A new seminar series explores topics outside the typical realm of business, but builds business skills nonetheless. The not-for-credit learning opportunities are sponsored through the Jeanne and Dan Valente Center for Arts and Sciences, and funded by a gift from Bentley parents Diane and Dennis Albano.
Students keen to organize a semester-long seminar submit a detailed proposal to the Valente Center.
“It’s a competitive process,” explains Associate Professor of History Chris Beneke, who directs the center. “Students must demonstrate that the seminar is intellectually rigorous.”
Those whose proposals make the cut are guided to resources and receive funding for books, theater tickets, speakers’ honoraria, and other seminar essentials.
Albano Seminars have explored topics as varied as nutrition, theater, music and foreign policy. One set of workshops enabled students to experiment with different artistic mediums, with guidance from professional artists and sculptors. Another group examined academic freedom from across the political spectrum. About 50 students have taken part in eight seminars since the program’s launch in 2008.
“These seminars are an opportunity to extend learning,” says Valente Center Associate Director David Curley, noting that the average business student has five electives to explore special interests. “The breadth of topic is impressive. They’re taking on subjects you wouldn’t necessarily expect of business students.”
Ambitious Aims
The Albano Seminars are also cultivating leadership skills. “They attract highly motivated students who want to deepen their learning,” says Curley. “But you need exceptional leaders to make them run well.”
A case in point is Mason Forando ’11. As a freshman, he earned funding for an academic society focused on the arts.
“The seminar taught me a lot,” he says. “And I learned just as much from running it – things like negotiating with the artists and organizing the workshops.”
Today, Forando’s 10-person seminar has found new life as a 90-member organization called Bentley Student Artists.
Elaine Carroll ’10 has similarly ambitious hopes for the seminar that she created. A resident assistant in the Global Living Center at Bentley, Carroll organized a group that read novels on different cultures.
“We’re keeping the books because next year’s Residence Life staff would like to continue the discussions with incoming freshmen,” she explains. “I haven’t been able to study abroad, so this seminar has been a good way to enhance my knowledge of global issues.”
Return on Investment
The student-run seminars have more than matched the donors’ expectations.
“We wanted to do something that made the Bentley experience more rich,” explains Diane Albano, whose son, Michael, graduated in 2008. “We’ve been surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response. We receive letters every semester from students telling us what the experience has meant to them. It’s been very rewarding.”
Beneke hopes the rave reviews will inspire other supporters. “This is a great example of what alumni and friends can do to advance student learning,” he says. “Setting students free to do something they love is immensely gratifying to us, and should provide real, long-term value for the student.”