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The Bentley Buzz

Connecting faculty and staff, one story at a time

Welcome to the latest issue of the Bentley Buzz, where we share news and stories about the faculty and staff who make Bentley special. It is compiled by Kevin Wong, associate director of internal communications. To share your news or an idea for a story, please email buzz@bentley.edu.
 

Dec. 10, 2020

Preparing campus for the return of students this fall required a great deal of coordination and hard work. Every member of our Bentley community contributed to ensuring the fall experience was a success. To recognize and thank all those who helped ensure a safe campus this fall, the Buzz will share a few of their stories in upcoming issues.

Managing Turbulent Times: Meet Geoff Bartlett

Geoff in flightFor Geoff Bartlett, the university's director of emergency management and one of four project managers for the Return-to-Campus Task Force, helping organizations prepare for the unpredictable goes back to his college days. As an undergraduate student at Tufts University, Geoff worked as an emergency medical technician. Later, Geoff built upon that call to help others when a friend who was an emergency medicine doctor told him about opportunities to work on federal disaster medical assistance teams, which form a network of medical professionals across the country.

Over the past 20 years, Geoff has served on the Massachusetts-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. As part of that team, he responds to areas hit by disasters across the world. Specifically, Geoff coordinates communications among responding emergency workers to make sure they are in synch and on task. From New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to typhoons in Guam and devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Iran, Geoff’s service has brought him around the world.

“People’s normal perception of who handles emergencies is that there are specific groups who handle specific needs. Fire departments handle fires. Police departments handle crimes. But disasters are different,” he says. "There isn’t just one single group that gets called when a disaster happens. Instead, a lot of people’s roles shift slightly depending on what’s needed. That idea is very similar to Bentley’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic – lots of people shifting their responsibilities to work together across the entire campus on one major objective.”

In addition to working with the federal government coordinating medical aid, Geoff worked at Tufts for more than 20 years, including as director of emergency management and deputy director of public and environmental safety. His background prepared him well to lead Bentley’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As chair of the Emergency Management Group, a group he’s convened monthly since 2019, Geoff was working with staff members from each division even before COVID-19 had its name to make sure Bentley was ready if it came to Massachusetts. Geoff began scheduling weekly coronavirus briefings in March 2020 to discuss the university's plans, and he was officially named Bentley's director of emergency management later in the spring.   
Geoff in front of a plane

As the virus spread, Geoff’s experience planning for emergency situations proved invaluable to the university. And even while coordinating Bentley’s efforts, Geoff was called to report (virtually) to his federal National Disaster Medical System responsibilities for several weeks in April to help New England states and tribes cope with shortages of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. 

At Bentley, Geoff helps to lead the Return-to-Campus Task Force, which meets weekly to provide recommendations to the Cabinet on how to keep our community safe. Preparing classrooms for hybrid learning, coordinating the move-in of 2,100 residential students, and conducting more than 3,000 weekly screening tests were all on the task force’s plate this summer. With planning underway for the spring, Geoff continues to meet daily with task force members to ensure Bentley is ready for whatever comes next.

When he is not helping Bentley plan for emergencies or assisting those in need of medical aid across the world, Geoff likes to wind down as anyone would – by flying airplanes.

“I’ve been fascinated by airplanes since I was a child, growing up in a town with a busy airport and a reliance on aviation and ferries for transportation,” he says. “Becoming a pilot was a lifelong ambition that I pursued when I finally had the time and the resources. Since then, I try to fly at least monthly as weather and schedules allow, often to get a meal at the many on-airport eateries or just enjoy the view of New England from above.”

As Bentley continues to prepare for a safe campus experience in the spring, our community is glad to have Geoff and his Return-to-Campus Task Force colleagues serving as ground control.

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A Homegrown World Champion

Have you checked out the latest issue of Bentley Magazine? This issue remembers the legacy of President Joseph Cronin and shares stories of Bentley alumni making a difference across the world. 


Explore the Edition

Bentley Magazine

👀 What's Flex Got Cooking? 👀


Keep an eye on your inbox and Bentley's social media channels to see what the university's feathered mascot is up to this holiday season.

Stay tuned!

Flex
Library Clocktower

In the Know @ the Bentley Library

Library Resumes Contactless Pickup!
The library building is closed to patrons with the end of the on-campus fall experience, but staff are on still hand to help with contactless pickup every Wednesday until Dec. 23! Search the library catalog and request the books and DVDs you want, and the library staff will email you with pickup details.


New Arrivals: Books, e-Books and Audiobooks
The library added more than 160 new books, e-books, and audiobooks to their collections last month. Browse the new acquisitions lists to discover your next read.


Library Operations Update: Nov. 30 - Dec. 23
Library services, resources and assistance continue to be available online to the Bentley community. Library staff are available to help with courses and research.

From the Desk of the Ombuds

Since the start of the pandemic, Ombuds Eliane Markoff has been writing articles and creating reach-out initiatives aimed at helping employees manage the stress of remote work and deal with social isolation. In her most recent article, "Adapting to Change," Eliane discusses ways that managers and employees can best embrace change and accomplish shared goals.

Read the Article

Eliane Markoff

Awards and Recognition

Jess Roche receiving award

Lt. Jessica Roche Recognized for Community Service

University Police Operations Lieutenant Jessica Roche has been named this year's Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement's Community Service Award winner. Each year, this recognition is awarded to a woman in law enforcement who displays dedication to developing, designing, implementing and participating in programs involving communities and law enforcement. Lt. Roche has served in Bentley's police department for close to 20 years, and in that time, has been a key contributor to the positive relationship the department has with students, faculty and staff on campus. Congratulations, Lt. Roche! 

Dave Szymanski Elected 2020 Fellow

Dave Szymanski, associate professor and chair of the Natural & Applied Sciences department, was elected a 2020 Fellow by The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciencelifetime honor first bestowed in 1874, the Fellows distinction honors people for their contributions to STEM disciplines, including pioneering research, leadership within a given field, teaching and mentoring, fostering collaborations, and advancing public understanding of science. Past recipients have included such luminaries as Thomas Edison, W.E.B. DuBois, Maria Mitchell and Margaret Mead. Dave was honored specifically for his “distinguished work in professional societies on policy, and preparing future business leaders to address the complex challenges of sustainability through systemic change.” Congratulations, Dave!   

Dave Szymanski
Lauren Sullivan

Lauren Sullivan Recognized for Excellence in Financial Aid

The Massachusetts Association of Financial Aid Administrators recently awarded Lauren Sullivan, director of financial assistance, its Presidential Award. This annual award recognizes outstanding service and time dedicated to the association in the past year. In 2020, Lauren continued to serve as chair of the association's professional development and training committee as she began her new role as director of financial assistance. Congratulations, Lauren! 

Alexa Erb Named Richard F. Stevens Outstanding New Professional

Alexa ErbStudent Programs & Engagement Program Coordinator Alexa Erb has been recognized with NASPA's Richard F. Stevens Outstanding New Professional award. The award recognizes achievement and potential for leadership in emerging student affairs professionals. Alexa was nominated by colleagues for her many contributions to campus life and the student experience. In her role, Alexa oversees more than 60 student organizations in their efforts including managing contracts, marketing and advising students on risk management and assessment.

In addition to her support of student programming, Alexa has been a strong proponent of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the student experience. She currently serves on the Student Affairs Inclusion & Equity Committee where she helps departments across the division formulate racial justice action plans. Congratulations, Alexa! 

Have a colleague who's been recognized for an achievement?

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