DAVID LESLIE DISCUSSES HIS ROLE AS NEW THRESHOLD DIRECTOR

David Leslie became the new director of Threshold in July. Here, he talks about his new role, and plans for the future.

What appealed to you about Threshold?

Becoming the director of Threshold now seemed to me to be a terrific and unique opportunity - a chance to lead a proven and significant educational program, devoted to making a positive difference with young people clearly in need of an capable and effective alternative, and to do so at a most important juncture, that of succeeding Threshold's founding director, Arlyn Roffman.

Threshold has developed from a fledgling program -- the first of its kind -- to become a nationally recognized leader in the education and preparation of young adults with profound learning disabilities. Clearly, Threshold is ready for its next stage of development -- and I'm delighted to be Threshold's new director.

What are the challenges you see ahead?

Everywhere we look the world appears to be rapidly changing, and that certainly is the case for young adults as they set out on their own to start careers and to begin to lead their lives independently. For Threshold graduates these challenges may appear to be overwhelming, just as such challenges are at times for college graduates. For the Threshold program it will be most important for us to stay current with societal changes, especially in the vocational world where technological advances can change the work environment practically overnight.

For me personally, following Arlyn will be a terrific challenge. I must say, however, that, to Arlyn's credit not only did she create a wonderful program in 1982, she also made the decision to move on to her new role as professor in the School of Education with the Threshold program being in excellent shape -- thoughtfully conceived, effectively organized, efficiently run, highly respected and well supported, both here on the Lesley campus and beyond.

Are there new directions in which you plan to take Threshold?

First, I want to make certain that Threshold stays on course; this is such an important program with such a strong record of success with our graduates that it is imperative that what ever new initiatives are taken that we be careful not to undue what has succeeded so well. From that point I would hope we could continue to develop the Threshold scholarship endowment so that more students with financial need could attend -- our 15th Anniversary Celebration on October 18 will go a long way toward reaching that goal.

Additionally, several of our faculty have been conducting some quite interesting research -- I hope to see the results of their efforts disseminated widely, and that many more such projects are conducted in the future. With fifteen years of successful experience, we have some interesting topics to investigate as well as stories to tell.

On another level, I hope that in the coming years Threshold will become even more integrated with all the programs and schools which comprise the Lesley community -- becoming so will be beneficial to one and all, I'm certain. The work several of our faculty have been doing in planning this fall's Diversity Day is an excellent example of how much is to be gained by one and all.

You are an active resident in the Cambridge community - how does your role as Threshold's director fit in?

As we all know, institutions of higher education play a major role in Cambridge -- in many ways defining and shaping the city, and not always in a positive fashion. Threshold, and Lesley, certainly have an impact -- and I believe what we do adds positively to Cambridge and what the city has to offer.

As a long time citizen of Cambridge and resident of the Agassiz neighborhood I hope I can be doubly helpful -- spreading the good word about Threshold (and helping our students connect with training and vocational possibilities) and Lesley, and, on the other hand, bringing to the college an understanding of its impact on this dynamic, and densely populated community in which I live.

What is your impression of Threshold's students and faculty?

Already I have been so impressed by how capable and supportive the Threshold community is. Meeting this summer with our recent Threshold graduates who are now participating in our Transition Year program has further convinced me of the immense value of our program. These young adults are now making it -- successfully and independently - in the "real" world.

The Threshold faculty are, in many ways, the real heroes - talented, committed, caring. This summer I've directly experienced on many levels the dedication of our faculty -- to their students, to the program, and to working collegially with each other.