elmsnews

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

On March 2, 2024 several students from Professor Janet Williams' research group at Elms College presented their research at the 9th Annual Pioneer Valley Microbes Symposium at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 

Not pictured but in the research group and had made contributions to this work:

Grace Wells - Undergraduate Biology

Bianca Kerr - Undergraduate Biology

SCHOOL OF NURSING

The Elms School of Nursing has received a generous donation of three high fidelity newborn mannequins. Each mannequin simulates the look and soothing needs of a critical care crying newborn (one with fetal alcohol syndrome, one addicted to methamphetamines, and one with a translucent skull so that the brain damage can be illustrated from unsafe handling).

The mannequins will be used to supplement learning in our Families & Children and Population Health courses. Thank you to our secret gift giving Elms Alum for this incredible donation!! 

SCENES FROM THE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SHOWCASE

ALUMNAE LIBRARY 

Sr. Anna Maria Walsh Lecture 

On Tuesday, April 9th, the Alumnae Library welcomed over 80 students, faculty, staff, and alumni to the Sr. Anna Maria Walsh Lecture. The Lecture Series was originally started to honor Sr. Anna Maria Walsh, who was instrumental in the building of Alumnae Library. The Lecture on April 9th started with Dr. Anthony Fonseca by welcoming the audience with a brief history of the Lecture Series and continued with Sr. Mary Caritas, who spoke about her love of nursing and the happiness she gained from her work. Sr. Caritas was instrumental in starting the hospitalist program at Mercy as well as working with Sr. Kathleen Keating to start the Nursing Program at the Elms. She finished her talk by reminding the audience to watch for new opportunities that may arise due to unexpected turns in one’s life.  

CEUE BOOK SIGNING

The CEUE Team would like to thank you for supporting our Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Professional Learning Series VIP event held on Friday, April 5th at the Gaylord Mansion. 

The support from you and/or your department helped us showcase the GOOD work of the CEUE as we hosted the Meet and Greet session with Dr. Jahkari Taylor from Purpose Pushers, LLC. He is the author of  "Becoming Culturally Responsive Educators: 5 Necessary Steps. 

SCENES FROM HONORS CONVOCATION

SCENES FROM HONORS SCHOLAR LUNCH

Elms celebrated its honors scholars recipients with a luncheon and brief ceremony on April 24, 2024.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Throughout the month of April between all the offices within Student Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion and Center for Student Success there were over 40 student focused, run, and attended events and programs. This does not include club/organization meetings, or sporting events. 

Some of the event highlights included Commuter Appreciation Week, The Eclipse Viewing Party on the Quad, Pride Week, Sexual Assault Awareness Month Programming, Spring Tailgate, Bingo, an off campus trip to see “Wicked” in Hartford, the Experiential Learnining Showcase. During the month of April SGA and MSC Elections were held as well. New leadership will be announced via email. 

We wrapped the month with the ELMS Awards on Sunday, April 28, where we recognized 12 student leaders and one staff member for their outstanding work and dedication to student life. 

With the end of the semester upon us we have wrapped up our traditional programming and will move into Senior Week, Commencement Festivities and Orientation. 

Senior Week runs from May 6 through May 10 and includes events such as the Senior Toast, an on campus BBQ, Bingo, Cap Decorating and a trip to Boston to see the Red Sox. 

Summer Orientation (Blazer Days) for the Class of 2028 will take place on June 27 and July 9. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram; @Elmsstudentengagement and be sure to text SABlazers to 71444 to receive updates about all upcoming events.

SCENES FROM THE ECLIPSE ON THE QUAD!

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, & JUSTICE: ENCOUNTER: ELMS FOR EQUITY RETREAT

The first Encounter, an Elms for Equity Retreat, took place April 12-April 14, 2024 at Prindle Pond Conference Center in Charlton, MA.  Together with our 9 student participants, and with grant-funding support from Interfaith America/ACCU, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion collaborated with Campus Ministry to bring this special one-of-a-kind experience to life.  We also had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Tyra Good, the Executive Director of the Cynthia A Lyons Center for Equity in Urban Education and two alumni, Pedro DeJesus (Class of '22), current Graduate Assistant in the Office of D&I, and Nadia French Graham (Class of '23), former President of MSC.

Throughout the weekend, student participants engaged in prayer, guided reflection and meditation, community building experiences, and a workshop by Dr. GOOD on being social change agents in a globalized world. We centered the retreat around the theme of "building bridges"--with God and our higher power, with nature, with our own inner lives and with one another. Each retreat participant truly came with open minds and open hearts and worked beautifully together to create a safe space for one another to share stories, reflect on their inspiring spiritual journeys, and think about how they might show up better to listen to one another, advocate for one another, and learn how to communicate with one another in spite of our differences.  Students also created a mandala made from items from nature collected throughout the weekend, symbolizing and honoring the transformation that occurred through this unique shared experience. 

There were a lot of tears and a whole lot of laughter. Special time was built in for creative crafting, nature walks, campfires, naps and yes, board games!!  We sure ate well too!! It was an awesome, inspiring experience and we cannot wait to return to the beautiful Prindle Pond very soon for another Encounter Retreat!  Stay tuned... 

MSC - A YEAR IN REVIEW

That's a Wrap! MSC has officially closed out a full year of creative, inclusive programming for the Elms Campus community. The annual Rep Your Flag/For the Culture event was simply EPIC! A vibrant array of cultural dress, dance, music--and food!--filled the quad with a one-of-a-kind energy! True Colors President, Arhijey Villon Nahue won the coveted top prize as she represented her ancestral land of Peru.  This followed on the heels of a fun week of events celebrating PRIDE at Elms, including flag trivia, art night, the fan-fave Rainbow Day on the Quad and a powerful Queer Poetry Slam co-created with QElms. We closed the week with the second annual Lavender Graduation, celebrating our LGBTQ+ graduates.  During Women's History Month, WOCA brought back the popular "Let's Talk about it. Period" week to help educate our campus community on health topics central to BIPOC women's lives. WOCA and MOCA also held their first "Debate" discussing gender roles, identities and relationships. Grad Assistant Kiyana came ready to mediate dauning her referee's shirt! Another highlight of the year was MOCA's first annual Black Expo, inviting black/brown-owned businesses from across the Pioneer Valley as vendors and performers to join together in a celebratory evening--MOCA Moms came too with their incredible catering skills!  Last but not least, LXU held a Noche de Baile--a festive and joyful occasion to kick-start our upcoming REFRESH of Latinx Unidos at Elms!  Stay tuned in ways to get involved in the Fall.  True Colors collaborated closely with the Social Work Students Organization throughout the year to bring powerful documentaries and films to our Library Theater, sparking important conversations. And of course, MSC loves to collaborate with SAB to "kick-off" the school year for all students! So we will see you there again this fall!  We want to thank you for attending our events and learning with us as we continue to grow into the largest organization on Elms College campus!!! Please join us in saying farewell to seven of our graduating senior leaders and welcoming in 14 students to our Eboards for the 2024-2025 year!  Have a terrific summer, Blazer family!

HUMAN RESOURCES

Elms College Employment Opportunities as of April 26, 2024

Applications are now being accepted for the positions listed below.  Anyone interested in making a formal application should go to the Employment page on the Elms College website for a detailed job description and how to apply: www.elms.edu/employment 

Among the procedures which may be used to select personnel to fill vacant positions are a review of work experiences, qualifications, degrees/licensures/certifications, and employment interviews.  This listing pertains to all current staff and faculty job vacancies at the College.  

Elms College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment. It is the policy of Elms College to comply with applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity.