1936
John H. Bishop

1937
Terence D. Kenney
Robert B. Phillips
Louis A. Voce

1938
Allan Beale
William J. Joyce

1939
Jack Bennett
Harold Durrell
William J. Griffiths
Andrew W. Matson

1940
Clyde Eagles
Edward Kaden
Aubrey Stewart
George J. Walker

1941
Joseph P. Flaherty

1942
Herman Buffman
Norman L. Chase
L. Charles Eddy
Francis H. Hoar
Donald N. Langlais

1943
John J. Morelli

1946
Margaret (McCartin) Teague
Norman Wobesky

1947
Charles Daniel
Robert W. Emens
Barbara (Clough) Huntley
Leon B. Landa
Maurice P. Laurendeau
Samuel L. Salafia

1948
Gerard Custeau
Glenn G. Clark Jr.
Francis H. Finneran
A.  David Freedland
John W. Grosse
Lorraine (Quirk) Murray
John L. Russell
Gerald W. Whitcomb

1949
Norman Houle
Emil N. Mackey Jr.
David F. Morton
Robert P. Porteous
James A. Whelden

1950
Reginald Boutin
Emily Hamilton
John E. Robinson

1951
Lloyd J. Crandall Jr.
Craig T. D’Entremont
Gerard A. Driscoll
James E. Hayes
Edward J. Nangle Jr.
Ralph A. Samuels
William M. Silberstein

1952
James E. Colloton
Bernard Cristoforo
Kenneth L. Percy
Robert J. O’Connor

1954
Robert E. Haskell
C. Vincent Macrina
Jerome Shulman

1955
Richard M. Cromack
John P. Linehan
Joseph E. “Ted” Trumbour Jr.

1956
Arcangelo Capparella
John A. Durrell
Eslie Gallagher

1957
Robert J. Bullock
John Courtney

1958
Leo Gauthier
John J. Haley
James Haley
Charles F. Hoye
Kenneth L. Stafford

1959
William O. Fuller

1960
John D. Collins
Harry G. Gillis Jr.

1961
Roland E. Lachance
Thomas McCarron
Roland Paradis

1962
Robert E. Davis
Paul G. Merrill
George R. Normandin

1963
Claire (Agresti) Boudreau
George L. Mitchell

1965
Peter A . Dufour

1967
Dennis H. Carr

1969
James J. Cozzaglio
Robert D. DeBlosi

1972
Donald J. Parnell

1973
David S. Forrester
Howard Kriegel
Jack R. Orr

1974
Charles M. Rodericks Jr.

1975
John A. Monson

1976
Craig T. Sullivan

1977
John L. Girard Jr.
Joseph J. Luca

1978
William M. Cashman
Michael G. Chaloux

1980
Dianne (Lanciloti) DiMercurio

1981
Timothy M. Orcutt
Timothy Wells

1982
William Koury

1983
Mary E. Alsop
George R. Bates

1985
David W. Burnes

1986
Heather (Krass) Lopes
Mary Lou Malieswski

1988
Ambrose Berry
Peter E. McCarthy

1989
Stephen M. Foustoukos

1990
Francis R. Zizza

1991
Thomas G. Sommers

1992
Cynthia K. Revier

1993
Tomlinson C. Craig

1994
Marci (Poska) Kennedy

2006
Nicholas A. Hausammann

2012
Qinpei (Vivian) Lin, Candidate for Master of Science in Accountancy

Friends of Bentley
Richard L. Perkins, Carpenter, Facilities Management
Yvonne J. Yaw, Professor of English

How do you teach a course whose subject matter won’t sit still? If you’re Bentley CIS professor James Pepe, you make the curriculum as open to innovation as the technology being covered.

The resulting course — Android Application Development — delivers a hands-on, hard-core look at the popular smartphone operating system. Students learn how it works, then apply the lessons to create their own Android applications. Pepe taught the course in the past two spring semesters.

Dreaming in Code
Google’s Android is built around an open-source model, which makes its inner workings free and available to software developers around the world. Enterprising souls have seized on the chance to tweak the technology, creating nearly a quarter-million apps that are available for download from the Android Market.

“Android is one of the two major breakthroughs in computing in the past several years, the other being cloud computing,” says Pepe.“There are few restrictions. Google has just allowed innovation to happen.”

Access to such innovation is a software developer’s dream. But designing a curriculum around something so changeable is another matter. Pepe met the challenge by creating an “open-source” course: one dynamic enough to keep up with fast-moving technology, and flexible enough to take cues from anywhere, including the students themselves.

Pepe’s path to teaching is similarly untraditional. The Brooklyn native earned his doctorate at MIT and spent 30 years in the computer industry before accepting an adjunct position at Bentley eight years ago. The appointment became full time after a year.

“My teaching style is hands on,” he says. “That’s the only way to really understand computing concepts. Don’t come to class without your laptop — you’re going to be lost. And if you have something to contribute to the lecture, I want to hear it.”

Open to Suggestion
On a cold Monday night in February, Pepe was hearing plenty. His students were immersed in the first course project: creating an app to calculate restaurant tips, with an extra button to open a web browser. One student asks about adding a navigation bar, so users could see the URL they are accessing.

“Yeah. It could be a good part of your final project,” Pepe replies. “Actually, if you build one, I’m going to use it in future classes.”

Members of this current class will work up to more advanced projects, using Google Maps and the SQLite relational database. In the spring 2011 semester, students created apps such as a parked-car locator and a “Boston Area College Information Finder,” which gave details about local schools and links to each institution’s website.

Recognition for the course moved onto a public stage in December, when Pepe was one of four faculty to receive Bentley’s Innovation in Teaching Award for 2011.

“The CIS Department has given me lots of support and encouragement in this. I am really grateful,” he says. “Think about Bentley. Bentley is a business school, and the CIS Department already has a set of courses that fits in very nicely with that idea. We did [this course] experimentally for one semester and it paid off.”

The course — and Pepe’s methodology — wins praise from students such as former CIS major Nic Smits ’12.

“He taught the course ‘on demand’” says Smits. “If a particular Android feature wasn’t covered under the syllabus or in the books, he was happy to bring it into the classroom if we asked.”

Smits left that classroom with technical skills that found a receptive audience among future employers. He joined the Technical Development Program at Liberty Mutual upon graduating in May.

Another course booster is Sam Diament ’11, a former CIS and Liberal Studies major with a minor in Business Economics. He is now pursuing Bentley’s MS in Information Technology.

“Professor Pepe was very open to taking questions and experimenting in class, while also teaching us,” says Diament, who cites several benefits to the professor’s approach. “First, we knew we were learning the most up-to-date material about Android. Second, he was not lecturing down to us. He respected us and, I believe, he saw an opportunity to learn from us as well.”

The 3.0 version of the course is already underway, with Pepe tweaking content as he learns more about Android through his own work – and from his students.

“I enjoy interacting with them,” he says. “I like how I have to stay on top of technology areas, and have the freedom to keep learning.”

A challenge grant to Bentley from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is equal parts recognition and call to action. The $395,000 award, disbursed as the university raises matching funds, advances efforts to enrich business education with rigorous work in the humanities. 

NEH grant is a rare honor for business school. Valente Center Director Chris Beneke will oversee the NEH grant.

“It is extremely gratifying for a business institution to be recognized by one of the most prestigious supporters of education in the humanities,” says Dan Everett, dean of arts and sciences. “The NEH has shown an appreciation for our progressive curriculum, our leadership, and the general excellence of our faculty.”

The grant and matching contributions are earmarked for an endowment to support humanities programming at the Valente Center for Arts and Sciences. Specific initiatives include a research seminar to investigate compelling issues in literature, history, philosophy, modern languages and other areas of the humanities; short-term visits to campus by leading humanities scholars; and intensive seminars where faculty and undergraduates read and discuss “great books.”

“These initiatives capitalize on Bentley’s unique ability to shape the education and outlook of business professionals,” says Valente Center Director Chris Beneke, who submitted the proposal and serves as grant administrator. “This permanent endowment advances our work, making the humanities integral to preparing career-minded students.”

Rising to the Challenge
The terms of the NEH challenge require Bentley to raise funds in a 3-1 ratio. By the end of the grant period, in 2018, the humanities endowment should reach $1.185 million.

Beneke is convinced that alumni, parents and other donors will rise to the occasion. The center’s namesakes – Dan ’55 and Jeanne Valente – set an early standard for such support. More recently, Diane and Dennis Albano, parents of Michael ’08, funded student-run seminars that explore topics such as drama, music and politics.      

“There’s an understanding now that liberal learning and a humanities-focused education help students take on more complex tasks as their careers progress,” observes Beneke, an associate professor of history who has led the Valente Center since 2008. “Students, alumni and parents expect Bentley to offer this kind of broad education.”

Community of Scholars
Two beneficiaries of NEH funds – the Visiting Scholars program and Great Books seminar – expand efforts already underway at the Valente Center. The research seminar is a wholly new endeavor that aims to engage faculty and students at Bentley and other Boston-area schools.

“We want to create a campus-based community of faculty and undergraduates, who would spend a year studying a humanities-centered topic such as religious toleration or the history of global capitalism,” explains Beneke. Over time, he adds, the seminar should raise Bentley’s profile among academic peers and the general public.

With business majors accounting for about 20 percent of college students nationwide, the NEH has impetus to support schools outside the traditional universe of liberal arts colleges.

 “The NEH is recognizing that business education is an important area for them and for the nation,” says Beneke. “They see a need to increase rigor and challenge, and to ensure that business students get substantive training in the liberal arts.”

For more information about Valente Center programs and the NEH grant, visit https://www.bentley.edu/centers/valente-center.  

Four new undergraduate majors are set to launch in September, each a star in its own right. But connecting them all is a commitment to preparing graduates to shine.

Actuarial Science, Public Policy, Spanish Studies, and Sustainability Science. The topics are compelling on their own – and even more so when coupled with business know-how. Each of Bentley’s new offerings requires a companion major or minor in Business Studies.  

Students who major in Sustainability Science, for example, will be charged with analyzing the Earth’s environmental systems relative to societal and business activity. It is essential preparation for professionals who must consider environmental, economic and societal sustainability in corporate decision-making.

The curriculum speaks to data from a global survey of companies conducted in 2011 by McKinsey & Company. The research found that organizations are placing more emphasis on sustainability planning.

“Students will be particularly qualified to step into planning and leadership roles in which they will not only help incorporate green business practices – such as reducing energy and natural resource consumption – but also identify ways that corporate sustainability will improve efficiency and the bottom line.” notes Rick Oches, associate professor and chair of the Natural and Applied Sciences Department.

Measuring Risk

Good business sense is also a sweet spot for actuarial science. Professionals in this growing area use quantitative methods to evaluate the risk of uncertain events in industries such as insurance. Along with traditional actuarial preparation that hones math and computer skills, the Bentley major builds general business acumen to improve graduates’ odds for career success.

The winning mix of broad and specialized skills is uncommon in higher education, but commonly sought by employers. That is, the math-minded actuary who also commands a big-picture view of business and keen communication skills is best positioned to work with colleagues across the organization and with outside regulators.

Speaking from Experience

Innovation runs between the lines of the Spanish Studies major. Open to native and non-native speakers of Spanish, the program develops language skills and cultural sensibility for conducting business in three regions of the world: Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean.  

Requirements for the major include an applied learning experience, for example, a semester of study in a Spanish-speaking country or an internship with either an American company abroad or a Spanish-owned company in the States.  

Applied study figures into the Public Policy major as well. Along with gaining proficiency in a foreign language, students will pursue a directed study course, fourth-credit service–learning option, or approved internship.

In proposing the major, Global Studies Department professor and chair Joni Seager was answering a call of sorts. Data from the National Association of Schools in Public Affairs and Administration suggest that Bentley is the first university in Massachusetts to offer Public Policy as a stand-alone undergraduate major.

“As more millennials seek jobs with a service aspect, the combination of public policy and business will expand their bandwidth,” Seager says of pathways that include master’s and doctoral programs, public sector work, and employment in the government relations divisions of private companies.

More broadly, the Public Policy major aims to cultivate thought leaders.

“We are successful if we have helped students develop a strong ethical foundation for decision-making,” she says. “They will leave Bentley with the knowledge needed to make a difference in complex public issues that face the world.”

Trends may change, but green is still the new black at Bentley. Student leaders aim to make sustainability the social norm among peers. An expanded Eco-Reps program is among the latest salvos in students’ battle for eco-consciousness. 

This year boasts the largest attendance at weekly meetings since the program’s launch in 2009. Twenty-five students represent 23 residence halls and aim to change habits in living spaces.

“Eco-reps work together on a regular basis to come up with the best approach,” says Justine Andrews ’15, the Residence Hall Association sustainability coordinator charged with managing the program. “We don’t want to overwhelm people about sustainable living, but to educate them on the importance of making changes and allowing them to accept the changes at their own pace.

The group is well-recognized on campus, thanks to initiatives such as green pizza parties and recycling training for lunchtime diners in the LaCava Lower Café and Dana Center food court. Their behind-the-scenes work includes policymaking for residence hall recycling, and creating a green certification program for student groups, administrative offices and academic departments.

Catalyzing Change

The Eco-Reps program complements work by the Green Society, a five-year-old student organization that coordinates campus-wide projects to promote environmentally conscious habits.

“Both groups have catalyzed behavior change on campus, through dynamic peer-to-peer education and outreach,” notes Amanda King, who was promoted in April to director of sustainability and special assistant to the president. “They are helping make sustainable behavior part of day-to-day practice, so it becomes a habit to recycle and shut the lights off.”

Recent Green Society initiatives have rebranded the annual residential electricity competition – the Blackout Challenge – with incentives like Blackout Challenge champion T-shirts. Additional programs include Earthfest; RecycleMania; and Think Outside the Bottle, a campaign to encourage a shift to tap water.   

Generation Conservation

Campus initiatives have produced impressive stats. During the past three years, the university’s carbon footprint is down 8 percent based solely on energy efficiency projects, sound energy management and energy conservation. Electricity use during 2011-2012 is at the lowest in seven years.

These successes point to a generation that is highly concerned about the environment, according to Andrews.  “Years ago, there were indications of damages to the earth that only a scientist could see. But in the past few years – since my generation has grown up – there have been so many uncommon natural disasters that we can no longer ignore the threat.”

The threat was especially close to home for Green Society president Tomas Fuller ’12.  

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been conscious of environmental issues because my hometown of Woburn was affected by a water contamination scandal that is notable to this day,” explains Fuller, an Economics-Finance major with plans to work in environmental law. “I pioneered green efforts in high school, and Bentley’s Green Society was a perfect venue to continue this commitment.”

For Andrews, the commitment to sustainability is enhanced by seeing eco-reps of different ages, genders and backgrounds work toward one common goal. As she puts it: “Each person contributes to conversations, shares experiences and views, and stays open to many ideas.”

Whatever the exact contours of her career path, Andrews knows it will be colored green.

“I know that, to make a difference, I don’t necessarily need to devote my life to planting trees or making speeches,” she says. “As a business leader, I can make sustainability a priority with office practices and products. Once major companies in the U.S. truly start to act in an eco-friendly manner, the rest of the world will follow.”  

The students-turned-teachers for this year’s taxpayer workshops included, from left, senior Accountancy majors Xi (Cissy) Chen, Jeffrey Eldridge, Michele Chamberlain, Amon Mohammadi, and Rosa Zarate.

Learning travels both ways in taxpayer workshops

Fifteen undergraduates arrive at the LaCava Center, laptops loaded with PowerPoint presentations, folders filled with handouts. These students in Bentley’s Advanced Taxation course have exhaustively researched their assigned topics, and practiced fielding questions with their professor and classmates. Now it’s time to take their knowledge public.

The proving ground for their expertise is a series of taxpayer workshops designed for small-business owners. Scheduled over two evenings, the free-of-charge sessions attract entrepreneurs who run home construction companies, plumbing and heating services, modest retail operations, and the like. They are not MBAs or accountants; many are new to the business owner role.

“These workshops – and the course – are very much about bringing students closer to their profession,” explains Assistant Professor of Accountancy Tracy Noga, who developed the workshops three years ago in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service. “It’s important to be able to convert complex technical information into easily understood pieces for people who don’t have this technical knowledge.”

Fact Finders

The offerings for 2012 -- Starting Up Your Business, Hiring Help in Your Business, and the two-session Figuring Your Income Tax – welcomed 16 participants in late February and early March. Students faced a flurry of questions about deductions, self-employment taxes, employee hiring classifications, and payroll taxes, among other topics.

“This was a really interesting assignment, because we usually present to our classmates – an audience we’re familiar with,” says Michele Chamberlain ’12. “At the workshop, we spoke directly with people who weren’t necessarily informed about the topics presented, and who could immediately use the information we shared.”

To recruit workshop participants, Noga relies on a network of community-based organizations, such as the Northeast Veteran’s Resource Center, which assists veterans in starting their own businesses; the Waltham and Watertown-Belmont Chambers of Commerce; and the Boston-based Center for Women and Enterprise. The workshops also get a boost from advertising on the IRS website.  

“The IRS has shared a relationship with Bentley University for many years,” notes Mary Hanson, senior stakeholder liaison for the agency. “We’re pleased to serve as a resource and assist with marketing this free event.”

Value Added All Around

The workshops begin with presentations by student teams. Then the floor opens for questions, with Noga standing by ready to help answer the thorniest queries.

David Kelly participated in the taxpayer workshops in 2010, during his senior year as Accountancy major.

“Our team addressed hiring individuals into the business, and I focused on payroll taxes,” recalls Kelly, now a tax accountant with Grant Thornton and pursing Bentley’s MS in Taxation. “Participants wanted to know how to determine whether an individual is an employee or a contractor, or fits into another category – and what the payroll implications are.

“Speaking in public about a complex topic gave me a better understanding of how to parlay my knowledge in ways people can use. That, for me, was the strongest point – not only obtaining new knowledge but also giving that knowledge to others.”

Chamberlain and her team taught the workshop about starting a business. Her particular focus was employer ID issues and mining resources on the IRS website. She sees value in the experience as she prepares to join a private equity firm upon graduation.

“I’ll be calculating valuations,” Chamberlain says of her new job as a financial analyst. “Since good tax strategies help keep returns healthy, the additional knowledge of taxation I’ve gained through the course and the workshops will definitely help me.”

The positive reviews by all sides are sure to keep the workshops on Noga’s syllabus.

“I’ve been delighted with how much the participants appreciate the service we’re providing,” says the professor. “I love the way the students step up to the challenge. They really embrace the project and do an awesome job.”

Emotions were running high. The field of 30 contestants had narrowed to three — all vying to be named the “Tech Apprentice” in Bentley’s take on the TV show made famous by billionaire Donald Trump. The prize: a three-month internship with marketing firm Allen & Gerritsen.

The competition engaged a diverse mix of players: business and media students, the Center for Marketing Technology and Bentley TV, marketing faculty and corporate executives. Over the fall 2011 semester, on their own time, students took on challenges for high-profile companies that included Converse, the Boston Celtics, Boloco, Bluetrain Mobile, and Smarterer. Competitors marshaled their savvy in emerging technology, digital marketing and social media to impress a panel of faculty and corporate judges. In the end, the Tech Apprentice mantle went to Maria Sofia Samayoa ’12, a marketing major who graduated in December.

Why did you decide to enter the competition?

My mentor, Ian Cross, the head of Bentley’s Center for Marketing Technology, told me about it. I knew it would be a great experience with great networking possibilities.

After surviving a tense initial round, 16 competitors were divided into four teams. What was your challenge?

We had to create and present a two-page document that delivered brand personification and content strategy for Bluetrain Mobile, which focuses on developing mobile websites. In our group presentation, we talked about brand personification – how your brand has to act as a person, not just as a service or company. We emphasized that our brand had to have a voice and tone.

That round left six competitors standing. What happened then?

This time, we were asked to develop a mobile strategy for either the Celtics or Converse. I was assigned to Converse, which has been losing its market share among boys 8 to 12. I researched a lot about how mothers are using their smartphones and mobile media. To be effective with this age group, you have to target both the child and the mother. One is the influencer and the other, the decision-maker. My idea was a mobile app – an “Angry Birds” type of thing. Part of the game was that they could design their very own shoe. If the child was under 13, he had to submit a parent’s email address. If he won the game, he could buy the shoe he designed. The concept was to use the parent’s email address to induce the purchase. My idea was based on data I had extracted during research about mobile buying.

Tell us about the last round: a challenge for “inspired burritos” restaurant chain Boloco.

All three finalists had the same assignment, to create a location-based marketing strategy for Boloco, which is expanding into the Washington, D.C., area. Part of my strategy used Foursquare. I came up with three different models: a “newbie” special for first timers, who got free chips and salsa for using the app. For returning customers who checked in with Foursquare, double points on their Boloco frequent customer card were awarded. I also recommended continuing the “mayor’s special:” a free burrito for the mayor and two of his friends every Monday. The idea was that these incentives would lead customers to share location information with friends and come back to the store. Another part of my recommendation relied on Instagram, which uses pictures only. The idea was for Boloco to post behind-the-scenes pictures, to let customers know about new combinations and creations. It gave a “human” feel to the brand.

What surprised you about the competition?

I didn’t expect that it was going to be filmed [by Bentley TV]. Reality television is much more complicated than it seems.

What interested you the most?

I learned how to make much better use of technology. I created accounts with various social media sites, and I began to see their potential. Before the competition, I knew they existed — but now I’m excited about what will happen next and how brands can use these technologies to increase their market presence.

How did the internship at Allen & Gerritsen work out?

My work mostly focused on Pinterest, which is an online pinboard that lets you organize and share things you like with others. I reported on how clients can use this social network to drive traffic to their websites and blogs. It’s very cutting edge, and gaining a lot of momentum.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to go home to Guatemala, where the technology is not nearly as advanced as it is here, but there is so much opportunity. I want to learn as much as possible while I’m here, and then apply it back home.

Boardroom judging scenes on Trump’s Apprentice are notoriously harsh. How did the Bentley version compare?

The judges graded us based on guidelines spelled out for each challenge. At the close of our presentations, the scores were added up and those who scored the highest went on to the next round. So, thankfully, our version wasn’t as intense as the real TV show.

If you were asked by a friend, co-worker or neighbor to describe Bentley in a word or phrase, what would you say? What are the key strengths or attributes that define Bentley and what are its points of differentiation from other colleges and universities? What areas of increased focus offer the opportunity to build Bentley an even stronger position in the marketplace?

These questions have kept a lot of people busy over the last year. The marketing team at Bentley joined with our advertising agency of record, Boathouse, and higher education research firm Simpson Scarborough to conduct a multiphase branding project.

The team started by interviewing students, faculty and staff. They then developed and conducted a quantitative survey across 11 stakeholder groups that included prospective undergraduates and their parents, corporate partners, faculty and you – alumni, families and friends of Bentley. Please know that we are very grateful to everyone who devoted time to answering the survey.  

As is the case with most marketing research, the survey both confirmed some strengths we already recognize and identified some areas of opportunity. The findings also set the stage for strategic questions about what we want the Bentley brand to become and where investment is needed moving forward, to deliver on that vision.

In Phase 2 of the research, the team used insights from the survey to craft creative concepts that we tested via an online survey with many of the same stakeholders. (Again, thank you to all who participated!) That research identified a creative direction, and the project team is developing a brand identity and launch plan; Bentley trustees received an update at their May board meeting.

We plan to share key elements of the project, including research highlights, messages and brand identity, in the next edition of Observer.

“In the past, advancing women in the workplace was [seen as] just ‘a nice thing to do.’” Now, Myers sees a big shift in the thinking of male leaders in corporate America. They are embracing the business case for advancing women in the workplace in order to stay competitive.
Betsy Myers, Founding Director, Center for Women and Business
Boston.com, Global Business Hub blog, April 30, 2012

“The demand for management education is by no means shrinking.” The 11-month Bentley MBA capitalizes on the interest, with a curriculum organized into four 10-week themes: innovation, values, the environment and leadership.  “We’re targeting a slightly older student who wants to enhance and leverage his or her work experience.”
Mike Page, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
U.S. News & World Report: Best Graduate School Guide, April 2, 2012

“We’re saying that even though you are a for-profit business, you can operate in a way that ultimately creates value for everyone, including society. This is not just restricted to social ventures.”
Raj Sisodia, Professor of Marketing
Sydney Morning Herald, April 23, 2012

“There is no such thing as universal grammar…. The rules of language are not innate but spring from necessity and circumstance.”
Dan Everett, Dean of Arts and Sciences
Discussing his new book in the Guardian, March 24, 2012

 “My research finds that, when making decisions, people are influenced by a variety of factors that are explicitly conscious, tacitly conscious and unconscious.  So even for a hiring manager that knows of this tendency and forces him- or herself to suppress it, it is still an influence.” [On whether personal appearance affects the chances of being hired or promoted.]
Marc L. Resnick, Professor of Information Design and Corporate Communication
Career-intelligence.com, April 19, 2012

 “It takes a village to graduate young adults who can survive this job market and lead in today’s world. It takes an all-encompassing process, supported by curriculum and programs that emphasize service–learning, ethics and social responsibility. Institutions can bring together disciplines such as business and liberal arts to provide more contextual learning. The idea that you can be a film major, for example, and learn not only how to make a film but also how to produce and sell a film, is critical.”
Susan Brennan, Managing Director, University Career Services
The Washington Post, College Inc. blog, January 25, 2012

Vice President, Client Services, BNY Mellon
Melrose, Mass.

On the always changing world of business . . .
There is one constant in both business and in life: change. During my 20 years in the financial services sector, the business environment has shifted dramatically, especially due to geo-political factors and emerging technologies. A business education from Bentley prepared me for the ever-changing world of finance and helped me develop a successful career in the process.

On staying involved. . .
I stay involved with Bentley because the school is a part of me. The four years I spent on campus were among the most influential and formative of my life; giving back to my alma mater keeps my connection with Bentley as strong as ever.

On the value of making a reunion gift. . .
Supporting Bentley with a reunion gift means a great deal to me. Like many of my classmates, I had parents who made a number of sacrifices to enable me to attend Bentley and follow my dreams. A reunion gift is my way of “paying it forward” – a way to honor my class and Bentley experience, and provide much-needed assistance for today’s students.

On encouraging others to take action. . .
Reaching out to fellow alumni is not a big deal for me. There are so many benefits to giving back and so many ways to do so, whether through financial means or by lending your time and expertise. I am happy to explain this to my classmates and fellow alumni, and encourage them to get involved. Plus, I know that Bentley has a low percentage of alumni who make an annual gift in support of the school. I want to help change that trend! 
 

Assistant Vice President, Investment Strategy – Wells Fargo Private Bank ● Adjunct Assistant Professor – Bentley University ● Needham, Mass.
 
On choosing to study at Bentley . . .
In 2001, after an unexpected layoff, I decided to embark on a new career path. A good friend and Bentley alumna whispered in my ear that “Bentley is the school for you.”  So I attended an open house thinking I might enroll in a course or two.  That’s when it all clicked for me. One month later I was enrolled full time in the MSFP program.

On moving to the head of the class . . .
Because of my connection with the university and my years of professional experience, I was asked to fill in and teach a summer course for the Law, Taxation and Financial Planning Department. As I’ve always enjoyed teaching, I gladly accepted the offer, loved the experience, and have never looked back.

On lessons beyond academics . . .
During the first class of each semester, I share my background and explain my unique Bentley connection as a student, alumnus and professor. I then strongly encourage the students to get involved on campus. Join the Graduate Student Association. Enhance the community by sharing talents and experiences. I firmly believe it’s a win-win when students take advantage of all that Bentley has to offer.

On making a gift to the Annual Fund each year . . .
Bentley has had such a positive impact on my life that I feel it’s my responsibility to give back. I do so in many ways, one of the most important being my regular contribution to the Annual Fund. From academics to activities to world-class technology, gifts to the Annual Fund support every aspect of the Bentley experience, so I know my contribution is put to immediate and good use.

The Arts and Lectures program is striking a chord on campus, with offerings so varied that even those who can’t carry a tune are taking note.

“The appeal is far-reaching, whether you want to learn a new skill or develop an existing skill, or find out how business is very much a part of the art world,” says Adam Payne (pictured above), whose gig as assistant director of student activities includes directing the Arts and Lectures Program and the Bowles Performing Arts Series. “People have the power to choose how they want to enrich themselves and their overall cultural awareness.”

Programming ranges from live music concerts to workshops on songwriting to lectures by experts on topics such as neuroscience and photography.  

“Learning about the music business was interesting and made me think about how our Bentley education could be put to use in the industry,” says Rachel Dempsey ’14, an Information Design and Corporate Communication major who attended a presentation by music industry professionals and went on to join guitar and photography workshops.

The diverse bill reflects Payne’s own unconventional path in the arts. A classically trained vocalist, he tracks his early inspiration to Saturday morning cartoons, whose music he mimicked on the family piano. Adding guitar and drums to his repertoire, he developed an eclectic style that fuses funk, R&B, folk and acoustic.   

Setting the Stage

An eight-year Bentley veteran, Payne took charge of arts programming in 2011. He built on the Bowles Performing Arts Series, created by his predecessor, Jim Morris, and on the English Department’s Creative Writers Forum.

“Jim is responsible for so much positive change in the area of the arts on this campus,” says Payne, who collaborated with Morris on programs such as Mixed, a one-person play on the multiracial experience.

The Arts and Lectures lineup has grown to include a Friday afternoon Concert Series, Live Music Series, Lectures Program, and Arts Workshop Series. This fall introduced Arts Instructors-in-Residence: a series of weekly campus visits by painters, singers, musicians and others who offer individual and group lessons in their specialty.

Chorus of Benefits

Music seems to have benefits that reverberate beyond personal growth. Research by the Mind– Body Wellness Center at Pennsylvania-based Meadville Medical Center suggests that playing an instrument can improve the American workplace by reducing stress, depression and burnout among employees. The reason? Rhythmic therapy provides an outlet for self-expression.

The resounding impact of the arts comes as no surprise to Payne.

“We live in an extremely complex world, and people rely on the development of transferable skills to help meet demands,” he says. “Exposure to the arts encourages people to think about our world in different ways and be more open to different perspectives. It helps us make connections with others and contribute to something greater than ourselves.”

For Daniel Marrano ’13, the history of Bentley University is much more than the stuff of dusty documents and yellowed news clippings.

“Basically, my whole family has gone to Bentley,” he says of a clan that includes his mother, father and two siblings. “I’ve always been interested in the history of the school, because it’s part of my own history.”

When Marrano learned that faculty member Clifford Putney needed an assistant to help research a book about the university’s past, he jumped at the opportunity. The Finance major and History minor started working with Putney in fall 2011.

Inform and Engage

The project that Marrano joined was about a year underway. Bentley’s approaching centennial, in 2017, had inspired Putney to craft a book proposal with input from the library’s ad-hoc history committee.

“There really isn’t a comprehensive history of Bentley that exists in book form,” he says. “Any organization, when it reaches 100 years, should have a substantive, written history about itself to offer to the world.”

University leaders approved the venture in fall 2010 and tapped Putney as author.  His publication credits include Missionaries in Hawai'i: The Lives of Peter and Fanny Gulick, 1797-1883 (2010: University of Massachusetts Press) and Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880-1920 (2001: Harvard University Press).

“They don’t want a 400-pound doorstop of a book, but I really pushed that it should include a lot of information,” explains the assistant professor of history. “The working concept is a ‘thinking person’s coffee table book.’ It will have substantive history, but also lots of pictures.”

 Trek Through Time

Each chapter is devoted to a presidential administration, from Harry Clark Bentley to Gloria Cordes Larson. With only three years for research and writing that covers so much ground, Putney has relied on help from student research assistants.

The group includes Marrano, who worked with Putney for the entire 2011-2012 academic year, and two other students — Eric Johnson ’13 and Tom Dunleavy ’11 — who did research in the spring 2011 semester. Johnson and Dunleavy worked primarily with Bentley’s archivist, logging many hours a week in the library basement, searching for historical documents that Putney could use in the book.

“I found a letter from Robert Kennedy to President Morison,” recalls Johnson, a Mathematical Sciences major. “That was pretty neat.”

Marrano spent much of his research time at the Waltham Museum, trying to unearth details about the property that Bentley sits on.

“I want to know, what was the land like before we moved out here?” Putney says of the days before 1968. “Dan found out information such as the name of the pond that’s next to the President’s House — Meadows Pond — and the name of the hill on which we’re located: Blue Hill.”

Building Connection

Another assignment for the students was interviewing faculty and administrators to find out more about Bentley’s background. First-person accounts have been a leading source of information for Putney.

Marrano was particularly impressed by the school’s first director of athletics, Al Shields.

“He was so insightful and knew so much about Bentley. Discussing how many of the sports grew from intramural teams to actual varsity teams was most interesting to me.”

For Johnson, the interviews and research experience were highlights of the project. He also developed a more personal connection to Bentley’s past.

“It’s nice to be able to see campus buildings and know who they’re named after,” he says. “Now I know exactly what those people put into the school.”

Most college seniors spend a good deal of time pondering their own future. For Ryan Miamis ’12, it was just as important to consider the f

Working with Professor of English and Media Studies Gesa Kirsch, Miamis spent the 2011-2012 academic year studying how urban dwellers might develop a “land ethic.” That is, a guiding philosophy for making decisions about land: using it, preserving it, changing it and more.   

The project “really matched what I’m interested in: studying the environment and conservation,” says Miamis, whose majors are Economics–Finance and the Liberal Studies concentration Earth, Environment and Global Sustainability. 

Fresh Context

Kirsch hit on the topic in 2011, while exploring the work of early environmentalist Aldo Leopold. He was among the first to write about land ethic, in the 1940s, when more of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. Kirsch wanted to see how the late conservationist’s ideas held up in the 21^st century, within the context of a city. 

To keep her research rooted in reality, the professor focused on two ongoing local projects: the rehabilitation of the Longfellow Bridge, which connects Cambridge and Boston, and Esplanade 2020, a plan for revitalizing and maintaining the Charles River park system.    

“I didn’t want to just abstractly talk about land ethic,” explains Kirsch. “I looked at these projects to see how the ethic gets played out in a public discourse, in a public setting.”

The Longfellow Bridge initiative involves a task force of 30-plus organizations, whose interests extend past the bridge’s structural reparation and into the related environmental and land-use issues. The Esplanade project gathered urban design and planning specialists to craft recommendations for the park, in wide consultation with community members.

Advanced Ideas

In fall 2011, Miamis joined Kirsch for an in-depth look at the two initiatives. Their work combined historical research and interviews with people in the public sector, including urban planners, landscape designers and Transportation Department officials. They attended several community meetings — some concerning the Longfellow Bridge and Esplanade projects, others on general environmental issues.  

Those gatherings brought out locals who lobbied for everything from more bike lanes and less traffic to better-connected green spaces and urban farms.

“There are some great ideas out there,” says Miamis. “Ultimately, we found that people are starting to think about not just what we need now, but what we’ll need in the future.”

Ahead of the Curve

In March, he and Kirsch headed for Madison, Wis., to present their findings at the conference of the American Society for Environmental History. They discussed the ethical framework that Bostonians displayed by voicing opinions and pushing for a more sustainable city. The analysis invoked Leopold’s arguments about people needing a connection to the land. In this way, say Miamis and Kirsch, Boston residents do appear to embrace a kind of urban land ethic.

Attending an academic conference and co-presenting research are not typical experiences for an undergraduate.  

“I was definitely the youngest one there,” recalls Miamis. “It was a little intimidating, but people were super friendly.”

He entered new territory again after the conference, co-authoring a book chapter with Kirsch on the Esplanade project. The chapter is intended for Environmental Rhetoric: Ecologies of Place, edited by Peter Goggin of Arizona State University.

“Working with Ryan has been more like having a colleague than a student,” observes Kirsch. “He’s a real collaborator who has his own ideas. He explained a lot of things to me that he’d learned in science courses, so it felt like a mutual learning experience.”

For Miamis, the experience was a window on professional opportunities, including one he has chosen to pursue: corporate sustainability.

“The project opened my eyes to a lot of different career paths,” say Miamis, who this fall began a graduate program at Tufts University to study urban and environmental policy and planning. He also received a research assistantship to explore the topics of climate change and climate justice. “Hopefully, I can mesh my environmental values with the corporate world.” 

uture of the ground beneath his feet.

Crowded pages. Over-styled layouts with poor functionality. Confusing navigation. Bill Albert has seen many such website sins during his 15 years helping companies improve their online presence.

“It’s no longer good enough just to have an 'easy' website,” says Albert, executive director of Bentley’s Design and Usability Center (DUC) and an adjunct professor of information design and corporate communication. “The site has to provide an exceptional user experience.”

He and others at the DUC are on the case. Over the last 12 years, the center has built a reputation for delivering recommendations that boost company sales and slice support costs. Clients come from as far away as Germany and China. Stateside, the group includes financial services firms (Fidelity, Mass Mutual) health care organizations (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital) and device manufacturers (Siemens, Philips).

All arrive to tap the user-centered research, evaluation and design expertise of DUC staff, backed by sophisticated equipment that tracks eye movements and measures emotional engagement among visitors to a website. Five to 10 projects are underway at any time, led by teams of research associates in Bentley’s MS in Human Factors in Information Design program, working with senior staff consultants. A typical engagement runs five or six weeks.

Importing Expertise

One recent project involved a Chinese sportswear company with a potent online presence in Beijing. Digital Li-Ning has partnered with the Acquity Group, a Chicago-based brand e-commerce and digital marketing agency, to bring its wares into U.S. markets. Project principals sought guidance from Bentley experts on two fronts. Digital Li-Ning engaged the DUC to perform a usability study for its existing site in the U.S. (shop.li-ning.com). Acquity Group hired the DUC to run and analyze a global usability study of “Chinese” and “American” versions of a fictitious website for women’s clothing.

The DUC served both clients by testing the websites with an online survey of consumers in the two countries. Informed by research on top clothing sites in China and the U.S., the website designs were dramatically different. For example, the home and product-landing pages for Chinese shoppers are packed with small images of the goods for sale; these pages slated for a U.S. audience feature large photos of models and minimal text.

The DUC team surveyed 200 active online shoppers between age 18 and 34. Viewers in China and the U.S. saw the home, product-landing and product-detail pages of both websites – and rated each on qualities such as ease of use and visual appeal.

The results? U.S. consumers favored American designs overall, though the preference decreased as Americans eyed Chinese product-landing and detail pages. Chinese consumers preferred the American-style home page, but gave higher marks to their country’s busier product-display pages.

Decision-Driving Data

Acquity Group’s vice president of brand e-commerce, Jeff Neville, credits the DUC study for generating “solid data about how to enter both the U.S. and Chinese e-commerce markets. We used that data to educate Digital Li-Ning about what their U.S. website should look like.

“From a strategy perspective, this study will help us create road maps for e-commerce investment in other countries,” he adds. “U.S. organizations can’t just translate [content] into the target country’s language and expect it to work, and vice versa.”

Albert agrees. “It’s important to research each country and culture before launching a site there. To understand, for instance, how colors and images are perceived in the target market.”

Even websites deployed on a company’s home turf can miss the mark if not designed with users in mind.

“Clients spend days in DUC labs watching customers interact with their website,” Albert reports. “This is often a profound experience, because users’ feedback is unscripted. It’s not unusual for executives to realize they had unwittingly designed their site more for themselves than for customers.”

The cover of a recent Chronicle Review sums up academic reaction to a new book by linguist Dan Everett. Rendered in caricature, Bentley’s dean of arts and sciences exchanges scowls with the man who has dominated the field for some 50 years.

“Angry Words,” reads the headline. “Is Noam Chomsky’s reign over linguistics at an end?”

Everett chuckles at the illustration but answers the question with a serious “yes.”

His assertion springs from decades studying the language spoken by the Pirahã (Pee-da-HAHN) people of the Amazon rain forest. The work convinced Everett that many of Chomsky’s central tenets about the nature of language are, well, wrong. In Language: The Cultural Tool, he makes the case for a different theoretical framework.

Nature vs. Nurture

Everett’s research has rocked world of linguistics. The controversy turns on Chomsky’s widely accepted theory of a “universal grammar,” which considers language to be innate among humans, as inborn as any instinct to a species. Living for many years among the remote, 400-member Pirahã tribe led Everett to a different conclusion. He came to see language as an artifact, that is, a “cultural tool” invented by people to meet a common need: effective and efficient communication.

“Language solves the human problem of building strong communities,” says Everett, who wrote about the Piraha in an earlier book, Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes. “Language isn’t in our genes; it’s in a certain cognitive flexibility that responds to our most basic needs.”

His theories center on a complex interplay of intellect, the human social instinct, and this need to communicate. In short: Cognition + Culture + Communication = Language.

The dean knew his work would cause a firestorm. Indeed, Chomsky’s fervent supporters, and the longtime MIT professor himself, have gone on the attack. Some insinuate that Everett’s research and motivations are less about academic rigor than about self-promotion.

Everett dismisses charge.

“I was a follower of Chomsky,” he says of the time before his observations among the Pirahã seemed to defy the older linguist’s most central ideas. “There was an accumulation of things I couldn’t explain, for years. I worked on over 20 different Amazonian languages, and I knew there was something different about Pirahã.”

Notably, according to Everett, the Pirahã language lacks “recursion.” That is, their sentences do not contain multiple phrases and clauses – a grammatical structure that Chomsky once deemed an essential component of human language.

Accessible Arguments

Language: The Cultural Tool is based on science but written for non-scientists. Everett uses anecdote and metaphor to make a complex subject accessible, even entertaining. The intent is to both engage public discourse and spur new thinking among experts in the fields he loves.

“My hope is that linguists will begin to see language in more of a cultural context and anthropologists will start to look at culture in terms of linguistic effects,” he says. “The average person who reads this book will understand themselves better and have an alternative to the idea that language is just in the genes somehow.

“People need to understand what makes us human, and there’s nothing that makes us human more than our language.”

“We're beginning to see the leading edge of a time when a university is no longer defined by bricks and mortar at a set location with a set faculty. This notion of learning communities not defined by place is the way the market is going to go.”

Bill Gribbons, Program Director, MS in Human Factors in Information Design

Times Higher Education (UK), June 7, 2012

“…I searched and I searched – in order to find a college that would allow me to thrive as an entrepreneur. I found Bentley and it was a great fit. I majored in Finance, built my business from my dorm room, and by the time I graduated I had a thriving company with an office in Burlington, Mass.”

Scott Smigler ’04, President, Exclusive Concepts; Founder, Conversions on Demand

BostInno, May 31, 2012

“Their [millennials’] online activity is often hyper-focused on a narrow set of interests, following specific topics and engaging people with similar interests…. As a result, they create carefully manicured online reflections of self that help their peers identify them.”

Ian Cross, Director, Center for Marketing Technology

Worcester Telegram-Gazette, July 29, 2012

“Pursuit of the liberal arts is not enough in today’s economy. I am not downplaying critical thinking, but I am advocating the need to pair it with a marketable skill. At my institution, business students are required to take half of their courses in the arts and sciences. It is this blending, this mix, that matters.”

Susan Brennan, Executive Director, University Career Services

Huffington Post, July 3, 2012

“Corporate America is shifting to this acknowledgment that our workers are whole human beings; that we have families and children and lives. Companies that are embracing that notion will do a better job of retaining women and the millennial generation. This is her journey. Why not assume she’s gotten to where she is at 37 years old because she can manage her life?”

Betsy Myers, Founding Director, Center for Women and Business, commenting on Yahoo hiring Marissa Mayer as chief executive while she is pregnant

Boston Herald, July 18, 2012

Ninety miles south of – and in many ways, a world away from – the United States, Cuba has been largely a mystery to U.S. travelers for half a century. Last spring, a group of Bentley undergraduates got a rare firsthand look at the country, through a course led by Associate Professor of History Cyrus

During the embedded travel component of  “Cuba: Past, Present, Future,” students met Cuban economists, political scientists, architects and artists, as well as ordinary citizens, to glean insights across the island nation, which has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1960.

“The relationship between Cuba and the United States is so special,” says Veeser, who proposed the course shortly after the Obama administration loosened travel restrictions for American citizens, in January 2011. “I wanted students to get an idea of how interconnected Cuban history and U.S. history are.”

The country’s distinctive place on the world stage was another prompt for developing the course.

“In terms of being a remnant of the old socialist system, there’s basically just Cuba,” he observes. “It can be hard for students to understand that there was a certain appeal to communism, especially for people in less developed countries. Cuba is kind of an artifact of a previous era.”

Wide-Ranging Research

A broad range of readings and class discussion readied students for the trip, which took place over spring break. The mix of business and arts and sciences majors also pursued research projects focused on tourism, health and medicine, culture and sports, democracy and development, or the economy.

During their weeklong stay, with help from local guides, the Bentley travelers spent daytime hours visiting noteworthy sites and meeting with government, academic and community leaders. Evenings offered time to talk more informally with locals in Havana and Cienfuegos, a smaller city southeast of the capital. Former Bentley professor Michael Eizenberg and his company, Educational Travel Alliance, handled arrangements for the group.

Course participant Morgan Diamant ’12 was struck by “the optimism and resilience that the Cuban people showed, despite difficult and often suppressive conditions. Even though they lack many freedoms that Americans take for granted, I saw a sincere, refreshing enjoyment for life.”

Whatever disaffection lingers between the countries’ respective governments, the Bentley group found most Cubans were “happy to meet Americans, curious about the United States, and pleased that Americans are able to visit now,” Veeser says.

“Cuba was by far the most interesting country I’ve ever been to, and likely will ever go to,” says Diamant, an Economics–Finance and Liberal Studies major who studied abroad three times during his student days. “Very few Americans can say they visited Castro-led Cuba.”

The course did not solve every mystery about the country, though. 

“They were in a state of befuddlement about how this economic system could continue to function,” Veeser says of the Bentley undergraduates. “They tried to figure out what makes it work. I’m not sure they ever succeeded – but I’m not sure Cubans really understand it, either.”

Veeser.

When Wei Guo packed for the 10-plus-hour flight from China to Bentley, he brought along some reminders of home. At U.S. Customs he was pressed to explain the “suspicious” jars of pickles and bags of seasoning in his suitcase.

“I immediately found a big gap between the Test of English as a Foreign Language and real life,” says Guo, who had scored well on the TOEFL, a standard test for language proficiency. “Situations like this definitely do not appear on the exam.”

His anxiety and uncertainty are common among international students, as they start college far from family and friends. Bentley’s International Peer Adviser (IPA) program is designed to ease the culture shock.

The IPAs, who currently number 16, bring a high level of authenticity to the program. Hailing from Argentina, China, Colombia, Honduras, India, Pakistan and elsewhere around the globe, they forge connections that often last well past their international classmates’ first months at Bentley.   

Supporting Role

IPAs reach out even before new graduate and undergraduate students arrive from their far-flung homelands. The early relationship building – by email, phone and social media such as Facebook – is critical.

“I was more relaxed having answers about where to find housing and how to select courses,” explains Guo, who is pursuing an MS in Accountancy. “It made me confident about the transition.”

Having a peer as the first line of communication helps builds trust, says Papa Sarr, director of the Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS). “As an extension of our office, advisers communicate that we go beyond immigration issues to provide support with cultural adjustment.”   

While students’ transition may kick off with a “honeymoon” phase — the exhilaration of taking in a new culture — homesickness is likely to set in.

“It can be as simple as missing the aromas of your local cuisine,” says Sarr, recalling his own experience as a Senegal native living in the U.S. “There is often a feeling of a broken connection to the comforts of home.”

That’s where IPAs provide essential backing. They introduce advisees to student organizations, host informal dinners and outings, and stay accessible to help create a new support network. Mentoring remains strong in the next few months.

 “As I came across new things, I knew that my peer adviser would be there,” says Rodrigo Cofino ’14 of Guatemala. “She was constantly aware of my well-being.”

Lasting Impression

Takeaway from the program is evident, even inspirational.

“There is an old saying in China that ‘a drop of water in need, shall be returned with a spring in deed.’ I benefited from the IPA program, and I would like to do the same for incoming students,” says Guo, who is advising a group from China, India, Spain, Romania, Colombia, Brazil and Nigeria.

The range of students assigned to each adviser is deliberate.

“We encourage mixing of cultures from the very beginning,” says CISS Assistant Director Tana Ruegamer. “Our hope is that once they make acquaintances with people from another country, it will be even easier to make an American friend.”

Adds Sarr: “We do not want to create little islands of students from different countries. It would defeat the purpose.”

The program’s heart lies in the experience and commitment that advisers bring to the table as international students themselves.

“Our IPAs have firsthand knowledge about transitioning to a new culture as they’ve all been through it,” observes CISS’s Barbara Kluesner, who helps develop, train and supervise the group.

“I know how hard it is to leave your home country, family, friends, culture and everything you have known to start fresh in a new country,” says Akhil Chimnani ’12, an IPA who came to Bentley from India. “I want to be there unconditionally and let students know that Bentley will be their home and not just a dorm room for the next four years.”

Where did your day just go? Chances are good that some portion was swallowed up by meetings. In a recent survey by Salary.com, 47 percent of workers cited “too many meetings” as the No. 1 time waster on the job.

To learn where meetings go wrong and what can help improve them, we assembled a team of campus experts: Alice Cumming, general manager, Conference Center at Bentley; Henrietta Genfi, assistant director, Academic Advising Center; Brenda Hawks, associate director, Counseling and Student Development; Barbara Hyle, director, Alumni Career Services; Diane McNamara, senior business partner, Human Resources; and Duncan Spelman, professor and chair, Management Department.

Question your motives.Before gathering the troops, ask yourself, “Is this meeting really necessary? What are the goals and what decisions have to be made?” Putting a group of people in the same room is often assumed to be the gold standard for solving problems. But sometimes a different approach – say, a one-on-one conversation with each key stakeholder – is more effective.

Strong agenda or bust.If you are running a meeting, be sure to think hard about your agenda and share it with fellow meeting-goers ahead of time. It’s crucial that everyone understands the topics for discussion and the meeting goals before getting in the room. 

Establish ground rules. Facilitators should begin a meeting by setting out some simple guidelines to prevent unproductive behavior and foster a cooperative environment for participation. The first rule is always to start and end on time.

Comfortable attendees are happy attendees. When choosing a meeting space, consider the comfort of participants. Everything from chairs to sightlines to noise level are factors to keep in mind.

Silence the peanut gallery. Side conversations among attendees are a distraction for all. The same goes for texting: “Talking” with fingers is a no-no.

Always stay the course…usually.Productivity can get derailed when discussion wanders from the agenda. The meeting leader should commit to staying on task, but participants also bear responsibility for doing so. A challenge is being flexible enough to allow for tangents when they could lead to important or creative discussions.

Practice triage.Establish a hierarchy of topics for regular staff meetings. Start with decisions that must be made today, then address issues that require a decision – but later. Next come items that will affect the group in the future, and finally, announcements of general interest. Bring the topics in written form or email them to the group in case time runs out.

Create accountability.Wrap up meetings by reviewing action items. The who, what and when of task completion should be agreed upon by all concerned.