Lesley University
Encyclopedia
Lesley University is a private, coeducational university
in Boston, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
The university is a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
, National Association of Schools of Art and Design
, and New England Collegiate Conference
.
in 1909. It was a proprietary women's institution until 1941, when it reorganized under a board of trustees. The Lesley School received authority to award the baccalaureate degree in 1944, and became Lesley College
. Lesley College received authority to award graduate degrees in 1954, and later expanded to provide majors in the fields of education, counseling, human services, global studies, art therapy, and management. In 1998, Lesley College merged with The Art Institute of Boston
(AIB). Founded in 1912, AIB grants Baccalaureate and post-Baccalaureate degrees. Along with the graduate programs, these colleges emerged as Lesley University in 2001. In 2005, the university's undergraduate section, Lesley College, became co-educational. In 2006 the school acquired historic Prospect Hall, a former church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lesley University, with its component undergraduate colleges, graduate colleges and institutes offers more than 20 undergraduate majors and over 90 Adult Bachelor's, Master's, Certificates of Advanced Graduate Study, and Ph.D. programs at its Boston and Cambridge campuses. The university also offers M.Ed. and Ed.S. programs at more than 150 learning sites in 23 U.S. states. Despite its changing demographic, Lesley is still known as an educator's college, with many New England educators at the K-12 and post-secondary levels choosing Lesley for their Master's, M.Ed. and Ph.D degrees.
Lesley University's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program is consistently ranked as one of the best low-residency MFA programs in the nation, and is unique in its requirement of students to study interdisciplinary aspects of writing, e.g. directed critical study, other genres of writing, specific author studies, study designed for educators, etc. Faculty include program director Steven Cramer, Jamie Brandi, Pat Lowery Collins, Thomas Sayers Ellis, David Elliot, Laurie Foos, Chris Lynch, Cate Marvin, Spencer Reese, Kyoko Mori, Kate Snodgrass, and Sinan Unel. Recent visiting writers and speakers at the residencies include Robert Pinsky, Maurice Sendak, Lois Lowry, Marie Howe, Louise Gluck, and David Ferry.
Lesley's program in creative arts therapies offers Master's and PhD programs in art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, psychodrama, and intermodal expressive arts therapy. The program was established by Shaun McNiff, Paolo Knill, Peter Rowan, and others.
Lesley University also has an adult bachelor's degree program, offering on- and off-campus courses and online classes targeted toward adult learners.
. Its athletic teams are called Lynx
.
The school sponsors the following athletic teams:
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Boston, Massachusetts and Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
The university is a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New 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...
, National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design , founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees. Member institutions complete periodic peer review...
, and New England Collegiate Conference
New England Collegiate Conference
The New England Collegiate Conference has been the name of two incarnations of collegiate athletic conferences.-Former Division II conference:...
.
History
The Lesley School was founded by Edith LesleyEdith Lesley
Edith Lesley, American educator and founder of Lesley University, was born 27 January 1872 in the Panama Canal Zone, then a U.S. protectorate, and died 16 May 1953 at Boston1 in the U.S. state of Massachusetts...
in 1909. It was a proprietary women's institution until 1941, when it reorganized under a board of trustees. The Lesley School received authority to award the baccalaureate degree in 1944, and became Lesley College
Lesley College
Lesley College is the undergraduate section, and founding institution of, Lesley University.The college was founded in 1909 by Edith Lesley as The Lesley School, a women's college which focused on early childhood education as a part of the international kindergarten movement established by...
. Lesley College received authority to award graduate degrees in 1954, and later expanded to provide majors in the fields of education, counseling, human services, global studies, art therapy, and management. In 1998, Lesley College merged with The Art Institute of Boston
The Art Institute of Boston
The Art Institute of Boston is a private, not-for-profit art school in Boston, Massachusetts, and a part of Lesley University. Undergraduate degree programs include animation, design, fine arts, illustration, and photography. Graduate degree programs focus on fine arts and photography, with an art...
(AIB). Founded in 1912, AIB grants Baccalaureate and post-Baccalaureate degrees. Along with the graduate programs, these colleges emerged as Lesley University in 2001. In 2005, the university's undergraduate section, Lesley College, became co-educational. In 2006 the school acquired historic Prospect Hall, a former church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Academics
Lesley University's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program is consistently ranked as one of the best low-residency MFA programs in the nation, and is unique in its requirement of students to study interdisciplinary aspects of writing, e.g. directed critical study, other genres of writing, specific author studies, study designed for educators, etc. Faculty include program director Steven Cramer, Jamie Brandi, Pat Lowery Collins, Thomas Sayers Ellis, David Elliot, Laurie Foos, Chris Lynch, Cate Marvin, Spencer Reese, Kyoko Mori, Kate Snodgrass, and Sinan Unel. Recent visiting writers and speakers at the residencies include Robert Pinsky, Maurice Sendak, Lois Lowry, Marie Howe, Louise Gluck, and David Ferry.
Lesley's program in creative arts therapies offers Master's and PhD programs in art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, psychodrama, and intermodal expressive arts therapy. The program was established by Shaun McNiff, Paolo Knill, Peter Rowan, and others.
Schools
- The Art Institute of BostonThe Art Institute of BostonThe Art Institute of Boston is a private, not-for-profit art school in Boston, Massachusetts, and a part of Lesley University. Undergraduate degree programs include animation, design, fine arts, illustration, and photography. Graduate degree programs focus on fine arts and photography, with an art...
- Lesley CollegeLesley CollegeLesley College is the undergraduate section, and founding institution of, Lesley University.The college was founded in 1909 by Edith Lesley as The Lesley School, a women's college which focused on early childhood education as a part of the international kindergarten movement established by...
- School of EducationLesley School of EducationThe Lesley School of Education is a faculty of Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. It offers M.A., Ed.S., licensure, and Ph.D. programs on campus, online, and off campus in communities in 23 states in the following areas:* Language and Literacy...
- Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences
Lesley University also has an adult bachelor's degree program, offering on- and off-campus courses and online classes targeted toward adult learners.
Student life
Traditional
- Doble, Wolfard: These two residence halls have balconies.
- Mackenzie, Malloch: These two dorms are located above the Student Center, and contain six floors of dorms. The sixth floor of Mackenzie is substance free living.
- White: The most traditional residence hall, this residence hall consists of three floors and is located above the dining hall.
- Winthrop: Located on the Brattle campus, this hall boasts high ceilings and fireplaces in many dorms.
- Lawrence: located on the Brattle campus.
- 1 Wendell: Suite-Style apartment living
- Kidder: Located on the Brattle campus, this is the newest Suite-Style apartment living.
Victorian houses
- Jenkes
- Kirkland
- Sacramento
- Mellen
- 35 Mellen: A Residence in the quad area on main campus that is currently paint-free and Quiet Living.
- 14 Wendell: Currently Scholarly Living.
- 16-18 Wendell: Recently renovated, located on main campus.
- Reed: Usually an Arts (visual and Performing) House, Many AIB students live there. Reed House is three stories and located on the main campus.
- 3 Wendell: One of Lesley's newest dorms on main campus. Built in a Victorian style, the new hall will open in September 2009.
Theme housing
- Wendell House: One half of this house, which is handicap accessible, is considered substance free. In the past, the house was nicknamed:'The Mind, Body, Spirit House.' In the upcoming year, Wendell House will be one half "substance free" while the other part become Threshold Housing.
Athletics
Lesley University participates in NCAA Division III's New England Collegiate ConferenceNew England Collegiate Conference
The New England Collegiate Conference has been the name of two incarnations of collegiate athletic conferences.-Former Division II conference:...
. Its athletic teams are called Lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
.
The school sponsors the following athletic teams:
- (M) Baseball
- (M), (W) Basketball
- (M), (W) Cross-Country
- (M), (W) Soccer
- (W) Softball
- (M), (W) Tennis
- (M), (W) Volleyball