Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Meet the Staff

Our Team

Kathryn Nielsen
Associate Provost and Director of Strategic Initiatives
- Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
- Faculty Onboarding/Development
- Academic Technology Initiatives (Mobile Merrimack, etc.)
- Grant Management (i.e., Zampell, Davis, etc.)
- Diversity & Inclusion

Janet Syed
Associate Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,29,1369,1400/ignore_cropper/1/20394_Leslie_Reynolds.rev.1564584206.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Merrimack Alum Serving as Interim Chief Ranger at Yellowstone</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leslie Reynolds ’91 has traded great white sharks for grizzly bears this summer while she takes a break from her job as chief ranger at the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Park Service’s Cape Cod National Seashore</a> to serve as the interim chief ranger at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yellowstone National Park</a>.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4772-merrimack-alum-serving-as-interim-chief-ranger-at" role="button" title="Merrimack Alum Serving as Interim Chief Ranger at Yellowstone" aria-label="Merrimack Alum Serving as Interim Chief Ranger at Yellowstone">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,1794/ignore_cropper/1/20571_Emily_Kearns_02_190913.rev.1569266550.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>From Andover to Malaysia with Love, Friends for Life</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emily Kearns ’82 was just a 16-year-old junior at Andover High School when she heeded the call of her adventurous spirit to spend a year in Malaysia through the <a href="https://www.afsusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Field Service’s</a> foreign exchange program.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4805-from-andover-to-malaysia-with-love-friends-for" role="button" title="From Andover to Malaysia with Love, Friends for Life" aria-label="From Andover to Malaysia with Love, Friends for Life">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,259/ignore_cropper/1/20522_We_Are_One_5.rev.1568156589.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Merrimack Climbs U.S. News & World Report’s Ranking of Best Colleges</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Merrimack College continued its steady climb up U.S. News & World Report magazine’s Best Colleges rankings this year, leaping from 50th a year ago to 46th on the 2020 list released Monday Sept. 9. It also listed the Merrimack among the top 10 most innovative regional universities.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4800-merrimack-climbs-us-news-world-reports-ranking" role="button" title="Merrimack Climbs U.S. News & World Report’s Ranking of Best Colleges" aria-label="Merrimack Climbs U.S. News & World Report’s Ranking of Best Colleges">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,600/ignore_cropper/1/20458_Andrea_Cohen.rev.1566911714.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>New Poetry from Writers House’s Andrea Cohen</h3><p><p> Andrea Cohen, executive director of <a href="/academics/the-writers-house/index.php">The Writers House</a> at Merrimack College, marked the publication of her sixth book of poetry, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Nightshade-Andrea-Cohen/dp/1945588357/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Andrea+Cohen&qid=1563909643&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Nightshade”</a> this week.</p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4788-new-poetry-from-writers-houses-andrea-cohen" role="button" title="New Poetry from Writers House’s Andrea Cohen" aria-label="New Poetry from Writers House’s Andrea Cohen">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,600/ignore_cropper/1/20659_Lynne_Sheppard.rev.1571923854.png'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Nursing Receives Grant for White Coat Ceremony</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Executive Director of Nursing Lynne Sheppard in the School of Health Sciences remembers, as a nurse, holding the hand of a patient to help them relax while undergoing a painful procedure and wants her students working toward a bachelor of science in nursing to remember they, too, will need to be compassionate toward their patients someday.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4815-nursing-receives-grant-for-white-coat-ceremony" role="button" title="Nursing Receives Grant for White Coat Ceremony" aria-label="Nursing Receives Grant for White Coat Ceremony">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1700,917/ignore_cropper/1/20321_Cailin_Currie_Swims.rev.1561127682.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Hitting her Stride in Berlin, Sophomore Looking to Paralympics</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cailin Currie ’21 recently returned from the Paralympics World Series in Berlin where she competed in the tune-up swimming meet leading into qualifying races for next summer’s Paralympics games in Tokyo.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4752-hitting-her-stride-in-berlin-sophomore-looking-to" role="button" title="Hitting her Stride in Berlin, Sophomore Looking to Paralympics" aria-label="Hitting her Stride in Berlin, Sophomore Looking to Paralympics">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,576,1024/ignore_cropper/1/20387_Flying_Squirrels_01.rev.1563798135.JPG'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Research into Squirrels Takes Flight on Campus</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instruction/Liaison Librarian <a href="/live/profiles/1623-catherine-wong/_p/s">C.J. Wong</a> led a team of three students and two assistant professors in the installation of nesting boxes for flying squirrels in the woods behind parking lot K this summer, to learn whether there are any of the nocturnal animals in the area.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4769-research-into-squirrels-takes-flight-on-campus" role="button" title="Research into Squirrels Takes Flight on Campus" aria-label="Research into Squirrels Takes Flight on Campus">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,600/ignore_cropper/1/20419_Juliana_Cohen.rev.1565635177.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Sugar is a Time(ly) Topic for Professor of Health Sciences</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Merrimack College assistant professor of nutrition <a href="/live/profiles/453-juliana-fw-cohen/_p/f">Juliana Cohen</a>, of the School of Health Sciences, was a featured expert in the recent Time magazine article exploring whether sugar is as bad for children as it is for adults.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4781-sugar-is-a-timely-topic-for-professor-of-health" role="button" title="Sugar is a Time(ly) Topic for Professor of Health Sciences" aria-label="Sugar is a Time(ly) Topic for Professor of Health Sciences">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,3200,2400/ignore_cropper/1/20464_Pedro_02_190829.rev.1567024086.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Good Deed Multiplying into More Good Deeds</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pedro Lugo ’21 gave away a ticket to a Red Sox game and in return received a new perspective on the plight of homeless people in the Greater Boston region. Now Lugo and his friends are on a mission to alleviate the suffering of those who live on the streets.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4792-good-deed-multiplying-into-more-good-deeds" role="button" title="Good Deed Multiplying into More Good Deeds" aria-label="Good Deed Multiplying into More Good Deeds">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1024,683/ignore_cropper/1/20480_Move-In_01_190830.rev.1567442597.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Praise for Organization Amid the Hustle and Bustle of Move-In Day</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Merrimack College community came together in welcoming the class of 2023 to campus at the start of the Labor Day Weekend Aug. 30. Upperclassmen arrived en masse at the end of the weekend.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4793-praise-for-organization-amid-the-hustle-and-bustle" role="button" title="Praise for Organization Amid the Hustle and Bustle of Move-In Day" aria-label="Praise for Organization Amid the Hustle and Bustle of Move-In Day">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,259/ignore_cropper/1/20601_EcoWalk_01_190924.rev.1569856513.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Students Walk for the Environment</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Environmentally conscious community members participated in a walk of support for protecting the earth and natural resources Tuesday Sept. 24, 2019.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4808-students-walk-for-the-environment" role="button" title="Students Walk for the Environment" aria-label="Students Walk for the Environment">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,400,267/ignore_cropper/1/20617_Chapel_Renos_02_190927.rev.1570457119.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Renovations Underway on Chapel in Austin Hall to Give it a New Look</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are more renovations moving forward on Our Mother of Good Counsel Chapel on the second floor of Austin Hall, beginning with new windows and including installation of a pipe organ.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4806-renovations-underway-on-chapel-in-austin-hall-to" role="button" title="Renovations Underway on Chapel in Austin Hall to Give it a New Look" aria-label="Renovations Underway on Chapel in Austin Hall to Give it a New Look">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1800,1798/ignore_cropper/1/20408_Global_Mgmt_Winners_190719.rev.1565274473.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Sustainable “Glamping” Plan Earns Honors at Global Symposium</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two students from Merrimack College competing against peers from around the world earned top honors in the international 2019 X-Culture Global Symposium business management competition in Calgary, Canada in July.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4780-sustainable-glamping-plan-earns-honors-at-global" role="button" title="Sustainable “Glamping” Plan Earns Honors at Global Symposium" aria-label="Sustainable “Glamping” Plan Earns Honors at Global Symposium">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2448,1835/ignore_cropper/1/20734_Austin_Scholars_191101.rev.1573149188.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Austin Scholars, Professors Heading to International Conference on St. Augustine</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Students from the Austin Scholars living-learning community are traveling with professors to Tunisia from Nov. 8-15. They will have the opportunity to celebrate St. Augustine’s birthday in Carthage where he studied and taught more than 1,600 years ago while representing the College at the “Journées augustiniennes de Carthage.”</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4823-austin-scholars-professors-heading-to" role="button" title="Austin Scholars, Professors Heading to International Conference on St. Augustine" aria-label="Austin Scholars, Professors Heading to International Conference on St. Augustine">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>
<section class="content-fluid-slider-container content-fluid dark section" style="background:url('/live/image/gid/67/width/1000/height/500/crop/1/src_region/364,947,2400,2982/ignore_cropper/1/20391_Rosana_Urbaez_190724.rev.1564064159.jpg'); background-size:cover;"><div class="container"><div class="row no-gutters"><div class="col-lg-9"><span class="label">Office of Communications and Marketing</span><h3>Merrimack, Charity Partner to Aid Schoolchildren</h3><p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Merrimack’s Hands to Help/Manos Para Ayuda program is holding its third annual Back to School Supply Drive for underserved school children in nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts this month. Director Rosana Urbaez would like to fill 300 backpacks with almost everything students in grades 1-12 will need to start the academic year.</span></p></p></div><div class="col-lg-3"><div class="d-table h-100 "><div class="d-table-cell align-middle"><a class="btn float-right" href="/live/news/4770-merrimack-charity-partner-to-aid-schoolchildren" role="button" title="Merrimack, Charity Partner to Aid Schoolchildren" aria-label="Merrimack, Charity Partner to Aid Schoolchildren">Read more </a> </div></div></div></div></div></section>

Meet the Staff

Our Team

Kathryn Nielsen

Janet Syed

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