Speeches and Writings

Good morning, Framingham!

You belong here. 

You’re sitting here:  You got the t-shirt. You got the audience.  You’re getting the love. Everyone’s said, “Yay, you! Off to college!” Hopefully, mostly said with joy and pride, mixed probably with some sadness. 

But mixed in with all these voices of support might also be some wariness – will you be the same person you are now? Is that voice inside your head also saying, “You sure you got this?  You sure you belong here?” OR “No one else in your family has done this” OR “My family needs my help.” 

Worries about your family and finances are real to be sure, but in terms of whether you belong here – do you deserve to go to college? Are you college material? 

The answer is unequivocally, one hundred percent yes. 

There’s a lot of noise in the world right now about how getting a college education doesn’t matter anymore – that you don’t need to go to college in order to have a good life. 

This noise is not an accident.

The reason why people are making so much noise about college educations not paying off and not being for you is that some people do not think you should be here, that you do not belong.

Now who is it that would dare to say that? People with a lot of power—a lot – of power. Think gazillionaires and tech venture capitalists, for starters. They and others with outsized means do not want you to feel like you deserve the learning and connective experiences college offers because they do not want you to have power that these things offer. 

World-renowned Brazilian educator Paulo Freire channeled the idea that radical power of education belongs to everyone 60 years ago, and if you do not know who he is, I encourage you to go find out about him. Freire believed that becoming literate – learning how to read—transforms people. He knew that with education, people have a sense of self, dignity, and the power to make change for themselves and the world. 

Freire began his work teaching formerly illiterate sugarcane harvesters to read in 45 days. After news of these harvesters’ educational success spread, this kind of education caught fire in Brazil. Thousands of people began literacy circles, and proved that learning how to read changed lives forever. Learning how to read gave many people new lives.

In his country, Freire was considered a dangerous political subversive because he showed with his teaching that education is a practice of freedom.

Your education here can be freedom as well – not freedom from anything but freedom to …

• think about the situations that surround you, 
• listen to others more intelligently. 
• see new relationships and see the world with different eyes
• have new ideas – new words for things, new concepts to debate, new places to see. 
• You will gain the courage to question authority. To be curious.
• And, if you take this journey of education seriously, you will have different tools with which to name things, and you’ll have new ways, with professors and mentors’ help, to bridge the gap between what you cannot see now, and what is possible for you to see.

So let’s begin with the end in mind.

You should each have a tassel on your seat – if not, we’ll make sure you get one. I’d be honored if you kept it – someplace where you keep important things -- to remind you of the reason you are here. To remind you that you belong here. And when you’re ready to graduate, I want to see that tassel again. Bring it to me or to anyone who has helped you along this journey and we’ll celebrate how you know what Freire knew and what we who are here to educate you know: 

education is power and it is freedom!

Welcome to Framingham!

The two main criteria for inclusion on WBJ’s Power 100 are: How much power does a Central Massachusetts professional hold, and how do they use it?

CEOs of a major public companies with billions in revenues certainly hold plenty of power, but if they don’t use it to significantly influence the regional economy or community, they won’t be included in the Power 100. Conversely, small business owners or vocal community advocates might generate little revenue and have no employees, but if they have innovative ideas or a wide-ranging impact, that merits serious consideration for the Power 100.

So, WBJ’s Power 100 isn’t a list of the people who hold the most power in the Central Massachusetts economy. It’s a list of the people who most effectively wield their power to have outsized influence on the region.

June 8, 2026

Link to President Niemi's profile

Highlighting a new Massachusetts initiative to expand paid cooperative education and other work-based learning opportunities at public universities, with Framingham State, Bridgewater State, and MassArt each receiving $20,000 to develop regional co-op partnerships beginning in fall 2026.  Participating in this initiative emphasizes FSU’s goal of ensuring every student has access to a meaningful internship, co-op, or applied learning experience without delaying graduation.

April 6, 2026

Link to Article

Proposition of a $30 million investment in a new library at Framingham State University through the Massachusetts BRIGHT Act, which would provide a modern, more accessible space for students and the broader community, as well as a central gathering place at the heart of campus.

April 3, 2026

Link to article

Coming Soon