Antoinette Hays

About

As the 10th president of Regis College, Antoinette Hays has overseen unprecedented growth, development, and transformation at the Catholic institution. During her tenure, she has led Regis College from a small liberal arts school to a comprehensive, multiple pedagogical university educating more than 3,000 students around the world.

Named a Living Legend in Massachusetts Nursing by the American Nurses Association, President Hays spearheads Regis College’s continued excellence in preparing the next generation of nursing and health science leaders through Regis’ mission of educating the whole person.

She began her career in higher education as a faculty member at Boston College and Boston University, before coming to Regis College in 1985. She was named Dean of the School of Nursing, Science, and Health Professions in 2006 and then university president in 2011.

Excellence Tempered with Gentleness

Through purposeful action and leadership, President Hays has positioned Regis College to thrive in the 21st century global society. She established two new schools, the School of Health Sciences and the Marshall M. Sloane School of Business and Communication, to join the School of Arts and Sciences and the Richard and Sheila Young School of Nursing. President Hays also facilitated the naming of the School of Nursing and School of Business and Communication.

She guided the university’s launch of a robust online learning platform in 2017 that offers graduate, doctoral, and accelerated bachelor’s programs in fields such as nursing practice and social work, and strategic communication. The online program has seen tremendous growth in enrollment each year, bringing Regis’ exemplary curricula to more students around the world.

In 2007, President Hays further solidified Regis College as the standard bearer for nursing education by establishing the first Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the Greater Boston area. To date, the program boasts more than 180 graduates who have gone on to become nursing leaders and educators.

To improve nursing education and infrastructure beyond the Regis College campus and because of her commitment to global health, President Hays leveraged the institution’s nursing program to found the Regis Haiti Project in 2007. It contributes to an expansive trajectory harnessing the impact of higher education for nurses in Haiti, and has led to 37 nurses there earning their master’s degree in nursing with a focus on leadership. Regis in Haiti continues with the establishment of a simulation education program and doctor of nursing practice program for nursing faculty in Haiti.

Recognizing the need to provide an easy transition for community college students seeking a four-year degree, President Hays launched Regis North, a satellite campus at Northern Essex Community College. Not only is Regis North a pathway to bachelor’s completion, but it also provides accessible educational opportunities to the Merrimack Valley.

In addition to the growth of Regis College’s educational mission, President Hays has overseen unprecedented expansion of the Weston campus including the construction of Maria Hall Extension and the campus quad, and renovation of the library building into the Tegan Learning Commons.

President Hays directed the successful completion of a $40-million fundraising campaign and is responsible for stewarding the single largest gift in the university’s history, a $5 million donation by the Victor and William Fung Foundation that supports the Fung Scholars Program.

Among the numerous recognitions Regis has garnered for its academic excellence and community engagement during President Hays’ tenure:

• Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League of Nursing
• Top 100 Women-Led Business by The Boston Globe and The Commonwealth Institute
• The Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award
• Military-Friendly Institution designation
• First-gen Forward institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success

Beyond her many responsibilities at Regis, President Hays currently serves on the boards of Partners In Health (since 2013); Trinity Catholic Academy in Brockton, Massachusetts; the Association of Colleges of the Sisters of St. Joseph; the Lawrence Partnership; Health eVillages; and is a member the Massachusetts Health Care Collaborative on Health Care Workforce. She is an active member of the National Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the National Council of Independent Colleges. President Hays is also the founding president for the Regis chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society.

President Hays’ nursing career and research focused on improving quality of care for older adults, many of whom require long-term care and manage multiple comorbidities. Through her clinical and scholarship work, President Hays addressed the role ageism plays in the social, economic, and policy injustices related to older adult care, and she has relentlessly advocated for improving geriatric care across the health system.

She and her husband, John Przybylski, MD, have three adult children, two granddaughters, and one grandson.