Spring 2010 - Simmons College

ChairLauren J. Brisky ’73Vice ChairAmy E. White ’81Clerk of the Board of TrusteesRegina M. PisaMembersCarmen A. Baez ’79, ’03HDRobert E. BransonDeborah C. Brittain ’74SWJennifer Kelly Choi ’87Dwight CraneHelen G. Drinan ’75LS, ’78SMJoyce Elden ’80Atsuko Toko FishEileen M. Friars ’72Helen K. Gee ’85, ’04HSJill A. Greenthal ’78Hope Hirsch ’67Anne C. Hodsdon ’75, ’77GSJohn W. HumphreyPamela H. Jackson ’85Stephen P. Jonas P’05Kathleen Morrissey LaPoint ’84Ngina Lythcott ’67, ’04HDJudith Samdperil Mann ’83Stephen P. McCandlessJacqueline C. Morby ’78SMSusan Ollila ’66Carol Waller Pope ’74Lucia Luce Quinn ’75Faith M. Richardson ’84Jo-Ann Robotti ’75Emily Scott Pottruck ’78Carole Seigel ’80SMToby M. Sloane ’60Douglas Smith-PetersenPaula A. Sneed ’69Janet Trafton Tobin ’67Andrea Waldstein ’60SWRoslyn Watson ’71board of trusteesAlumnae/i Volunteer LeadershipUndergraduate Alumnae AssociationExecutive BoardPresidentAmy Klotz ’96Graduate School of Library andInformation Science Alumni AssociationPresidentAnn McLaughlin ’71, ’72LSSchool of ManagementAlumnae AssociationPresidentAnne Denna ’05SMSchool of Social WorkAlumni CouncilPresidentSonia Michelson ’85SWboard oftrustees letterI am very pleased to introduce the studentissue of the SIMMONS magazine.Reading about today’s students in thefollowing pages led me to reminisce,and brought back strong feelings of mytime as a student, alumna, and nowTrustee and Board Chair.I attended Simmons in the ’70swhen social and political issues madeevery college campus vibrant and exciting.At Simmons, many students werenatural leaders and on the front lineof the ”women’s movement.” Perhapsmy most memorable recollection waswhen Simmons hosted a political rallyon the residence quad in 1972 forShirley Chisholm, then a member ofCongress, who was the first African-American woman to run for president.As a government and history major, Iwas honored to introduce her to a largeaudience of students, faculty, parents,and others. Here I was — a student —being asked to introduce a potentialPresident of the United States!When I talk about Simmons today,without hesitation I can recite what afirst-class educational experience I wasafforded. It wasn’t just about the intellectuallystimulating professors and theinterpersonal classroom dynamics.Through my collection of opportunitieswith faculty and students, internshipsand campus activities, Simmonsgave me a set of intellectual and academicingredients. Simmons helpedme to build a belief and values structure,and to be confident in my ownability about what I could contributeto society. Simmons helped me realizethat I could do anything I wanted to do.During the February Board of Trusteesmeeting, I had the occasion to talkyet again with a number of students.While students today have to jugglemore complex lives than my peers didin the ’70s, and the world in whichthey live is much larger than the smallSimmons community of my studentyears, much is the same. Simmonscontinues to place students first, togrow academic opportunities that alignwith changes in the fields of studywe offer, and to cultivate long-termand meaningful relationships withalumnae/i.Simmons provided me with aninner compass, along with a love oflearning and critical thinking. Theseattributes helped guide my career as auniversity business and chief financeofficer, and provided me with perspectivefor my ongoing work with othercharitable organizations. My fellowTrustees and I remain confident thatSimmons will continue to do the samefor each of our students for manyyears to come.Lauren J. Brisky ’73Chair, Board of Trustees2 simmons alumnet.simmons.edu