LONGMEADOW — At its recent annual meeting, held virtually, the board of trustees of Bay Path University, on behalf of the entire Bay Path community, surprised retiring President Carol Leary with a celebration in her honor.

“Carol Leary led a remarkable transformation of Bay Path during her 25-year tenure. The board was honored to pay tribute to her and express gratitude for the countless ways she and her husband Noel have impacted Bay Path and the Western Massachusetts community,” said Jonathan Besse, board chair.

The longest-serving president in Bay Path’s history, the board granted Leary the title of president emerita, which will begin July 1, her first day of retirement. Emeritus status is a special honor given to an individual who has provided distinguished service to an institution or organization. During her tenure, Leary guided the university through a remarkable transformation, resulting in an unprecedented number of institutional improvements and initiatives such as strengthening academic offerings, enhancing the student experience, investing in capital projects, and establishing ties with the greater community and cultivating new partnerships.

In addition to electing Leary president emerita, the trustees voted to rename the main administration building, Deepwood Hall, to Leary Hall.

Carol and Noel Leary were also acknowledged for their commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the tremendous impact they have had on all students. As first-generation college students themselves, they have inspired hundreds of women to attain a degree.

Also, in recognition of Noel Leary’s deep commitment to students, as well as his civic activism and volunteerism, the board awarded him an honorary degree. As Besse noted, “for this selfless community servant who, without fanfare, has dedicated his life to the betterment of others, we are proud to bestow Bay Path’s highest honor, the doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, upon Noel Leary.”

Sandra Doran, the sixth president of Bay Path, will assume office on July 1.

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University is expanding its focus in the rapidly growing area of cybersecurity — and helping to bring more women into it — with the introduction of an undergraduate major in risk management. In addition, the university will offer scholarships to women looking to obtain degrees in cybersecurity. Made possible by Strada Education Network, these scholarships will help offset the cost of fall 2020 enrollment in cybersecurity programs.

The term ‘risk management’ applies to the forecasting and evaluation of risks alongside the identification of procedures to avoid or minimize their impact. This new program concentration will include coursework in data privacy, project management, crisis management, and incident recovery.

“Bay Path’s risk management degree is designed for women who enjoy collaborating to proactively identify risks and guard against cyberthreats,” said Beverly Benson, program director for Information Technology and Security at the American Women’s College of Bay Path University. “This degree will enable women to combine valued skills and insights like problem solving, creativity, collaboration, communication and leadership, and essential technical knowledge to develop and implement risk-management strategies for an incredibly exciting and rewarding career.”

With nearly 80% of the organizations surveyed for the 2019 Marsh Microsoft Global Cyber Risk Perception Survey ranking cyber risks as a top-five concern, but only 11% feeling adequately prepared to assess and address those threats, the need for risk managers in the cybersecurity sphere is more important than ever. Within those responding organizations, the majority of board members and senior executives responsible for their organization’s cyber risk management reported that they had less than a day in the last year to spend focused on cyber risk issues.

“In time, with training and experience, high-paying jobs in cybersecurity are available, especially for women,” Benson said. “Bay Path is working to ensure women students get desirable internships in cybersecurity to close the experience gap and position them for better starting salaries.”

For more information on Bay Path’s undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs, including focuses in risk management, digital forensics and incident response, and information assurance, visit www.baypath.edu.

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University is joining a growing movement that uses storytelling to strengthen the connection between the clinical and emotional facets of healthcare with the launch of a certificate in Narrative Medicine, offered through its master’s in Creative Nonfiction program.

Through reflections on the giving and receiving of treatment; interactions with practitioners, patients, and agencies; and the journey of illness and recovery, the medical community has embraced the sharing of stories as a way to bring a depth of humanity to what’s so often experienced as an impersonal transaction.

“This new offering draws on the most recent research into the connections between medicine, the humanities, and literature,” said Suzanne Strempek-Shea, faculty member in Bay Path’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction program and author of the cancer memoir Songs from a Lead-Lined Room. “Students will not only develop empathy but also build skills in creative writing, critical analysis of literature, workshop design, teaching and facilitating, and active listening that can be applied to patient/client settings, and beyond.”

Coursework will focus on coping with illness and trauma and explore how inequities in access to medical care and exposure to trauma influence the experiences and outcomes for people of color, women, poor people, and immigrants and undocumented residents, in addition to other marginalized groups.

An internship will give students the opportunity to apply creative and critical thinking, people skills, flexibility, and communications skills in a real-world setting, while contributing meaningfully to their communities.

Launching in January 2021, the certificate in Narrative Medicine will require no academic prerequisites, and will be available to a wide array of professionals within the healthcare field: physicians and physician assistants, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, social workers, psychologists, and trauma and addiction specialists, as well as to writers with a personal illness or trauma story. The certificate courses will also be available to MFA students as a specialized track within Bay Path’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction, currently the only MFA in the country with a Narrative Medicine certificate option.

“We find that a significant number of students in our MFA in Creative Nonfiction — many with backgrounds in social work, nursing, teaching, and other related fields — are interested in writing narratives based on medical, physical, and psychological trauma,” said MFA Director Leanna James Blackwell. “Whether it be healing from cancer, recovering from addictions, surviving abuse, healing from grief, or reckoning with the real-world costs of navigating the world as a woman, person of color, and/or member of the LGBTQ community, they have important stories to tell. In addition to helping these students tell their stories, the program prepares them to pursue post-graduate careers as teachers and writing workshop leaders, who are specifically qualified to help others wanting tell their own healing stories.”

On June 1, Bay Path will offer a glimpse into the power of medical storytelling at a free online discussion, webinar, and Q & A session with Strempek-Shea and Meredith O’Brien, MFA graduate and author of the new medical memoir Uncomfortably Numb, which details her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and her struggle to maintain her life as a journalist, teacher, and mother. For more information about the event, click here.

For more information on the certificate in Narrative Medicine, click here.

LONGMEADOW — As an onslaught of complex challenges, and the urgency to develop innovative solutions to meet them, promise to reshape higher education, Bay Path University announces the launch of a new master’s program in Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) this fall.

The fully online program will tap into Bay Path’s long-standing position as a leader in the use of emerging technologies, creative curricula, and learning analytics to train professionals looking to shape the ongoing evolution of higher education by applying technology to the development of innovative, accessible, and impactful learning processes. 

Designed by a broadly representative team of Bay Path faculty and staff, the LDT program was launched to give students a students a deep foundation in the tools and theory of learning design, technology innovation, learning analytics, and higher-education leadership, a foundation on which they can create engaging and innovative learning experiences for all students. Students will also have the opportunity to enroll jointly in Bay Path’s doctoral program in Higher Education Leadership and Organizational Studies (HELOS) and carry out applied, real-world learning design projects.

“While there are hundreds of graduate programs currently preparing individuals for careers in the educational technology field, the Bay Path MS in LDT uniquely pulls together several essential threads that are especially important in today’s environment for reimagining higher education,” said Melissa Morriss-Olson, Bay Path’s outgoing provost and the architect of the HELOS degree.

While the launch comes at a time when the coronavirus has transformed campuses, Bay Path has used technology to pioneer unique teaching and learning formats and offer flexible, dynamic, and personalized educational experiences for 20 years. The university’s diverse student population includes its traditional on-campus undergraduates, online graduate students, and online adult learners obtaining bachelor’s degrees through the American Women’s College. 

“Given Bay Path’s long-standing, successful track record in educating higher education professionals … and in applying innovative learning solutions across the university,” Morriss-Olson said, “it is logical that we should position ourselves as a leader in educating digital learning professionals for this emerging, inter-disciplinary, and in-demand career field.”

To learn more about this program, click here.

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University’s fourth annual President’s Gala will take place on Saturday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. While the event will continue its tradition of raising funds for student scholarships, it will also celebrate the legacy of Carol Leary, who will retire in June after 25 years as Bay Path president.

The gala will feature a tribute to Leary and her husband Noel, silent and live auctions, dinner, and dancing with live entertainment. The evening will also tell the story of the university’s mission — empowering undergraduate women and graduate women and men to flourish in a constantly changing world. Last year’s event netted more than $360,000 in support of student scholarships. 

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to raise funds again this year for student scholarships while celebrating the legacy of Dr. Carol Leary and Noel. The Learys have been instrumental to Bay Path and the Western Mass. community over the last 25 years,” said Allison Gearing-Kalill, Bay Path University’s vice president for Development and Planned Giving. “The gala provides an opportunity to bring together businesses, community partners, alumni, and friends of Bay Path who understand the obstacles our students face today.”

Mary and David Bushnell, Laura and Rick Grondin, and Michelle and Peter Wirth are the gala’s honorary chairs. The platinum sponsor is MassMutual. Gold sponsors include Advance Manufacturing Co. Inc., Hannoush Jewelers, Health New England, Melinda and K. Francis Lee, PeoplesBank, and Powerstation Events. Drew and Lauren Davis are the entertainment sponsors.

The President’s Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by a seated dinner at 7:30 p.m. The tribute will start at 8:30 p.m., and at 9 p.m., guests will be invited to dance the night away. To learn more about the gala, including sponsorships, purchasing tickets, and donating to or participating in the auction, visit www.baypath.edu/gala or contact Meg Morrill at (413) 565-1396 or [email protected].  

For those who are not able to attend, but would like to support Leary’s 25th and final year as president, Bay Path University announced the relaunch of the Carol A. Leary Endowed Scholarship Fund for First-Generation College Students. The fund, which was initially established in 2005 in honor of Leary’s 10th anniversary as Bay Path’s president, is just as relevant today as Bay Path continues to welcome first-generation students into the community. Since its induction, Bay Path has awarded this scholarship to more than 100 women attending college as first-generation students. To learn more about the fund, visit baypath.edu/leary.