The Bentley Buzz

From July 25-27, staff and faculty will come together for the fourth annual Community Learning Conference, which will offer in-person sessions for the first time in three years! The professional development conference, which gives community members an opportunity to share their expertise and learn from peers, will feature in-person, remote and hybrid sessions in order to provide a flexible learning environment for all. 

But being flexible is something that the Learning and Development team in HR has been accustomed to over the past few years. “We’ve had to be agile with the modalities over the past few years thanks to the pandemic,” said Director of Learning, Development and Engagement Strategies Melissa Looney. Though offering the conference in a fully remote format wasn’t exactly in the plans after first launching in 2019, Melissa and her team embraced the flexibility that the remote setting could offer. 

“We started the first year by selecting specific presentations, but after that, we opened calls for proposals,” explained Melissa. “We have such a plethora of expertise on campus, and staff and faculty have so much to offer. By switching to remote for the past two years, we were able to really expand the conference offerings.
 

This year’s conference will feature more than 20 sessions that include themes focusing on Best Self, Inclusive Excellence and Positive Culture. The conference will kick off with the keynote address “Buffering Against Burnout!” by Jacinta M. Jiménez, an award-winning author, psychologist and board-certified leadership coach with more than 20 years of experience dedicated to the betterment of individuals, leaders and organizations.

From Bentley trivia and an outdoor relaxation yoga session to allyship and burnout prevention seminars, there is no shortage of offerings at this year’s conference, with some led by our own experts across campus and others by outside presenters. “I’ve been at other institutions that have had similar, more niche professional development conferences, but I haven’t seen one that invites every role within the community,” said Melissa. “It’s been so great to see everyone share their expertise and learn with their peers.” 

In addition to learning from one another, attendees will have the chance to catch up at breakfast before the keynote event, at lunch on each of the three days and over gigantic ice cream sandwiches from the Cookie Monstah food truck! Community members are welcome to attend any number of sessions as their schedule allows, whether joining for one session or the full three-day conference, something that the Learning and Development team has stressed since the conference first began. 

“The emphasis really is on community,” said Melissa. “Whether you join in person or by Zoom, or come for lunch in between a session, the most important thing is that everyone can choose what works best for them and ultimately feel included no matter how many events they can attend.” 

All sessions are free and open to Bentley staff and faculty, but registration is required before the July 20 deadline. Registration is filling up quickly, so be sure to sign up for your sessions today! Click here to see the schedule of events.

Conference Registration

This year, our community gathered to celebrate Juneteenth by sharing personal reflections, celebrating successes for Black Americans and advocating for the work yet to be done. In the first in-person celebration on campus, Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Patrick Couillard Hale emceed the event and spoke about the importance of the holiday. "We in the Black community see [Juneteenth] as an important milestone in our nation’s history, but I will admit that I learned about it much later in life,” said Patrick. “It became clear to me, after learning the truth, how much of my story and my history was never taught to me by the very institutions to which I entrusted not just my learning but my livelihood.”

Reflections were shared by Professor of English Barbara Paul-Emile, Jayden Cooper ’23, Ileaqua Adams ’23, Dean of Business Sanjay Putrevu, Assistant Director of Mentorship and Advising Claudette Blot and Assistant Director of the Residential Center Otis Johnson throughout the hour-long event. “The story of African Americans is a powerful and stirring one,” said Barbara. “Under great duress, the culture reflects high achievements in all areas. It is replete with music, song, dance, storytelling and laughter, but great pain and struggle have been at the center of it. The journey is filled with tragedy, anguish, endurance and the joy of overcoming. No aspect can be overlooked, for the strength of this nation is buried deep within this history and this literature. The willingness to recognize and celebrate Juneteenth reflects how far we all have come.”

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