Louise Simmons

Director Emeritus

Louise Simmons was Director of Urban Semester from 1980 until 2014.  During that time, an important focus of her work was to secure Urban Semester’s place in the University. Other areas included expanding the group of organizations in which students could intern and insuring the quality of the internships, as well as dealing with housing issues for students.  Professor Simmons has a long history of community activism in Hartford and used this knowledge to enhance the program.  She has a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Studies from MIT and served a term on the Hartford City Council in the early 1990s.  She is on the faculty of the School of Social Work.