reality-based training tools, including UbiSim, to address the nursing and nursing educator shortages. Dean Heather Shlosser is quoted in a Boston Globe article.
Chemist and Coach Helps Women in STEM Cultivate Belonging
Beyond her faculty role at Simmons’ Department of Chemistry and Physics, Dr. Lara Kallander supports women in STEM via Thriving Through Adversity Coaching, a small business she founded in 2019.
Simmons Exercise Science Alumnae Share Research at Conference
Health and Exercise Science alumnae Haleigh St.Hilaire ’24, ’26MPH and Caroline Aspinwall ’24 recently presented their respective research at the New England chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (NEACSM) conference.
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National Science Foundation Grant Aims to Retain STEM Students
Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence, was recently awarded a four-year $496K grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the funded project is to tackle high attrition rates in biology education at the undergraduate level by improving assessment and feedback practices.
STEM Student Receives Research Scholarship from American Chemical Society
Biochemistry major and Literature and Writing minor Reagan Cleversey ’26 received the competitive James Flack Norris / Theodore William Richards Summer Research Scholarship from the American Chemical Society. She spoke with us about her passion for medicinal chemistry and the importance of mentorship.
Changes in Reproductive Health Laws Impact Perinatal Hospice Care
Emily (Orlando) Cane ’23MPH was interviewed by Hospice News about how changes in reproductive health laws have impacted perinatal hospice care.
Faculty in the News
Artist-Scholar Integrates Politics, Poetry, and Race
Assistant Professor of Humanities Patrick Sylvain is a literary scholar and poet whose intellectual curiosity knows no bounds. His work explores the issues of nationhood, leadership, race, and (de)colonization. In conjunction with Black History Month 2025, we spoke with him about Haitian politics, poetry, and zombies.
SLIS Professor Explains the Technological Shift to AI
Simmons School of Library and Information Science is leading efforts to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy into the curriculum. Assistant Professor Don Simmons offered a virtual webinar covering the basics of AI and how it is shaping how we work and learn.
Associate Professor’s Research Links Drinking and Depression
School of Social Work Associate Professor Christina Sellers was quoted in an article, "Retirement and drinking don't mix."
Professor of Nutrition Weighs in on Ultra-Processed Foods
Professor Teresa Fung was quoted in two recent articles fact-checking claims on the harm of consuming vegetables and how to assess the safety of ultra-processed foods.
Two Simmons Faculty Members Receive North Star Fellowships
Samuel Odom from the School of Social Work and Don Simmons from the School of Library and Information Science, have been named fellows by the North Star Collective Faculty Fellowship, which is designed to promote supportive community and racial healing for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) faculty members across New England.
Simmons School of Social Work Welcomes New Faculty
Simmons University’s School of Social Work Programs welcomed four new faculty members this academic year, with expertise in addiction treatment, hospice and bereavement support, racism-based trauma, and military social work.
Nursing Dean Discusses Tech Advances in The Boston Globe
Nursing schools are turning to virtual reality-based training tools, including UbiSim, to address the nursing and nursing educator shortages. Dean Heather Shlosser is quoted in a Boston Globe article.
Chemist and Coach Helps Women in STEM Cultivate Belonging
Beyond her faculty role at Simmons’ Department of Chemistry and Physics, Dr. Lara Kallander supports women in STEM via Thriving Through Adversity Coaching, a small business she founded in 2019.
What stories will you tell?
Social Work Alum on Oncology Social Work at Dana-Farber
Josh Ozer ’24MSW is a clinical social worker at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where he provides one-on-one counseling to patients as well as psychosocial support to their families and caregivers.
Incoming Student-Athlete Featured in The Herald News
The Herald News (Fall River, MA) recently featured Westport High School senior and incoming student Tess Silvia, who will play soccer and softball for Simmons.
Archivist Cherishes Communal Essence of Libraries
National Library Lovers’ Month is, according to the Boston Public Library, “a time to recognize the value of libraries and all the special things we love about them.” To celebrate National Library Lovers’ Month, we spoke with University Archivist Kelsey Kolbet ’21MS/MA about her love of archives and women’s history, and why she chose Simmons.
Simmons Alumna Broadcasts Joy of Music
Longtime classical music and opera lover Felice Coral ’74, who studied biology and nursing at Simmons and in 2014 retired from a career in consulting and oncological research, serves as a DJ for WOMR. For the Provincetown community radio station...
3+3 Exercise Science/PT Student Shares the Gift of Sports
In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Simmons Shark Lauren Stenmon ’28 ’30DPT shares how she balances the intense studies of her accelerated degree program with her athletics schedule.
Alumnae/i Receive Awards from American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) announced winners of the 2025 Youth Media Awards, including Breanna J. McDaniel ’14MA, Gabe Cole Novoa ’19MFA, Stephanie Seales ’09MA, and Sacha Lamb ’20MS/MA.
Nursing Alumna Brings Compassionate Care to Baltimore
Registered Nurse and Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program Mentor Amanda Lee Davis ’15 recently relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where she has already made a significant impression on the city’s healthcare community. She is also pursuing a doctoral degree at Johns Hopkins University.
Simmons Welcomes New Cohort of Bonner Community Leaders
The Bonner Community Leaders Program is a unique opportunity for students who want to combine a strong commitment to service with personal growth, teamwork, leadership development, and scholarship. We spoke with Ellie Foss ’28, Jocelyn Miranda Landaverde ’28, Bridget Swezey ’28, and Soraya Timas ’28 about what drew them to the program.
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