GSLIS Edition - Simmons College

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Simmons Welcomes New VP of Finance and Administration
“I am very pleased to accept this position and
to help guide the financial growth and overall
well-being of Simmons during these challenging
economic times.”
—STEFANO FALCONI
In addition to President Helen Drinan
’75LS, ’78SM, Simmons welcomed
another senior administrator this year.
The new senior vice president
of finance and administration, and
treasurer, Stefano Falconi, began his
tenure at Simmons in July. Falconi
oversees accounting services, business
affairs, public safety, facilities, technology,
internal auditing, purchasing and
accounts payable, financial services,
budget, and business analysis.
“I am very pleased to accept this
position and to help guide the financial
growth and overall well-being of
Simmons during these challenging
economic times,” said Falconi.
Falconi has more than 20 years of
experience in higher education administration.
Prior to joining Simmons, he
was vice president, chief financial officer,
and treasurer of Stevens Institute
of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. Falconi
also was vice president for administration
and chief financial officer of Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh,
Penn. Additionally, Falconi worked
at MIT as director of finance, and at
Harvard University, where he held
several positions in academic planning,
sponsored research, and finance.
Falconi holds a J.D. maxima cum
laude from the University of Padua in
Italy, and an MBA from the Harvard
University School of Business Administration.
He is a member of the Italian
bar and practiced corporate law for several
years in Italy prior to moving to the
United States. Falconi is married with
two daughters. His outside interests
include automotive engineering, watch
design and technology, photography,
and classical music.
Grant Funds Undergraduate Science “Renaissance” at Simmons
Thanks to a $245,000 grant from the
W.M. Keck Foundation, the College is
embarking on a three-year transformation
of its science curriculum that will
result in a renewed focus on undergraduate
research.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity
to build upon our already-successful
programs in biology, chemistry,
and physics,” said Hazel Dick Leonard
Professor of Chemistry Len Soltzberg,
principle investigator and project
coordinator. “We are now able to offer
students the opportunity to engage
in the same type of high-level research
projects found at much larger institutions.”
Dubbed the Undergraduate Laboratory
Renaissance by Soltzberg and
his colleagues, the program’s new
structure will allow sophomores to
experience the excitement and collegial
collaboration of serious research, and
will provide seniors with the opportunity
to mentor and guide younger
students.
Simmons began to make revisions
over the summer by replacing the
laboratory component of several science
courses with research-based work
related to faculty research. Money also
“We are now able to offer students the opportunity
to engage in the same type of high-level research
projects found at much larger institutions.”
—CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR LEN SOLTZBERG
was allocated to summer salaries for
faculty integrating their research into
course laboratories; academic stipends
for student research mentors and
instrument assistants; and travel expenses
for student and faculty presenting
at conferences.
“This restructuring will benefit faculty
because it leverages the time available
for research. We expect publishable
results to emerge from this work,”
said Soltzberg.
This is the first award Simmons has
received from the W.M. Keck Foundation,
one of the nation’s largest philanthropic
organizations, which supports
outstanding science, engineering, and
medical research, and undergraduate
education.
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