At the end of August, on a day full of blue skies and big smiles, Bentley welcomed the Class of 2028 to campus. Comprising nearly 1,100 — and including the highest number of ALANA (African American, Latino, Asian, Native American and multicultural) students in the school’s history — the class boasts a strong record of accomplishments and academic achievement and hails from 51 countries and 31 U.S. states and territories; 21% are first-generation.

When it comes to doing good, it can be a good idea to start close to home. That’s the idea behind a new venture launched this fall, which promotes economic development in greater Waltham by helping social entrepreneurs start new businesses focused on social good. The Bentley Social Innovation Incubator, as it is known, is funded in its first year by a federal grant awarded through the offices of Massachusetts senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and launched in partnership with the City of Waltham. The incubator is run through the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center, which includes eight professional staff, a student staff of over 120, 125 faculty partners and 100 community partners.

As part of Bentley’s partnership with the Boston Celtics, three alumni returned to campus to talk with students. Alyssa Hammond, director of Undergraduate Career Development for the Pulsifer Career Development Center, moderated the conversation with panelists and Celtics employees Ariann Williams ’12, director of community engagement; Autumn Ceppi, MBA ’23, marketing coordinator; Remy Cofield, MBA ’12, director of scouting.

Bentley’s new Professional MBA program will welcome its first cohort to campus next fall. The two-year, cohort-based program is open to professionals with at least five years of experience and allows students to balance professional and personal lives while earning an MBA. The program focuses on six areas with coursework that integrates central business subjects with program themes of sustainability and emerging technologies. It involves 10 weekends on campus and an 8-to-10-day global experience. Learn more.