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Reflections on Lesley’s 100 Years
 Lesley University’s history is steeped in innovation, dedication, service and the will to persevere. Over the past year, Alyssa Pacy, the University Archivist, has been working to record that history from those who lived it, including alumni and faculty emeriti. Pacy’s goal is to record a history that hasn’t yet had a chance to shine and to preserve it for the University’s future.
Pacy, along with Jenny Gilbert, in the Advancement Office at the University, have formed a partnership that focuses on meeting with Lesley College’s First Alumnae, those who graduated fifty or more years ago. The two have traveled throughout New England, recording alumnae’s stories of their time at Lesley. “Since there are gaps in the Archives’ collection prior to 1960, any information I learn is useful, important and new to our historical understanding of Lesley,” said Pacy. “This is especially true in the work Jenny and I are doing with the First Alumnae, who all graduated in 1959 or earlier.”
They have learned that even though Edith Lesley Wolfard, the university’s founder, became less active in the day-to-day activities at the school, many alumnae remember her fondly. Others remember being homesick during their freshman year as it was their first time away from home. Many of them were from rural areas in New England and certainly it was their first experience in a big city. “Several alumnae talked about how they were shy wallflowers before coming to Lesley, but they dramatically changed after they arrived, becoming leaders at the school and developing full social lives,” Pacy recalls. One comment is nearly universal. Nearly every alumna who has given her reflection has noted that Lesley College gave her the freedom and confidence to negotiate a challenging world where few women had professions.
All 11 of Lesley’s Professor Emeriti will also participate in the oral history project with Pacy. These interviews have revealed the inner workings of each school the university, including both the graduate and undergraduate schools. Many of the faculty Pacy has interviewed talk about the unique opportunities they were given at Lesley to grow professionally. The environment allowed them to develop new programs and introduce new philosophies of pedagogy, providing them opportunities they wouldn’t have had at other institutions.
Pacy has been trained both as an oral historian and an archivist. This means that she has been able to establish procedures to ensure that each interview is properly recorded and then preserved for future research. All of the interviews that Pacy and Gilbert record will become part of the University’s oral history archive, which will reside in the archives on the Cambridge campus. “This is an extremely valuable collection for the University,” Pacy states.
The oral histories that Pacy and Gilbert are able to collect and preserve will be on exhibit as part of the Centennial celebration taking place during the 2009-2010 academic year. To contact Alyssa Pacy or Jenny Gilbert to share your own oral history or reflection of your time at Lesley, please contact:
Alyssa Pacy
University Archivist
29 Everett Street
Cambridge, MA 02152
Phone: 617.349.8573
Email: apacy@lesley.edu
Website: http://www.lesley.edu/about/archive/index.html
Waking Up the World with Positive Living
By: Patricia Raskin, LC '69
 As Mary Hopkins sang in her hit single recording in 1968: "Those were the days my friend, I wished they'd never end…" I too, wished my days at Lesley had been longer. So many fond memories fill my spirit when I recall my Lesley friends and the wonderful members of the staff and faculty. Indeed!
The education I received at Lesley formed the basis and foundation for my 25 year career in broadcasting and has served me well throughout my personal life. This is why I am honored to be a presenter at Lesley University's Reunion Weekend on Saturday, June 13, beginning at 2:30 p.m. In keeping with the 2009 event theme, "Waking Up The World," my remarks will wrap Lesley's tagline with my life's work of sharing positive living tools and techniques through the airwaves via my Positive Living™ talk radio shows (on air, online, and on demand). Please join me when I present a lively discussion, called Waking Up the World with Positive Living!
Although the talent necessary to perform well in my media work seems like a departure from skills learned through my undergraduate degree in teaching, they are actually closely aligned. I transferred to Lesley in my junior year. The philosophy behind educating children, the skills and techniques learned and the social values emphasized, have held me in good stead as I apply those skills to my radio program.
I am still a teacher, listening and translating the content of my guests. My goal is for the audience to absorb positive messaging, learn how to transform obstacles into opportunities, and challenges into solutions. Teaching skills apply to every profession because when you teach, you communicate by giving and receiving information. My training at Lesley gave me a structure for effective communications with students and taught me how to plan efficiently. Those endless lesson plans provided me with strong organizational skills that I still use decades later!
As we are all burdened with a difficult financial climate, it is more important than ever to use our empathic skills combined with practical strategies to focus on positive solutions. I have made it my life's work to help others fulfill their lives and reach their dreams through my programs, books, newspaper columns, and television shows.
In my second book, Pathfinding: Seven Principles for Positive Living, I outline seven principles which I believe help us move through life’s challenges with courage, dignity, grace and resilience. These are the guiding "lights" to embrace on our journey through life and the central concepts for my remarks in June:
Honor Your Heritage: is about honoring your cultural roots. Reaching back into your past holds the key to your future. It helps you appreciate how you evolved from your ethnicity, its traditions and customs. This relates to your Lesley roots and how they helped to shape your choices.
Be in the Precious Present: explores how each moment in our lives is a snapshot in time. Each precious moment becomes a blueprint for positive living, an affirmation for imprinting positive outlooks, and a platform for counting our blessings. The precious moments of your college years at Lesley are a snapshot that we can always recall.
Use Your Imperfections to Perfect Your Life: addresses how we learn from our mistakes, work through anger and fear, and regain our incredible personal power, use our own inner strength to guide us, and rewrite our personal narratives through loving acts of kindness and forgiveness. The mistakes and lessons we learned in our earlier years at Lesley helped to shape the positive choices we have made since then.
Use Your Innate Gifts, Talents and Abilities: encourages us to honor our gifts and express the intrinsic qualities that make us unique human beings, be true to our purpose, set realistic stretch goals and be prepared to change and grow. This relates to how you have used your gifts and talents which was in part shaped by your experience at Lesley.
Focus on the Positive: emphasizes that you find good by surrounding yourself with positive people, positive places and positive things. You can find sources of inspiration, use visualization to help produce desired outcomes, and choose positive role models to bring peace, balance and harmony into your life. This is such an important principle, because it speaks to hope and resiliency.
Respect and Protect Positive Relationships: focuses on how relationships must be nurtured, appreciated and protected – warts and all. This is about appreciation and connection of those special people in our lives. The special friends we made during college years and alumni years at Lesley have brought us a special bond –both past and present.
Believe in Miracles: tells us to let miracles point the way. It encourages us to find the miraculous in the ordinary whether it is a major life saving miracle or a small but mighty miracle of someone’s smile or kind words making an impact on our lives.
My Positive Living™ radio programs offer inspiration, wisdom, suggestions, and solutions from experts, author, and celebrities, to issues we all face in their daily lives. The underlying message is that we all have the ability to create positive experiences and achieve both internal and external success in our lives while working through life’s challenges.
I hope to meet you at Lesley on Saturday, June 13. In the meantime, feel free to write to me at patricia@patriciaraskin.com and log onto my website at www.patriciaraskin.com. I’d love to send you my monthly newsletter and to share my blogs and podcasts with you.
Positively…and until we meet again…
Patricia Raskin, Class of ‘69
Centennial News
Save the Date for Centennial Inaugural Event
Lesley University is celebrating its 100th birthday during the 2009-2010 academic year. Mark your calendar and plan to join us for our inaugural event – An Academic Convocation: Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence – on Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 4:00 pm in Sanders Theater, Cambridge, MA. This special occasion will include an academic procession from the Lesley campus to Sanders Theater; a keynote address by Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, along with a presentation of an honorary degree; music performances; and special greetings and reflections from community leaders.
Calling All Children’s Book Authors
The Centennial Planning Committee is developing a list of alumni who are children’s book authors. The Committee is planning a special event during our Centennial year for children and families and would like to showcase and celebrate our own Lesley authors. Please contact Tricia Kramer, Director of Centennial Planning, at 617.349.8583 or by e-mail at pkramer@lesley.edu.
Alumni Commitment to Service
To celebrate Lesley’s commitment to community service, one of our goals is to develop a comprehensive listing of all the good causes, organizations and communities served by Lesley alumni and friends. We want to hear about your volunteer commitments, initiatives you support or have initiated yourself, and causes or organizations which have benefited from your time and talents. Please share with us your own unique contributions to your community by e-mailing your story to alumni@lesley.edu. If you would prefer to share your story in person, please feel free to contact Alice Diamond at 617.349.8550 or by e-mail at adiamond@lesley.edu.
Centennial Happenings
For more information about any Centennial activity, check out our Centennial website at www.lesley.edu or contact Tricia Kramer, Director of Centennial Planning, at 617.349.8583 or by e-mail at pkramer@lesley.edu.
We look forward to seeing you at our Centennial celebrations throughout the year!
Now Accepting Nominations for the 2009 Alumni Awards
The Alumni Awards – presented annually during Reunion Weekend in June – recognize Lesley alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of Lesley University through service to the university, community, and/or their profession.
Please take a moment to nominate yourself or a fellow alumna(us) you feel deserves recognition for his or her commitment to the University by completing this downloadable form and return it to the Office of Alumni Relations by Thursday, April 30, 2009.
• THE MYRTLE PEIRCE AULENBACK ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
honors a loyal alumna/us for volunteer service to Lesley University. Criteria include length of service to the University, scope of impact on others, serving on Alumni Association Committees, and working with Admissions and the Career Resource Center.
• THE SALLY K. LENHARDT PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
honors an alumna/us for leadership in education, human services, management, or the arts. Criteria include professional affiliations, publications, awards, and recommendations.
• THE MARGARET A. MCKENNA ALUMNI COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
honors an alumna/us for service to education, human services, management or arts organizations. Criteria include scope of impact on others, length of service, number of organizations served, and serving as an elected official.
Please note: Alumni from all schools at Lesley University, current and former (including Lesley College, Adult Learning Division, School of Education, Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, Art Institute of Boston, Audubon Expedition Institute and School of Management) are eligible for award consideration.
Nominators are encouraged to provide a resume of the alumna(us) along with the nomination form, plus any narrative which explains why your fellow classmate is worthy of receiving a particular award. If selected, nominees must be available to attend the Award Ceremony on June 13, 2009, during the annual Reunion Luncheon on June 13, 2009, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Please e-mail or send the downloadable nomination form, and any additional information, to:
Mail: Office of Alumni Relations
(Attn: Lisa Santangelo)
Lesley University
29 Everett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
E-mail: lsantang@lesley.eduFirst Annual Alumni Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
President Joseph B. Moore invited more than 1,000 alumni volunteers from around the country to join him for dinner at Lesley University’s campus on March 21, 2009 to thank them for all they do for the University. Guests included those from graduate and undergraduate admissions, the Alumni Career Network, the Alumni Council and the Office of Alumni Relations.
This new Lesley tradition was held to celebrate the great work our alumni do as volunteers. Guests were welcomed by a wonderful singing performance from the University’s student a cappella group, Harmageddon, during the reception prior to dinner.
As President of the Alumni Association, Maria Buccieri has been serving the University as an alumni volunteer ever since her graduation from Lesley College in 2000. Buccieri graciously volunteered to be the Master of Ceremonies for the First Annual Alumni Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.
President Moore spoke about alumni’s dedication to the University’s mission and personally thanked each volunteer who was present for all that they do to make Lesley a success on and off campus. President Moore also commented on the current state of the economy stating that it is more important than ever to make higher education more accessible for lower and middle-class families. He noted that Lesley is trying to make it possible for students to attend the university regardless of their financial status. President Moore is hopeful that with the help of alumni volunteers like those who attended the Appreciation Dinner, the University will continue to grow and foster our mission of giving back to the communities in which we live.
Nicole Shunamon, a Lesley College senior, spoke to the group about her experience as a student volunteer with this spring’s Alternative Spring Break program. Shunamon, along with other Lesley College and AIB students, volunteered during their spring break at the Romero Center in Camden, New Jersey to learn what it’s like to be one of the millions of Americans who live in poverty each day. The students lived on $3 a day and did volunteer work all week in various roles with a wheelchair community, an elderly assisted living home, and with HIV/AIDS patients. “Community service and field placements are the cornerstone of a Lesley education and in my four years, both of these have played a critical role in developing my interest in public health,” said Shunamon. “My experiences in service have reflected the importance of community collaboration, leadership and compassion in my future career, and my internship placements at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless program have geared my interest to work for healthcare in a community.”
Finally, the volunteers heard from Jared Kass, professor in the Division of Counseling and Psychology in the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, about the importance of work/life balance and making sure to give back by volunteering their time to the community. Kass’s comments focused on the work that Lesley University is doing to make advances and pedagogical innovation throughout the education and mental health fields. “I continue to be inspired by the mission and vision of Lesley University,” Kass stated. “Our faculty, administration, students and alumni are committed to building a society of health, justice and peace.” He also spoke of his own experiences while working as an elementary school teacher early in his career. Kass’s professional life has been a continuance of his teaching experience by helping to teach children to respect everyone no matter their race, culture or religion. “The work of so many Lesley faculty and alumni focuses on providing educational opportunities and psycho-educational skills,” Kass commented after the event. “I am proud of our university, and was honored to participate in such a meaningful gathering of Lesley alumni who share this same vision and commitment.”
The event was a great success that the University will continue to expand year. If you are interested in learning more about next year’s event or would like to get involved with volunteering at the University, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 617.349.8624 or alumni@lesley.edu.
Financial Planning Seminar for Tough Economic Times
We all know about the economic crisis that has pervaded the news over the past year. Retirement plans have dwindled, the stock market is behaving like a roller coaster, and the staggering unemployment and housing foreclosure numbers each month are distressing. What does all of this mean for you and your financial future? Barbara Shapiro, LC ’69, a certified financial planner, will be offering a free financial planning seminar How to Plan Financially in Today’s Economy on Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.
The University is inviting all alumni back to campus to attend the free seminar during Reunion Weekend. As part of the seminar, Shapiro will discuss the current economic state and how you can better prepare yourself financially for the future.
Shapiro brings more than 17 years of experience in financial planning with a CFP, CDFA and her work as the Vice President of HMS Financial Group. Shapiro’s specialty is in financial planning during and after divorce. Also an experienced teacher, Shapiro has written, developed and taught courses on financial planning and has been featured in USA Today, The Boston Globe, New England Cable News (NECN), WBZ News Radio and served as a columnist for Physician’s Money Digest. Shapiro holds degrees from Lesley University, Boston University, Northeastern University and Suffolk University.
If you are interested in attending this seminar, please contact Beth LeBeau at 617.349.8624 or at mlebeau3@lesley.edu by June 1, 2009.
Join Professor Mary Mindess at Reunion 2009
Beloved Professor Mary Mindess, a faculty member at Lesley College for 50 years, will not only join the crowd for Reunion Weekend 2009, she’ll also present her session, Heroes and Heroines – Past and Present. Please come and join the “Learning at Lesley” afternoon program featuring Professor Mindess on Saturday, June 13, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. The “Learning at Lesley” programs are open to all Lesley University alumni.
Professor Mindess will focus her session on identifying our heroes and heroines, discussing their key characteristics and consider those characteristics can inspire the best in each of us.
Join Professor Mindess and the rest of our reunion guests for her session. If you would like more information or would like to register, please contact Beth LeBeau at 617.349.8624 or at mlebeau3@lesley.edu by June 1, 2009.
updated 04/13/09 | 05:42 PM
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