2017-2018 ANNUAL REPORT SIX COLLEGES: ONE COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS ON THE YEAR Transitions always have an impact – some foreseen and welcomed and others are surprises that bring new challenges and perspectives. After 21 years, Colleges of the Fenway was sad to have Wheelock College leave the consortium. As institutions of higher education, we are acutely aware of the challenges facing our sector; as neighbors who have worked together for over two decades, we always want the best possible outcome for each other. The faculty and staff of Wheelock College were strong partners in so many COF initiatives that we will sorely miss the unique input they provided, particularly as an institution focused on families and children, a mission they carried into their approach to their work on all fronts. From being part of the founding of the Center for Sustainability and the Environment and the Global Education Opportunities (GEO)Center, hosting the Muddy River Symposium for 12 years, and having two CFOs who served as COF treasurer during their tenure – we will miss the many wonderful colleagues who have moved to new ventures. Though, we are excited to note that several of them found opportunities within other COF institutions. Transitions also provide an opportunity to re-evaluate and reflect and as this annual report shows, the collaboration between the institutions is strong. Student programs engaged over 11,700 participants and the dance project took 17 student dancers and 6 faculty to the American College Dance Association New England Regional Conference. We launched a new shared Information Security Officer between MassArt and Wentworth Institute of Technology, the third such shared risk management position managed through COF. COF students are gaining recognition for their film-making skills through Campus Movie Fest, now in its 4th year with COF; we had our first team make it all the way to the Cannes Film Festival. Seven faculty teams worked on joint academic proposals funded through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation. The Cross-Registration Vision Task Force produced their report noting “By working together and capitalizing on the rich array of educational offerings, cross-registration serves as a tool to facilitate joint academic programs including the intentional development of majors, minors, certificates, individualized majors, specialty programs, and new academic ventures.” This has led to three implementation goals: Align the Academic Calendar, Improve the Cross- Registration Process, and Review the Course Grids. More higher education institutions across the country are looking at ways to collaborate and Colleges of the Fenway continues to be recognized as a leader in this work. I am continually impressed by the commitment and quality of the work of the COF staff. Much of what we do I would call “working in the middle”, connecting people across campuses, delivering joint programs, and facilitating groups. Our goal is to bring a high quality of service and build shared vision and relationships while also maintaining sensitivity to the uniqueness of each individual member. In the face of significant transition, we continue to have conversations about the long-term vision for COF and the many new opportunities before us. As you read the summary of our work this past year, I hope you will take a minute to jot down your thoughts on what else we could be doing together and send me a note – you never know where the next idea might lead. Claire Ramsbottom Executive Director 2017-2018 NOTEWORTHY CENTRAL OFFICE MOVE The COF Central Office moved to 200 Riverway in July 2017, creating a larger, more visible presence. In addition, the Office of Performing Arts and the Intramurals and Recreational Sports moved to Wheelock College. A special open house, welcoming our members and partners, was held in late August. WHEELOCK COLLEGE FAREWELL Wheelock College, a member of Colleges of the Fenway since its inception in 1996, merged with Boston University on June 1, 2018. COF hosted a farewell reception for our Wheelock College friends and colleagues to recognize their significant contributions and 22 years of collaborative work. DAVIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION GRANT The COF awarded nearly $100,000 in Davis Educational Foundation Grant funds to faculty teams focused on "Designing and Implementing Innovative Shared Academic Programming." INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER MassArt and Wentworth Institute of Technology hired a shared Information Security Officer, a position responsible for establishing and maintaining information security management programs which meet business requirements, compliance and regulatory requirements. COF IN BRAZIL Claire Ramsbottom, COF Executive Director, and Neal Abraham, Executive Director of Five Colleges Inc.,were invited to present at the National Forum on Higher Education conference as guests of SEMESP. SEMESP is an association of private colleges in Sao Paulo, Brazil. ONBOARDING, TRAININGS, & ORIENTATIONS COF staff onboarded 40 employees at the member institutions and participated in 42 open houses, accepted student days, panels, trainings, and orientations. COF STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS COF STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ADITI LAKHTAKIA Massachusetts College of Art and Design Jewelry and Metals, Class of 2018 Like many new COF students, Aditi Lakhtakia first learned about Colleges of the Fenway during her Freshmen Orientation at MassArt. However, Lakhtakia, who is from Hyderabad, India, said it wasn’t until she walked from her residence hall, through some of the COF campuses that she had a sense of the close proximity of the COF community. Later in her first year at MassArt, Lakhtakia decided to support a friend who was performing with the COF Dance Project. Lakhtakia, who had “always danced and been a part of dance competitions,” experienced something different when watching the performance. “I had never seen a dance show [like that] where people were just having fun on stage,” Lakhtakia recalled, “I loved it.” After sitting in the audience that semester, Lakhtakia immediately joined the Bollywood class the next semester during her sophomore year. “It was such an inclusive, amazing community where we all understood each other’s passion for dance and hence understood each other.” She especially appreciated the enthusiasm the teachers and other dancers had for Bollywood and, in general, the commitment to diversifying the styles of dance the COF Dance Project offers. “Hearing their constant appreciation for Bollywood and all the dancers' love for our piece made me feel like I was sharing a little bit of home with them,” she noted. The following semester, Lakhtakia became a student choreographer for the Bollywood group and continued choreographing the next five semesters. “Being a choreographer for the Bollywood Dance Team was one of the first initiatives I took towards being a student leader at MassArt. It involved me in my community and made me want to enhance every students' experience at MassArt by showing them our best kept secrets!” Joining the Dance Project also helped Lakhtakia expand her own dance experiences, as she “had never performed Hip Hop or even danced Contemporary style before joining the COF Dance Project.” Lakhtakia believes that “any involvement in a COF event shows you that despite being from different schools and backgrounds, everyone can have an appreciation for each other's different experiences.” "Don’t be afraid to open your eyes to the possibilities,” she advises, “because they really can enrich your time as a student!” COF STUDENT IMPACT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Over 2,900 students attended the Block Party at Emmanuel College & After Party at Simmons College Over 50 Programming Board members attended the National Association of Campus Activities conference 50 students attended COF Thanksgiving Lunch at MCPHS University 603 students attended two COF Destress events at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Over 100 students attended inaugural COF Student Leadership Conference at MCPHS University Over 70 students attended a private COF showing of "Justice League" at Regal Fenway Cinema Over 175 Res Life staff attended a joint COF training Hosted 4th Annual Campus Movies Fest for 42 student film-making teams. Over 154 students attended the finale; The winning film from MassArt advanced to national competition and the 2019 Cannes Film Festival Over 300 students attended Spring Carnival at Simmons Hosted inaugural COF Nights at Simmons and Wentworth Hosted student welcome receptions: International, Commuter, Multicultural, Veterans, and LGBTQ+ INTRAMURALS & RECREATIONAL SPORTS 3,255 program participants Employed 20 student staff members as referees All employees completed 8+ hours of concussion and sports/leadership training Over 120 participants ran the 12th Annual Turkey Trot 100 students participated in COF Bowling Night @ Kings 65 students participated in a new Boda Borg event Over 600 summer participants played softball and soccer PERFORMING ARTS 401 program participants 2,726 audience attendees for ensemble shows 10th Anniversary of COF Jazz Band included performance by Lindy Hop ensemble, The Riff Hosted Fall 2017 A Cappella Festival with COF Chorus and groups from Emmanuel, Simmons, and Wheelock COF STUDENT SPOTLIGHT KYLE GRIFFITHS Emmanuel College History, Class of 2020 Kyle Griffiths, a member of Emmanuel College’s class of 2020, has been playing the trumpet and a few other brass instruments since he was in the 4th grade. During January of his sophomore year at Emmanuel College, Griffiths, who is originally from Pepperell, MA, was looking for a way to get more involved with his college community. “I saw several posters and emails encouraging students to come try out for the COF Jazz Band,” shared Griffiths, “so I took advantage of the opportunity, and have not regretted it since!” Now in its 11th year, the COF Jazz Band is a full, 17-part big band including trumpets, trombones, saxes, piano, bass, drums, and guitar. Open to all COF students, faculty and staff, its mission is to rehearse and perform jazz, Latin, pop and fusion big band music, and to educate audience and performers alike in the musical styles and historical context of the music.