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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.

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.

• Ifill Forum

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.

• Awards and Honors

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.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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.

• Awards and Honors
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

January 21, 2025 — the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day — is the ninth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH). Created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, NDORH "is an opportunity to engage in collective action to create a more just and equitable world."

• Community Engagement
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Social Justice & Advocacy

The 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards Ceremony was held on November 24 at the Boston Public Library, where Cathryn Mercier, Professor and Graduate Program Director of Children's Literature, reflected on her role as a judge.

• 125th Anniversary
• Awards and Honors

Simmons faculty from various disciplines received awards in undergraduate and graduate teaching, research, service, and a commitment to DEI at the 2024 Faculty Awards.

• Awards and Honors
• Research

Faculty from the Department of Politics and Policy at Simmons recently presented a virtual panel discussion on the upcoming presidential election.

• Community Engagement

Brazilian illustrator Roger Mello visited the Simmons campus for a presentation in Professor Cathryn Mercier’s Picturebook class.

• Community Engagement