Share the excitement of Commencement with friends and family! Click here to check out all the ways you can interact online, and even download a Commencement-themed Facebook timeline photo!

LESLEY COLLEGE AND THE ART INSTITUTE OF BOSTON CEREMONY:

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CEREMONY:

For more information about this year’s Commencement, please visit our Commencement Website.

Below our donors have shared their messages, well-wishes and thoughts for Mary. Submit yours today!

Mary is retiring at the conclusion of this academic year, and with your help, we will endow a scholarship in her name that will continue to benefit Lesley students in perpetuity. You can be a part of this lasting tribute by donating now to join the many Lesley alumni, students and friends who want to show their appreciation to Mary by honoring her through the Professor Mary Mindess Endowed Scholarship Fund.

In recognition of Mary’s distinguished service to Lesley University, President Moore has announced that the University will match the first $25,000 that is pledged to the Mary Mindess Endowed Scholarship Fund.

“Over the span of her career, Mary has positively influenced thousands of teachers of young children, and one can only imagine the total number of children who in turn have benefited by her teaching, her scholarship and her passion,” said President Moore. “This is our modest way of recognizing her impressive achievements.”

To read more about Mary and Lesley’s other distinguished honorary degree recipients addressing the graduates at the 2012 Commencement ceremonies, click here. For more information about the scholarship in Mary’s name, you can email alumni@lesley.edu or call 617.349.8628.

A self portrait of Miriam Fagan, taken during her project to photograph the Medical Advocacy staff at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.

Miriam, a transfer student who entered Lesley University as a sophomore, chose this first internship to fulfill one of her degree requirements. In the course of earning degrees, all undergraduate students participate in at least two internships, as well as required concurrent academic coursework.

With a major in Counseling Psychology and a minor in Photography through The Art Institute of Boston, Miriam worked with the Lesley University Internship Office to develop a sequence of internships that suited her dual interests in social sciences and the arts.

She brought her counseling and photography interests together while serving as a Medical Advocacy Intern at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. There, in addition to her work with survivors of rape and sexual assault, Miriam developed a project to photograph and tell the stories of the Medical Advocacy volunteer team. Miriam has self-published this collection, and her photography has been used by BARCC in the organization’s work. Through a later internship in the communications office at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Miriam honed her photography skills, resulting in her photo being published in the Boston Globe.

Miriam explains that, “When graduation approached, I knew from my internship experiences that while I loved photography, I wanted a job where I would use my counseling psychology background in my daily work.” She applied for a position as a Resource Specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a role that connects patients and caregivers with housing, transportation, and financial resources needed through the duration of treatment. Her internships, and the knowledge and connections that she gained through these experiences, positioned her well for this job, and she has been working in this role since August 2010. She loves her work, and in September, Miriam plans to attend the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, where she will pursue a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

Janet and Miriam Fagan

Miriam’s parents are grateful to Lesley and appreciate the great value of Miriam’s internship experiences, as well as a teaching assistant position that Miriam held in the internship program. To express their gratitude, Mark and Janet (GSOE, ‘97) Fagan have made a gift to the Lesley Internship Office in recognition of Miriam’s experiences. “We made this gift in appreciation for the work of the faculty and staff who run such an excellent internship program,” said Janet.
This support has allowed the Internship Office to make modest grants to students with financial need during the course of their internship. These needs range from purchasing an appropriate professional outfit for a student who has never worked in an office before to funding transportation to internship sites. Gifts like this one from the Fagan family enable the Internship Office to enhance the experiences of Lesley University students as they pursue their professional aspirations and get real-world experience through hands-on internship opportunities.

For more information about making a gift to Lesley, including a gift to support the work of the Lesley University Internship Office, please contact Pattyanne Lyons at 617-349-8178 or at plyons4@lesley.edu.

Lesley University welcomes all graduate students and their guests to our annual Pre-Commencement Reception for graduates of the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences and the Graduate School of Education the evening before Commencement.

Celebrate your accomplishments with other graduates and their families, as well as members of the Lesley University faculty and staff. The reception will be held in the Atrium of University Hall, 2nd Floor, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge.
We hope you will be able to attend!

Cultivating and respecting the inner lives of children can be challenging. While early childhood educators want to support children’s natural curiosity and wisdom, they must grapple with societal taboos round discussions of sensitive topics. In this session educators share their experiences with curricula and family engagement that contribute to the development of children’s inner resilience, competence and a collaborative spirit of inquiry.

Do you wish you had a network of new and experienced teachers to guide you through those uncertain times?

Well you do! The Lesley University New Teacher Community (NTC) knows that the first years of your teaching career can be immensely gratifying, but also filled with all sorts of pressure that can feel overwhelming. They get that!

The brainchild and natural out-growth of Lesley’s field placement experience, the New Teacher Community was founded by Marcia Bromfield, Harriet Deane and Nancy Roberts, professors in Lesley’s Graduate School of Education and nationally-recognized experts in their field. Supported by the generosity of MEDITECH and directed by former public school teacher Andi Edson, the NTC is a wonderful resource for Lesley alumni.

NTC founder Professor Nancy Roberts wants alumni to know that “becoming a teacher is a process and the NTC stands ready to help all along the way! This fabulous resource is here for all of our graduates. We know that these remarkable beginning years of teaching are filled with combined feelings of uncertainty and anticipation, with both glorious days and those that will test how dedicated you are and make you question whether the classroom is the best place for you. The Lesley New Teacher Community is here to support you and guide you through some of the hurdles of your first few years.”

NTC provides all sorts of opportunities to Lesley alumni, including consultations with experienced teachers, special events and innovative programs, and networking opportunities with Lesley faculty, fellow teachers and classmates.

The next NTC event is “Meaningful Conversations: Talking to Parents and Caregivers about Their Children and Things That Matter,” scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2012 from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm in room 2-048 in the Graduate School of Education in University Hall. Says Professor Harriet Deane, “Parent-teacher interactions can be uniquely challenging for the new teacher, and we hope that this program will help teachers focus their individual conversations and larger presentations on what parents and caregivers really need to know.” To attend or to get additional information, you can contact Ksmall4@lesley.edu by March 21.

Recent programs include a panel discussion in November entitled “What I Know Now that I Wish I Knew Then: Advice from the Pros for New Teachers.” Professor Marcia Bromfield comments, “This event brought many recent SOE graduates back to hear what teachers and administrators wish they had known and done in those beginning years of teaching. After the program our new teachers left enthusiastic, inspired and ready for the challenges ahead.”

NTC also awards mini-grants to teachers which are very popular. These awards are open to recent graduates. More information about the mini-grant program is available on the New Teacher Community website.

Program Director Andi Edson encourages all new teachers to get involved with the New Teacher Community and take advantage of this great benefit for alumni. To find out more about the mini-grants and all of the New Teacher Community offerings visit their website, Facebook page or NTC blog.

Prior to submitting the form, please take a moment to review our Roles and Responsibilities document which highlights the nominee’s role as a member of the Alumni Council and the official By-Laws of the Association.

If you have any questions throughout the nomination process, please feel free to contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 617.349.8622 or alumni@lesley.edu.