The Bentley Buzz

It’s my honor to welcome all of you to the start of a new academic year at Bentley University—a day that I know we have all been looking forward to. For me and my wife, Phyllis, today is special because it marks the beginning of the official start of our first academic year as members of this extraordinary community. For me, a kid from Detroit, becoming president of Bentley University represents the culmination of a journey that has exceeded my wildest expectations. Since arriving on campus in June, I’ve been counting down the days to this moment when we could all come together as one community.

Fall on a college campus brings with it an unparalleled energy. For some of you, this may be your first time on a campus. Others of you may be well accustomed to the feeling that comes with a new year and the start of classes. Wherever you are in your academic or professional journey, I’m looking forward to sharing with you that unique excitement of students and faculty learning together in-person once again, colleagues collaborating in offices and conference rooms, and friends sharing big ideas over a sandwich on the quad. It’s so great we can have you here at Bentley.

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One year ago, our community was rocked by an outpouring of grief and anger following the murder of George Floyd. His death and the conversations about the impact of race in our society that followed fundamentally changed the way we interact with each other. Before last summer, our conversations were about diversity and inclusion, not equity and justice. Before last summer, we worked to make change at the individual level, not at the systemic level. Before last summer, we prioritized our personal comfort, not collective bravery.

So much has changed in one year. Through brave engagement as a community, we have challenged our assumptions about ourselves and our culture. We have begun the process of healing as a community. And we have emerged better informed and prepared to move towards justice. We are on the right path and cannot afford to lose the momentum that has gotten us this far.

As we prepare for the start of a new academic year, it’s important to reflect on the accomplishments of the last year to remind us what we can achieve together and sustain us for the difficult work ahead. Justice is not a destination, it’s a journey – a commitment to giving voice to those who have been marginalized and correcting inequity when it emerges. Falcons, where are we now in our journey toward justice?

Read Katie Lampley's Full Message

The essay below was written by Professor Emeritus in Mathematical Sciences Larry Dolinksy as he bids farewell to the community after more than 50 years teaching at Bentley. In his own words: 

In stepping back from 52 years on the Bentley Faculty, I have a “simple” message to pass on to those who find themselves at an earlier phase of their life/career spectrum:

Choose a career (or move on to one) that you can love, and be sure to commit yourself to a STRONG balance between the demands and opportunities associated with your career and the pleasures that enrich and fulfill your life. I have always been true to my own message.

Please allow me to tell you something of my background:

I arrived at Bentley in 1969, the year after its move to the Waltham campus, joining the Mathematical Sciences Department, then known as the Quantitative Analysis Department. My 52 years at Bentley have had many interesting “moments” both on and off the campus. Although my highest degree at the time was an MS, I was awarded tenure. Subsequently, I continued my journey to become an “academic junkie,” earning two more master’s degrees and a doctorate. During my early years, at Bentley, I taught a variety of math courses and wrote the proposal to establish the Math Learning Center, the first learning center on the Bentley campus, and was appointed as its first director. 

Later, I enrolled in a part-time doctoral program at Boston University, earning a DBA in Operations Management. With my new degree in hand, I transferred to the newly formed Operations Management Department, which later became absorbed into the Management Department. With a sense of nostalgia, I recall walking into my first Bentley class meeting following the award of my doctoral degree and having a student raise his hand and ask, “What do we call you now, Professor or Doctor?" My response was, “Now that I have my doctorate, you can call me Larry.” 

Another memorable moment comes to mind. A week prior to the Boston Marathon, my students and I were engaged in a discussion about the average running time of participants in that event. I commented that I thought I could speed walk the course in less time than many people run it. Predictably, the class put up a challenge to that assertion. With only six days of preparation, I set out in an attempt to prove my point. I finished the course in 5 hours and 37 minutes. It’s not certain whether this result proved my assertion, but it did contribute to a significant act of bonding with my students. During my ensuing period at Bentley, I taught Operations Management courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and also continued to teach various courses in the Mathematical Sciences Department.

Besides my teaching, research, committee assignments and other campus related activities, I enjoyed many other pursuits and diversions, among them my personal favorite being when I handed my wife, Joan, her degree in History at her Bentley commencement. I'm also an avid long-distance bicyclist. My wife and I crossed the U.S. from coast to coast multiple times and pedaled from Minneapolis to New Orleans along the Mississippi River on another occasion. On one of those treks, we raised money for a Bentley scholarship fund. In the year 2000, I took a leave of absence from Bentley, Joan quit her job, and we joined a bicycling group on the “mother of all trips,” a year- long bicycle trek thru 46 countries on six continents.

In 2018, Joan and I moved to a senior retirement community in Hingham, Mass. Here, I joined other ex-Bentley faculty and staff, including Joseph Cronin, Bentley's fifth president; Tom Zarle, who formerly served as dean of students; Karen Schroeder, who was my Mathematical Sciences Department colleague; and Joel Lidz of the Philosophy Department.

Now, after over half a century as an active member of the Bentley community, I have made the decision to retire and more fully pursue a myriad of personal interests. I admit to loving every minute of my time at Bentley. The journey was truly a joy and will always be a part of who I am.  😊

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