14 REGIS TODAY Brighton, Roxbury, Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, and Dorchester—to name a few towns that sent their children to <strong>Regis</strong> when England attended back in the fifties. But now these families, instead of being just Irish and Italian, are Hispanic, Vietnamese, Haitian, and Cape Verdean, too. These families want the same things for their children as the Irish and Italian families did a half century ago. They want to know that after college, their children will be able to get a job and support themselves. In fundamental ways <strong>Regis</strong> today is much like the <strong>Regis</strong> of decades ago. The mandate of the Sisters of St. Joseph to reach out into the community to help the “dear neighbor without distinction” of race, religion, or class is still motivating the college’s mission to help the immigrant, first-generation, and working- and middle-class families get ahead. And that ethos is alive in the student body, who, though they may not be Catholic, are often very involved with their communities and their churches and want to be involved in community service work while at college. “We still reach out with social action,” says England. Our students are interested in social justice. This is the tradition of the Sisters that was very strong when I was a student here, and it’s still strong today. It’s a lot of what we do at <strong>Regis</strong>. Serve the underserved.” } England has always put families and children at the center of her life—both personally and professionally. She has much to be proud of with her own family. Her son, after years of international teaching, is training to be a doctor. A daughter, with many years in the Peace Corps and a master’s in public health, recently received her master’s degree in nursing from <strong>Regis</strong> (from the hand of her mother!). And her other daughter, after getting a law degree from BC, is now a Massachusetts state trooper working with a district attorney against domestic violence. And her children, in turn, are pretty proud of their mom. “My son, who just finished his first year at med school, said that my legacy at <strong>Regis</strong> would be going coed and the athletic fields,” laughs England. “The athletic fields! I’m not a big sports person. And if you’d asked me nine years ago what are you going to do at <strong>Regis</strong>, it would never have been going coed.” One thing everyone is proud of is that this year is the first year in the past 20 that <strong>Regis</strong> is operating in the black. Enrollments are rising—this year’s undergraduate enrollment is at about 800, slowly and steadily moving up toward the eventual goal of 1,200. She was exactly the right leader for <strong>Regis</strong> in its most critical hour. So in addition to the athletic fields and the shift to coeducation, England is leaving a school on solid financial footing with a new curriculum aimed at preparing students to enter a very different economic environment than <strong>Regis</strong> students entered in an earlier era. “I’m very proud of the ability of our students to be successful, to go on to graduate school and to get jobs,” she says. Early in her tenure she helped ensure the success of even struggling students, those inadequately prepared for the rigor of college courses, by obtaining a substantial federal grant to create a Student Success Center. But in addition to academic success and jobs, England also wants something more for the students. She also wants them to receive an education guided by the beliefs and philosophy of the Sisters of St. Joseph. “I want them to have a meaningful career so they can have joy from their work, as well as joy in their family life,” she says. “I want <strong>Regis</strong> <strong>College</strong> to have the stellar future it deserves in the 21st century.” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dr. England has worked with both President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, on national health initiatives over the years. Gathering with <strong>Regis</strong> alums and former <strong>Regis</strong> VP, Dr. Pamela Menke, in Miami. Conferring a master's degree in nursing upon her daughter, Alexandra, at Commencement 2010. Rosalynn Carter, a longtime colleague and friend, attending President England's inaugural convocation at <strong>Regis</strong> in April, 2002. Greeting the new Cardinal, Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., in Rome, March 2006. Meeting with Mgr. Pierre-Andre, the rector of Université Notre Dame, during her 2010 trip to Haiti. Conversing with Senator Ted Kennedy on health care issues in Massachusetts.
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