Lasell College
Encyclopedia
Lasell College is a private
, non-sectarian, coeducational college
located in the Newton
, Massachusetts
village of Auburndale
. Lasell offers both undergraduate
and graduate
degrees in the liberal arts
and profession
al fields of study.
Professor of Chemistry, Edward Lasell, after he took a sabbatical from his job in Williamstown
to teach at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley
, where the experience inspired him to invest more personally in women's education. He died of typhoid fever
during the first semester, but his school proved highly successful as a first-rate educational institution and was soon renamed Lasell Female Seminary in his memory. As a nationally respected ladies' academy, its students came from all over the United States and were often courted by students from Harvard College
.
Its name later changed to Lasell Seminary for Young Women and, in 1874, governance was given to a board of trustees and Principal Charles C. Bragdon. Bragdon further expanded the faculty to make Lasell renowned as a more academically rigorous women's institution, a prestigious finishing school
with a highly scientific approach to domestic work, art
, and music
. As an innovative institution, known for an radical approach to women's education at the time, Lasell also administered the Harvard exams and offered law courses for women.
While the initial model was more like that of a ladies' finishing academy, Lasell also offered two years of standard collegiate instruction as early as 1852 and is cited as having been the "first successful and persistent" junior college
in the United States. In 1932, the college changed its name to Lasell Junior College, and the school officially began offering associate's degree
s in 1943. In 1989, Lasell adopted a charter
to become a four-year
institution (it no longer offers any two-year undergraduate degrees), and began admitting male students in 1997. Lasell also began offering master's degree
s in 2002.
s in the Newton, Massachusetts
village of Auburndale
, adjacent to the Lasell Neighborhood Historic District
. There are approximately 41 buildings, 23 of which are student dormitories.
The campus is located about half a mile from the Auburndale
Commuter Rail
station on the Framingham/Worcester Line
, and about one mile away from the Riverside MBTA Station
on the Green Line's D train, which takes commuters into the downtown Boston
area. A shuttle runs regularly between the campus and Riverside Station.
(NEASC) since 1932 and offers bachelor's degree
s in the liberal arts
and professional disciplines. Through the "Connected Learning" program, students work on off-site projects and assignments. Lasell also offers graduate degrees in education, communication, sport management, and business fields.
Admission to Lasell is selective, with approximately 63% of undergraduate applicants accepted to the college. According to the U.S. News, Lasell College has been ranked 9th for the category, "Great Schools at Great Prices" and ranked 25th for the "Best Regional College" in the North.
Lasell ranked at 123 out of baccalaureate colleges in the United States for the Washington Monthly College Guide, ranking at number 3 specifically on "a combined measure of the number of staff supporting community service, relative to the total number of staff; the number of academic courses that incorporate service, relative to school size; and whether the institution provides scholarships for community service."
There are social justice, service-oriented, religious, and multicultural organizations: Divine Step Team, Fashion and Service Society, Hope for Humanity, Hillel
Club, Multicultural Student Union, Niños de Veracruz, Students Against Drunk Driving, and Students Advocating For Equality.
There are also academic organizations (Accounting/Finance, Fashion, Graphic Design, Hospitality, Psychology, Sports Management, and TV/Media) and athletic organizations (Cheerleading
, Crew
, Dance
, Roller Hockey
, Rugby
, Skiing
and Snowboarding
, Tennis
, and Wiffle Ball clubs).
's Division III
athletics. The Lasell Lasers compete as members of Eastern College Athletic Conference
, the North Atlantic Conference
, and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference
s in baseball
, basketball
, volleyball
, soccer, cross-country
, field hockey
, softball
, lacrosse
, and track and field
as intervarsity sports. In 2009, a mascot
was introduced: Boomer the Torchbearer, named for the industrialists who sponsored Lasell's founding.
in their Financial Aid
Department. The investigation was done by the office of Attorney General
Martha Coakley
.
was a famous American painter, and alumna Nancy Donahue
is a fashion model. Todd J. Leach
, president of Granite State College
, began his academic career at Lasell. Mary Johnson Bailey Lincoln
, considered one the pioneers of the domestic science movement in the United States
, taught at Lasell from 1885 to 1889. Another former teacher of note is Lucy Johnston Sypher
.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, non-sectarian, coeducational college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
located in the Newton
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
village of Auburndale
Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale is one of the 13 villages of Newton, Massachusetts. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of interstate highways 90 and 95, and is bisected by the Massachusetts Turnpike. Auburndale is surrounded by three other Newton villages as well as the city of Waltham and the...
. Lasell offers both undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
and graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
degrees in the liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
and profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
al fields of study.
History
Lasell was founded in 1851 as the Auburndale Female Seminary by Williams CollegeWilliams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
Professor of Chemistry, Edward Lasell, after he took a sabbatical from his job in Williamstown
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
to teach at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley
South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,514 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, where the experience inspired him to invest more personally in women's education. He died of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
during the first semester, but his school proved highly successful as a first-rate educational institution and was soon renamed Lasell Female Seminary in his memory. As a nationally respected ladies' academy, its students came from all over the United States and were often courted by students from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
.
Its name later changed to Lasell Seminary for Young Women and, in 1874, governance was given to a board of trustees and Principal Charles C. Bragdon. Bragdon further expanded the faculty to make Lasell renowned as a more academically rigorous women's institution, a prestigious finishing school
Finishing school
A finishing school is "a private school for girls that emphasises training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience, with classes primarily on etiquette...
with a highly scientific approach to domestic work, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. As an innovative institution, known for an radical approach to women's education at the time, Lasell also administered the Harvard exams and offered law courses for women.
While the initial model was more like that of a ladies' finishing academy, Lasell also offered two years of standard collegiate instruction as early as 1852 and is cited as having been the "first successful and persistent" junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
in the United States. In 1932, the college changed its name to Lasell Junior College, and the school officially began offering associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
s in 1943. In 1989, Lasell adopted a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
to become a four-year
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
institution (it no longer offers any two-year undergraduate degrees), and began admitting male students in 1997. Lasell also began offering master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s in 2002.
Campus
The Lasell campus covers roughly 50 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s in the Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
village of Auburndale
Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale is one of the 13 villages of Newton, Massachusetts. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of interstate highways 90 and 95, and is bisected by the Massachusetts Turnpike. Auburndale is surrounded by three other Newton villages as well as the city of Waltham and the...
, adjacent to the Lasell Neighborhood Historic District
Lasell Neighborhood Historic District
Lasell Neighborhood Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Woodland and Studio Roads, Aspen and Seminary Avenue, and Grove Street in Newton, Massachusetts village of Auburndale, Massachusetts, next to Lasell College....
. There are approximately 41 buildings, 23 of which are student dormitories.
The campus is located about half a mile from the Auburndale
Auburndale (MBTA station)
Auburndale is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Framingham/Worcester Line. It is located on 477 Lexington Street in Auburndale, Massachusetts near the Massachusetts Turnpike and Lasell College.-MBTA Bus connections:...
Commuter Rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
station on the Framingham/Worcester Line
Framingham/Worcester Line
The Framingham/Worcester Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running west from Boston, Massachusetts to Worcester, Massachusetts, though some trains terminate at Framingham, Massachusetts...
, and about one mile away from the Riverside MBTA Station
Riverside (MBTA station)
Riverside is the western terminus of the MBTA Green Line "D" Branch light rail line. It is located at 333 Grove Street, off Exit 22 on Interstate 95 , in Auburndale, a village of Newton, Massachusetts. Scheduled travel time to Park Street is 46 minutes. Riverside includes a parking...
on the Green Line's D train, which takes commuters into the downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area. A shuttle runs regularly between the campus and Riverside Station.
Academics
Lasell College has been accredited by the Commission on Institution of Higher Education (CIHE) of the New England Association of Schools and CollegesNew England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
(NEASC) since 1932 and offers bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s in the liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
and professional disciplines. Through the "Connected Learning" program, students work on off-site projects and assignments. Lasell also offers graduate degrees in education, communication, sport management, and business fields.
Admission to Lasell is selective, with approximately 63% of undergraduate applicants accepted to the college. According to the U.S. News, Lasell College has been ranked 9th for the category, "Great Schools at Great Prices" and ranked 25th for the "Best Regional College" in the North.
Lasell ranked at 123 out of baccalaureate colleges in the United States for the Washington Monthly College Guide, ranking at number 3 specifically on "a combined measure of the number of staff supporting community service, relative to the total number of staff; the number of academic courses that incorporate service, relative to school size; and whether the institution provides scholarships for community service."
Student life
Of the 1600 students that attend Lasell, 80% live on campus, 45% come from out-of-state, and 18% come from an ethnic minority. Roughly 33% of students at Lasell are male.Organizations
The student newspaper is called the 1851 Chronicle in reference to Lasell's founding year, and the student yearbook is called the Lamp. Polished Magazine is made by Lasell students and a student-run online college radio station began operation in the fall of 2004.There are social justice, service-oriented, religious, and multicultural organizations: Divine Step Team, Fashion and Service Society, Hope for Humanity, Hillel
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally...
Club, Multicultural Student Union, Niños de Veracruz, Students Against Drunk Driving, and Students Advocating For Equality.
There are also academic organizations (Accounting/Finance, Fashion, Graphic Design, Hospitality, Psychology, Sports Management, and TV/Media) and athletic organizations (Cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, Crew
Crew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...
, Dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, Roller Hockey
Roller hockey
Roller Hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used. There is traditional "Roller Hockey," played with quad roller skates, and...
, Rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, Skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and Snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and Wiffle Ball clubs).
Athletics
Lasell College is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic AssociationNational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division III
Division III
Division III is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States.-Membership:The division consists of colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletically related financial aid to their student-athletes...
athletics. The Lasell Lasers compete as members of Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
, the North Atlantic Conference
North Atlantic Conference
The North Atlantic Conference is an athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III, consisting primarily of small liberal arts colleges throughout the New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont....
, and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Great Northeast Athletic Conference
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.-Current...
s in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, soccer, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
as intervarsity sports. In 2009, a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
was introduced: Boomer the Torchbearer, named for the industrialists who sponsored Lasell's founding.
Controversies
Lasell Village was created in 2000 to raise additional revenue, but Lasell College kept its non-profit status with the City of Newton. Lasell also faced controversy in 2000 when seven former students sued and claimed that the nursing program, which had been discontinued in 1999, had been a sham. In September 2010, a settlement was also filed in Suffolk Superior Court stating that Lasell was to pay $191,314 to over 1,000 students over a conflict of interestConflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
in their Financial Aid
Financial aid
Student financial aid in the United States is funding intended to help students pay education expenses including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, etc. for education at a college, university, or private school. General governmental funding for public education is not called...
Department. The investigation was done by the office of Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
.
Notable people
Lasell alumna Elizabeth Jane GardnerElizabeth Jane Gardner
Elizabeth Jane Gardner was an American academic and salon painter, who was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. She was an American expatriate who died in Paris where she had lived most of her life...
was a famous American painter, and alumna Nancy Donahue
Nancy Donahue
Nancy Donahue is an American fashion model and actress.- Early life :The daughter of a noted lawyer and a philanthropist mother, Donahue grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, as one of eleven children. While attending Lasell College in Auburndale, Massachusetts, she was discovered by Mademoiselle...
is a fashion model. Todd J. Leach
Todd J. Leach
Dr. Todd J. Leach is the current President of Granite State College and commissioner for the .-Education:Dr. Todd J. Leach began his education at Mass Bay Community College, where he received a distinguished alumni award in 2011...
, president of Granite State College
Granite State College
-History and mission:Founded in 1972, and headquartered in Concord, Granite State College is one of the four institutions of the University System of New Hampshire with a primary mission of being the system's statewide college for adults and college-age students to have access to advanced,...
, began his academic career at Lasell. Mary Johnson Bailey Lincoln
Mary Johnson Bailey Lincoln
Mary Johnson Bailey Lincoln was an influential teacher and cookbook author whose students included Fannie Farmer...
, considered one the pioneers of the domestic science movement in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, taught at Lasell from 1885 to 1889. Another former teacher of note is Lucy Johnston Sypher
Lucy Johnston Sypher
Lucy Johnston Sypher, - , was the author of four children's books loosely based on her childhood in the small prairie town of Wales, North Dakota...
.