Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State University
Since 1925, Boyden Hall Has Been
BSU's Front Door . . . and It's Now Easier to Enter
Boyden Hall has been the most distinctive image of our university since it opened its doors in 1925 - 101 years ago - and now it has something it's never had before . . . railings on its front steps.
The railings are part of a major renovation of the building that has been in progress for months.
Do you remember the first time you walked into Boyden Hall?
Odds are, every living alumna/alumnus (all nearly 90,000 of us) do.
Back in the 1940s and 50s, freshmen students weren't allowed to enter through the front doors, wearing their beanies identifying them as freshman meant they had to access the building through a side or back door.
But that Boyden Hall even exists has a story to it - as the video taken this past weekend explains - because a fire in December, 1924 destroyed its predecessor, Normal Hall, along with five other buildings.
No fire? No Boyden Hall.
In 1891, Normal Hall opened at Bridgewater State Normal School, and its sister building opened at Framingham State Normal School.
Next time you're in Framingham, stop by and see the building. It hasn't changed and it's still open.
John Heller, late professor of art at BSU, once said, "If that fire in '24 had happened 40 years later, for example in 1964, a big brick box would have replaced it, not the elegant Georgian style structure of Boyden Hall, so popular in earlier times."
On that cold December morning of 1924, it is said that Arthur Clarke Boyden, class of 1871, principal from 1906 to 1931, and president in 1932, stood on the quadrangle with tears in his eyes as his beloved school burned down.
But "Mr. A.C." was the leader Bridgewater needed at that moment - he fought incessant attempts to relocate BSU to Middleboro, Taunton and Plymouth.
And he rebuilt BSU right where it had stood.
To see the video about Boyden Hall's new railings, please click here:
BSU Bids Adieu to Joanne Abdallah, '83
President Clark has shared with the university community this tribute to Ms.
Joanne Abdallah, '83, who just retired after 33 years at BSU:
As director of the Speech Language Literacy Center, Joanne Abdallah, ’83, helped clients communicate with confidence while preparing students to become speech-language pathologists," the president said.
This dual role made her 33-year career at Bridgewater State University so fulfilling.
"I really enjoy mentoring the next generation. That’s what made Bridgewater so attractive to me ',” said Ms. Abdallah, who is retiried on June 19.
She sold "It was a great way for me to give back.”
Ms. Abdallah earned a degree in communication disorders from Bridgewater State. After leaving for graduate school and starting her career, she was drawn back to campus to be an adjunct professor.
She then became a full-time clinical supervisor and, ultimately, director of the Speech Language Literacy Center.
“We see adult and pediatric clients for services with no charge to them,” Ms. Abdallah said of the center, which serves people with a range of disorders that affect how they produce sounds, speak smoothly, control vocal quality and use words.
“Our graduate students provide the services under the supervision of speech-language pathologists.”
She played a key role in the growth of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders by helping launch its graduate program and expand the center.
Ms. Abdallah served on the building committee for the renovated Burnell Hall that will include a larger and better-equipped space for the center.
“I’ve gotten to watch the university grow up and expand,” she said, praising BSU’s embrace of diversity and inclusivity across the institution. “I’ve watched the campus just spread out and bloom. Being part of that growth is what I’ll remember.”
How Bridgewater State Connections Helped Launch
Brittany Giudici's Career in Tech
We are grateful to Ms. Heather Harris Michonski, G '26, fo sharing this story which she authored, She is a senior media manager in the Office of Enrollment, Marketing and Communications.
Brittany (Benson) Giudici, '10, says the relationships she built on campus have helped her shape a career that's taken her so far from Apple to Microsoft
Fifteen years ago, Ms. Giudici was walking to class at Bridgewater State University when she bumped into her friend Dan Kent,
’10.
During the conversation, he alerted Giudici to a potential job
opportunity.
Mr. Kent’s friend who worked at Apple, Inc. was interviewing for
communications roles in marketing at the internship level.
“He asked me if it was something I’d be interested in. I said, ‘yes! Of
course," Ms. Giudici recalled.
After interviewing, she was hired. When the semester ended, Ms. Giudici moved to California and spent her summer working on marketing and communications for the iPhone 3GS on Apple’s Worldwide Sales Team.
Since then, the BSU alumna’s career has taken her all over the globe
working with tech companies focused on online retail, human and
AI-generated language translation technology, and multi-national enterprise networks.
But it was that Bridgewater connection that started it all for the former North Attleboro resident. After she completed her summer internship with Apple, Ms. Giudici returned to campus to finish school and earn a degree in communications.
“My experience at Bridgewater was very positive. I was a commuter and delayed starting school because my mom passed away,” she said. “I was going through a big life transition and was a little apprehensive about what my college experience was going to be like.”
What she did to quell those nerves was to get involved. Outside of being a stellar student, she joined Gamma Phi Beta and got involved in the school’s communications club and other organizations.
“I made sure to get involved,” Ms. Guidici said. “That strongly contributed to my positive experience. I felt very connected to everyone on campus.”
The support she received from her professors, particularly Professor Nancy Van Leuven, also motivated her.
“I felt like my professors were deeply invested in my success. Some of them still email me even though it’s been 16 years,” Guidici said.
Today, she lives in Idaho with her husband Michael and their two children, Aubriella Aurora, 3, and Elliana Sienna, 1.
As she started a family, she also built a strong career and now works as director of communications for Microsoft’s Global Cybersecurity Division.
In her role, she translates complex strategies and technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives for both internal and external audiences.
In addition to her work, she is also the founder of Treasure Valley Women in Tech, a mentorship and leadership-focused community. The goal of the organization is to bridge the gap between students, early-career professionals, and established leaders.
“After I had my first daughter, I thought about all the people who helped me along the way, and how much of that came from building connections."
While her career has taken her far beyond Bridgewater State, there will always be one campus connection that continues to stand out.
“Dan was and still is someone I often think of when I look back at my career progression,” Guidici said. “It was him, and that connection that helped me get to where I am today."
Memory Lane: 28 Years Ago This Month,
a Tribute to Dr. Adrian Tinsley
June, 1999 . . . On a warm afternoon Dr. Adrian Tinsley, then completing her 10th year as president of then-Bridgewater State College, had been in Boston for a meeting and had no idea what awaited her upon her return to campus.
In a carefully-planned - and secret - sequence of events, she had been met in the Boyden Hall parking lot by Dr. Richard Cost (second from left above), then vice president of development, and guided into Boyden Hall, expecting to take the elevator to her second floor office.
But a pre-arranged fire alarm suddenly went off, and Dr. Cost said, "Adrian, follow me out the front door."
The photo above, on the front cover of Bridgewater magazine, captured her surprise as Vice President for Administration Dana Mohler-Faria, left, and then-Chairman of the Board of Trustees Fred Clark, '83, stood beside her as she saw more than a hundred faculty, students, staff and alumni waiting to cheer her on for completing 10 years of outstanding leadership.
It was then she saw, among other gifts to be presented to her, the wooden bench that surrounds the tree nearest Horace Mann Auditorium.
Soon a rock would be placed beside the bench (it's still there) inscribed appropriately to mark the occasion.
In April, 2015, Dr. Tinsley returned to the campus to participate in an historic "Presidential Roundtable Discussion" involving, in addition to herself, then-President Dana Mohler-Faria and President-Elect Frederick Clark, who would take office on July 1st.
At that point, she had been retired since 2002, after completing thirteen years as president.
To watch a video of Dr. Tinsley's presentation at that 2015 event, please click on the link below:
Next edition: June 29th