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The Latest News
Digital Girlhoods and the Adult Response to Tweens Online
Katherine A Phelps ’13MA has published her first book, Digital Girlhoods (Temple University Press, 2025), exploring the potential pitfalls and opportunities for tween girls engaging in social media.
Simmons Names 2025 Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients
Simmons University will recognize two Honorary Degree recipients during the 2025 Commencement ceremonies. Long-serving Massachusetts State Senator and women’s rights advocate Harriette L. Chandler ’83MBA, and visionary leader and former CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital Sandra L. Fenwick ’72.
Boston Globe Interviews SLIS Professor on Threats to Archives
Katherine Wisser, Associate Professor and Masters Program Director, Director Archives Concentration, and Director of Archives Certificate Program in the Simmons School of Library and Information Science was interviewed by The Boston Globe for, “An archivist’s job is to ‘keep the receipts.’ What happens when they can’t do their job?”
Simmons Alumna Centers Survivorship
Kenyora Lenair Johnson ’10, CEO of End Rape On Campus (EROC), is dedicated to elevating survivorship and centering marginalized populations. To honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we spoke with her about EROC’s bold initiatives, as well as Simmons’ intergenerational community.
Simmons SLIS Ranked as a Top 10 Library School
In the U.S.News & World Report’s “Best Library and Information Studies Programs” for 2025, Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) comes in as number nine (tied with Indiana University, Bloomington). This ranking encompasses the nation’s 56 master’s degree...
Supporting the Simmons Community Amid Travel Updates
Dear Simmons Community, I write today in response to questions and concerns raised by some members of our community following recent media reports about international student visas being revoked at colleges in Massachusetts and around the country. We understand how...
SLIS Alumnus Co-Curates Major Jane Austen Exhibition
In February 2024, Dale Stinchcomb ’16MS, became the Drue Heinz Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at the Morgan Library and Museum. We spoke with him about this unique role, his forthcoming co-curated exhibition on Jane Austen, and the essential training that he received at Simmons.
Exploring the New Living and Learning Center
The Living and Learning Center, the final phase of the once-in-a-generation One Simmons project, will serve as a vibrant epicenter for the entire Simmons community to share. Slated to open in January 2027, it features welcoming living spaces for students, a modern fitness and wellness center, two dining spaces, event spaces, and areas to connect, study, and socialize.
Leadership in the News
SLC25 Celebrates Leaders’ Capacity for Change
The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership recently hosted the 46th Annual Simmons Leadership Conference. The diverse array of panelists and guest speakers championed resilience, self-growth, and interpersonal connection.
Building a Family History at Simmons
Nearly a century ago, Anna T. Kenney attended Simmons College, majoring in Secretarial Studies. Now, Kenney’s great-granddaughter, Annie Doherty ’26, has followed in her great-grandmother's footsteps to Simmons.
An Advocate for Women and Children
Esta Soler ’68, ’06HD is the President of Futures Without Violence (FUTURES). Based in San Francisco, Boston, and Washington D.C., this nonprofit organization aims to prevent violence against women and families.
Harbinger of Health, Racial, and Gender Equity
An early proponent of reproductive rights and a courageous advocate of racial, socioeconomic, and gender equity decades before the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements, Dr. Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee, Class of 1920, was a visionary leader ahead of her time.
Dr. Adrianna Nava Champions Leadership in Nursing
Dr. Adrianna Nava “fights to ensure that nurses’ voices are heard in health care policy,” said Delmy Piano, Assistant Professor of Practice and Assistant Director of Simmons’ Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program, when introducing the Dotson’s 2025 hybrid Lectureship Event...
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.
STEM in the News
Thriving as Future STEM Leaders and Innovators
Fuma Iwakura ’26, MJ Vasquez ’27, and Gina Gawargi ’27 are part of the Dynamic Research Education Academy for Mentoring (DREAM) program, which currently has about 60 student participants. The NASA-funded initiative helps increase the retention of Simmons students in STEM fields.
The Simmons Edge Accelerates Academic and Career Success
Accelerated graduate education is a key feature that drew Kayla Pringle ’26 to Simmons. With the launch of the Simmons Edge, all undergraduate students will have the opportunity to graduate with an advanced degree in a wide selection of fields in as few as four or five years.
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.
Faculty in the News
Boston Globe Interviews SLIS Professor on Threats to Archives
Katherine Wisser, Associate Professor and Masters Program Director, Director Archives Concentration, and Director of Archives Certificate Program in the Simmons School of Library and Information Science was interviewed by The Boston Globe for, “An archivist’s job is to ‘keep the receipts.’ What happens when they can’t do their job?”
SLIS Lecturer Researches Women Who Collected Medieval Art
In a talk she delivered at the 2024 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, School of Library and Information Science faculty member Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis discussed the history of women creating, reading, and owning medieval European manuscripts. To honor Women’s History Month 2025, we spoke with her about this research and its connection to her Simmons courses.
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.
What stories will you tell?
Digital Girlhoods and the Adult Response to Tweens Online
Katherine A Phelps ’13MA has published her first book, Digital Girlhoods (Temple University Press, 2025), exploring the potential pitfalls and opportunities for tween girls engaging in social media.
Simmons Alumna Centers Survivorship
Kenyora Lenair Johnson ’10, CEO of End Rape On Campus (EROC), is dedicated to elevating survivorship and centering marginalized populations. To honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we spoke with her about EROC’s bold initiatives, as well as Simmons’ intergenerational community.
SLIS Alumnus Co-Curates Major Jane Austen Exhibition
In February 2024, Dale Stinchcomb ’16MS, became the Drue Heinz Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at the Morgan Library and Museum. We spoke with him about this unique role, his forthcoming co-curated exhibition on Jane Austen, and the essential training that he received at Simmons.
Alumna Delivers Trauma-Informed Care at Boston Children’s
Rachel Nyakako is a clinical social worker in the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC) at Boston Children’s Hospital. She serves as a link for patients and families in need of mental and behavioral healthcare and resources. Such support, she...
Six Students Selected for the 2025 Senior Scholar Award
Ginjer Doherty ’25, Aviva Foster ’25, CJ Haggard ’25, Theo Hatfield ’25, Lili Malatinszky ’25, and Grace Walters ’25 have been selected for the prestigious Senior Scholar Award at Simmons University. Sponsored by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Research and Fellowships, the Senior Scholar Award recognizes outstanding scholarly research across different disciplinary fields.
Thriving as Future STEM Leaders and Innovators
Fuma Iwakura ’26, MJ Vasquez ’27, and Gina Gawargi ’27 are part of the Dynamic Research Education Academy for Mentoring (DREAM) program, which currently has about 60 student participants. The NASA-funded initiative helps increase the retention of Simmons students in STEM fields.
Cambridge Director of Libraries Fosters Learning and Community
Maria McCauley ’17PhD says some of her fondest childhood memories are of visiting her local public library. This lifelong passion for knowledge is part of the reason she decided to pursue library and information science as a second career.
The Simmons Edge Accelerates Academic and Career Success
Accelerated graduate education is a key feature that drew Kayla Pringle ’26 to Simmons. With the launch of the Simmons Edge, all undergraduate students will have the opportunity to graduate with an advanced degree in a wide selection of fields in as few as four or five years.
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