Working at BSU

A Great Place to Learn — and Work!

What makes Bridgewater State University a great place to work? Faculty, librarians and staff share why they love BSU.

Dr. Vignon Oussa // Professor of Mathematics

Dr. Vignon Oussa

First, can you share what you teach as a Mathematics professor?
I teach several courses in the undergraduate math curriculum. Among the long list of courses, I have taught, I often teach Multivariable Calculus and Geometry. These are courses where students learn powerful methods for solving concrete and abstract problems. Students learn to carry out careful and rigorous calculations and make logically sound arguments. When I teach Geometry, I often get students to actively solve problems in class and present them to their peers. This provides students with an opportunity to realize that doing mathematics can be both a solitary as well as a social endeavor.

Why did you want to teach at BSU?
One of the axiomatic beliefs of the scientific endeavor hinges on the assumption that the universe has a discernible structure that can be pinned down and communicated. The language of this structure has a name: Mathematics. I teach because I want everyone to learn this universal language and appreciate its beauty, complexity, and applicability.

What do you like best about being in the classroom?
Helping students surprise themselves by discovering that they can acquire mathematical concepts they may have judged are outside their conceptual reach. I want to guide students in this journey of overcoming old math phobia and getting rid of false assumptions regarding mathematical abilities. This is often challenging because the cultural landscape is unfriendly to mathematics and its practitioners. For instance, people would shy from disclosing their struggles with reading and comprehension but are often surprisingly eager to proclaim the problematic relationship they have developed with the subject of mathematics over the years. I try my best in the classroom to provide an environment where students can reestablish a more positive rapport with a subject that has played an essential role in my personal life.

[Bridgewater’s] obvious commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, not just in word but in practice, was exceptional and appealed to me. There’s a lot of deep knowledge in this college about what’s happening out in the communities.” Read more »

Dr. Marci J. Swede

Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences

BSU Faculty and Staff Congratulating the Class of 2023

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My true calling is helping people understand their skillsets and interest in what they want to do.” Read more »

Gerald Tang

Executive Director of Career Services and the Internship Program Office

LaCasha Figueroa, ’06

Can you explain what your job entails, what are your main responsibilities?
Student Navigators work to close the accessibility and equity gap by collaborating across departments to provide resources, interventions and opportunities to students most in need and most at risk of not persisting.

What do you like best about your job?
Meeting with students and encouraging them to keep moving toward their goals.

What do you like best about working at BSU?
I like working in the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity. The environment allows me to be my best self and build relationships with students which propels building a block to support student success. Furthermore, being a team member of The Office of Student Success Division allows me to be seen, heard, valued and supported. The work that is being done to support students in this office is moving student persistence to a new level.

There is a remarkable vibe around Bridgewater State. It’s a credit to the whole organization that we do, in fact, connect with each other.” Read more »

Paul Fredette

Part-Time Faculty

Dipti Mehta // Associate Librarian, Head of Research and Instruction at the Maxwell Library

Dipti Mehta

For those who may not know, what are your job responsibilities?
I am a tenure-track Research and Instruction Librarian. I provide user-focused research assistance by teaching library instruction classes, in-person, virtual chat, email, and research consultations for a diverse student, faculty, and community population. I deliver expert one-on-one research consultation to faculty, students, staff, and others emphasizing information literacy and critical thinking skills.

I am a liaison librarian to Anthropology, Communication Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, African Studies and Middle East Studies. As a liaison, I promote online and print resources, build collections based on the courses within the subject discipline and connect faculty and students to the information they seek while fostering learning and research. Building collaborative relationships and developing programming with campus partners for students through innovative programs and creating activities.

What do you like best about your job?
The most rewarding aspect of my job is the connections that I build with faculty and students as a result of assisting them with their research, scholarship, and teaching classes. As a librarian, it is important for me to build lasting partnerships with faculty to continuously provide research and instruction that improves students’ information literacy and critical thinking skills.

What do you like best about working at Bridgewater State?
The best part about working at Bridgewater State University is the diversity and inclusion that is represented in the student, faculty and staff population. Also, to know that you can call some BSU faculty and students your family.

Ashley Hartsfield smiling with long dirty blonde hair and wearing a long sleeve black top while standing on a stairway overlooking a canal in Venice, Italy

Students spend a majority of their time in the classroom, so I hope if I can get them moving in either a fitness class or outdoor adventure, it will help add to their experiences.” Read more »

Ashleigh Hartsfield, '25

Coordinator of the Thornburg Fitness Center & Group Ex/Outdoor Adventure Programs