What path led you to Merrimack?
After earning my doctorate in applied anatomy and physiology from Boston University, I spent 20 years at UMass Boston where I advanced from assistant professor to full professor and served as department chair. In addition to growing academic programs and student enrollment, I also pursued an exciting research career with appointments at the Boston University Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Mass General Hospital.
About six years ago, I crossed paths with President Hopey and the rest was history! He persuaded me that Merrimack College was the perfect place where I could apply my entrepreneurial spirit to help us grow and create new opportunities for students and faculty. On a personal level, I really liked Merrimack’s family feel, especially coming from a large urban University. Merrimack gave me the opportunity to be part of a community that is student centered and where people work closely together and genuinely care for one another. An extra bonus is that I am from southern New Hampshire so its’ really easy to have my family here to enjoy special events and campus life.
What distinguishes Merrimack from other colleges?
There’s a special relationship between the faculty and the students. The faculty are not only dedicated to students’ performance in the classroom, but they truly care about helping them get to the next level—whether it’s plotting a path to their first job or graduate school. We see ourselves as mentors, and we get as much out of these relationships as the students do.
Another thing that distinguishes Merrimack is our commitment to experiential, real-world learning—and how we tie it into our teaching and service opportunities. From internships to research projects, there are many ways students can get involved. The energy on campus is very positive because we’re providing real-world experiences and creating a culture in which students can really grow.
How have Merrimack donors impacted the College?
Thanks to generous donors who have helped fund new resources, our students have access to the very best facilities, internships, and learning environments typically offered at much larger intuitions. At Merrimack, students are working with state-of-the-art equipment, so their transition to the workplace is seamless. For example, in our health sciences program, students are using 3D printers to produce prosthetic hands that are donated to people in need. They’re working with wireless EKG stress testing equipment, motion cameras that allow us to look at stress injuries and anatomical models projected in 3D that are manipulated using an Xbox controller. You could find countless other examples of philanthropic impact across the College, which support the student experience.
The tremendous growth of the physical facilities has also boosted student morale. The campus is a major source of pride for students, and it’s helping us recruit and retain new faculty and student talent.
How will the Together for Good Campaign transform the College?
The Campaign will provide Merrimack with unprecedented resources to fund facilities, cutting-edge equipment, and new opportunities to train students. In addition, Together for Good will help us capitalize on the momentum we currently have.
At the end of the day, the Campaign is about the people who make Merrimack great, and what we can do to make it even greater. The energy on campus right now is very positive and optimistic from students, faculty, staff, really throughout the entire community. Everyone here believes in what we are providing as a college.
