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The Latest News
Recognizing Freedom of Information Day 2025
According to the American Library Association, Freedom of Information Day (March 16), “promotes the public’s right to know and access to information.” To honor Freedom of Information Day 2025, Simmons News has compiled stories of faculty and student research, University initiatives, and alumnae/i accomplishments published over the last calendar year that advance access, reliability, and inclusivity regarding public information.
President Wooten Featured in Boston Business Journal
Celebrating the pivotal importance of mentorship, the Boston Business Journal featured fifteen women in the city who have served as mentors, including Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten.
Dietitian Alumna Gives People a ‘Leg Up’ on Nutrition
As the founder and owner of Leg Up Nutrition, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Allegra Egizi ’18, ’20MS helps clients attain a holistic, non-diet-based relationship with food. In honor of National Nutrition Month (March) 2025, she spoke with us about her intuitive approach and how Simmons helped jumpstart her career.
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.
Social Work Student Destigmatizes Homelessness in New Book
Social Work major Maggie Spadaro ’25 recently published a children’s book that fosters awareness and empathy regarding individuals experiencing homelessness. We spoke with her about this unique project, Simmons’ vital community, and her social justice-related aspirations.
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.
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.
Blowing the Horn for Children’s Literature: One Hundred Years of The Horn Book Magazine
In October of 1924, the first issue of The Horn Book magazine appeared. It began as a newsletter from the Bookshop for Boys and Girls, one of the first children’s book shops in the United States, established in 1916 by...
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."
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
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.
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.
What stories will you tell?
Dietitian Alumna Gives People a ‘Leg Up’ on Nutrition
As the founder and owner of Leg Up Nutrition, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Allegra Egizi ’18, ’20MS helps clients attain a holistic, non-diet-based relationship with food. In honor of National Nutrition Month (March) 2025, she spoke with us about her intuitive approach and how Simmons helped jumpstart her career.
Social Work Student Destigmatizes Homelessness in New Book
Social Work major Maggie Spadaro ’25 recently published a children’s book that fosters awareness and empathy regarding individuals experiencing homelessness. We spoke with her about this unique project, Simmons’ vital community, and her social justice-related aspirations.
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.
Feeding the Revolution Through Baking and Activism
Corrie Locke-Hardy '20MA combines her love of baking with social activism with her cookbook, The Revolution Will Be Well Fed.
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.
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