On May 2, U.S. Congressman Richard Neal came to Elms College to formally announce the $1 million earmark he secured for the college in December 2022. The funding will be used to expand the Cynthia A. Lyons Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE), assist in the creation of the Master’s in Social Work degree program, and provide scholarships in both programs. The event was well attended by students, faculty, and staff. What a great way to end the school year! Read More

On June 27, 2023, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll delivered the keynote address during the 6th annual Elms College Executive Leadership Breakfast entitled, "Moving Massachusetts Forward." Over 150 people were present at the breakfast including business and community leaders of western Massachusetts, local politicians, educators, and students. The Executive Leadership Breakfast is an annual event that features discussions by the region’s leaders on topics of relevance to area businesses and the economy of western Massachusetts.

On June 2-4, we welcomed over 180 alumni from the classes ending in '3s and '8s back home for Alumni Reunion! It was a great weekend full of reuniting, reconnecting, and going down memory lane. Friday night we traveled to the Boathouse and had a delicious dinner, then took a river cruise on the Lady Bea in South Hadley.

Dr. Dumay kicked off Saturday with a State of the College address. Following his presentation, the Class of 1973 joined the ranks of the Golden Blazers during the induction ceremony and received the traditional Blazer scarf. Congratulations again to the Class of 1973! During the Presidential luncheon, Sr. Jane Morrissey '62 received the 2023 Sr. Margaret James McGrath Distinguished Alumni Award. The afternoon was busy with campus tours, a smoothie station, paint and sip with Janet Scanlon '88, and mission trip highlights with Eileen Kirk '80. After dinner, the Class of 1998 was the first to be inducted in the Silver Celebration Pinning Ceremony. Congratulations again to the Class of 1998! Everyone danced the night away during Blazer Bash.

Reunion weekend was concluded with a delicious brunch on Sunday. We hope everyone had a great time and can't wait to see you again soon.

Shortly after graduating from Elms College in 1962, Sr. Jane answered the call to join the Sisters of St. Joseph. Since then, her life has been spent in service as a teacher, a writer and author, and a tireless, hands-on advocate for people in need, be they on the other side of the world or in our community. The sum of her works exemplifies the founding mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph: working to unite neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God.

To care for people in the poorest neighborhoods and parishes, Sr. Jane traveled to Colombia, Guatemala, and Bolivia. She also cared for the poor, the homeless, and the oppressed in parts of India and Africa, and in Nepal. She helped to found The Gray House in Springfield’s North End as a neighborhood center, food pantry, and safe space. She also co-founded Homework House in Holyoke, offering free tutoring in an affirming environment to children in that city.

With each passing year, our student and alumni populations grow more diverse, and the ability to engage a diverse alumni population becomes increasingly critical. The Alumni Association and the college maintain a commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their operations and want to provide you with actionable recommendations you can implement to support these efforts.

Launching our new affinity group will give our BIPOC alumni the opportunity to network with and spend time with each other, meet with guest speakers and lecturers, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our mission is to continue to help push each other to unimaginable heights, and we hope our mission becomes yours.

We are thrilled to announce that the next book club pick for Elms College is This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. Considered a “rare, very special novel that examines the way we live–in our homes, in our families, in our bodies” by New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ozeki, this is a book you don’t want to miss. Join the club now to take part in this worthwhile reading opportunity!

In addition to our book club discussions, we’re pleased to share that award-winning author Laurie Frankel will join us for an Author Talk on Thursday, September 28th, to respond to book club members’ questions regarding This Is How It Always Is. Sign up at https://www.pbc.guru/elms.

How does the Book Club work? The Elms College Book Club connects through a private online forum where members respond to different discussion questions and other “bookish” topics and engage with one another. We spend about two months reading each book to accommodate reader schedules and preferences. Discussions are asynchronous online, so members can provide input whenever their schedule allows.

Do you have any big announcements that you would like to share with the Elms community? If so, send information to alumni@elms.edu on engagements and marriages, births, promotions or awards, graduations, or other items of interest. Whatever your news may be, share your Blazer pride with your fellow alumni by submitting a class note.

Time is running out! Please make a gift before our fiscal year deadline of Friday, June 30.