Honors and Awards
Edith Lesley Wolfard Award
The Edith Lesley Wolfard Award is named for the founder of Lesley College and is chosen by a vote of the undergraduate faculty and administrators in Liberal Arts & Business, Education, and Mental Health & Well-Being. This award is given to a graduating senior who has achieved academic excellence and has consistently demonstrated qualities of leadership inside and beyond the Lesley community. The award recipient has exhibited a commitment to lifelong learning and professional excellence and the promise of a future best exemplifying the Lesley ideal.
Luke Baldwin Award
The Luke Baldwin Award was established in memory of Dr. Luke Baldwin who during his 15 years at Lesley served as an associate professor, associate dean for academic affairs, and provost. Luke came to Lesley as a faculty member in the Adult Baccalaureate program and was an advocate for the adult learner throughout his career. Lesley is proud to offer the Luke Baldwin Award each year to an adult student who has taken the risk to return to college to live Luke’s ideal of lifelong learning and continued service to the community.
Dean's List
Each semester, full-time students who complete all attempted semester hours and who attain a semester average of 3.5 or more are eligible for the Dean's List. (Incomplete grades are not permitted.) First-year students and sophomores must carry a minimum of nine credits in letter grades, and juniors and seniors, who are not in their placement semester, must also carry a minimum of nine credits in letter grades.
In the semester when seniors and juniors are in placement — and in the case when their placement does not receive a letter grade — they must carry a minimum of 3 credits in letter grades, attain a PASS in their placement and achieve a 3.5 semester GPA.
Academic Standing
To be classified as being in Good Academic Standing:
- Liberal Arts & Business, Mental Health and Well-Being and Education students must hold a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least a 2.0
- Art and Design students must hold a cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.3
- First-Year students must hold a cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.0
Academic Review Committee
In each college, the Academic Review Committee is responsible for monitoring students' overall performance to meet the bachelor’s degree requirements and academic regulations of that college.
Academic Alert
A student in Good Academic Standing is given an Academic Alert if the student obtains a semester GPA below 2.0 for Liberal Arts & Business, Education, and Mental Health & Well-Being students and 2.3 for Art and Design students and 2.0 for Art and Design first-year students.
Academic Support Following an Academic Alert
Students receiving an Academic Alert are strongly encouraged to discuss their plans for future academic success with their advisors. For example, students and their advisors should discuss the students planned use of the University’s academic and personal support services, including the Academic Advising Center and the University’s Center for Academic Achievement.
Academic Probation
Students are placed on Academic Probation if their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 (Liberal Arts & Business, Mental Health & Well-Being and Education) or 2.3 (Art and Design) and 2.0 for first-year students (Art and Design). Students in Art and Design will be placed on probation if they are placed on academic alert for two consecutive semester. If, while on Academic Probation, a student earns a semester GPA of 2.0 or greater but still has a cumulative GPA below a 2.0, they will remain on Academic Probation.
The Academic Review Committee may place a student on academic probation if the student has not completed 75% of courses attempted, not met the internships/student teaching requirement of the major, or been placed under Departmental Review.
Each academic area will notify the student by email of the Academic Review Committee's decision recommendation to place the student on academic probation. The student may respond to this recommendation by providing potentially significant information or evidence that was not available to, or considered by, the Academic Review committee. The student has five (5) business days from the date of the email notification to file a statement with the Vice Provost's office. The Vice Provost will review the recommendation of the Academic Review committee and all documentation both considered by the committee and provided by the student. The Vice Provost will make the final decision on academic probation and will notify the student and the Academic Review committee of the decision. The Vice Provost's decision is final and may not be appealed.
Academic Support While on Alert or Probation
All students on Academic Probation are strongly encouraged to consider adjusting their course loads to have 12 or fewer credits, and may be required to reduce their involvement in co-curricular activities until they have achieved satisfactory academic standards. Students should make appropriate use of the University's academic and personal support services, including the Academic Advising Center and the University's Center for Academic Achievement.
Students who are on academic probation will work with their academic advisor.
Academic Dismissal
The Academic Review Committee may recommend dismissal to the Vice Provost of the College if a student:
- earns a semester GPA below a 2.0 while on Academic Probation;
or
- earns a GPA of 1.0 or less during their first semester of study at Lesley; or
- does not demonstrate the ability to meet degree requirements, including the internship/student teaching requirement of the major, or the Remediation Plan required in the major.
The Vice Provost will notify the student by email of the Academic Review committee’s recommendation for dismissal and offer the student the opportunity to respond. The student will have five (5) business days from the date of the email notification to submit, by email, a detailed written response to the Vice Provost’s office. The Vice Provost will make the final decision concerning dismissal and will notify the student by University email and the Academic Review committee of the decision. The Vice Provost’s decision is final and may not be appealed.
If a student is dismissed, the financial obligation to the college is governed by the financial regulations stated in the Financial Information section of this catalog.
Restricted Programs of Study
The following programs of study have specific academic and professional standards in addition to the College’s general standards. Copies of the relevant standards are available through the departments and are distributed to the students in the programs of study.
Education
Any junior or senior having less than a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, or who otherwise fails to meet the prerequisites, will not be accepted for the Senior Practicum. Likewise, students who do not pass all of their MTEL exams will not be accepted for the Senior Practicum, which is a required element of the Education majors. Effective Fall 2022, all students seeking MA licensure must take and pass the Communications & Literacy exam, and take (but not necessarily pass) all other required MTEL exams prior to registering for the Senior Practicum.
The Department’s Review Committee may determine that a student who fails to meet academic and professional standards of the major will not be allowed to continue in the major. A student may appeal the decision within five working days of receiving notification if they disagree with the decision and if they can demonstrate the availability of new information or evidence that is potentially significant and was not available to the committee and therefore not considered by the committee. The Vice Provost will review the decision of the committee and all documentation considered by the committee. The Vice Provost will notify the student and the committee of their decision within five working days. The decision of the Vice Provost is final. Copies of the appeal process are also available from the Vice Provost of the academic area.
Art Therapy, Counseling, Expressive Arts Therapy, Holistic Psychology, Psychology and Human Services
All courses with benchmark grades that are not met must be repeated.
The Department’s Review Committee may determine that a student who fails to meet academic and professional standards of the major will not be allowed to continue in that major. The Academic Notification informs the student of the Department Review Committee’s concerns and may, if appropriate, include a Remediation Plan. A student may appeal the decision within five working days of receiving notification if they disagree with the decision and if they can demonstrate the availability of new information or evidence that is potentially significant and was not available to the committee and therefore not considered by the committee. The Vice Provost will review the decision of the committee and all documentation considered by the committee. The Vice Provost will notify the student and the committee of her/his decision within five working days. The decision of the Vice Provost is final. Copies of the appeal process are also available from the Vice Provost of the academic area.
Business
All business majors must achieve a grade of “C” or higher in all courses with prefixes CMGMT or CECON. Courses with grades below C must be repeated. Any exceptions must be approved by the Department Chair for the student to continue to the next course sequence.
A grade of "C" or better is required to move to the next internship course.
A cumulative grade point average of 2.3 or better in the major is required to meet the requirements of the major.
Within the General Education Requirements, Business majors are required to complete the following courses in the specified categories:
Social Science Breadth Requirement: CECON 2100 Fundamentals of Economics. This course represents 3 of the 9 credits required in the Social Science category.
Math Requirement: CMGMT 1590 Quantitative Modeling in Business. CMGMT 1590 satisfies Quantitative Reasoning Foundations requirement.
Social Work (BSW)
The Bachelor of Social Work program (BSW) requires students to have earned and maintain an overall minimum GPA of 2.3. Students must complete the following prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better to apply: CANTH 1101, CSOCL 1101 OR CSOCL 1404, and CSWRK 2101. Students may submit an application to the BSW program during the semester they will complete these perquisite courses. If a student is accepted to the program during this semester, it will be “pending” the successful of all prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better. Application to the BSW program requires students to submit an application form, an undergraduate transcript, and a resumé.
Students will complete a two-semester field experience in their senior year. Students will be admitted to field if they do not have any pending “incomplete” grades, have completed all required BSW coursework and meet all previously stated admissions criteria. If students do not meet the admissions criteria, they will work with their social work faculty advisor to determine which criteria had not been met, and to develop a plan to resolve the criteria which had not been satisfied. The student and advisor will submit this plan to the BSW program director and field director who will approve or disapprove the plan. If approved, the student will have one semester to resolve the unmet criteria. If it is impossible for the student to raise their GPA to a 2.3 or to earn a “C” or greater in BSW core courses, the student will be advised to withdraw from the BSW program to ensure timely graduation. The completion of field is dependent on students earning a grade of “C” or better in the following courses: CSWRK 4702, CSWRK 4703, and CSWRK 4704.
Questions about the BSW program should be sent to the BSW Program Director Flavia Stanley (fstanley@lesley.edu). Questions about the BSW program’s field experience should be sent to the BSW Field Director Megan Crowe-Rothstein (mcrorowe@lesley.edu).
Individually Designed Major (Adult Learners)
Adult students with transfer or PLA credits may pursue approved individually designed majors. The individually designed major leads to a BAL in Liberal Studies with a concentration in the student’s area of interest. Students should be aware that for some disciplines, students will be required to meet the same documented professional standards as outlined by the department for the major.
Community College Partnership Programs
Community College Partnership Pathway degree completion programs are restricted to transfer students who have earned an associate's degree. .
Professional and Academic Standards
When a student appears unable to conform to the professional and academic standards of the university’s undergraduate programs, the case will be referred to the Academic Review Committee.
General Suspension, Dismissal
In addition to academic dismissal, probation or alert and financial administrative withdrawal, Lesley reserves the right to suspend or dismiss from the academic programs and/or the residence halls any student who, in the opinion of the college authorities, does not conform to the Community Standards of Conduct described in the Student Handbook. Dismissal from the academic programs or the residence halls does not terminate the student's financial obligation to the college for tuition, residence fees, or other indebtedness.