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The Latest News
A 3+3 Alum on the NFL Field
A graduate of the Simmons Accelerated Program in Health and Exercise Science & Physical Therapy (3+3), Alexia Malone Oliver ’16 ’18DPT is Assistant Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist for the Denver Broncos. We spoke to her about what it means to treat players on and off the field.
Simmons Receives Grant to Address Opioid Overdose Crisis
Simmons’ School of Social Work is among the grant recipients from RIZE Massachusetts Foundation (RIZE), a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and collaborating on solutions to end the opioid overdose crisis in Massachusetts. The grants are aimed at developing a pipeline of social workers trained in harm reduction approaches to this crisis.
Simmons’ Mascot Featured in WBZ NewsRadio
Stormy the Shark, Simmons University’s mascot, kicked off the 2025–2026 school year with a spirit of community by gathering with other Colleges of the Fenway mascots (L-R): Halo the Saint Bernard (Emmanuel College); Red the Cardinal (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences); Willy the Leopard (Wentworth Institute of Technology); and Marty the Mastodon (Massachusetts College of Art and Design).
Simmons Welcomes the Class of 2029 and New Graduate Cohorts
Simmons is pleased to welcome 441 undergraduate students and 962 new graduate students to the start of the 2025–2026 academic year. We look forward to interacting with this diverse and interdisciplinary group of thinkers and leaders.
Alums Honor Black Women Trailblazers with On-Campus Plaques
English major Jacqueline Jones ’79 and Public Relations/Marketing Communications major Gia Elie ’24, both members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), recently commissioned dedicatory plaques to honor three Simmons alums who trailblazed the domains of health care, civil rights, and women’s history. We spoke with them about honoring historic Black alumnae/i and relishing lifelong sisterhood through AKA.
Gender Studies Professor Quoted in Fortune
Professor Suzanne Leonard, a faculty member in the Department of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Director of the Graduate Program in Gender and Cultural Studies, recently commented on the Netflix series The Hunting Wives for Fortune magazine.
SLIS West Director on Funding Cuts in Rural Libraries
Director of the Simmons School of Library and Information Science SLIS West program Eric Poulin published an editorial in The Shoestring warning that funding cuts to social services will result in a lack of access to electronic resources that will disproportionately hurt small, rural communities and their schools.
Finish Your Undergraduate Degree at Simmons
Three Class of 2025 graduates of the Online Degree Completion Program share what makes the Simmons program special and a great option for students with full-time jobs and family responsibilities.
Leadership in the News
Applying Classroom Skills to Simmons Leadership Conference
Students in the course “Applied Inclusive Leadership: Project Management for Real-World Impact” used a real-time model for learning successful project management: the Simmons Leadership Conference 2025.
Social Work Professor Honored as Legacy Maker
Professor and MSW Program Director Gary Bailey was featured in Portraits of Pride 2025, a recognition of LGBTQ+ leaders in the Greater Boston area.
Clinton Valedictorian Chooses Simmons
Ella Askren, an academically-driven student and accomplished athlete, will attend Simmons in Fall 2025. At Simmons, she plans to study physical therapy and play soccer.
Practicing Social Justice via Arts, Archives, and Community
Aislinn Doherty ’25 reflects on expanding her leadership skills as a Bonner Leader, and making it her mission to get involved with as many organizations and opportunities as possible while at Simmons.
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.
STEM in the News
Computer Science Researchers Develop Humanitarian Software
As part of Simmons’ Faculty-Student Collaborative Fellowship program, computer science majors Maleehah Africawala ’25, Fayza Beshir ’25, Emily Douglas ’25, and Megan McNamara ’25 worked under the supervision of Professor Nanette Veilleux to develop humanitarian software for Simmons’ REEF Support Center.
Valuing Hands-on STEM Training and the Latinx Community
First-generation college student Sophie Salas ’25 reflects on finding community at Simmons and taking advantage of opportunities to make an impact, both in her community and academic work.
Simmons Announces 2025–2026 Clare Boothe Luce Scholars
Funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, Simmons has awarded six scholarships to sophomores pursuing accelerated dual-degree engineering and STEM-related bachelor’s degrees.
Finding Support in STEM and Relishing Urban Life
Chemistry and Physics double major Annabelle Hannah ’25 discusses her laboratory research experiences and how she found community at Simmons.
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 STEMM-related fields as well as a Clare Boothe Luce Professorship.
Faculty in the News
Gender Studies Professor Quoted in Fortune
Professor Suzanne Leonard, a faculty member in the Department of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Director of the Graduate Program in Gender and Cultural Studies, recently commented on the Netflix series The Hunting Wives for Fortune magazine.
SLIS West Director on Funding Cuts in Rural Libraries
Director of the Simmons School of Library and Information Science SLIS West program Eric Poulin published an editorial in The Shoestring warning that funding cuts to social services will result in a lack of access to electronic resources that will disproportionately hurt small, rural communities and their schools.
Professor Speaks to Social Media Influencer Trend
Suzanne Leonard, Professor of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Director of the Graduate Program in Gender and Cultural Studies, was recently quoted in an article on the B-Side, connecting the current “stay at home girlfriend” trend on social media as a response to the previous “girlboss” trend.
SLIS Professor Named Outstanding Information Science Teacher
School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Professor and Library and Information Science PhD Program Director Kyong Eun Oh has been named the 2025 winner of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award.
Social Work Professor Honored as Legacy Maker
Professor and MSW Program Director Gary Bailey was featured in Portraits of Pride 2025, a recognition of LGBTQ+ leaders in the Greater Boston area.
SLIS Faculty Member Receives Research Grant
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) announced that Professor Naresh Agarwal, a faculty member at Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) and Director of the Information Science and Technology Concentration, has received the 2025 Bob Williams...
Nutrition Professor Weighs In On Dietary Guidelines
Department of Nutrition Professor Teresa Fung was quoted in an article on Civil Eats, “Everything You Know About the Dietary Guidelines Is Wrong.”
Professor Shares Response to Censorship in Higher Ed
School of Library and Information Science Professor and Associate Dean Laura Saunders published an article on “The Chilling Impact of Censorship in Higher Education."
What stories will you tell?
A 3+3 Alum on the NFL Field
A graduate of the Simmons Accelerated Program in Health and Exercise Science & Physical Therapy (3+3), Alexia Malone Oliver ’16 ’18DPT is Assistant Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist for the Denver Broncos. We spoke to her about what it means to treat players on and off the field.
Alums Honor Black Women Trailblazers with On-Campus Plaques
English major Jacqueline Jones ’79 and Public Relations/Marketing Communications major Gia Elie ’24, both members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), recently commissioned dedicatory plaques to honor three Simmons alums who trailblazed the domains of health care, civil rights, and women’s history. We spoke with them about honoring historic Black alumnae/i and relishing lifelong sisterhood through AKA.
Finish Your Undergraduate Degree at Simmons
Three Class of 2025 graduates of the Online Degree Completion Program share what makes the Simmons program special and a great option for students with full-time jobs and family responsibilities.
SLIS Students Intern for State Library of Massachusetts
The State Library of Massachusetts recognized two graduate student interns from Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science (SLIS): Emily Buff ’25MS and Emily Colson ’26MS. Both students worked within the Library’s Government Documents Program.
SLIS Student Receives Josephine Forman Scholarship
School of Library and Information Science Student Rai Terry ’26MS was named the 2025 recipient of the Josephine Forman Scholarship.
SLIS Alumnae/i Curates Anti-Slavery Collection at Boston Public Library
Viv Williams ’19MS joined the staff of the Boston Public Library (BPL) as Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts.
Simmons Alumna Honored by Forbes
Lisa ("Liz") Kautz '99MBA was honored by Forbes in a 2025 listing of "Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-in-State."
SLIS Student Interns at Boston Public Library
Jen Leahy '25MS wrote a guest blog post for the Boston Public Library (BPL) about her experience as an Archives Intern at BPL Special Collections.
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