In its 2026 America’s Best Colleges for Women rankings, Newsweek named Simmons University a top women-centered institution in Massachusetts. Simmons is also listed among the best 50 colleges/universities nationally for women (#49).

• Awards and Honors

School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Professor and Director of Libraries and Librarianship Concentration Daniel Joudrey is the recipient of the 2026 Margaret Mann Citation.

• Awards and Honors

Simmons University’s School of Nursing (SON) welcomed six new faculty members this academic year. We asked our new faculty members what they want their students to know about nursing today, and about an experience that changed how they viewed their profession.

We are honored to welcome best-selling author Gregory Maguire ‘78MA as our morning Commencement speaker and Dr. Anthony Estreet as our afternoon Commencement speaker. In addition, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll will offer special remarks at the morning ceremony.

• Commencement

The Colleges of the Fenway recently hosted “From Classroom to Career in the Age of AI,” featuring panelists from diverse industries. Speakers discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the workplace and how those in higher education can help prepare students for this new professional landscape.

Emily Crown ’26 reflects on her decision to major in Health and Exercise Science, the mentorship she received along the way, and the ways in which Simmons provided the opportunities, environment, and support she needed to be successful.

• Careers and Internships
• Mentorship
• Senior Profile

Kimberly R. Lavoie PhD’26 reflects on the most impactful part of her doctoral journey: conducting dissertation research, examining how school librarians understand and enact their roles in post-pandemic K–12 education.

• Careers and Internships
• Senior Profile

Social work major and first-generation college student Kim Richard ’26 shares her journey as an online degree completion student and how Simmons has prepared her to deliver care to clients.

• First-generation Student
• Online Student
• Senior Profile

Sydney Villegas ’26MS reflects on how she was encouraged to bring her interests and passions to her coursework and create projects that she was genuinely excited to explore as a graduate student in library and information science.

• Boston
• Careers and Internships
• Community Engagement
• Mentorship
• Senior Profile

Dr. Kathleen “Katie” Flynn ’26MPH reflects on choosing the master of public health (MPH) program due to its focus on health equity and the in-person learning experiences. She also discusses the program immersions and her Health Equity Change Project.

• Senior Profile