By Greg Gatlin
noteworthy
The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICU Mass) announced in June that it elected Suffolk University President Marisa Kelly to chair its board of directors, citing her leadership as vice chair over the course of the previous year.
AICU Mass shapes policy and serves as a key voice and advocate for matters affecting its more than 60 private college and university members. Those matters include research and innovation, economic and workforce development, and financial aid and college savings programs. Kelly praised the industry group’s leadership in bringing together college and university presidents during the earlier stages of the pandemic to collaborate on safely reopening their institutions, an effort that she said made all the difference. Together, those leaders developed critical COVID testing solutions, safety recommendations, and other initiatives that allowed tens of thousands of students to safely continue their education.
"Were it not for that collaboration, it is very possible higher education would not have been up and running in 2020,” Kelly said.
Earlier this year, Suffolk partnered with AICU Mass to launch an inclusive leadership program that brings together higher education professionals from across Massachusetts and Rhode Island to more broadly advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in their campus communities and the broader community.
AICU Mass President and Suffolk alumnus Rob McCarron, JD ’93, described Kelly’s leadership as “an invaluable resource.”
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| Fall 2022