In the beginning of April, the Institute for Women’s Leadership presented the Inaugural Massachusetts Leadership Index (MWLI). Jean Beaupre, Faculty Director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership, worked closely with senior intern Jackie Khillah to compile data and create the index to serve as both a baseline for future comparison to measure future progress as well as make the call for action today.

The presentation was extremely eye opening, highlighting the gender inequality in leadership roles through the state of Massachusetts. This will serve as a great demonstration that Massachusetts has work to do on women in leadership.

You can view the index here.

The Worcester Business Journal also reviewed the index in an article, available here.

On April 1^st, students, faculty and community gathered in the Athletic Center, excitedly waiting for Boston Bruins President Cam Neely to take the stage. Brieanna Baron, Vice President of SGA, and Sean Hoey, President of the class of 2016, introduced Mr. Neely and he modestly took the stage.

The first thing everybody noticed about Neely was that he’s just an average guy. “I don’t do this much,” he started with. “I’m just a lucky guy, who has always loved the sport of ice hockey.”

He began his professional hockey career at age 18 with the Vancouver Canucks. On his 21^st birthday, he was traded to Boston. He was unfamiliar with the city, but he did his best, always giving 110% to the Bruins organization. Neely’s career was successful and he played ten years in Boston, but injuries ultimately ended his career in 1996.

In 2005, Neely was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and Boston retired his jersey, #8. He attributes his success to working hard both on and off the ice.

“I focused on playing hard, but most importantly, working hard. I still believe to this day that you have to put all your effort in. And that’s what I ask of my players: Work your hardest, do your best.”

It was amazing to hear about Neely’s experiences both on the ice and in the office. His devotion to the game has remained unchanged throughout his years as a player, and as president he says he looks forward to the many seasons to come.

The Student Government Association donated $1,000 to the Cam Neely Foundation from both ticket sales and a matched donation. This event was completely organized by students: a huge thanks to Brieanna Baron for doing an excellent job producing the event!

Tuesday, March 31^st was no ordinary day at Nichols College. I walked into the President’s Office, on time for my meeting. “President Weeks is ready for you,” Lynn Looby, the President’s assistant told me. I walked into the office, smiling, happy to see my friend and classmate, Chad Weeks, sitting behind the president’s desk.

The “President for a Day” contest was started by Lynn Looby, to give a student the opportunity to experience a day as the President of Nichols. In turn, President Susan Engelkemeyer would attend the student’s classes and daily activities. The day was jam-packed for Chad, starting with a presentation at a meeting with the President’s Council at 8:00a.m. He made sure to make time to hold office hours to meet with students from 10:30-11:30 a.m., then continued on to meet with various faculty, staff and vice presidents.

When I met with Chad that morning, he was excited to take on the day, to see what went on behind the scenes at Nichols and to learn the reasons why decisions are made. He was surprised at the amount of transparency the college displayed, being completely honest about the state of affairs and inner workings.

When asked about his experience, Chad said:

“My favorite part was meeting and speaking with different                       Nichols faculty throughout the day. I learned who they were,                 what they did, and why what they do is so important to our                       campus. I learned the structure in which Nichols College                           works and operates. I have a tremendous improvement in my                 understanding of how a business and our school operates. I                     would definitely do it again if I could. It was a lot of work but I                 had a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone who                 was interested on campus to apply and do it. Not only do you                 get to sit at a cool desk, but you get to work with great people.               My practical knowledge has greatly increased. I would not                       trade the experience for anything else.”

This was a great experience for Chad, and probably President Engelkemeyer as well! I’ve heard that a day in the life of a student is not complete without a round of Madden NFL, which is exactly what she did! Hopefully this will become an annual contest at Nichols College, as a way to connect with the student body and experience both undergraduate life and a day in the role of the president.