Bentley Announces New Presidential Faculty Fellows
Bentley continues its long-standing history of academic innovation with the debut of the Presidential Faculty Fellows program, which provides funding and institutional support for faculty-led initiatives that align with and advance the university’s Falcons Forward 2030 strategic plan.
During their year-long appointments, the five inaugural faculty fellows will work closely with other members of the campus community on projects that enable Bentley to provide a transformative educational experience by developing human-centered, data-savvy and technologically skilled graduates with a strong background in both business and the arts and sciences. The fellows’ projects, outlined below, will expand curricular offerings and identify new project-based and experiential learning opportunities related to diversity, equity and inclusion, emerging technologies and sustainability.
“The Presidential Faculty Fellows program is specifically designed to support and recognize Bentley’s extraordinary teacher-scholars and their commitment to advancing teaching, learning and thought leadership,” says Paul Tesluk, the university’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, noting that “an important part of the fellows’ role is to build capacity and community at Bentley by engaging with other faculty interested in their proposal areas.”
The university’s Badavas Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning will facilitate these connections, helping fellows establish timelines and benchmarks for their projects to maximize impact and ensure scalability. Established in 2019, the Badavas Center functions as “an accelerator of academic innovation,” says Executive Director Suzanne Dove, by “creating a dedicated space where faculty can come together to share best practices, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and explore new and exciting ways to enhance how faculty teach and students learn.”
Dove and Liz Paushter, the center’s director of education innovation and learning, will meet regularly with the Presidential Faculty Fellows to help them develop and implement their initiatives. “We’re excited to work with fellows on these innovative projects,” Dove says. “We believe that they will have a transformative effect both within and beyond our campus community.”
Here, we introduce and celebrate Bentley’s inaugural Presidential Faculty Fellows:
Assistant Professor, Management
Proposal: “Pride and Purpose: Investing in the Potential of LGBTQ+ Student Innovators and Executive Change Leaders”
Cruz will establish a cohort-based model for LGBTQ+ student innovators and, in tandem, design an Executive Education program for LGBTQ+ change leaders. The student program aims to create an annual group of 25 first-year LGBTQ+ innovators who progress together through their four years at Bentley. Simultaneously, the executive program seeks to formalize a group of 25 LGBTQ+ change leaders, focused on identity-based leadership, skill development and next-generation mentorship. As he explains, “Each program will address barriers to advancement for LGBTQ+ individuals, both through business education and leadership growth.”
Related: Celebrating the Inaugural Class of Rainbow Scholars
Distinguished Lecturer in Computer Information Systems (CIS)
Proposal: “Advancing Immersive Learning at Bentley”
Frydenberg will facilitate a community of practice of Bentley faculty who will work together to explore immersive education pedagogies, virtual reality (VR) technologies and applications and discover ways to integrate VR into their business and arts and sciences courses during the spring 2025 semester. “Expanding Bentley’s immersive learning offerings,” he says, “will elevate the student experience, foster innovation and promote interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Related: (Under) Sea Change: Virtual Reality and Aquatic Exploration
Associate Professor, Accounting
Proposal: “Bentley Integrated Data Analyst Certification Series”
Kurt will create an asynchronous, self-paced technology program through which students complete practical exercises using state-of-the-art data automation and visualization software. This program will enable Bentley students to master data analytics and visualization tools and obtain vendor-issued certifications highly sought after by employers. “Data analytics certifications help students credibly communicate their skills,” he explains, “and differentiate themselves from other candidates in a crowded and competitive job market.”
Assistant Professor, Experience Design
Proposal: “Digital Journalism and Vanguard Media Initiative”
Stamps will introduce a new Digital Journalism minor, to be housed within the Experience Design and English and Media Studies departments. He will also lead the initiative to create a multimedia platform — tentatively titled Vanguard Media, and to be made available via print, online and smartphone application — that will chronicle the institution, provide content for a diverse audience and build partnerships across Bentley and the surrounding communities while providing project-based, experiential learning opportunities for students through reporting, digital media production and editorial and promotional work.
Related: Why Social Media is a Source of Strength for Black Americans
Professor, Natural and Applied Sciences
Proposal: “Expanding and Embedding Transdisciplinary Wicked Problem-Based Curricula at Bentley”
Szymanski will lead a design process for Bentley faculty to create transdisciplinary curriculum modules around wicked problems in diversity, equity and inclusion, healthcare, and/or data analytics. After convening smaller teams of faculty members across business and arts and sciences departments, he will guide them in developing and delivering new course modules and creating a framework for assessing their efficacy.