Lasell University trustees elected the school’s first African-American president in its 172-year history, the university said in a statement.
Eric M. Turner, who has been provost at the university since 2020, will assume the position on July 1, the statement said. Turner succeeds Michael B. Alexander, who is retiring June 30 after 16 years as president.
“Throughout his long association with Lasell, Eric has focused on enhancing the student experience, building a sense of community and collaboration, and encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit among students, faculty, and staff,” said Gerry DeRoche, chairman of Lasell’s Board of Trustees, in the statement released Tuesday. “While his background and diverse professional experience are second to none, it is Eric’s commitment to uplifting others that truly sets him apart.”
Turner has worked at Lasell, located in Newton, for over 30 years — including as an overseer, a trustee, chair of the Board of Trustees, and a trustee of Lasell Village, the statement said.
As Provost, Turner oversaw the launch of 30 new academic programs, expanded online and hybrid options for students, supported changes to core curriculum and is currently leading the university through the New England Commission of Higher Education re-accreditation process. During Turner’s tenure as the institution’s vice president of graduate and professional studies, the statement said, graduate enrollment grew by 64 percent.
“Lasell is an active, engaged, and vibrant community — one that has been part of my life for three decades,” Turner said in the statement. “We are passionate about teaching and learning, supportive of our students and faculty, and committed to making a difference in the world. I am excited to begin this new chapter at Lasell and look forward to the work ahead.”
As president, Turner will also serve as CEO of Lasell Village, a senior living community on campus where over 250 older adults live, the statement said, working in concert with Lasell Village’s President, Zehra Abid-Wood.
Turner earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University, the statement said. His wife and family are longtime residents of Newton.
Turner has experience in state government, serving as deputy treasurer and executive director of the State Lottery Commission, the statement said.
Turner also has corporate experience — he was a strategic adviser to CEOs of businesses and nonprofits for over 15 years, the statement said, and spent seven years as a senior vice president in multiple financial sectors at State Street Corporation. Earlier in his career, he worked as an investment banker with a Wall Street firm, Drexel Burnham Lambert, and held marketing and finance positions at IBM.
Currently, Turner is actively involved in various community and nonprofit organizations, the statement said, currently serving as an overseer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and on the board of the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth.
Claire Law can be reached at claire.law@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @claire_law_.