Salem State University Graduate School

SSU graduate students, the last day to withdraw from Summer Session I is approaching quickly (June 5th). If you may need to withdraw from a course, please plan ahead.

Once a Viking, always a Viking! Alumni Weekend 2026 is your chance to reconnect, revisit, and see what’s changed (and what hasn’t). From rooftop receptions to campus tours to the biggest party of the year, there’s something for every kind of return.

Learn the full event schedule and buy tickets on the event page: https://www.salemstate.edu/calendar/alumni-weekend-2026-jun-05-2026

Today, Memorial Day 2026, we pause to honor the sacrifice of the U.S. military personnel who died while serving our country and to reflect on the cost of freedom.

Graduate students: Remember that Summer sessions begin today, May 18th, and the Add/Drop period ends tomorrow. Don't get caught by surprise!

Important conversations took center stage at this year’s Occupational Therapy Research Conference.

Presentations explored the role of occupational therapists in improving healthcare access and community integration for immigrant families, highlighting both the challenges families face and the opportunities for more equitable care.

Featured presentations included “Advancing Equity: Occupational Therapy's Role in Immigrant Healthcare Access” and “Occupational Therapy Professionals' Perspectives on Barriers to Community Integration for Immigrant Families in Early Intervention”. Congratulations to the presentees for their hard work!

The review panel for the Joseph T. Flibbert Graduate Student Paper Award commends all nominees for work reflecting the highest level of scholarship across disciplines. This year’s submissions explored topics such as:

Student writing & procrastination
Leadership development
Sustained inquiry
Motherhood (social & ethical dimensions)
Stroke impacts

We’re honored to announce this year's recipients of the Joseph T. Flibbert Graduate Student Paper Award.

🥉 Third Place
Magdalena Bernal (MAT in Spanish)
“The Conflict of Being a Mother…”
Nominated by Dr. Fátima Serra

🥇 First Place (Tie)
Evan Healy (Psychology)
Nominated by Dr. Kathy Hess

Yusuf Aydin (English / Writing Center)
Nominated by Dr. DeCiccio

This year’s top two papers stood out in very different ways: one advancing research on leadership development, the other offering a creative, applied perspective on procrastination. We are pleased to recognize the range of scholarly work that graduate students complete.

Congratulations to all nominees and awardees for your outstanding work!

From a full agenda of thoughtful presentations to engaged attendees, supportive peers, and meaningful conversations, the energy at this year's Research Day was impossible to miss.

Thank you to everyone who presented, attended, asked questions, and helped make this year’s event such a success. The curiosity, creativity, and hard work on display made one thing clear: incredible things are happening at Salem State University.

Grateful to many for providing photos from the event, especially Drs. Keja Valens, Vanessa Ruget, and Danney Rasco.

The Canvas outage is real, and the students aren’t exactly mad about it occurring during the week of finals.

Congratulations to Luiz da Costa (G'25) on publishing a new children's book, O Astronauta Do Planeta Sem Nome! We hope that you had an excellent trip as you celebrated the book launch in São Paulo, Brazil this week.

Thank you to Dr. Valens, coordinator for the MA English program, for keeping us in the loop about the outstanding accomplishments of our Salem State University Alumni.

Are you graduating Spring 2026 and need additional tickets for your ceremony? A limited number of additional tickets will be released on May 7 (first come, first served) at staggered times by ceremony. If the building reaches capacity, satellite viewing will be available in the Ellison Campus Center.

Learn more: https://www.salemstate.edu/offices-and-services/commencement/commencement-information-graduates

Reserve further tickets: https://salemstategrad.universitytickets.com/

Parking: The main lot is at the O’Keefe Complex (225 Canal Street), with satellite parking available on North and Harrington campuses. Both are within walking distance.

Take a few minutes now to reserve your tickets, plan parking, and share details with your guests so you can focus on the moment when it arrives.