CHICOPEE — Elms College and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference announced that the Blazers’ GNAC core membership will begin this fall with the upcoming 2021-22 academic year.

Last October, both the institution and the league office issued a joint announcement indicating Elms would join the GNAC with the 2022-23 academic year; however, that timeline has since been adjusted.

Elms had been a member of the New England College Conference since 2007, claiming 19 league championships while leading the way in All-Academic selections.

“It was the right time to make the move,” said Elms College Director of Athletics Michael Theulen. “We are looking forward to having all of our varsity sport programs in the same league, and to competing with other institutions so closely aligned with Elms’s mission, core values, and dedication to putting equal importance on both academic integrity and athletic opportunity.”

The Blazers’ swimming and diving programs have been associate members of GNAC since 2006, last competing at the 2020 GNAC championships just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Now all 17 sport programs will compete in the same conference, including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, as well as men’s and women’s volleyball.

“The GNAC is a natural fit for Elms College, as seven other private Catholic colleges are currently among its member institutions,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “Also, our student athletes have competed with GNAC institutions in various sports both in  and out of conference, and already feel at home with its level of competitiveness, sportspersonship, and camaraderie.”

GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh, the conference office, and current members are working diligently to make scheduling adjustments to accommodate the Blazers’ programs, as Elms will now begin its GNAC journey this fall with men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s golf, and women’s volleyball.

“We are most pleased at the opportunity to offer a first-class student-athlete experience for Elms’ programs beginning this fall,” Walsh said.

CHICOPEE — Elms College will hold its second Rev. Hugh Crean Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday, April 20 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. This lecture is presented by the St. Augustine Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture at Elms College, and, due to COVID-19 protocols, this event will be held virtually via Zoom.

The featured speaker will be David O’Brien, professor emeritus and Loyola professor of Roman Catholic Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. His talk is titled “Reflections on the Year of St. Joseph,” and he will address the significance of St. Joseph as patron of the church during the Year of St. Joseph.

This distinguished lecture series was established in 2019 to honor the late Rev. Hugh Crean, who was a professor of Religious Studies at Elms College from 1973 to 1979. He was a respected pastor and theologian who dedicated his life to pastoral care, spiritual leadership, and education at Elms and with the Diocese of Springfield.

Each year, a national leader in theology, ethics, or philosophy is invited to lecture on a topic that highlights the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Last year’s lecture was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An historian of American Catholicism, O’Brien specializes in Catholic social and political thought and religion and politics. He is the author of several books, including The Renewal of American Catholicism, Public Catholicism: The American Church and Public Life, and From the Heart of the American Church: Catholic Higher Education and American Culture. He also was co-editor of Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage.

The free event is open to the public. Visit www.elms.edu/crean to register. A Zoom link will be sent to all participants prior to the lecture.

CHICOPEE — The Office of Continuing Education at Elms College will host a week-long virtual Instant Accept Week event with students from seven area community colleges on April 6-10.

Elms College currently offers bachelor’s-degree completion programs at the following regional community colleges: Berkshire Community College (social work), Greenfield Community College (social work), Holyoke Community College (accounting, healthcare management, management and marketing, psychology), Mount Wachusett Community College (psychology), Quinsigamond Community College (RN to BSN), Springfield Technical Community College (computer information technology and security, computer science, social work), and Asnuntuck Community College (social work). Online programs include computer science, computer information technology and security, healthcare management, RN to BSN, and speech-language pathology assistant.

Students interested in being instantly accepted into one of these bachelor’s-degree completion programs are encouraged to register by clicking here.

From April 6 to April 9, individual virtual sessions will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. via Zoom. On April 10, individual virtual Zoom sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Elms College representatives will discuss program details, review official transcripts, and offer instant acceptance to qualified applicants.

For more information regarding the bachelor’s-degree completion programs at Elms, click here.

CHICOPEE — The St. Augustine Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC) at Elms College will hold its inaugural Distinguished Lecture in Ethics on Wednesday, March 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Due to COVID-19 protocols, this event will be held virtually via Zoom.

The highlight of the event will be the keynote speech by the Rev. James Keenan, vice provost for Global Engagement, Canisius professor of theology, and director of the Jesuit Institute at Boston College.

The title of Keenan’s lecture is “Finding God in the Twin Pandemics: Theological Reflections on the Role of the University in the Age of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter.”

“The inaugural Distinguished Lecture in Ethics will examine the role that colleges and universities play in healing the various infections — viral and social alike — affecting the health and dignity of the communities they serve,” said Peter DePergola II, executive director of the CERC and Shaughness Family chair for the Study of the Humanities at Elms.

The St. Augustine Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture was launched in October 2020 to increase engagement and discourse on the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society, and to lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging dialogue.

“Since its founding in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, Elms College has served as a scholastic clearinghouse that unites individuals together in the common pursuit of addressing fundamental ethical, religious, and cultural issues related to identity, responsibility, and meaning,” DePergola said.

A Jesuit priest since 1982, Keenan received a licentiate and a doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has edited or written 25 books and published more than 400 essays, articles, and reviews. Currently, he is writing another book, A Brief History of Catholic Ethics.

This free event is open to the public. Visit www.elms.edu/events/cerc-lecture to register. A Zoom link will be sent to all participants prior to the lecture.

CHICOPEE — As it concludes its on-campus plan for the fall semester, Elms College has announced that the spring 2021 semester will continue to follow the hybrid ElmsFlex model.

Due to the campus community’s successful efforts under the ElmsSafe health and safety protocols, the college was able to complete the in-person portion of the fall semester as planned, with students on campus until the Thanksgiving break. The remainder of the fall semester will be taught remotely.

“I continue to be inspired by and grateful for the way our students, faculty, and staff have come together to protect each other both inside and outside of the classroom since we reopened our campus in August,” said Harry Dumay, president of Elms College. “All the measures included in our ElmsSafe plan — wearing masks, social distancing, practicing enhanced hygiene, testing, contact tracing, quarantining and isolating as needed — have allowed us to foster a vibrant and nurturing learning environment for students that will extend into the spring 2021 semester.”

Spring classes, which will start on Jan. 26 and end on May 7, will continue to be taught in the hybrid ElmsFlex model, which gives students the option of attending sessions in the classroom, synchronously online, or a combination of both. Under this model, students can move between the options based on their personal preferences and individual circumstances in order to continue their coursework.

Residence halls will be open with single-room assignments, and students will receive designated days in January to return to, or move into, their on-campus rooms.

COVID-19 testing will be required for all students, faculty, and staff prior to being allowed back on campus in January. Also, throughout the semester, all students, faculty, staff, and visitors coming to campus will be required to complete a daily online health survey.

Elms College continues to closely monitor and follow guidelines from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as Gov. Charlie Baker’s mandates.

Out of an abundance of caution, classes will be held on Presidents’ Day, Feb. 15, and there will be no spring break. Additionally, all domestic and international travel involving study abroad, missions, or service trips has been cancelled. The college is awaiting determinations by the New England Collegiate Conference and the NCAA as to whether competitive sports will be held in the spring.

CHICOPEE — The Elms College Graduate Admission Office will hold virtual open houses on the following dates: Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. — information on graduate programs in education (MED/MAT); and Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 from 6 to 7 p.m. — information session about all Elms College graduate programs.

These sessions will allow prospective students to meet with program directors, alumni, and graduate admission counselors. Elms College has 30 graduate, post-graduate, and certificate programs offered in a variety of models, including hybrid, online, and on campus.

Register for a session at www.elms.edu/graduate-studies/visit. If you cannot attend the open house and are interested in information or applying, e-mail [email protected], call (413) 265-2456, or visit www.elms.edu/grad.

CHICOPEE — On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Elms College will hold its annual fall Career & Internship Fair as a virtual event from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Due to the pandemic, Elms College’s Career Services Department is partnering with Career Fair Plus to host the virtual career fair, which will create a user-friendly experience for students and employers.

“Our fall 2020 virtual Career & Internship Fair will connect area employers with talented students from all majors who are seeking employment and internship opportunities,” said Justin Monell, director of Career Services at Elms.

According to Monell, registered employers will have the ability to virtually screen candidates, receive electronic résumés, and schedule interviews with students. Likewise, registered students can review the employment and internship offerings from area companies and schedule screening interviews.

So far, 30 companies have signed up to participate in the virtual career fair, including Baystate Health, Hartford Healthcare, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, Springfield Museums, and Springfield Public Schools, just to name a few.

“This virtual career fair has generated a lot of interest around campus, and I have received several requests from students for help updating their résumés and cover letters,” Monell said.

Area companies interested in registering for the virtual Career & Internship Fair can contact Monell at [email protected] or (413) 265-2272.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the appointment of Peter DePergola II, associate professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, as executive director of the newly created St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC).

“I look forward to working with Dr. DePergola, an internationally recognized bioethicist, as he leads the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “In his career, Peter has been at the forefront of bioethics in the region, having developed ethical guidelines for treating COVID-19 patients at both Baystate Health and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at large.”

DePergola is also associate professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the director of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities program at Elms.

CERC was launched on Oct. 13 to increase engagement and discourse on the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society, and to lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging dialogue. A $1 million naming gift from an anonymous donor and two six-figure contributions from Carolyn Jacobs, and B. John (Jack) and Colette Dill and family helped the college establish the center.

In addition to his appointment as CERC executive director, DePergola has been named the Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, which is the college’s only endowed chair. The Shaughness Family Chair was funded in 1994 by the late L. Stella Shaughness, and the endowment income is to be used to promote academic excellence by supporting teaching, publishing, and/or research in the humanities.

“I am delighted to be leading the CERC and look forward to creating innovative programming that will explore how fundamental ethical, religious, and cultural issues challenge and shape our traditions and norms,” DePergola said. “I am also honored to be appointed as the Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, a role in which I will work tirelessly to bring the indispensable perspective of the humanities to bear on how medicine should recognize, diagnose, treat, support, and protect those who are most vulnerable in society.”

At Baystate Health, DePergola serves as chief ethics officer, senior director of Clinical Ethics, chief of the Ethics Consultation Service, and chair of the ethics advisory committee. He also holds secondary academic and research appointments at UMass Medical School, Sacred Heart University, the American Academy of Neurology, and TEDMED.

A professional member of several international academic societies and associations, DePergola earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies at Elms College, his MTS in ethics at Boston College, and his Ph.D. in healthcare ethics at Duquesne University. He completed his residency in neuroethics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, his fellowship in neuropsychiatric ethics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and his advanced training in neurothanatological ethics at Harvard Medical School.

A video of the official launch ceremony for the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture will be available starting Friday, Oct. 30 on the college’s YouTube channel and social-media accounts.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the creation of the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC), thanks to the generous support of three foundational donors. A seven-figure naming gift from an anonymous donor and two six-figure contributions, from Carolyn Jacobs and B. John and Collette Dill and family, will help the college launch the center.

The CERC will examine the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society and lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging discourse.

“We are very excited and profoundly grateful to the anonymous donor, as well as to Dr. Carolyn Jacobs and the Dill family, for their foundational support of the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “As a Catholic college, Elms has served as a place where thoughtful discourse on topics of faith, ethics, and culture has always been welcome. As an institution founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph, social justice has served as an important lens through which we examine these topics. The CERC connects us more deeply to our liberal-arts core and is a key objective in our Elms Plus strategic plan.”

“The creation of the CERC reflects the college’s goals of training the next generation of ethical leaders, sharing the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition, encouraging interfaith dialogue, and promoting our commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Peter DePergola II, associate professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities at Elms College and a member of the CERC advisory board.

From an academic perspective, programming for the CERC will focus on the infusion of ethical leadership across the curriculum, the integration of ethics within the healthcare and business fields of study, and the provision of innovative experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.

“One of the long-term goals of the CERC is to facilitate the creation of master’s and doctoral programs in bioethics and medical humanities, which would make Elms College the only institution in the U.S. to offer a doctoral program in this multi-disciplinary field,” said Walter Breau, vice president of Academic Affairs.

Another goal of the CERC is to develop and produce a quarterly, peer-reviewed research journal that will highlight the interdisciplinary work of the CERC and include scholarly commentary on topics related to ethics, religion and spirituality, health, and culture.

An official launch of the St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture will take place in late October and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held virtually.

CHICOPEE — The board of trustees at Elms College has appointed three prominent figures — Kristin Ferriter Hagan, Carolyn Jacobs, and Paul Marchese — to serve on the board.

Hagan graduated from Elms College in 1996, earning her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in psychology. Most recently, she served as director of Development for St. Mary’s Parish School in Westfield. In that position, she was responsible for all major-gift fundraising, grant writing, event planning, and community outreach.

Jacobs is a social-work professor, spiritual director, and was Elms College’s 2017 commencement speaker. She is a dean emerita of the Smith College School of Social Work, where she taught for 35 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State University, her master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University, and her doctorate from the Heller School of Brandeis University, and also received training as a spiritual director from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Mind & Life Institute in Charlottesville, Va. Jacobs previously served on the Elms board of trustees from 2009 to 2018.

Marchese is executive vice president of Business Development and Relationship Management at St. Germain Investment Management and has more than 35 years of experience in private banking, investment management, and financial planning. Prior to his tenure at St. Germain, he was vice president of Business Development for private banking at FleetBoston Financial Corp. He currently serves as vice chair of the board of trustees for both Mercy Medical Center and Mason Wright Foundation. He is a board member of Stanley Park of Westfield, Glenmeadow, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. He also serves on the finance committees of Trinity Health Of New England and Pathlight. Marchese holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University and an MBA in marketing from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

“The new members bring a wide range of perspectives to the board and have experience in higher education, institutional advancement, and financial services,” said Harry Dumay, president of Elms College. “I am pleased to welcome Kristin, Carolyn, and Paul, and I look forward to working with each of them as we advance the mission and vision of the college.”

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the promotion of Teresa Kuta Reske to the position of associate dean of Graduate and Doctoral Studies for the School of Nursing.

“There is no doubt that Teresa, who is well-known throughout the college for her enthusiasm and commitment to students, will brilliantly lead nursing graduate and doctoral studies for continued growth and program improvement,” said Kathleen Scoble, dean of the School of Nursing.

Reske was on the leadership team that developed the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program and has served as director since its inception in the fall of 2014. She will continue to lead the program in this new role.

Among her accomplishments, Reske co-authored a chapter in DNP Education, Practice, and Policy: Redesigning Advanced Practice Roles for the 21st Century (2012) and is a journal reviewer for the Journal of Professional Nursing. In addition, she has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on DNP practice-related topics, patient-experience-related topics, nurse telephone triage, and nursing informatics.

Reske holds a BS in nursing from Saint Anselm College, a MPA from the University of New Haven, an MSN in health systems from Vanderbilt University, and a DNP degree in executive nurse leadership from the MGH Institute of Health Professions.

CHICOPEE — Elms College improved its ranking by 30 spots on U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 list of “Top Performers on Social Mobility” in the northern U.S. region.

The list ranks schools for enrolling and graduating large proportions of students who have received federal Pell Grants. Elms College improved its ranking dramatically, moving to seventh among 89 regional universities in the region, up from 37th in 2020.

“This tremendous jump in the social-mobility rankings is an exceptional affirmation of our efforts to make a Catholic liberal-arts education accessible to students from all backgrounds,” Elms College President Harry Dumay said. “It further demonstrates Elms’ commitment to support our students from their first-year seminar all the way to commencement.”

On U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 list of “Best Regional Universities,” Elms College retains its ranking in the top 55% among 176 other colleges and universities in the northern U.S. region.

U.S. News ranks Elms College as a university because of changes to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s basic classification system and the number of graduate programs Elms offers. The Carnegie categories are the accepted standard in U.S. higher education.

The U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings are designed to help students and their families find colleges that offer the best academic value for their money. The list provides at-a-glance breakdowns of each institution and ranks them based on such indicators of excellence including value and first-year student retention rate. The full rankings are viewable at www.usnews.com/colleges.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the hiring of Justin Monell as director of Career Services. Monell will help ensure that current Elms students are career-ready by providing them resources to help determine their career path, find internships in their field of study, prepare for graduate school, or look for employment. He will also be a resource for alumni seeking assistance with job searches, networking, or planning for a career change.

Throughout his career, Monell has worked in various roles within student affairs, career services, and student success. Most recently, he was assistant director of Career Development at Clark University in Worcester. He has also worked in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of South Florida and the Center for Advising & Student Success at Florida International University.

Monell holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science from the University of Connecticut and a master of education degree in student affairs administration from Springfield College.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the appointment of Tyra Good as the college’s first faculty director of the Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE).

“I am pleased that Dr. Good, a nationally recognized educator, has joined Elms College to become our first full-time faculty director of the Center for Equity in Urban Education,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “In her work experience, she has addressed the persistent issue of learning gaps among students from various socioeconomic, race, and ethnic groups in the Pittsburgh area, and I look forward to working with her to decrease the achievement gap here in Western Massachusetts.”

Good has more than 10 years of experience teaching education, and, most recently, she was assistant professor of Practice in Education at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. In this new position, she is responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the college’s efforts to address this issue.

The CEUE was launched in September 2019 to increase the number and diversity of qualified teachers in the Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield school systems. In these school systems, the racial and ethnic composition of teachers is not representative of the students. This area also experiences an annual 800-teacher gap across K-12 schools, especially in specific roles such as special education, English-language learners, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Through a partnership with philanthropists, school districts, and charter-school networks, and with a reimagined curriculum, Elms College and Good aim to increase the pipeline of teachers, including teachers of color, who are culturally prepared to inspire the students whom they teach.

“I am elated to be leading the CEUE with students, staff, faculty, school leaders, foundations, and community members, who are also committed to creating educational equity and justice,” Good said. “Through culturally responsive course work and experiential learning experiences, a graduate of the Center for Equity in Urban Education will have expertise in both content and cultural knowledge to teach and lead in an urban setting, as well as within rural and suburban settings.”

Good is the founder and chief academic consultant for GOOD Knowledge Connections and the founder of the Black Educators Network (BEN) of Greater Pittsburgh. The BEN is a strategic team of K-12, higher-education, and community educators working across school-district and community lines to help ensure the academic and personal success of African-American youth from underserved communities.

For her dedication and commitment to diversifying the teaching pipeline and preparing pre-service teachers to work in urban settings, Good has received myriad award recognitions. Most recently, she was awarded a 2019 National Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship through Big Picture Learning and Internationals Network for Public Schools.

Good received her bachelor’s degree in business management from Howard University, a master’s degree in teaching from Chatham University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and evaluation from Duquesne University.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced it has been awarded a $240,000 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation (DEF) in support of its Experiential Learning Mastering Success (ELMS) – Real World Ready! learning initiative. The grant will be dispersed over the next three years.

“Experiential Learning, through the ELMS – Real World Ready! learning initiative, will provide all of our students with the framework to be career-ready, community-minded graduates,” said Joyce Hampton, associate vice president of Academic Affairs, Strategic & Global Initiatives. The overall goal of the ELMS – Real World Ready! learning initiative is to provide at least one high-impact experiential learning opportunity to every student during their college career.

Experiential learning is one of the five pillars of the college’s 2020-23 strategic plan. Students can participate in internships, research, study-abroad trips, and service learning opportunities.

“In making the award, the trustees of the Davis Educational Foundation recognized the merits of the proposed project, in particular the commitment from institutional leadership, the strong link to the strategic plan, and the clearly articulated assessment framework,” said Edward MacKay, chair of the DEF board of trustees. The Davis Educational Foundation was established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Stanton’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc.

The first-year disbursement of the grant will support hiring a director of Experiential Learning, providing professional development for faculty and staff, and broadening of the college’s third annual Innovation Challenge (IC). The IC is a three-day event in which students work in teams and explore the intersection of social relationships, business economics, public education, and social justice. Over the past two years, Elms students have developed creative ideas to alleviate homelessness and address bullying. The upcoming Innovation Challenge in the fall 2020 semester will expand participation from 60 students to the entire first-year class.

“I’m looking forward to working with our experiential learning committee and helping our faculty and staff embed experiential learning into our curriculum and co-curricular activities, so that every student can benefit from this opportunity,” said Beryl Hoffman, co-chair of the Natural Science, Mathematics and Technology Division, associate professor of Computer Science, and project director for the grant.

The ELMS – Real World Ready! learning initiative and the DEF grant build on the philanthropic scholarship funding currently available to students through the donor-funded Keating Schneider Experiential Learning Fund and the Elms Advantage Internship program.

CHICOPEE — The Elms College board of trustees appointed Richard Meelia, principal of Meelia Ventures, LLC, as a new member of the board.

“I am delighted that Richard Meelia has accepted our invitation to serve on our board,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “I look forward to working with him and seeing how his business experience will contribute to our strategic thinking.”

From July 2007 until his retirement in July 2011, Meelia served as chairman, president, and CEO of Covidien, an $11 billion global healthcare-products company, following its separation from Tyco International in June 2007. Prior to that separation, Meelia served in a variety of senior leadership roles, including CEO and president of Tyco Healthcare.

“I look forward to serving on the Elms College board of trustees and working with board Chair Cynthia Lyons and the entire board,” Meelia said.

In addition to his business experience, Meelia has a passion for student experiential learning. He funded the Meelia Center for Student Engagement and Volunteerism at Saint Anselm College and has provided support to establish the Srs. Kathleen Keating and Maxyne Schneider Experiential Learning Fund at Elms College.

Meelia is the chairman of the board of Haemonetics, a global provider of blood and plasma supplies and services located in Braintree. He is also a member of the board of directors of several organizations, including St. Francis House in Boston, the largest day shelter in Massachusetts; Por Cristo, a Brighton nonprofit dedicated to improving the health of poor children and their families in Ecuador; and Conformis, a knee-replacement manufacturer in Billerica. He has served on the board of trustees of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

CHICOPEE — Elms College distributed funds to 425 students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stability (CARES) Act, the college announced.

“We are pleased that we could ease the financial burden put on many of our students as they adapted to learning remotely during the pandemic,” said Financial Aid Director Richard O’Connor, adding that qualifying expenses included moving off campus and investing in technology to do classwork from home. “These funds have also helped offset childcare costs and preventive measures in addition to the treatment of COVID-19.”

Expenses such as food, housing, course materials, healthcare, childcare, technology, and transportation were considered as well. Overall, the college received 496 applications from students for emergency funding. The average amount awarded to the 425 students was $1,478.

Money spent on trips that the college had to cancel were also included in the funding requests that were granted. “We had several students who were affected by canceled mission trips, and I am grateful that these students were able to get reimbursed,” O’Connor said.

On March 27, Congress passed the CARES Act, which included specific guidelines for colleges and universities to distribute the funding. For example, half of each institution’s total grant allotment was earmarked for students in need of emergency aid, with the other half going to the institution to defray costs and expenses resulting from COVID-19.

Following passage of the CARES Act, Elms College received nearly $1.3 million. Half of the college’s allotment, just over $649,000, was reserved for eligible students in need of emergency aid, and the other half was issued to the college to defray costs and expenses as a result of COVID-19.

To date, the college has awarded more than $628,000 to students. The remainder of the allotment to students, approximately $21,000, will fund students’ future emergency needs.

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced that it intends to reopen campus for the fall 2020 semester following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elms College President Harry Dumay has appointed a task force of campus leaders in academics, residential life, public safety, and other areas to assess the possible return of services, such as on-campus housing and dining. The task force will determine when the services can reopen while at the same time ensuring the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. An official reopening date will be determined with the task force’s recommendations.

“We will only allow our students to return to campus by observing the COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and recommendations of state and national public-health experts,” Dumay said. “It is also likely that there will be a number of changes to the way we have operated in the past in terms of social interactions and other protocols.”

He noted that all summer-session courses will remain online. For additional information regarding Elms College’s monitoring, planning, and response to COVID-19, visit www.elms.edu/coronavirus.

CHICOPEE — Elms College has named accomplished higher-education executive Antoinette Candia-Bailey the college’s first vice president of Student Affairs and chief Diversity officer. Reporting directly to the president, Candia-Bailey, who will join Elms College on April 1, will be responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the college’s Student Affairs and Diversity and Inclusion offices.

Candia-Bailey is joining Elms from the University of Wisconsin Madison (UWM), where she currently serves as senior project coordinator to the deputy vice chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to that, she was associate dean of students and Student Life at UWM. 

Abiding by the college’s social-distancing policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, she will be working remotely at the start of her tenure.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Candia-Bailey to Elms College,” said Elms College President Harry Dumay. “The fact that she is joining the college in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic highlights the strategic importance of this position to the college. She brings a wealth of experience in both student-affairs administration and diversity and inclusion, and has served in multiple roles within each discipline. I look forward to having her join my cabinet and collaborating with her on the strategic direction of the college.”

The position of vice president of Student Affairs and chief Diversity officer is a new one for the college. Candia-Bailey will be responsible for providing leadership, management, and supervision to the director of Diversity and Inclusion, the dean of students, the director of Campus Ministry, and the director of Athletics. She will advise the president and other members of the executive leadership team on all student-affairs and diversity matters.

Candia-Bailey has more than 20 years of progressive experience in student affairs and diversity and inclusion at higher-education institutions, including North Carolina State University, Towson University in Maryland, and North Carolina A&T State University. She holds a doctoral degree in leadership studies from North Carolina A&T State University, a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and disability studies from Michigan State University, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Lincoln University in Missouri.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to join the Elms College Cabinet, led by President Harry E. Dumay,” Candia-Bailey said. “I look forward to playing a role in promoting and advocating the success of all of our students. I am excited to contribute to the strategic goals, mission, and vision by being a student-centered advocate.”

CHICOPEE — Elms College announced the appointment of three directors to its staff: Michael Crawford, director of Diversity and Inclusion; Andrea Holden, director of Alumni Relations; and Pablo Madera, director of Public Safety.

As director of Diversity and Inclusion, Crawford is committed to the holistic development of students within and beyond the classroom via empowerment, education, support, and advocacy. He has experience in diversity programming and academic support in higher education at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, the University of Connecticut, nonprofit organizations, and as an independent consultant. Most recently, he was a research associate in a culture and mental-health-disparities lab at the University of Connecticut. He also has extensive experience with various social-justice and college-preparation initiatives for vulnerable populations, first-generation and low-income students, and diverse populations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Haverford College and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Connecticut. He also earned a certificate in college instruction and a master’s degree in adult learning from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

As director of Alumni Relations, Holden develops initiatives that increase alumni engagement and also advance the goals of the college. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, serving in a variety of roles within student affairs, including campus programs, campus-center management, new-student programs, leadership, and residential life. Most recently, she was a student-engagement specialist for the dean of students at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, R.I., and the director of Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership at Wheaton College in Norton. She holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Worcester State College and a master’s degree in marketing from Webster University.

As director of Public Safety, Madera manages the safety measures for the entire campus, as well as the administration of safety policies and protocols. He is a 37-year veteran of the Ludlow Police Department, where he progressed from patrolman to sergeant to lieutenant and, for the past seven years, served as the department’s chief of Police. He served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Western New England University (WNEU) for 23 years and also spent time consulting on multicultural-awareness issues and policing. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State University and his master’s degree in criminal justice administration from WNEU. In addition, he graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

CHICOPEE — Two master’s students from Elms College contributed to the growing body of global research in autism-spectrum disorders by presenting posters at last month’s annual meeting for the Assoc. of Behavior Analysis International in San Diego.

Alyssa Clark and Miranda Fogg are in the master of science in applied behavior analysis program at Elms, and both have been working with children with autism on research projects with Laura Hanratty, director of applied behavior analysis and ASD graduate programs assistant professor.

The three collaborated on two posters to present at the conference. The first poster was titled “Evaluating Efficacy of Varied Reinforcers on Learning New Skills.” For this project, the students taught three children with autism 30 to 40 new academic skills, using different reward strategies.

“Using reinforcers is a hallmark in early intervention for autism, and the students were able to share how to make early intervention even more effective for kids who are struggling with academics,” Hanratty explained. “The children in this study were able to master many academic skills to help with communication.”

The second poster was titled “Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior Without Extinction.” In this project, the students worked with a young child with severe problem behavior, including aggression and destroying property.

“The research team completely decreased problem behavior, while teaching the young child communication skills and how to follow adult instruction,” Hanratty said. “By the time they were done, the child was completing up to 15 instructions with multiple steps and completing his academic skills.”

Earlier this year, Clark and Fogg presented the posters at the annual meeting of the Connecticut Assoc. for Behavior Analysis in Hartford.