Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State University
The 2026 Midterms Elections:
Dr. Michael Kryzanek Shares His Thoughts
Dr. Michael Kryzanek, professor emeritus of political science, and author of eight books on national and international politics (the last two with his daughter, Dr. Ann Karreth of Ursinus College), agreed to our request for an interview on Saturday, November 7, to assess the outcome of the midterm elections held last week.
He offers a frank and sharp-toned assessment of the world-changing event.
Dr. Kryzanek was the featured speaker at the November 4th Retired Faculty Club luncheon and spoke on a similar theme.
Please click on the ink below to watch our November 7th interview:
Dr. José Luis Santos, Interim Commissioner of Higher Education in Massachusetts, Visits BSU
President Clark recently hosted Dr. José Luis Santos, Interim Commissioner of Higher Education in the Commonwealth, for a visit where he toured the campus and met with faculty, students and administrators.
BSU Professor Named Counselor Educator of the Year
Dr. M. Nikki Freeburg is second faculty member to receive the award recently
By Brian Benson, G'23, Office of Enrollment, Marketing and Communications
"It was a total surprise to me. They’re the gold standard in the state and to have them acknowledge me is beyond an honor," said Dr. M. Nikki Freeburg, Counselor education professor, after it was announced that she - for the second year in a row - was chosen as Massachusetts’ top counselor educator is a Bridgewater State University professor.
Dr. Freeburg received the 2026 award from the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, just three years after now-emerita Professor Christy Lyons Graham earned the same honor.
Dr. Freeburg was nominated by Dr. Amanda Barudin-Carreiro, the associate director of fieldwork and lab manager in the Department of Counselor Education.
The award recognizes academic professionals’ outstanding service to graduate students.
Dr. Freeburg’s accomplishments include helping organize an annual academic conference whose reach extended beyond BSU, as well as efforts to study artificial intelligence use in mental health education, said Dr. Marci Swede, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions.
“We are extraordinarily proud of the impact Dr. Freeburg has in the mental health counseling profession as an educator, scholar and clinician,” she said.
Dr. Freeburg hopes her students walk away with the skills to treat their clients’ emotional and mental health needs, as well as an understanding of how to achieve a work-life balance.
“When you’re taking care of other people, you get lost in the fold,” she said. “Yes, care for others, but take care of yourself first.”
BSU’s success with this award reflects the high caliber of the counselor education faculty, as well as the university-wide culture of excellence and focus on student support, she said.
“That means you get to teach students at a higher capacity than a lot of other places,” she said, citing a lab where students simulate counseling sessions as one difference maker.
“We’re given these great resources that we can then channel into our students.”
Transfer Students Turn Their BSU Experience Into Undergraduate Research
Our thanks to Ms. Heather Harris, BSU University News, November 3, 2026, for the following article:
Advising, navigating course registration and finding a sense of belonging are just some of the challenges many transfer students face.
As transfer students, Sargine Fortin, ’27, and Sarah Landry, ’27, turned their experiences into a research project that examines how transfer students navigate their transition to Bridgewater State University.
While both women said the transfer process itself was relatively easy, learning to find their footing was more difficult.
“I struggled to make friends at first, as many of my peers developed their friendships during their freshman year,” Sarah said.
Sargine faced similar challenges finding her place on campus and often had questions about resources, support services and how to become involved in the university community.
Looking to better understand the challenges and successes of transfer students, the two social work majors saw an opportunity to explore the topic through undergraduate research when Professor Maggie Roga introduced her students to the Adrian Tinsley Program (ATP).
While both women said the transfer process itself was relatively easy, learning to find their footing was more difficult.
Sargine faced similar challenges finding her place on campus and often had questions about resources, support services and how to become involved in the university community.
ATP is BSU’s signature undergraduate research program that provides $5,000 summer grants for students to conduct in-depth research on a topic of their choosing.
Intrigued by the possibility, Sargine and Sarah proposed a project examining the transfer student experience at BSU.
The goal was to better understand the challenges, successes and needs of transfer students in the School of Social Work.
Participants either completed a 30- to 60-minute interview with Sargine or answered survey questions Sarah created.
They then collected the data and looked for themes and similarities.
“I learned that many students know what specific resources they need but do not know where to find them,” Sargine said.
While the research revealed challenges, it also highlighted some positives.
Sarah said one finding in particular stood out to her.
“I noticed that 100 percent of transfer students felt like they belonged in the social work program,” she said. “This was great to hear because it means that the School of Social Work is creating a safe and welcoming space for students.”
Overall, Sargine said the ATP program taught her how to collaborate closely with others, share ideas, and quiet her “imposter syndrome."
She believes all of this helps in her quest to become a licensed clinical social worker.
“I definitely feel that ATP and undergraduate research have helped me prepare for my (career) goals because of my newfound collaboration skills and confidence,” she said.
For Sarah, strengthening her research skills was a bonus.
“Personally, I learned a lot more about how to conduct research in a professional setting. This was a great experience, and I loved hearing about my peers' experience,” she said.
When offering advice to other transfer students on how to overcome transfer-specific obstacles, Sargine said it’s important to get involved.
“Apply for different opportunities, because oftentimes you are smart enough and do qualify. You have the ability to do hard things,” she said. “Think about the career you want and foster its growth by taking advantage of the opportunities BSU has to offer.”
"Not to be Ministered unto but to Minister"
Dr. Thomas Turner, professor emeritus of history, is the author of Not to be Ministered unto but to Minister: Bridgewater State College, 1840 to 2010, and in the following article we excerpt from his book the story of Miss Lewis:
Sarah Lewis, Class of 1869
"The 1860s also witnessed the enrollment of the first African-American student to attend Bridgewater State Normal School," wrote Dr. Turner.
"Until recently, Mary Hudson Onley, who graduated in 1912, had been accorded that desig-
nation. However, the honor clearly belongs to Sarah
Lewis, who entered the normal school in 1867
and graduated in 1869.
"It is possible other minority students attended the Bridgewater Normal School before Miss Lewis, but her attendance is the first that can be definitively documented," he wrote.
"Sarah A. Lewis was born on February 20, 1846, in Providence, Rhode Island; she was the daughter of William Lewis, who was a native of Rhode Island, and his wife, Sarah, who came from Savannah, Georgia.
"In the 1840s, William worked as a barber, but by 1857, the family had moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, where he secured a position as a
coachman.
"By1864, he was employed as a waiter on the steam paddle vessel Empire State. The ship
was part of the Fall River line that carried high-
end clientele to Newport and New York in luxurious fashion.
"While hardly making the Lewis family wealthy,
they did have sufficient resources to allow Sarah to
pursue an education. In this period, it would have
been much more common for the young woman to
seek employment in the bustling Fall River textile
mills, working for meager wages and enduring
rather poor factory conditions.
"Sarah’s studies progressed so well that she was able to pass the stringent entrance exam to attend Fall River HighSchool, an exam that according to historian Dr. Philip Silvia, professor of history emeritus at BSU, was probably more challenging than the
current Massachusetts MCAS test.
"After graduation, she taught for three terms
before enrolling at Bridgewater. On her enrollment
form, she noted that above and beyond the mini-
mum admission requirements, she had also studied
algebra, natural philosophy, rhetoric and bookkeep-
ing," Dr. Turner continued.
"Sarah was one of 17 students to graduate in
January 1869; she returned to Fall River to teach at
the 1st Division Intermediate School.
"It should not be underestimated just how bold a move this was on the part of both the normal school and Fall River to admit and employ an African-American student.
"For example, Harvard College did not award its
first degree to an African-American until 1870.
"While Sarah Lewis was a pioneer on the racial
front, she was still constrained by 19th-century
gender boundaries.
"When she married Edward Williams on May 11, 1871, a teaching career was closed to her as it was to any married woman. While
"In some areas of the country black women, unlike
white women, might continue to teach in minority
schools after marriage, such an opportunity was not
available in Massachusetts.
"With teaching out of the question, Sarah had
to rely on her husband for support. Since he was
a cook and caterer, the couple moved in 1880 to
Manhattan where he had found employment.
"Eventually, they returned to West Newton where Sarah supplemented the family income by working as a seamstress. Edward died in 1902, and by 1910,
she had moved to Cambridge and was supporting
herself as a dressmaker.
"Eventually, she lived with her married daughter, Florence, in Everett, dying on January 24, 1939, at the age of 92. She is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River.
"Parenthetically, the Lewis family was also
connected with another very significant African-
American family. Sarah’s younger sister, Mary, born
June 19, 1847, had married Lewis Howard Latimer
on November 15, 1873.
"Lewis was the son of George Latimer and his wife, Rebecca. The couple had escaped from slavery in the south to Boston in 1842; George, who was light skinned, posed as a master and Rebecca, as his slave<" reported Dr. Turner.
"Their case gained great publicity, and abolitionists raised funds to prevent the couple’s return to their owners.
"While Lewis Latimer, Sarah Lewis and her sister, Mary, are examples of some racial progress
after the Civil War, Sarah’s life raises the issue of
promises unfulfilled.
"Mary, given her husband’s position, was able to live an upper-middle-class life and even to mix to some degree into white society. Sarah, however, despite her education and obvious abilities, found many doors closed to her.
"As emeritus professor of history Philip Silvia concludes, 'But we cannot help thinking about how much Sarah Lewis would have offered as a professional educator had her career not been aborted by prejudicial legislation.”
Retired Faculty Club Upcoming Luncheons
February 3, 2027 Dr. John Kucich, English, Presentation on Native Americans in Littleton, MA during Thoreau’s time.
Luncheon at noon - Heritage Room, Maxwell Library
March 3, 2027 Ms. Jennifer Turner, Executive Director of the Robbins House, an African American Museum in Concord, MA who has taught at BSU as a VL, History Dept., and the Senior College
Luncheon at noon - Heritage Room, Maxwell Library
April 7, 2027 Dr. Orson Kingsley, Director, Archives – Tour of the BSU Archives
Luncheon at noon – Heritage Room, Maxwell Library (Tour of Archives to follow)
May 5, 2027 Retired Faculty Club Business Meeting
Luncheon at noon – Heritage Room, Maxwell Library (Business meeting to follow)
Club dues annual membership fee is $25.00
Luncheon cost is $15.00 per person
This concludes the report for Monday, November 9, 2026
Next edition: Monday, November 16, 2026