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Sadina Shawver ’17MS is Assistant Branch Manager in Youth Services at the Harris County Public Library in Texas, which was designated a book sanctuary in September of 2023. Shawver shares how she handles challenges to library materials, and protects the freedom to read.

• Internships & Careers
• Social Justice & Advocacy

On January 19, Simmons’ Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) hosted “Islamophobia in the United States: Understanding Past and Present Anti-Muslim Discrimination,” a virtual lecture by Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Research for the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding Saher Selod. This talk chronicled the history of anti-Muslim racism and demonstrated how 9/11 instituted a new era of the racialization of Muslims.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Research
• Social Justice & Advocacy

Simmons University is pleased to announce that it has selected Dr. Michael C. LaSala, PhD, LCSW to serve as Dean of the School of Social Work. Dr. LaSala will begin the transition to Simmons during the week of February 5, 2024, and his term will officially begin on July 1, 2024.

• University Leadership and Structure

A recent CBS news segment chronicles the journeys of openly-gay bishops within the Episcopal Church. The story centers around trailblazer Bishop Gene Robinson, and also spotlights Jeffrey Mello ’00MSW, who became Bishop Diocesan in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut in 2022.

• LGBTQIA+
• Social Justice & Advocacy

The Simmons University Library has received the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine. The LEAD Award honors academic libraries’ programs and initiatives that encourage and support DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) across their campus.

• Awards and Honors
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Graduate student Diana Myers is pursuing a Master’s in Library Science and Information Science with a concentration in Archives Management. She plans to combine her archival experience with her research on medieval Europe to facilitate the public’s access to rare, premodern materials.

• Internships & Careers
• Mentorship
• Research

In January 2024, Dr. Paul Geisler, formerly Professor of Health Professions Education, Associate Dean of Health Sciences, and Interim Associate Dean of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, accepted a new position as Interim Dean of the School of Sciences and Health Professions. He will become the official Dean following the School’s formal renaming on July 1, 2024.

• University Leadership and Structure

When Stacie Parillo ’11MS was unhappy with her career, she began investigating her childhood dream of being a librarian. Now she is the Director of the Naval Historical Collection Archives at the U.S. Naval War College.

• Internships & Careers

After an earlier career in magazine journalism and writing, Dede Lahman ’93 became the co-owner of Clinton St. Baking Co., a restaurant and bakery on NYC’s Lower East Side. The eatery specializes in breakfast and brunch with notorious 2 hour lines around the block. We spoke with Lahman about how her studies at Simmons shaped who she is now.

• Awards and Honors
• Internships & Careers
• Leadership

In a new article published in Educational Leadership, Dr. Beryl Irene Bailey identifies the reason for flailing literacy among elementary school students and proposes an innovative solution.

• Community Engagement
• Internships & Careers
• Research