What's next?

Lasell College currently offers 15 Division III Varsity Athletic Programs.

For Men, Lasell offers:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Track & Field
• Volleyball

For Women, we offer:

• Basketball
• Field Hockey
• Cross Country
• Lacrosse
• Softball
• Soccer
• Track & Field
• Volleyball

Lasell is a member of the NCAA (Division III), the Eastern College Athletic Association (ECAC), the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), the Pilgrim League, and the North West Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA).

Baseball became a varsity sport beginning with the 2009 season, and Track & Field will compete at the varsity level beginning next winter. Also a few weeks ago, Lasell introduced its new athletic mascot, Boomer the Torchbearer and LASER PRIDE, Lasell's new athletic website. Naturally, I'm wondering "what's next for Laser Athletics?"

Anyone that knows me is aware of my passion for Golf. I love to play the game, volunteer at local events (like the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston or the CVS Caremark Charity Classic down in Barrington, RI), and of course watch golf on TV.

Well, Spring is in the air here in New England, and today I was glued to my screen to watch the best golfer on the planet tee it up at the Masters. Of course watching Tiger got me thinking, with a half dozen beautiful golf courses practically within walking distance of campus and a number of GNAC competitor institutions fielding programs, could golf be Lasell's next varsity athletic program?

Stay tuned...

media hysteria

Pam and I live in Rhode Island, and we subscribe to the weekend edition of the Providence Journal. We both love to read and we savor the weekend paper over coffee.

We have our reading routines. I'm a Headlines, Education, and then the Sunday sudoku puzzle. Pam heads to the Business section first, then Headlines, and the ads for a little coupon hunting.

Of course I am always drawn to articles about the college admission process. Last Sunday, Jay Mathews of the Washington Post wrote an article printed in the Journal titled, "April the cruelest month for college hopefuls". Where he proceeded to provide a survival guide for this years college applicants.

These types of stories drive me nuts. Billed has "helpful", they actually do little to assist college bound students and their families navigate the college selection process. But last weekend, Jay took it one step further when he wrote, "Nobody including the college admissions officers, has a clear idea why certain students are admitted and others are not."

WHAT!

I have chaired the admission committee at Lasell College for over 6 years, and while I can't speak for other colleges and universities, I can say that we review every candidate against a combination of curricular benchmarks used to measure students' academic abilities. We take the application review process very seriously, and the subsequent decisions it yields are in the best interest of our applicants, as well as the College.

So it will come as no surprise that I respectfully disagree with Jay's perspective. My colleagues and I do have a clear idea why certain candidates are admitted and others are not. Last fall, Lasell admitted about 60% of our roughly 3600 undergraduate applicants. Approximately 40% were not offered admission, and its often this group of decisions that we struggle with most. Just once provide the disappointing news to a student in person, and you'll understand why denying admission is so difficult and why we don't take it lightly.

I believe the cruelest thing for college hopefuls isn't the month of April, its the media exploiting an already anxiety-filled time in a young persons life.

CollegeWeekLive | Update

In a previous post, I mentioned Lasell was planning to participate in CollegeWeekLive on March 25 and 26. Curious how it went?

Just a quick review, CollegeWeekLive was billed as the "largest virtual college fair...with more than 200 colleges and universities from around the world exhibiting and more than 25,000 attendees".

CollegeWeekLive provided Lasell a unique opportunity to interact with interested students from all over the country. How you might ask? The software offers an IM-like chat feature, where interested students and college representatives can virtually connect. We hosted our chat sessions from 3-10, both days. As expected, the later in the evening the busier we got.

Chat is an interesting conversation vehicle. At one point in the evening, I was chatting with two students for almost an hour - one from CO and the other from TX. What about? We chatted about everything Lasell. Our class sizes, our facilities, and our academic programs. And if you're wondering if the conversation looked like this "OMG R U FR RL" you would be wrong. LOL.

My take, the students enjoyed it. It's anonymous and it's care-free (meaning no peer pressure). Students are free to explore institutions they may not take the time to learn about in other environments. And the students are in control. They can come and go as they please. They can engage, chat, or simply read other people's posts.

An avatar-like experience, I think the ease of scrolling through the "College Hall" to visit Colleges and Universities from all over the country is itself worth-while. Sure the canned video and campus photographs that adorn the booths will never replace an actual campus visit. But, the value and exposure this FREE to students service provides is timely, especially as the country's current economic belt continues to tighten. From my side of the screen, it was an economic and "greener" way to connect with prospective students from around the country (no driving or flying required).

Combining many resources - live streaming video, real-time chat, and more importantly a platform for students to learn about their higher education options in a way they are comfortable - definitely works for me.

Have you visited CollegeWeekLive? Check it out and let me know what you think.

Lasell Day • 2009

On Saturday March 28, Lasell College hosted its annual Lasell Day (Accepted Students Day Program). Admitted students and their families traveled from all over the United States, including California, Texas, and Pennsylvania to attend.

Treated to a variety of Academic, Student Life, Financial Planning, and Alumni/Parent presentations, the day began with a cheerful welcome by Lasell's President Michael B. Alexander. President Alexander offered the 440 admitted students in attendance his congratulations on their acceptance to Lasell's class of 2013.

Interested students also had the opportunity to learn more about Lasell's study abroad, honors, and athletic programs, discover residential life opportunities, and tour the campus - showcasing the two new student residences scheduled to open this fall.

To all who attended, thank you for making the trip!

On behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Admission, we hope you enjoyed the day.
Check out a few of the wonderful pictures from Saturday.