A Union, Facilitated by Bentley

When Rob Magri first met Marilee Sullivan while walking by Miller Hall, little did he know this new coworker was also his future wife. As Rob, a locksmith, and Marilee, who works in building services, got to know each other during their daily interactions across campus, the two soon began dating. But, working in facilities, it was hard to predict where they’d both be throughout the day. To make up for this, the pair began exchanging notes left by Marilee’s locker every day. Over time, to maintain a degree of privacy in their relationship, Rob, a locksmith, began leaving notes inside of Marilee’s locker. “I was definitely glad to be a locksmith in those days,” said Rob.

A few hundred notes later, Rob decided to ask Marilee to marry him and enlisted the help of another friend on campus, Rev. Robin Olson. When the proposal day came, Rob coordinated with Robin to ask for Marilee’s help with an art installation in The Sacred Space. As Robin distracted Marilee, Rob, hiding behind a retractable wall, slid the panel open just in time for Marilee to catch a glimpse of the "art installation" in question, which said "Will You Marry Me?” Marilee, already surprised, was left speechless when she realized the words were made up of the notes she and Rob had exchanged over the past several months.

Happily married for over a year now, Rob and Marilee are glad to have had Bentley play a special role in their lives. And we at Bentley are glad to have them as a part of our community.  

Students Help Library Staff Dig into their Data

Here at Bentley, we’re proud of the ways that we support student learning inside and outside the classroom. Last spring, Dr. Ekaterina Cleary, research associate at the Center for Integration of Science and Industry and an adjunct professor in the Mathematics Department, worked with graduate students in her Data Visualization course to team up with library staff to analyze the library's data and provide recommendations on specific areas of operation. In areas ranging from staffing needs and budget allocation to technology usage and facility hours, the students spent eight weeks doing the research and then presented their findings to the library staff.

“It was a mutually insightful collaboration where students gained a real-life, client-analyst experience while learning about the inner-workings of the library,” said Ekaterina. “In turn, the librarians were given a hand at analyzing a wealth of information that they can now use to make decisions on operating hours and budget allocations.”

After reviewing the research, the library did just that, incorporating several of the students’ recommendations and continuing to use the data that the students presented.