Mae Keefe (MSIT ’18) had no plans to pursue a career in IT when she completed her BA in Philosophy in 2011.

Instead, she found a job in customer service, working at a small software company. Though she answered questions about technology daily, she never directly interacted with the software’s code.

Eventually, Keefe decided to change that. She saw how her company’s software improved businesses and wanted to learn the hard skills, such as programming languages, required to design similar tools herself.

“It’s amazing to me how reliant we are on technology as a society, but really have very little understanding of how it functions,” she says.

Determined to learn more about the product she was supporting, Keefe transitioned into quality assurance in 2015. Just one year later, she arrived at Bentley University for a Master’s in Information Technology (MSIT).

Seeking a Skillset Companies Desired

Keefe was not looking for a typical computer science degree.

Her work at the software company taught her that it was vital to understand both technology and business in order to be competitive in today’s economy. She explains that she “wanted to become conversant not just with business and sales people, but with developers and system architects as well.”

She found that dual approach of IT and business at Bentley.

Rather than explaining IT through lectures and theories, her professors encourage vibrant discussions about real-world cases, showing students how IT can be utilized to innovate and streamline business processes. She recalls Professor Bill Schiano’s class, Enterprise Architecture, saying that he “demands that you learn not just the content, but the skills needed to make use of it in the real world.”

From her MSIT courses, Keefe is learning the skills necessary to communicate not only with developers and system architects but also with marketers and financial analysts and all other stakeholders in business.

Finding a Community of Falcons

Though some may see her trajectory from philosophy to IT as a drastic change, Keefe sees the two subjects as complementing one another. Her undergraduate philosophy classes taught her to take complex ideas and break them down, something she now does with technological concepts.

“Substitute esoteric ideas with systems and databases, and I’m doing the same thing today!” she says.

What was a big change for her, however, was the community she found at Bentley. Going to a large university for undergrad meant she often felt like a number and didn’t know where to go for needed resources. At Bentley, she found that the “staff and faculty seem to make it their mission to provide opportunities and pave the way for student success.”

With the smaller campus also comes a closer community. Keefe’s classmates often tell her about internships, jobs, events, and articles they think might interest her. Today, she’s created friendships with people from all over the world, and that diversity of the student population is one of her favorite parts about the MSIT.

“Learning about other people’s experiences and career goals has definitely helped me shape my own,” she says, “and I’m really thankful for that.”

Using IT to Change the World

Keefe’s career goals take a big-picture approach.

“I care less about what job I have when I graduate and more about what kind of problems I’ll be able to help solve and the people it will impact,” she says. “The world has big problems to solve, and it needs people who can build and utilize new tools in order to solve them.”

Through the Bentley MSIT, Keefe is gaining the hard skills she once lacked — she’s already completed her first programming class — while learning how to think in business terms. Add in her passion for social justice, and she is optimistic about her future.

She hopes to use technological tools to support sustainability and encourage more women to study and work in STEM fields, two causes about which she is passionate.

“I am genuinely concerned about the problems facing humanity right now, but I am also optimistic about our ability to solve them,” says Keefe. “Technology is inevitably going to be part of that solution, and so am I.”

Here’s a question we’re frequently asked in the admissions department:Should I take the GRE or the GMAT for business school?

There isn’t a definitive answer that applies across the board. Different schools accept different tests—and some accept both. But there are some things to consider before you make your decision; we’ve outlined them below.  

GMAT vs. GRE

To understand the purpose of these tests, it helps to see them in context, alongside other exams associated with higher education. Each of the so-called “professional schools” has its own standardized test:

• MCAT—for applicants to medical school

• LSAT—for applicants to law school

• GMAT—for applicants to business school

The GRE was created for applicants to most other graduate programs that don’t fall into one of these three professional schools.

The GMAT Exam

The Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, was created by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) specifically for admission to business schools. GMAC owns and administers the test.

What’s on the GMAT test?

Generally speaking, the GMAT assesses your quantitative and analytical skills, which are necessary for business school and demanded of business professionals. According to the official GMAT website, the skills demonstrated on the GMAT exam are the ones “that matter most in business school and beyond.” Up until just a few years ago, it was the only test accepted by MBA program recruiters. The GMAT is comprised of four sections:

1. Analytical Writing Assessment: Test takers are presented with a topic and asked to analyze the reasoning behind a given argument in a written critique. Skills evaluated: analysis of the argument.

2. Integrated Reasoning: Test takers are presented with numerous information sources in different formats and asked to solve complex problems based on all the information provided. Skills evaluated: multi-source reasoning, graphics interpretation, analysis.

3. Quantitative: Test takers use reasoning skills (data analysis and drawing conclusions) to solve mathematical problems. Skills evaluated: data sufficiency, problem-solving.

4. Verbal: Test takers answer questions related to understanding/analyzing information and using reasoning skills to craft arguments, as well as proficiency of the English language. Skills evaluated: reading comprehension, critical reasoning, sentence correction.   

Test takers receive one score for the GMAT, ranging from 200 to 800. For the past five years, 500 has been the average score on the GMAT around the world. (Note: You can find sample topics from each of these sections on the GMAT website.)

Wondering when to start preparing for the test? Download our instruction manual for grad school applicants and get a complete timeline for the application process.
 

The GRE Exam

The GRE General Test assesses quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills. According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the test, the questions featured on this test “closely reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do in graduate or business school.”

What’s on the GRE test?

The GRE has three test sections:

• Verbal Reasoning: Test takers are presented with text passages and answer questions demonstrating their ability to analyze and draw conclusions, distinguish major from minor points, summarize text, and understand the meanings of words. Skills evaluated: analysis and evaluation of text, and the ability to synthesize information obtained from it.

• Quantitative Reasoning: Test takers answer questions requiring them to interpret data presented in a variety of forms. Skills evaluated: basic math skills and the ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems with quantitative methods.

• Analytical Writing: Test takers write two separately-timed responses—one to analyze a particular issue and one to analyze an argument. Skills evaluated: critical thinking, information analysis, and writing.

Test takers receive three scores for the GRE—one for each test section. In verbal and quantitative reasoning, scores range from 130 to 170. Analytical writing scores range from 0 to 6.

Which test should you take?

In the past five years, some business schools have started to accept both the GRE and the GMAT. In deciding whether to take the GRE or GMAT for business school, consider the following:

1. Which test does the school or schools you hope to attend accept? Check this first—GMAT vs. GRE requirements vary.

2. How much time do you have to prepare? The GMAT takes longer to prepare for because it’s a more complex test. It has four parts compared to the GRE’s three, and places more emphasis on quantitative and analytical skills. If you’re short on time (and it doesn’t matter if you take the GRE vs. GMAT), you might consider taking the GRE.

3. What are your strengths? A lot of people ask, “When it comes to GRE vs. GMAT, which is easier?” Unfortunately, the answer varies according to the person taking the test. In general, people with better-than-average analytical skills, like engineers, for example, tend to do well on the GMAT because their natural way of thinking matches the structure of the test, with a greater focus on logical arguments and quantitative questions. People who are stronger in vocabulary and communications may do better on the GRE, though math is still a big component of the exam. It all depends on your strengths, your study style, and the way you think. So don’t waste time considering which is harder or easier—both require a great deal of preparation if you hope to do well.

4. Will your GMAT score be necessary for future employment? Depending on the type of career you go into, some companies may ask to see your GMAT score as part of the recruitment process (though this happens very rarely). They’ll consider it right along with your transcript, interview, experience, and any other information they have available. If you have a GRE score, it’s possible they won’t consider you as a potential candidate for employment. Research companies that you would like to work for post-MBA or talk to corporate recruiters to seek out what they look for in new hires.

5. How will my scores compare against other applicants? Some schools convert GRE scores to GMAT scores using a special comparison tool. Only the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning scores will be considered in the conversion, not the analytical writing score.  

6. How much will each test cost? Both the GRE and GMAT are an investment. Depending on what part of the world you live in, the cost to take the GRE is either $205 or $220. It can be retaken once every 21 days, up to five times within any continuous 12-month period. The cost to take the GMAT exam is $250 globally. The GMAT can be retaken once every 31 days, up to five times within a continuous 12-month period.

Testing Tips For Future MBA Applicants

• Ask potential schools for three things when it comes to both the GMAT and the GRE: 1) The minimum requirement for admission, 2) the range of test scores they receive, and 3) the average test score they admit. The definition of a “good” score varies by school, so asking the three questions above will give you a good idea of the type of schools you should apply to based on your test score. Because the tests are computer-based, you’ll know how you did as soon as you complete the test. (Though the GRE test score will be “unofficial” until 10-15 days after your test date, during which time the writing portion will be scored.)

• Give extra attention to the beginning sections of both tests. Both the GRE and the GMAT are adaptive, meaning that the questions at the beginning of each section start out at an average level of difficulty (500-level, approximately) and either increase or decrease in difficulty based on how you performed early on. If you start out low, it will be that much harder to make up lost points.   

When deciding whether to take the GMAT vs. the GRE for business school, remember this: Test scores aren’t everything, but they are a significant starting point for admissions departments simply because they provide common ground on which to evaluate all business school applicants. Everyone who applies has different backgrounds, different work experience, and different life experience; as the recruiting process goes on, those things will also come into play. But good test scores will always be an asset—so choose the test that you believe you’ll do best on, and prepare to the best of your ability.

Visit our website for more information about Bentley’s three MBA programs and to find out about our own Admission Committee’s review process.  

Recent Member Publications

Onur Altindag

Altindag, O., & Joyce, T. (2017). Judicial Bypass for Minors Seeking Abortions in Arkansas Versus Other States. American Journal of Public Health, 107(8), 1266-1271.

Altindag, O. (2016). Son preference, fertility decline, and the nonmissing girls of Turkey. Demography, 53(2), 541-566.

Reeder, J. A., Joyce, T., Sibley, K., Arnold, D., & Altindag, O. (2014). Telephone peer counseling of breastfeeding among WIC participants: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics, peds-2013.

Bridie Andrews

Andrews, B. J. (2016). Guest Editor's Introduction. East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine, Special issues (2) on the history of medicine in China (41), 9-17.

Andrews, B. J. (2016). Ding Fubao and the morals of medical modernization. East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine (42), 7-36.

Zhang, S., Huang, L., Zhao, J., Zhang, J., Zhang, X., & Andrews, B. J. (2016). 对针灸!辨证论治"的回顾与省思 (A historically-informed discussion of "pattern differentiation for determining treatment" in acupuncture). 中国科技史杂志 (Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology), 37(1), 88-95.

Danielle Blanch Hartigan

Kim Bernat, J., Coa, K., & Blanch-Hartigan, D. (2017). Cancer survivors as activated patients: Exploring the relationship between cancer history and patient activation. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 35(2), 239-247.

Litzelman, K., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Lin, C. C., & Han, X. (2017). Correlates of the positive psychological byproducts of cancer: Role of family caregivers and informational support. Palliative & Supportive Care, 1-11. doi: 10.1017/S1478951517000050.

Place, S., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Rubin, C., Gorrostieta, C., Mead, C., Kane, J., ... & Azarbayejani, A. (2017). Behavioral Indicators on a Mobile Sensing Platform Predict Clinically Validated Psychiatric Symptoms of Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(3), e75.

Fitzgerald, K., & Hartigan, D. B. (2016). Patient-provider discussion about nutrition during routine visits: Frequency, quality, and outcomes. Fusio: The Bentley Undergraduate Research Journal (1 (1)), 107-118.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., Chawla, N., Moser, R. P., Rutten, L. J. F., Hesse, B. W., & Arora, N. K. (2016). Trends in cancer survivors’ experience of patient-centered communication: Results from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 10(6), 1067-1077.

de Moor, J. S., Virgo, K. S., Li, C., Chawla, N., Han, X., Blanch-Hartigan, D., ... & Yabroff, K. R. (2016). Access to Cancer Care and General Medical Care Services Among Cancer Survivors in the United States: An Analysis of 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Data. Public Health Reports, 131(6), 783-790.

Klein, W. M., Grenen, E. G., O’Connell, M., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Chou, W. Y. S., Hall, K. L., ... & Vogel, A. L. (2016). Integrating knowledge across domains to advance the science of health behavior: overcoming challenges and facilitating success. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 1-8.

Yabroff, R. K., Dowling, E. C., Guy Jr., G. P., Banegas, M., Davidoff, A., Han, X., Virgo, K. S., McNeel, T., Chawla, N., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Li, C., Rodriguez, J., de Moor, J. S., Zheng, J., Jemal, A., Ekwueme, D. U., & Kent, E. E. (2015). Financial hardship associated with cancer in the United States: findings from a population-based sample of adult cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 34(3), 259-267.

Rutten, L. J. F., Hesse, B. W., Sauver, J. L. S., Wilson, P., Chawla, N., Hartigan, D. B., ... & Arora, N. K. (2016). Health Self-Efficacy Among Populations with Multiple Chronic Conditions: the Value of Patient-Centered Communication. Advances in Therapy, 33(8), 1440-1451.

Ruben, M. A., Blanch-Hartigan, D., & Hall, J. A. (2016). Nonverbal Communication as a Pain Reliever: The Impact of Physician Supportive Nonverbal Behavior on Experimentally Induced Pain. Health Communication, 1-7.

Rutten, L. J. F., Agunwamba, A. A., Wilson, P., Chawla, N., Vieux, S., Blanch-Hartigan, D., ... & Hesse, B. W. (2016). Cancer-related information seeking among cancer survivors: trends over a decade (2003–2013). Journal of Cancer Education, 31(2), 348-357.

Chawla, N., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Virgo, K. S., Ekwueme, D. U., Han, X., Forsythe, L., ... & Yabroff, K. R. (2016). Quality of patient-provider communication among cancer survivors: findings from a nationally representative sample. Journal of Oncology Practice, 12(12), e964-e973.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., Andrzejewski, S. A., & Hill, K. M. (2016). Training people to be interpersonally accurate. The Social Psychology of Perceiving Others Accurately, 253-269.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., Chawla, N., Beckjord, E. I., de Moor, J. S., Forsythe, L.P., Hesse, B. W., & Arora, N. K. (2015). Cancer survivors’ treatment summary receipt associated with higher patient-centered communication and quality of care ratings: Results from the 2012 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Patient Education and Counseling, 98(10), 1274-1279.

Ruben, M. A., van Osch, M., & Blanch-Hartigan, D. (2015). Healthcare providers’ accuracy in assessing patients’ pain: A systematic review. Patient education and counseling, 98(10), 1197-1206.

Phillips, S. M., Padgett, L. S., Leisenring, W. M., Stratton, K. K., Bishop, K., Krull, K. R., Alfano, C., Gibson, T. M., de Moor, J., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Armstrong, G., Robison, L., Rowland, J., Oeffinger, K., & Mariotto, A. B. (2015). Survivors of childhood cancer in the United States: prevalence and burden of morbidity. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 24(4), 653-663.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., & Viswanath, K. (2015). Socioeconomic and sociodemographic predictors of sources of cancer-related information used by cancer survivors. Journal of Health Communication, 20(2), 204-210.

Ruben, M. A., Hall, J. A., Curtin, E. M., Blanch-Hartigan, D., & Ship, A. N. (2015). Discussion increases efficacy when training accurate perception of patients’ affect. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(6), 355-362.

Hall, J. A., Roter, D. L., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Schmid Mast, M., & Pitegoff, C. A. (2015). How patient-centered do female physicians need to be? Analogue patients’ satisfaction with male and female physicians’ identical behaviors. Health Communication, 30(9), 894-900.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., Nekhlyudov, L., Smith, T., Alfano, C. M., Forsythe, L. P., Ganz, P. A., & Rowland, J. H. (2014). Reply to E Zanet et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 32(34), 3905-3906.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., Forsythe, L. P., Alfano, C. M., Smith, T., Nekhlyudov, L., Ganz, P. A., & Rowland, J. H. (2014). Provision and discussion of survivorship care plans among cancer survivors: results of a nationally representative survey of oncologists and primary care physicians. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 32(15), 1578-1585.

Murphy, N. A., Hall, J. A., Schmid Mast, M., Ruben, M. A., Frauendorfer, D., Blanch-Hartigan, D., Roter, D. L., & Nguyen, L. (2014). Reliability and validity of nonverbal thin slices in social interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(2), 199-213.

Palmer, N. R. A., Arora, N. K., Kent, E. E., Forsythe, L. P., Rowland, J. H., Aziz, N. M., Blanch-Hartigan, D., & Weaver, K. E. (2014). Racial and ethnic disparities in patient-provider communication, quality-of-care ratings, and patient activation among long-term cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 32(36), 4087-4094.

Blanch-Hartigan, D., Blake, K. D., & Viswanath, K. (2014). Cancer survivors’ use of numerous sources for cancer-related information: does more matter?Journal of Cancer Education, 29(3), 488-496.

Miriam Boeri

Boeri, M., & Lamonica, A. K. (2017) The Social Re-Construction of Marijuana as Medicine. Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research, 11(4).

Boeri, M. (2016). Code of the Suburb: Inside the World of Young Middle-Class Drug Dealers. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 45(5), 615-617.

Lamonica, A. K., Boeri, M., & Anderson, T. (2016). Gaps in medical marijuana policy implementation: Real-time perspectives from marijuana dispensary entrepreneurs, health care professionals and medical marijuana patients. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 1-13.

Boeri, M., Gardner, M., Gerken, E., Ross, M., & Wheeler, J. (2016). “I don’t know what fun is”: examining the intersection of social capital, social networks, and social recovery. Drugs and Alcohol Today, 16(1), 95-105.

Lamonica, A. K., & Boeri, M. (2015). Risk Behaviors Among Suburban Women who Use Methamphetamine: Social Harms and Social Solutions. Journal of Applied Social Science, 9(2), 98-114.

Boeri, M., Gibson, D., & Boshears, P. (2014). Conceptualizing Social Recovery: Recovery Routes of Methamphetamine Users. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 2(1), 5-38.

Whalen, T., & Boeri, M. (2014). Measuring Discontinuity in Binary Longitudinal Data: Applications to Drug Use Trajectories. Sociological Methods and Research, 43(2), 248-279.

Woodall, D., & Boeri, M. (2014). "When You Got Friends in Low Places, You Stay Low:" Social Networks and Access to Resources for Female Methamphetamine Users in Low-Income Suburban Communities. Journal of Drug Issues, 44(3), 320-338.

Bairan, A., Boeri, M., & Morian, J. (2014). Methamphetamine use among suburban women: implications for nurse practitioners. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 26(11), 620-628.

Ryan Bouldin

Bouldin, R. M., Xia, Z., Klement, T. J., Kiratitanavit, W., & Nagarajan, R. (2017). Bioinspired flame retardant polymers of tyrosol. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 134(41).

Aris, Z. F. M., Bouldin, R. M., Pelletier, M. G., Gaines, P., Budhlall, B., & Nagarajan, R. (2017). Microwave-assisted synthesis and characterization of hydrophilically functionalized polygalacturonic acid. Carbohydrate Polymers, 155, 432-439.

Bouldin, R. M., Hall, G. J., Oches, E. A., Szymanski, D. W., Ledley, F. D. (2015). Connecting Business and STEM Education Through Undergraduate Research. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 35(4), 17-24.

Bouldin, R. M., Urban, N., Ponrathnam, T., Kokil, A., Kumar, J., Samuelson, L. A., Nagarajan, R. (2014). Biocatalyic synthesis of unusually photoluminescent oligomers and electrically conducting polymers of 4-(3-pyrrolyl)butyric acid. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 131(21).

Bouldin, R. M., Singh, A., Magaletta, M., Connor, S., Kumar, J., Nagarajan, R. (2014). Biocatalytic Synthesis of Fluorescent Conjugated Indole Oligomers. Bioengineering, 1(4), 246-259.

Jill Brown

Brown, J. A., Gianiodis, P. T., & Santoro, M. D. (2017). Managing Co-opetition for Shared Stakeholder Utility in Dynamic Environments. California Management Review, 59(4), 114-139. 

Brown, J. A., Gianiodis, P. T., & Santoro, M. D. (2015). Following Doctors’ Orders: Organizational Change as a Response to Human Capital Bargaining Power. Organization Science, 26(5), 1284-1300.

Stephen M. Campbell

Wasserman, D., & Campbell, S. M. (2018). A More “Inclusive” Approach to Enhancement and Disability. In The Ethics of Ability and Enhancement (pp. 25-38). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Campbell, S. M., & Stramondo, J. A. (2017). The complicated relationship of disability and well-being. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 27(2), 151-184.

Nyholm, S., & Campbell, S. M. (2016). When Is Deep Brain Stimulation a Medical Benefit, and What Is Required for Consent? American Journal of Bioethics-Neuroscience, 7(3), 150-52.

Campbell, S. M., & Stramondo, J. A. (2016). Disability and Well-Being: Appreciating the Complications. American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Philosophy and Medicine, 16(1), 35-37.

Campbell, S. M., Ulrich, C. M., & Grady, C. (2016). Response to Open Peer Commentaries on "A Broader Understanding of Moral Distress". American Journal of Bioethics, 16(12), W1-W3.

Campbell, S. M., Ulrich, C. M., & Grady, C. (2016). A Broader Understanding of Moral Distress. American Journal of Bioethics, 16(12), 2-9.

Campbell, S. M., & Nyholm, S. (2015). Anti-Meaning and Why It Matters. Journal of the American Philosophical Association, 1(4), 694-711.

Campbell, S. M. (2015). When the Shape of a Life Matters. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 18, 565-75.

Campbell, S. M., & Wahlert, L. (2015). Is Disability Conservationism Rooted in Status Quo Bias? American Journal of Bioethics, 15(6), 20-22.

Campbell, S. M. (2014). Standards for an Account of Children’s Well-Being. American Journal of Bioethics, 14(9), 19-20.

Dhaval Dave

Corman, H., Dave, D., Kalil, A., & Reichman, N. E. (2017). Effects of Maternal Work Incentives on Youth Crime (No. w23054). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Dave, D. (2017). Health Care: Multi-Payer or Single-Payer?. Eastern Economic Journal, 43(1), 180-182.

Wehby, G., Dave, D., & Kaestner, R. (2016). Effects of the minimum wage on infant health (No. w22373). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Datta, A., & Dave, D. (2016). Effects of Physician‐directed Pharmaceutical Promotion on Prescription Behaviors: Longitudinal Evidence. Health economics.

Cuellar, A., & Dave, D. M. (2016). Causal effects of mental health treatment on education outcomes for youth in the justice system. Economics of Education Review, 54(C), 321-339.

Colman, G., & Dave, D. M. (2016). Econometric methods in health and human biology. Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology. Oxford University Press.

Dave, D., Doytch, N., & Kelly, I. R. (2016). Nutrient intake: A cross-national analysis of trends and economic correlates. Social Science & Medicine, 158, 158-167.

Saffer, H., Dave, D., & Grossman, M. (2016). A Behavioral Economic Model of Alcohol Advertising and Price. Health Economics, 25, 816-828.

Doytch, N., Dave, D. M., & Kelly, I. R. (2016). Global evidence on obesity and related outcomes: An overview of prevalence, trends, and determinants. Eastern Economic Journal, 42(1), 7-28.

Kostova, D., & Dave, D. (2015). Smokeless tobacco use in India: Role of prices and advertising. Social Science & Medicine, 138, 82-90.

Dave, D. M., & Fernandez, J. M. (2015). Rising Autism Prevalence: Real or Displacing Other Mental Disorders? Evidence from Demand for Auxiliary Healthcare Workers in California. Economic Inquiry, 53(1), 448-468.

Dave, D., Decker, S. L., Kaestner, R., & Simon, K. I. (2015). The effect of medicaid expansions in the late 1980s and early 1990s on the labor supply of pregnant women. American Journal of Health Economics, 1(2), 165-193.

Kelly, I. R., Dave, D. M., Sindelar, J. L., & Gallo, W. T. (2014). The impact of early occupational choice on health behaviors. Review of Economics of the Household, 12(4), 737-770.

Corman, H., Dave, D. M., & Reichman, N. E. (2014). Effects of welfare reform on women's crime. International Review of Law and Economics, 40, 1-14.

Robert DeLeo

DeLeo, R. A. (2016). Time and the management of policy conflict: issues, actors and institutions in the Boston biolaboratory controversy. Critical Policy Studies, 10(1).

DeLeo, R. A. (2015). Anticipatory Policymaking: When Government Acts to Prevent Problems and why it is So Difficult (Vol. 14). Routledge.

Ekaterina (Kat) Galkina Cleary

Maas, K., Galkina, E., Thornton, K., Penzias, A. S., Sakkas, D. (2016). No change in live birthweight of IVF singleton deliveries over an 18-year period despite significant clinical and laboratory changes. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 31(9), 1987-96.

Galkina, E. I., Shin, A., Coser, K. R., Shioda, T., Kohane, I. S., Seong, I. S., ... & Lee, J. M. (2014). HD CAGnome: a search tool for Huntingtin CAG repeat length-correlated genes. PloS one, 9(4), e95556.

Monica Garfield

LeRouge, C. M., Garfield, M. J., & Hevner, A. R. (2015). Patient perspectives of telemedicine quality. Patient Preference and Adherence, 9, 25.

Janis Gogan

Gogan, J. L., Davidson, E. J., & Proudfoot, J. (2016). The HealthCare.gov project. Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases.

Marabelli, M., Newell, S., & Gogan, J. L. (2016). Pilot-testing a pediatric complex care coordination service. Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases, 6(1), 45-55.

Tony Kiszewski

Endo, N., Kiszewski, A. E., & Eltahir, E. A. (2015). Laboratory experiments on stranding of Anopheles larvae under different shoreline environmental conditions. Parasites & vectors, 8(1), 1.

Rehkopf, D., Furumoto-Dawson, A., Kiszewski, A. E., & Awerbuch-Friedlander, T. (2015). Spatial Spread of Tuberculosis through Neighborhoods Segregated by Socioeconomic Position: A Stochastic Automata Model. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2015.

Kiszewski, A. E., Teffera, Z., Wondafrash, M., Ravesi, M., & Pollack, R. J. (2014). Ecological succession and its impact on malaria vectors and their predators in borrow pits in western Ethiopia. Journal of Vector Ecology, 39(2), 414-423.

Zelman, B., Kiszewski, A. E., Cotter, C., & Liu, J. (2014). Costs of eliminating malaria and the impact of the global fund in 34 countries. PloS one, 9(12), e115714.

Fred Ledley

Beierlein, J. M., McNamee, L. M., Walsh, M. J., Kaitin, K. I., DiMasi, J. A., & Ledley, F. D. (2017). Landscape of Innovation for Cardiovascular Pharmaceuticals: From Basic Science to New Molecular Entities. Clinical Therapeutics, 39(7), 1409-1425.

McNamee, L. M., Walsh, M. J., & Ledley, F. D. (2017). Timelines of translational science: From technology initiation to FDA approval. PLOS ONE 12(5), e0177371.

McNamee, L. M., & Ledley, F. D. (2017). Modeling timelines for translational science in cancer; the impact of technological maturation. PLOS ONE 12(3), e0174538.

McNamee, L., & Ledley, F. (2015). What does the current biotech stock market value?. Nature Biotechnology, 33(8), 813-814.

Beierlein, J. M., McNamee, L. M., Walsh, M. J., & Ledley, F. D. (2015). Patterns of innovation in Alzheimer’s disease drug development: a strategic assessment based on technological maturity. Clinical Therapeutics, 37(8), 1643-1651.

Bouldin, R. M., Hall, G. J., Oches, E. A., Szymanski, D. W., & Ledley, F. D. (2015). Connecting Business and STEM Education Through Undergraduate Research. CUR QUARTERLY, 35(4), 17-23.

Wernick, N. L., Haughton, D. M., Ndung'u, E., & Ledley, F. D. (2014). Positioning genomics in biology education: content mapping of undergraduate biology textbooks. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 15(2).

Ledley, F. D., McNamee, L. M., Uzdil, V., & Morgan, I. W. (2014). Why commercialization of gene therapy stalled; examining the life cycles of gene therapy technologies. Gene therapy, 21(2), 188-194.

Mingfei Li

Penfold, R. B., Burgess, J. F., Lee, A. F., Li, M., Miller, C. J., Nealon Seibert, M., ... & Bauer, M. S. (2016). Space–Time Cluster Analysis to Detect Innovative Clinical Practices: A Case Study of Aripiprazole in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Health Services Research.

Bauer, M. S., Miller, C. J., Li, M., Bajor, L. A., & Lee, A. (2016). A population‐based study of the comparative effectiveness of second‐generation antipsychotics vs older antimanic agents in bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders, 18(6), 481-489.

Miller, C. J., Li, M., Penfold, R. B., Lee, A. F., Smith, E. G., Nordberg, S. S., ... & Bauer, M. S. (2015). The ascendancy of second-generation antipsychotics as frontline antimanic agents. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 35(6), 645-653.

Bauer, M. S., Lee, A., Miller, C. J., Bajor, L., Li, M., & Penfold, R. B. (2015). Effects of diagnostic inclusion criteria on prevalence and population characteristics in database research. Psychiatric Services, 1;66(2),141-148.

Miller, C. J., Li, M., Penfold, R. B., Lee, A. F., Smith, E. G., Osser, D. N., ... & Bauer, M. S. (2014). Patterns of initiation of second generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder: a month-by-month analysis of provider behavior. BMC psychiatry, 14(1), 1.

Bauer, M. S., Lee, A., Li, M., Bajor, L., Rasmusson, A., & Kazis, L. E. (2014). Off‐label use of second generation antipsychotics for post‐traumatic stress disorder in the Department of Veterans Affairs: time trends and sociodemographic, comorbidity, and regional correlates. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 23(1), 77-86.

Marco Marabelli

Newell, S., & Marabelli, M. (2016). Knowledge Mobilization in Healthcare Networks. Mobilizing Knowledge in Health Care: Challenges for Management and Organization, 132.

D’Andreta, D., Marabelli, M., Newell, S., Scarbrough, H., & Swan, J. (2016). Dominant cognitive frames and the innovative power of social networks. Organization Studies, 37(3), 293-321.

Marabelli, M., Newell, S., & Gogan, J. L. (2016). Pilot-testing a pediatric complex care coordination service. Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases, 6(1), 45-55.

Marabelli, M., Newell, S., & Galliers, R. D. (2016, January). The strategic role of power and materiality in managing network change. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2016, No. 1, p. 17297). Academy of Management. Awarded “Best Paper Proceedings”.

Marabelli, M., Newell, S., Krantz, C., & Swan, J. (2014). Knowledge sharing and health-care coordination: the role of creation and use brokers. Health Systems, 3(3), 185-198.

Scarbrough, H., D'Andreta, D., Evans, S., Marabelli, M., Newell, S., Powell, J., & Swan, J. (2014). Networked innovation in the health sector: comparative qualitative study of the role of Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care in translating research into practice. Health Service Delivery Research Journal, 2(13).

Laura McNamee

Beierlein, J. M., McNamee, L. M., Walsh, M. J., Kaitin, K. I., DiMasi, J. A., & Ledley, F. D. (2017). Landscape of Innovation for Cardiovascular Pharmaceuticals: From Basic Science to New Molecular Entities. Clinical Therapeutics, 39(7), 1409-1425.

McNamee, L. M., Walsh, M. J., & Ledley, F. D. (2017). Timelines of translational science: From technology initiation to FDA approval. PLOS ONE 12(5), e0177371.

McNamee, L. M., & Ledley, F. D. (2017). Modeling timelines for translational science in cancer; the impact of technological maturation. PLOS ONE 12(3), e0174538.

McNamee, L., & Ledley, F. (2015). What does the current biotech stock market value?. Nature Biotechnology, 33(8), 813-814.

Beierlein, J. M., McNamee, L. M., Walsh, M. J., & Ledley, F. D. (2015). Patterns of innovation in Alzheimer’s disease drug development: a strategic assessment based on technological maturity. Clinical Therapeutics, 37(8), 1643-1651.

Ledley, F. D., McNamee, L. M., Uzdil, V., & Morgan, I. W. (2014). Why commercialization of gene therapy stalled; examining the life cycles of gene therapy technologies. Gene therapy, 21(2), 188-194.

Helen Meldrum

Meldrum, H., Szymanski, D. W., Oches, E. A., Davis, P. T., (2016) A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Commentary of Broadcast Meteorologists on the Visual Presentation of Climate Change. International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development, 7(3).

Young, A., & Meldrum, H. (2014). Assessing motivational factors for participation in continuing education in pharmacy. The International Journal of Clinical Skills, 7(3).

Sandeep Purao

Liu, N., Gavino, A., & Purao, S. R. (2015). Extracting citizen values as inputs for designing citizen-responsive urban e-planning services: the VOICE approach and a demonstration in the healthcare context. International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR), 4(2), 1-25.

Chris Skipwith

Skipwith, C. G., Clark, H. A. (2016). Nanosensors for Monitoring of Cardiovascular Disease: Development, Progress, and Potential Applications. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5(16), 2055-2068.

Ruckh, T. T., Skipwith, C. G., Chang, W., Senko, A. W., Bulovic, V., Anikeeva, P. O., & Clark, H. A. (2016). Ion-Switchable Quantum Dot Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Rates in Ratiometric Potassium Sensors. ACS nano, 10(4), 4020-4030.

Walsh, R., Morales, J. M., Skipwith, C. G., Ruckh, T. T., & Clark, H. A. (2015). Enzyme-linked DNA dendrimer nanosensors for acetylcholine. Scientific reports, 5.

Morales, J. M., Skipwith, C. G., & Clark, H. A. (2015). Quadruplex Integrated DNA (QuID) Nanosensors for Monitoring Dopamine. Sensors, 15(8), 19912-19924.

Laurel Steinfield

Montgomery, P., Hennegan, J., Dolan, C., Wu, M., Steinfield, L., & Scott, L. (2016). Menstruation and the cycle of poverty: a cluster quasi-randomised control trial of sanitary pad and puberty education provision in Uganda. Plos one, 11(12), e0166122.

Hein, W., Steinfield, L., Ourahmoune, N., Coleman, C. A., Zayer, L. T., & Littlefield, J. (2016). Gender justice and the market: a transformative consumer research perspective. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 35(2), 223-236.

Gregory Vaughan

Vaughan, G., Aseltine, R., Chen, K., & Yan, J. (2017). Stagewise generalized estimating equations with grouped variables. Biometrics.

Vaughan, G., Aseltine, R., Chiou, S. H., & Yan, J. (2016). An Alarm System for Flu Outbreaks Using Google Flu Trend Data. Statistical Applications from Clinical Trials and Personalized Medicine to Finance and Business Analytics, 293.

Interested in learning more or becoming a part of Bentley's Health Thought Leadership Network? Contact Danielle Hartigan for more information.

In his 10 years teaching at Bentley, Professor Scott Thomas has seen all kinds of students complete the master’s in taxation program—everyone from recent college graduates who know they want to work in the field, to people who are already deeply entrenched in their tax career, to career-changers (including, once, a police officer). In recent years, more students than ever are entering the program, for a variety of reasons.

Thomas welcomes them all and says the renewed interest in tax is due, at least in part, to the fact that the tax world is changing. What used to be staples of the job—like turning financial statements into tax statements and inserting numbers into forms—are now sidelined, having been replaced by mechanical computer processes. While there is still some of that, he admits, (and yes, the Internal Revenue Code still plays a big role in the job), tax is now more of an analytical field than it used to be. Tax practitioners are valued for their ability to help with acquisitions, save companies money, and strategize for global expansion. In many ways, they are now more of a business partner than they ever were before.  

But is it really necessary to get a master’s degree in taxation? According to Thomas, the answer is yes. As a 28-year veteran of the tax industry, he sees the benefits his students are afforded as a result of their degree—and knows just how valuable the master’s in taxation is in the current job market.

What Can I Do With A Master’s In Taxation?

The biggest employers for students of taxation are the “Big Four” international accounting firms, Deloitte LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG, followed by smaller international firms (“midtier” accounting firms). Typically, says Thomas, employees of very large offices tend to have a narrow job focus. They may be placed in one of the several groups that handle only one type of client—for instance, a group that works solely with financial institutions (like banks and insurance companies), manufacturing/retail businesses, or high-net-worth individuals. That’s because specific tax issues apply to each area; the larger the client, the higher the demand for a certain level of expertise in their business. Sometimes employees are grouped by technical expertise as well. For instance, there may be people who specialize in state and local taxes or taxation of international transactions.

Many students also find jobs in corporate tax departments, where interest in hiring seems to have peaked recently. In a corporate tax department, students might be doing a little bit of everything—more so than in a Big Four accounting firm. In other words, they would likely handle all tax matters rather than just those that fall within their particular area of expertise.

For new hires, much of the initial work may be menial, but over time and with experience, the amount of supervision lessens, client contact increases, and more time is devoted to planning over compliance. Those with a master’s degree in taxation, Thomas says, will progress faster.

Here’s why: An MS in taxation requires, in most cases, 10 tax courses and involves heavy emphasis on research skills; in contrast, those with only an undergraduate degree may have completed just one basic tax course. MS graduates already know how to spot issues and address them, giving them a better chance of being awarded more substantial projects at work. And, as Thomas notes from his experience, the better you are, the busier you will be. The end result is a faster rate of advancement.

There’s also an overabundance of jobs—Thomas says that the demand for new tax practitioners regularly exceeds the number of students available for placement, particularly for the Big Four, where there simply aren’t enough tax people to go around. It’s now reached a point where the largest firms are asking for input on how to increase interest in tax among more students.

Fulfill CPA Exam Requirements With A Master’s In Taxation

Thirty credits: That’s the number of additional credits required beyond the standard undergraduate degree before you can qualify to take the CPA exam; it’s also the number of credits in a typical master’s in taxation program

The additional credit requirement for CPA exam prep was originally intended to help undergraduates gain more tax- or accounting-related knowledge, improving themselves from an accounting or tax perspective. Unfortunately, says Thomas, some students fulfill the credit requirement by taking classes unrelated to tax or accounting, missing out on a terrific opportunity to not only learn more about what they plan to do for a living, but also the opportunity to help themselves get ahead faster in their career. A master of science in taxation program checks off both boxes—it gives you the necessary 30 credits for the CPA exam and the foundation for a successful career.

Bentley’s Master’s In Taxation Program

At Bentley, students in the graduate taxation program take 10 courses at three credits each. There are five required courses:

1. Professional Tax Practice

2. Federal Taxation Of Income

3. Transactions

4. Corporations & Shareholders

5. Multi-Jurisdictional Taxation

Electives are designed to let students explore the field. Tax-specific options include classes on trusts and estates, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, international tax, and state and local tax, among others. Students may also fulfill their electives requirement with courses outside of taxation—what we call “crossing over” into financial planning, for example, or management or accounting.  

Students may also choose to do an internship in tax practice for credit. Internships are readily available, and usually, last eight or 10 weeks during either the busy spring tax season or the summer (when corporate tax returns are being done).

Many part-time students in the tax program take advantage of its unique online hybrid format. If you can’t attend class in person, you may participate live on your computer from home, the office, or wherever you happen to be. You can see the professor in real time, access class materials, and even raise your hand to participate and ask questions. This option gives working students the flexibility they need to balance their degree with work and family.

Interested in Bentley’s master of science in taxation program?

Bentley’s MS in taxation program is the largest graduate tax program in New England and one of the largest in the country. It’s also one of the most respected, due in large part to a faculty that consists of highly experienced tax practitioners who bring a rare depth and breadth of real-world knowledge to the classroom.

Whether you’re preparing for the CPA exam, starting a new career, or hoping to get ahead in your current career, Bentley’s master of science in taxation program will give you the skills you need to succeed. To find out more about our program, visit our website or contact our graduate school admissions department.

If you’ve been investigating MBA programs, you’ve probably already discovered there’s no shortage of options to choose from. There are part-time vs. full-time MBA programs, one-year MBA programs, and opportunities to pursue an MBA online. How do you choose? Is one type of program really that much different than another?

While the end result is the same—an MBA degree in hand—the journey itself is equally significant and could make your MBA even more meaningful. Let’s take a closer look at the available options and the benefits and downsides associated with each.

The Wide World Of MBA Programs

Full-Time MBA Programs

Glisery Colon, associate director of graduate admissions at Bentley, says that many full-time MBA programs are an extension of the learning experience students began as an undergrad. Since they typically take two years to complete, programs like these are primarily attractive to recent college graduates who are looking to continue their education. That’s a good thing, because some full-time programs, like the one at Bentley, seek to incorporate real-world learning, emphasize on-site activities, and deliberately work to help students build the relationships they’ll need later to help them be successful. It is designed to give graduates a broad range of business knowledge as well as relevant technical and human management skills, giving students a chance to explore their options.

Full-time MBA programs are perfect for people who have the resources and time, but there are also many prospective MBA students who would prefer to start their career as soon as possible. In that case, another option might be a better fit.

Part-Time MBA Programs  

By nature, the idea of getting an MBA holds the most appeal for working professionals. They have enough work experience to know what they want and the resources with which to do it. But they also have a life—a job and sometimes a family. In that case, Colon says, “Flexibility is huge.” Part-time programs are attractive because they allow students to continue to work and spend time with their families while still achieving their MBA goal.

When it comes to getting your MBA, timing matters. See if you’re on track to take the leap based on the signs other MBA students have identified.

A downside of part-time programs is that they may take longer to complete. If you’re hoping to see a return on investment quickly—like a career change or a promotion—you may be waiting longer than you’d like. (Much of that depends on you and how much you’re willing to take on each semester.) Colon also points out, “Part-timers have a somewhat different MBA experience in that there’s little time for being sociable. It’s less likely you’ll make deep connections with your classmates.”

One-Year MBA Programs

The one-year MBA program is a fast-track option. You’ll reach your goal quickly and hopefully see results sooner. In addition, one-year programs require a high degree of involvement. “One-year students are actively engaged on a constant basis. There’s no difference in learning outcome, but your experience is richer because you’re so involved,” says Colon. You can expect to emerge having forged strong relationships with both students and faculty that will endure even outside the classroom.  

Because of that, however, you must be committed to giving up everything else for the duration of the program. But if you have the support of your family and your employer (because you can’t work and attend a one-year program at the same time), the rewards are great.

Online MBA Programs

Traditional online MBA programs offer the ultimate in terms of flexibility. You can complete classes on your own schedule, enabling you to keep your job and support your family. And with geographic constraints removed, it also widens the net of available programs. If you live in California you can get your MBA from a school in Illinois, as long as the school has a traditional online program available.

But everyone is a different learner, and your personality and learning style might not be suited for online-only courses. Self-guided tutorials are a good match for self-motivators who are skilled at independent learning, but they may not be best for those who prefer an interactive approach. With little-to-no classroom discussion in some cases, you won’t get the same sense of community support as you would with a cohort-based model or even a hybrid model. (Many of Bentley’s in-person courses offer students the option to attend classes in person or in real time via the internet, in which case they participate in the class just as they would if they were in the room physically.)

Specialized MBA Programs

If you’ve been working in a particular industry for a long time and you want to acquire in-depth knowledge specific to that field, you might consider a specialized MBA program. Some graduate schools offer MBA programs specifically for health care, education, or a combination law-and-business degree, for example. Industry-specific courses like these are good for people who know exactly what they want and don’t plan on looking for jobs outside of one specific field.

But if a job opportunity arises outside that specialty, the degree you’ve worked so hard for will be of little use. Often, students who think they want a specialized degree can achieve the same career goals with a traditional MBA simply by customizing their curriculum—i.e., taking a concentration in marketing or choosing electives like Leading Technology-Based Organizations or Global IT Project Management. Talk with an admissions counselor at the school if you’re unsure about how to tailor your curriculum appropriately.  

Want more information about Bentley MBA programs?

Bentley offers three types of MBA programs: the Bentley MBA (our one-year, full-time program), the Emerging Leaders MBA (a two-year, full-time program), and a part-time professional MBA program that includes online and evening learning options. Visit our website to learn more, or contact us for more information.

Assistant Professor of Finance, Chenguang Shang, specializes in teaching corporate finance, and informs his teaching with research in that field as well as in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and innovation. He enjoys helping Bentley students apply textbook knowledge to real corporate sector problems.

How did you get started teaching in the graduate finance program?

I had the opportunity to teach a graduate level finance course in the first semester I worked for Bentley, and I found it very interesting and relevant to my research agenda. I have continued to teach in the graduate finance program ever since.

What excites you about the research you’re working on now?

I have a broad range of research interests in corporate finance topics such as capital structure, corporate governance, and corporate innovation.

What are the top professions this degree program will prepare students for?

The program opens a number of doors in the financial industry to our students. The courses offered in the program aim to equip students with skills and techniques to work in financial institutions, consulting firms, research groups, and many more settings.

What educational background will be most helpful to students coming into your program?

We highly value diversity and welcome students from various backgrounds. While students who have exposure to subjects such as mathematics and accounting may feel more familiar with the material in some classes, the foundation courses offered in our program prepare all students for advanced level finance courses.

What’s your favorite thing about working with Bentley graduate students?

It is a pleasure for me to help students to not only understand the class material but also apply textbook knowledge to solving real life problems.

What was your first job after grad school?

Teaching at Bentley is my first role after I earned my Ph.D.

If you’re looking for an advanced degree that will exponentially increase the number of job opportunities available to you, then you’re looking for a Master’s in Information Technology (MSIT).

While much about the future job market remains uncertain, the one thing we can be sure about is that people who are trained in some aspect of technology will be better positioned to thrive. Why?

• The technology sector is growing, and tech jobs remain unfilled. Organizations are struggling to find qualified candidates to fill the more than 263,000 IT jobs currently vacant. Rapid changes in the tech field along with the growing information technology (IT) demands businesses are facing are the primary reasons for unfilled jobs.

• The combination of technology and business competencies provided by the MSIT program can be applied in every industry. Now, just about every company is a technology company in one way or another, thanks to technological progress that is heavily impacting the way we work. Graduates with an MS in Information Technology will find employment in every part of the country, in every industry, including insurance, health care, financial services, and manufacturing.

• You can land a job almost anywhere. Tech training and experience are needed in every state as well as most countries around the world.

Download this free report to find out about the most in-demand skills in the IT industry today.

At Bentley, we’ve designed a Master’s in Information Technology program that meets the needs of employers today yet is still flexible enough to appeal to students’ individual interests. Let’s take a closer look below at how our course offerings satisfy those requirements.

Bentley’s Master Of Science In Information Technology Program Courses

Wendy Lucas, director of the MSIT program at Bentley, says the program has morphed over the years—and will continue to evolve—based on three factors:

1. Skills that employers are currently looking for.

2. Skills everyone with a graduate degree in IT needs to have.

3. Skills you want to focus on in your future career.

Skills Employers Want

According to Lucas, the IT faculty shapes the program in part based on feedback from employers. The team conducts focus groups regularly to ask about skills that are lacking in the field and skills that employers would like to see developed. The program is then adjusted to reflect those insights, giving Bentley graduates a leg up when applying for jobs.

The current courses in Bentley’s MS in Information Technology program emphasize the following based on feedback from employers:

1. A deep understanding of IT. Lucas says that business executives want employees with an understanding of the field that goes beyond simply working with one particular platform or technology, who can also see the bigger picture of how to configure systems and how components interact. This type of deep understanding produces leaders who know how to solve business problems with IT solutions. For instance:

• Data Management Architectures focuses on the infrastructure of the cloud and how to work with cloud-based storage, rather than on pure development.

• Web-Based Application Development and Mobile Application Development don’t focus on one particular technology but take a broader look at several popular technologies—like HTML5, Java, JavaScript, CSS, and PHP—and how the larger pieces fit together. 

• Business Intelligence Methods & Technologies teaches students about the infrastructure of data warehouses, how to mine large data repositories, and how to configure databases to maximize efficiency—not just how to write queries.

2. Excellent communication skills. Business executives across the board agree that there is a need for better communication skills among IT professionals. “They want someone who can explain technology to everyone from the CEO, to the technical people, to whomever else they are interacting with, both within and outside the organization, in terms they’ll understand,” says Lucas.  

To address this skills gap, several courses now have additional oral and written communication requirements. Students work together on several written reports and presentations and must learn to explain things well to a varied audience. Numerous courses incorporate writing effectively to improve students’ ability to address technical issues through writing. In the Global IT Project Management course, students work in agile teams and communicate virtually. Oral communication skills are emphasized through class participation—simply raising your hand to answer questions is not good enough; it’s all about contributing meaningfully to class discussions.

3. Agile development.An alternative to traditional project management, agile development is the most current way of managing technology and product development. It focuses on incremental and adaptive development and utilizes cross-functional team collaboration. Students learn how to manage agile development projects through techniques taught in courses like Systems Analysis and Design and IT Project Management.
    
4. IT security.A new course, Network & Systems Security, was recently added in response to high interest from employers. It teaches students about relevant security issues, technologies, and approaches related to information, computer, and network security. Students learn to recognize and understand threats to confidentiality, integrity, and availability; they also become knowledgeable about best practices for defense.

Basic Skills For IT Professionals

The areas of emphasis above are intended to give graduates an edge over the competition, but without certain expected IT skills, you won’t get far with recruiters. The first three courses in the program teach what Lucas considers “critical” IT knowledge, including:

• Programming fundamentals using the Java programming language.

• Databases, including proven techniques for modeling system data requirements and organizing and managing organizational data resources using SQL.

• System infrastructure, including architecture and design.
   

If you’re an experienced professional, chances are you won’t have to take one or more of these courses, which means you’re free to substitute higher-level electives. 

In addition to those, three more courses make up the core course requirements:

• Enterprise Architecture—design, selection, implementation, and management of enterprise IT solutions.

• Global IT Project Management—technical knowledge and skills for managing and executing globally distributed IT projects.

• Object-Oriented Systems Analysis & Design—theory and methods of object-oriented modeling.

Your Individual Focus

Beyond those six core courses, you decide what you want your focus to be by choosing the appropriate electives.

There are eight electives offered within the master’s in information technology program, which can be used to tailor your education to focus on particular areas of interest:

• Web-Based Application Development

• Data Management Architectures

• Mobile Application Development

• Business Intelligence Methods & Technologies

• Information Technology Management & Policy

• Computer Information Systems Internship

• Business Process Management

• Special Topics Seminar

Many students mix some of these IT-specific electives with electives from specific functional areas, such as accounting and finance. Some take managerial courses, like negotiation skills. Still, others are interested in a combination of business analytics and IT and choose to complete the requirements needed to earn a certificate in business analytics.

Interested in a master’s in information technology degree from Bentley?

Graduating with an MS in information technology from Bentley opens many doors for your career. Our recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide variety of businesses, including Amazon, Dell, and the “Big Four” accounting firms. And students who take advantage of our combined MBA+MSIT program—which requires just two additional courses—have a distinct competitive edge with employers.

Take a look at our website to read more about the master’s in information technology program overview and curriculum, or reach out to our graduate school admissions office for more information about how to apply.  

Erik Ojakaar (MSHFID ’03) approached a project with the user experience (UX) in mind as an employee at L.L. Bean before he ever decided to pursue a degree in the subject.

The approach came to him while he was supporting a team of intranet developers and content writers. He was tasked with redesigning the intranet that the call center representatives relied upon to help them answer customer inquiries – everything from product specs to policies and procedures.

Rather than revamping the site based on opinions, Ojakaar decided to go to the users themselves - the call representatives. He ran studies and observed them in action to more deeply understand their needs and pain points. The insights from this research ended up being integral to the redesign.

Through consideration of the intranet’s end users and their experience, the new intranet reduced call time length and saved the company money. This was an epiphany for Ojakaar that led to a career change.  He took a position at web usability guru Jared Spool’s company, User Interface Engineering, where he worked as a consultant for a couple of years. He then decided to formalize his UX education and seek a graduate degree.

Pursuing a Master’s Degree

Ojakaar was living in Massachusetts at the time so he already knew about Bentley University when he began to explore graduate school possibilities. When he researched their user experience program, the Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design (HFID), the curriculum, caliber of the teaching staff, and facilities solidified his decision to attend.

Coming to Bentley with work experience, Ojakaar knew that having an education in “usability engineering, human-computer interaction, and cognitive psychology” were key to developing a successful career in the field. A business background was also vital.

He saw all of these subject areas covered in some way at Bentley, with course options for HFID students that included Intelligent User Interfaces, Measuring the User Experience, Special Topics in Human-Computer Interaction, Prototyping, and Business Process Management.

As an HFID student, Ojakaar also had the opportunity to work in Bentley’s User Experience Center (UXC). This center, which offers consulting services to clients around the world, gave Ojakaar even more confidence for his burgeoning career with the chance to work with real clients.

“What we did in the lab is what we would be doing on the job after graduation,” he says. “There is nothing more valuable than actually doing the work with guidance from top professionals in the field.”

Using UX on the Job

Working with real clients helped Ojakaar gain insight into how companies think about and integrate findings from user experience research. This meant being thoughtful about how proposed changes are framed, understanding what the company is capable of implementing, and considering the company’s strategic direction.

“It’s not just about applying the tools of the trade, it’s about stepping back and understanding the bigger picture of the business,” he says. At the end of the day, all UX must “improve and align with the business’ goals.”

Today, Ojakaar is a Principal Researcher at LinkedIn in Mountain View, CA. He has also held top UX Research roles at Yahoo and eBay.  Currently, he is leading UX research for the integration of LinkedIn and Microsoft.

“LinkedIn has baked right into their ethos the value proposition of ‘members first.’ Making sure that the UX meets LinkedIn members’ needs and expectations is central to our success,” he says. “Understanding your users is essential to improving the user experience as well as laying the foundation for innovation.”

At LinkedIn, says Ojakaar, the user base is constantly growing and evolving. In the early days, LinkedIn was primarily embraced by those in the tech industry. Now it serves a diverse market of professions and workers at all stages of their careers.  The UX must consider and meet the various needs of each of those market segments.

“At its core, it’s about understanding the human experience,” says Ojakaar, “not just from a UX standpoint but by identifying where and how technology can improve our lives.” 

Before attending the Bentley MBA (BMBA) program, Conwell Worthington graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in drama. He wanted to work in the theater industry as a stage manager, and, for 15 years, that’s exactly what he did. He toured nationally with shows like the Lion King and Book of Mormon, running performances nightly as often as six days a week. Eventually, although he loved the work, he knew he needed a different challenge.

“I wanted something more stable, ideally on the administrative side of theater, but I didn’t know what it was exactly,” says Worthington. “Producing, general managing, production management… they were all appealing, but I knew I needed to position myself differently to get those kinds of jobs.” He had strong experience in actually running shows, but he knew he wasn’t yet qualified to take on the business challenges associated with higher-level theater management positions. That line of thinking led him on the path to an MBA.

Gordon Berridge, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions for the BMBA program, has seen many liberal arts students like Worthington benefit from the advanced training they receive for a BMBA—right alongside what are usually considered “traditional” MBA candidates like accounting majors, finance majors, and marketing majors. There are graduate school options for liberal arts majors, he says, and it all depends on the path you want to take in your career.

Graduate School Options For Liberal Arts Majors

Do you know you want to continue your education, but aren’t sure what path, exactly, to choose? See which one of the below situations fits you best.

You’ve been working at a career you went to school for, but you need business skills to keep moving forward.

Berridge says that many of the applicants he sees love what they do, but have reached a point in their career where they want to be a good manager or a good director in that field. For them, it’s less about learning a particular skill (they already have that background as the result of work experience) and more about the management piece.

For Worthington that was certainly the case. “I knew that shotgunning different jobs was never going to get me on the right path. I needed an environment where I could focus, rather than jump from job to job. I also needed to learn more about things like budgeting and finance.” Once he completed the MBA program he stood out from the competition and began getting calls from employers about jobs that, when he’d applied to them previously, had led to a dead end.  

Not sure if you’re ready for an MBA? Get this free ebook to find out why timing matters, and how past MBA students knew it was the right time.

Many liberal arts students find their way to an MBA when they realize “they need business skills—how to start a business, run a business, or just speak the language of business,” says Berridge. “They want to use their liberal arts background but also be able to utilize a new set of skills.”  

You love your career, even though it wasn’t what you went to school for.

Some liberal arts graduates, for one reason or another, fall into a career that is unrelated to their major. For instance, you may have graduated with a degree in history and now work in IT or accounting. Even though it wasn’t part of the plan, you enjoy it and want to continue.

Among the graduate school options for liberal arts majors is getting formal training in their new field of work, since their undergraduate studies were focused elsewhere. If you feel like you need more expertise in your field to continue climbing the ladder, it’s a good idea to get specific advanced training by enrolling in a relevant graduate program, whether it’s human factors in information design, information technology, business analytics, marketing, or anything else.

Berridge has seen plenty of students get a master’s degree in a different field than their bachelor’s degree simply because they are looking for an opportunity to continue their education in an area they are excited about.

You are looking to enhance your liberal arts education with skills that will help you succeed in the job market.

Did you major in philosophy, but are now finding it difficult to translate your knowledge into a specific job? That happens fairly often, says Berridge, and it’s another great reason to pursue an advanced degree. The workforce is competitive, and the skills you’ll gain from going back to school will be invaluable for your job search—particularly if those skills are in a high-demand field.

Liberal arts skills can also be especially attractive to employers when combined with an MBA. Your broad-based education enables you to see situations and issues from a variety of perspectives compared to someone whose studies were focused in one area. Communication and creative thinking are on most employers’ wish lists when it comes to new hires; together with the skills you get from your MBA, you’ll have no problem standing out from the crowd.

How did it all work out for Worthington? He’s now the associate general manager at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston. He’s enjoying his family and has a job he loves. According to him, the eleven months of the BMBA program were exciting, chaotic, and challenging, he says—and he’d “love to do it all again!”

Interested in finding out more about graduate school options for liberal arts majors?

If you’d like to know more about MBA prerequisites or talk with our admissions office about pursuing a master’s degree in a different field than your bachelor’s degree, we are always available to answer your questions. Contact us, or see our website for specific information about Bentley MBA programs or our master’s degree programs.

What's new and notable in your life? Share your breaking news — wedding, promotion, award, new job, and the like — with classmates and other members of the Bentley community. Click here to go to the Class Notes form. 

1948 | 1957 |  1971 | 1972 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1979 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1985 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2021

1948

Arnold Marcus, North Easton, Mass., was named Man of the Year by the Easton Lion’s Club.

1957

"Just two Bentley boys!" writes Jack Pini '75, who visited his 101-year-old uncle, Leon Golay, in Juno Beach, Fla.

1971

Dewey Martin, MST ’77, Hampden, Maine, has been appointed to the Council of the American Institute of CPAs. Now in his 37th year of teaching at Husson University, Martin directs the School of Accounting.

1972

Doug Boettner reports having relocated from Albany, N.Y., to Summerfield, Fla.

1975

Mary Chevalier, Westerly, R.I., founder and president of Attain International, celebrates the company’s 20-year anniversary and history as a woman-owned business. “This has been the fastest and most interesting
20 years of my life,” she writes. “I feel fortunate and grateful for my Bentley education and all the wonderful clients who made this special milestone possible.”

“Just two Bentley boys!” writes Jack Pini, Hopkinton, Mass., who visited with his 101-year-old uncle,Leon Golay ’57, Juno Beach, Fla.

1976
Tom Jackson, Medway, Mass., marked his fourth year as CFO of Dedham Country and Polo Club. He writes: “I started my career 41 years ago with PKF in Boston. I have two daughters and three grandchildren and am a proud member of Bentley’s President’s Cub. Life is good!”

1977
Mike Solomon, Plano, Texas, has joined Worksoft as senior vice president of sales, Americas.

1979

Tom Coots, Brockton, Mass., was inducted into the Brockton High School 2017 Athletic Hall of Fame. He reports: “Wonderful Saturday night for me.”

1981

Gerard Nadeau, North Easton, Mass., has been named president of Rockland Trust.

1982

Norm Schain, Prospect, Conn., received his master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Central Connecticut State University. He writes: “I intend to continue preparing income tax returns while also seeing clients (not the same ones!) in therapy, where my developing specialty is in couple’s counseling. I have three children in their 20s, all of whom have graduated college now (phew!) and I reside with my three cats. Best wishes for health, happiness, growth and prosperity to you all!”

1983

Joan Antognoni, Maynard, Mass., has been promoted to assistant vice president and senior registered client associate, Wells Fargo Advisors Private Client Group.

Joseph Casey, Hingham, Mass., has been named president of HarborOne Bank. Casey was appointed to the bank’s Board of Directors and will continue in his role as COO.

PwC partner Mitch Roschelle, Armonk, N.Y., has been appearing regularly on Fox Business Networks'Mornings with Maria show, as both a real estate market analyst and a member of the program's panel. The show airs weekday mornings from 6:00 to 9:00.

1985

Ted Gorski, Bedford, N.H., a leadership coach and founder of Get Your Edge LLC, is proud to announce the release of his first book, Trailblazing Leadership.

1987

Eileen Chernoff, MBA, Ashland, Mass., has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts. Her four decades of work in neurological rehabilitation includes founding Community Rehab Care, an outpatient treatment center located in Watertown.

1988
30th Reunion: June 1 to 3, 2018

Richard Gulman, MST, Naples, Fla., has won the 2017 Boston Estate Planning Council Excellence Award.

1989

Stephen Milone, Bristow, Va., writes that after Bentley, he married Cheryl Anne Kenney and relocated to Charlotte, N.C., where the couple adopted two children from Kazakhstan: Nicholas James Marat and Cailey Rose Alina. Milone's career has included being a stay-athome father, founding the Stephen J. Milone Income Tax eFile Service, forming SSC Woodturning to mentor his nephews and niece, and merging that company to create Steve’s Turn – Pens & More.

After his wife passed away in 2014, Howard Kartel, Bristow, Vt., began working for the town of Culpeper, Va., as director of finance and town treasurer.

Michael Nerney, MBA ’90, Bel Air, Md., earned a doctor of ministry degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. He serves as an associate pastor in Bel Air.

1990

Steven Richardson, Hull, Mass., has become service director of Boch Hyundai in Norwood.

1991

Siblings Karl Ames, North Attleboro, Mass., and Kara(Ames) Pinto ’94 made memories of a lifetime at Super Bowl LI in Houston, where the Patriots won the
championship.

Angelo Spaneas, Peabody, Mass., was promoted to senior manager in the Audit practice at Baker Newman Noyes.

1992

Brad Dupee Jr., Superior, Colo., along with fellow Tau Kappa Epsilon alumni, met in Vail for their annual “LosMcCarthos” ski trip.

Susan Laliberte, Greenwich, Conn., is beginning a master’s program in psychology at Harvard University.

Paul Marobella, River Forest, Ill., who has been running ad agency Havas Chicago, was promoted to lead Havas New York and Arnold Worldwide in Boston.

1994

Steven Jenkins, Berlin, Conn., has been appointed as a trustee to the Connecticut Laborers’ Pension, Health and Annuity Funds. He is general counsel and compliance director for regional construction rm Manafort Brothers Inc., headquartered in Plainville.

1995

Cambridge Savings Bank has named Christine Flaherty, Reading, Mass., as vice president, commercial real estate loan offcer.

Guy Palumbo was elected to the State Senate in Washington, and serves as the ranking minority member on the Higher Education Committee. He and his wife, Rena (Parker), senior manager of research for Amazon Web Services, live in Snohomish, where they own and operate an award-winning dog boarding facility called Roscoe's Ranch.

1996

Kim Harrington, MBA ’00, Westborough, Mass., has written Gamer Squad, a middle-grade series to be published by Sterling Children’s Books this fall. She reports: “It’s where Pokémon GO meets the Goonies!”

1997

David Collier, Peabody, Mass., has joined Point B Management Consulting as a key member of its National Project Leadership practice.

Joel Freedenberg and Jennifer Thai, Camarillo, Calif., were married on February 20, 2016.

1998

Paul Homer, Huntington, N.Y., was promoted to managing director of Northwood Ventures.

Gerard Leeman, Wakefield, Mass., was appointed compliance officer, Americas, for MilliporeSigma. He also was named chairman of the town’s Finance Committee.

Claudia (Spangaro) Mariaca was elected and sworn in as councilwoman in her hometown of Doral, Fla. She writes that, in her new role, she is happy to be helpful in any matter within
her reach.

Michael Sacco, MST, P ’18, Worcester, Mass., was presented with the 2016 Best of Central Massachusetts award by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. He is the owner of Sacco & Associates LLC.

Charles Stuart, Columbus, Ohio, has launched Ambedo Hospitality, a small consulting group focused on the hotel and service industry.

2001

James Bresnahan and wife Mandy (Enos) ’03, MSCF ’04, Ayer, Mass., welcomed Callan James on December 26, 2016. Mandy reports: “Big sister Teaghan is completely in love with her little brother.”

Matthew Slayton, Cohasset, Mass., has been named general manager of the South Shore Management Unit by the Trustees of Reservations, a nonprofit conservation and preservation organization.

2002

Paul Coccovillo, Sacramento, Calif., is now leading the accounting functions for the Consumer Hardware division of Facebook.

2003

Francis Baird IV was born on December 7, 2016, to Francis Baird III and wife Lola, Westwood, Mass.

Mandy (Enos) Bresnahan, MSCF ’04 and husband James ’01, Ayer, Mass., welcomed Callan James on December 26, 2016. Mandy reports: “Big sister Teaghan is completely in love with her little brother.”

Theodore Iorio and Kimberly Maloomian ’05, West Palm Beach, Fla., were married on December 6, 2014, on Amelia Island.

Courtney (Cogswell) Lombardo, Billerica, Mass., was promoted to associate director, Development and External Relations, at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. “I would love to be in touch with other Bentley

alumni in the development field,” she writes.

Nicole Macey and Eric Kohli, Planstville, Conn., were married on November 11, 2016, in Simsbury.

Brett Sigworth, Framingham, Mass., owns the new eatery Pokéworks in Somerville’s Davis Square. The chain brings the classic Hawaiian raw fish bowl to the mainland.

2004

Lisa Belanger and Patrick Kane were married on February 20, 2016, in Sharon, Mass. Many fellow Falcons from the Class of 2004 were in attendance.

Tanveer Daswani, London, England, has been married since November 2014 — but writes: “Every day spent with [Tara] feels like we’re newly wed.”

2005

Raghav Lal, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been appointed CEO, West Africa, for Transnational Academic Group.

Chris Lanen, Cranston, R.I., has been elected chairman of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association. He also was named a member of the Manufacturing Advisory Council for R.I. Gov. Gina Raimondo.

Kimberly Maloomian and Theodore Iorio ’03, West Palm Beach, Fla., were married on December 6, 2014, on Amelia Island.

Julie Nee Belben and husband Kenny, Framingham, Mass., welcomed daughter Emma on February 3, 2017. Julie reports: “She is the sweetest little sister to big brothers Jack and Sam.”

2006

U.S. Army Captain Timmy Donahue, MSMA ’07, Arlington, Va., has returned from a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan. He served as an operational law attorney with the NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan/Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan. The work supported Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support missions.

Jens Kullmann, MBA, MSA ’12, Medford, Mass., and wife Jane welcomed son Henry on September 25, 2016, in Sydney, Australia. Big sister Ellie is quite the fan, says Dad, noting her constant efforts to make him laugh. “In further news — because adding a family member just wasn’t enough — at the end of March, I completed my three-year assignment with PwC in Sydney and am now working with PwC in Boston.”

2007

Lisa (Buesking), MSA ’08 and David Cawley, MSA ’08, Arlington, Mass., welcomed Andrew Thomas on November 5, 2016.

Amanda (Grant) Dudley, MBA ’08 and husband Brian, North Reading, Mass., welcomed a son, Brooks Grant, on October 5, 2016. The couple’s older son, Lucas, is very happy to be a big brother.

Werner Krings, MSFP, Feldkirchen-Westerham, Germany, has embarked on a doctoral research project in social media and B2B business development. He is studying at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, in England.

Phuong Mai and Jackson Leung, Quincy, Mass., were married on August 27, 2016, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Sean Parlin, Woburn, Mass., has been promoted to director, Strategic Alliances, at HealthcareSource.

2008

Nicole Chan and Jason Loeb, Quincy, Mass., were married on April 11, 2017, in Italy.

Lauren Mary Gotimer, Monroe, Conn., has joined Pratt & Whitney as a senior materials analyst.

Leah (Jones) Hancock and husband Dan, Wakefield, Mass., welcomed Rosemarie Barbara on November 15, 2016. Big brother Will, born in February 2015, is thrilled to have a  new audience for his antics.

2009

Meredith Hart and Jeffrey Belaief, Boston, Mass., were married on October 7, 2016, at Wychmere Beach Club. “Jeff and I met during ‘First Week’ freshman year, remained friends all through college and started dating after Bentley. We got married on an absolutely beautiful day on the Cape surrounded by family and friends.” The  group included nearly 30 fellow Falcons.

Brad and Courtney (Spencer) Jansson, North Easton, Mass., welcomed a second son on February 22, 2017. “He’s named after where Mom and Dad met — Bentley!” Courtney says of the new arrival, who joins big brother Spencer.

Lauren Langell and Tony Tryonis ’10, MSIT ’11, Charlotte, N.C., were married on October 29, 2016, at Childress Vineyards in Lexington. Thirty-plus Falcons were in attendance.

Patrick Percella and Kara Gould ’10, Bayonne, N.J., were married on June 25, 2016, in Duxbury, Mass., at Kara’s parents’ home. The couple met when Pat transferred to Bentley from Boston University.

2010

James Robert Berkley, MSF ’11 and Heidi Lund Gray, Hopkinton, Mass., were married at LaBelle Winery in Amherst, N.H.

Kara Gould and Patrick Percella ’09, Bayonne, N.J., were married on June 25, 2016, in Duxbury, Mass., at Kara’s parents’ home. The couple met when Pat transferred to Bentley from Boston University.

Tony Tryonis, MSIT ’11 and Lauren Langell ’09, Charlotte, N.C., were married on October 29, 2016, at Childress Vineyards in Lexington. Thirty-plus Falcons were in attendance.

2011

Sucheta Desai and Rohan Hattiangadi, Glendale, Calif., were married in Anaheim on November 25, 2016, in the good  company of family, friends and fellow Falcons.

Erik Gupp and Rachel Kolbin ’12, MBA ’14, Somerville, Mass., were married on September 4, 2016, at Temple Israel in Boston. In May, Erik joined the Marketing Communication division at Bentley, as direct marketing specialist. Rachel is a data analyst at Partners Healthcare.

Kimberly Markowitz and Daniel Bonamassa, Brooklyn, N.Y., were married on October 1, 2016, in White Plains.

Casey Millman, MSA ’14, and Danielle Rauch, Boston, Mass., said “I do” on December 17, 2016, in Houston, Texas. Many fellow Falcons joined the celebration, including bridal party members Erik Gupp; Otto Finkeldey; Kevin Segel; David Horovitz ’12; and Rachel Kolbin-Gupp ’12, MBA ’14. The couple honeymooned on a European cruise. the groom and bride work for PwC and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, respectively.

Brett Bisesti ’13 reports that friend Sean Valiente, Norwood, Mass., hosted a karaoke night for Brett’s 28th birthday. In lieu of gifts, Valiente asked attendees for donations to Charity Water and raised more than $2,600.

2012

Taylor Grant, Malvern, Pa., was hired as an equityproduct manager at Macquarie Asset Management.

Despina Hatzipetrou and Jake Hixon, Boston, Mass., were married on September 10, 2016, at the Wellesley Country Club.

Rachel Kolbin, MBA ’14, and Erik Gupp ’11, Somerville, Mass., were married on September 4, 2016, at Temple Israel in Boston.

Hortencia Marina Pontes, MSBA ’17 and Samual Swartz,  MSBA ’17, Brighton, Mass., were married on July 30, 2016, in Kingston.

On February 16, Robert Reardon Jr., Belmont, Mass., graduated from the Reading Police Academy’s intensive six-month program and was sworn-in as an offcer with the Belmont Police Department. Prior to this role, Reardon served as public information offcer and liquor license clerk for the town of Belmont.

Holly Selvitella and Spencer McKenna, Boston, Mass., are engaged to be married on August 19, 2017, in Quincy. “We met in FYS class!” Holly writes.

Agatha Szerejko, Rye, N.Y., has joined Good Apple Digital as a senior media planner/buyer. Previously, she was at Boathouse Group in Boston.     

2013

Lindsey Albert and Eric Johnson, Latham, N.Y., were married on October 8, 2016, in Portsmouth, N.H. Fellow Falcons from the classes of 2012 to 2014 were on hand for the nuptials.

Andrew Goodman, MSA ’14, Avon, Conn., has been promoted to audit senior consultant in the Internal Audit department at Aetna.

Lauren Houde and M. Charles Festa, Warwick, R.I., were married on August 27, 2016, in Providence.

Emily Roy, New York, N.Y., was promoted from senior account executive to account supervisor at Prosek Partners.

2014

Michael Hotchkiss, MST, Londonderry, N.H., was promoted to senior manager at Baker Newman Noyes.

Bashar Moussallieh, MBA and husband Diala, Woodbridge, Ontario, welcomed a daughter, Emily,on April 3, 2017.

Jackie (Stein), MBA and Matthew Real, MBA, MSFP ’17, Manchester, N.H., welcomed son Matthew Jr. on September 9, 2016.

2015

Jacqueline Costello, Saco, Maine, was hired as a staff member in the Tax practice of Baker Newman Noyes.

2016

Ian Thompson, South Hamilton, Mass., ran the 2017 Boston Marathon to raise more than $10,500 for Boston Children’s Hospital in honor of his sister, Mary. He writes: “I’m incredibly grateful for the tremendous support I have received from many of my fellow classmates.”

2017

Tabitha Lamontagne, MST, Freeport, Maine, has been named a tax principal at Baker Newman Noyes. 

Hortencia Marina Pontes ’12, MSBA and Samual Swartz, MSBA, Brighton, Mass., were married on July 30, 2016, in Kingston.

2021

Kelly Reis, MST candidate, Amherst, N.H., was promoted to supervising senior in the Tax practice at Baker Newman Noyes.   

The paths of business and civic engagement sometimes cross in dramatic fashion, like when billionaires such as Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg commit a large portion of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

Just as important: the quiet efforts every day that join business best practices with the mission to help others and improve the world. The Bentley community has long been at the forefront of this effort. In this issue, we hear from alumni and faculty who work at the intersections of business and the social good.

We start with a big-picture look at how companies find value in becoming more civic minded, while nonprofits post gains by using strategic marketing, data analytics and similar tools. Another story applies a generational lens to civic engagement, with insights on its meaning and pursuit from boomers, Gen Xers and millennials. Finally, you will meet alumni whose public work to help others emerged from private tragedy. Their search for solutions, powered by business skills, has pointed a way forward through heart-rending circumstances.

The ROI of civic engagement hit home for me this fall. An email arrived with news of a crowdfunding campaign for service-learning programs at Bentley. Over three days, gifts from 100 people would unlock $3,500 from an anonymous donor. I supplied my credit card information and hit “send.” The reply was gratifyingly quick: I was the 166^th person of an eventual 258 to support the initiative. My gift was modest. Not so the rush of pride or the sense of kinship I felt with fellow benefactors. Check out the final tally on page 19.

There’s inspiration on every page as we approach the season of giving thanks and giving back.  

Reach out by phone, email or your favorite social platform. Stay well and stay in touch.

Susan Simpson
Editor

Written by Meg Murphy

Global health issues are no abstraction when you live and work alongside African villagers in urgent need of food, water, and basic sanitation, according to Bentley professors who have spent more than a decade engaged with such communities.

Recently Bentley’s Health Thought Leadership Network, which advances impactful research in health and healthcare, supported the innovative work of two faculty members. Both are engaged in transformative work in Africa. In interviews, they share the philosophy behind their work and the passion that drives it.

Uniting Worlds

Laurel Steinfield, an assistant professor of marketing at Bentley University, is deeply involved in fieldwork in Eastern Africa. “I see my work as drawing on interdisciplinary methods to address multiple dimensions of poverty that affect people’s lives, including poverty in income, health, time, or mental well-being,” she says.

One of her current projects in Kenya explores how science and technology can have a positive effect on subsistence consumers and their livelihoods, particularly in agricultural communities. Bentley’s Health TLN, itself a network of more than 40 faculty and staff across 18 departments bridging traditional boundaries in healthcare, provided funding for summer fieldwork.

In collaboration with biologists, agriculturalists, and community partners, Steinfield is studying the impact of several low-tech tools on household well-being, including: a farming implement to improve crop yields; water ponds to nourish kitchen gardens, improve household diets and offset dependency on cash crops; and a solar cooker to boil water and heat food, decreasing the time-poverty that disproportionately effects women. She believes that replicable social innovations are a key part of the solution to the food-water-conflict crises arising from climate change. “Securing food and water is not just about personal health, but also about community health: making communities more resilient to drought and famine can reduce conflict and civil wars.”

“The natural and human worlds are very interdependent. Yet for so long in academia, we’ve tended to work in silos. We’re seeing a shift away from that now,” she says. “We have to work together to resolve these grand challenges in development.”

As a transformative consumer researcher, Steinfield specializes in female entrepreneurism, economic empowerment, and gender injustices. Her work identifies and critiques how the global marketplace perpetuate injustices, and explores practices to improve the livelihood of consumers impacted by them.

Raising Awareness

Among other things, Diane Kellogg, an associate professor of management at Bentley University, is committed to providing safe sanitation on a global scale. “The depth of the crisis is immense. People need clean household toilets. The makeshift solutions promote disease transmission, and rob people of their dignity,” she says.

She promotes toilets that don’t require sewer pipes, electricity or water, and markets them to local governments and landlords in urban poor Ghana.

Kellogg recently drew on the support of Bentley’s Health TLN for a study of the pre-installation health conditions in one rural community in Ghana. She is tracking how household toilets can reduce health problems, such as intestinal worms and diarrhea, in children. “We need to get people talking about why toilets matter, and ‘data is dynamite.’  People get it when they see the numbers,” she says.

The Health TLN has also helped her find volunteers for a World Toilet Day 2017 project, Sanitation Wikipedia. That’s the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance effort to upgrade WASH – water, sanitation, hygiene – articles on Wikipedia.

“There’s a lot to do,” says Kellogg. “If we succeed, all the major WASH organizations will be upgrading articles relevant to their work.”  She recruits student volunteers to work alongside organizations like UN Water, the Toilet Board Coalition, Oxfam and WaterAid.

Community Engagement

One word that both Kellogg and Steinfield often use is respect. They believe a collaborative process of engagement sits at the heart of international development work.

“When you go to Africa, you’re not trying to save communities or pretend that you have the answer. You’re trying to understand the problems at hand and create solutions together,” says Steinfield. “In some communities, people may sing songs, share hugs, and welcome you as one of them. You’re cultivating relationships, and that engagement is really important for any of these projects to work. You need to learn from each other.”

Kellogg agrees. “These lessons in intercultural collaboration and respect last a lifetime.”

Want to join?

Fill out the membership form:

Pi Sigma Alpha application for membership.docx