Bentley Partners with GLSEN to Attract LGBTQ+ Business Students from Across the U.S.

LGBTQ+ people are underrepresented in U.S. business schools and in business careers, but a new partnership between Bentley University and GLSEN — a national nonprofit committed to inclusive education in schools — plans to change that.  

The new partnership aims to connect Bentley with high school students in GLSEN’s student leader network across the U.S. to introduce them to business education and ultimately attract a cohort of motivated and talented first-year LGBTQ+ students at Bentley every year starting in 2027. The group will progress together through their four years at Bentley, with access to learning modules focused on innovation and change leadership locally, nationally and internationally, as well as provide peer mentorship in which older students in the program support younger ones. The goal is to create a network of alumni who share their experiences and connections once they’ve gone through the program. 

Bentley Assistant Professor of Management Dr. Mateo Cruz, who ideated the program through the support of this year’s Presidential Faculty Fellowship, said it will create a pathway to business education for LGBTQ+ students, a group that has traditionally felt unwelcomed in business schools and business majors. And it will extend the benefits of a Bentley education specifically to LGBTQ+ people, the fastest-growing and most racially diverse “minority” group in GenZ. 

“Partnering with GLSEN extends our reach to schools nationwide,” said Cruz, who added that there are no U.S. undergraduate business programs tailored to LGBTQ+ students. “These initiatives aspire to position Bentley as a thought leader in LGBTQ+ advocacy and research.”   

The new effort announced by President E. LaBrent Chrite at Bentley’s annual Rainbow Lunch that celebrates the university’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community will also include a cohort-based program for LGBTQ+ executives that focuses on identity-based leadership, fostering a culture of inclusion and leading change in their companies and organizations. The executive program, which will kick off with the first cohort June 11 to 14 on campus and will be part of Bentley’s Executive and Professional Education program, will allow Bentley to partner with companies that are interested in diversifying their talent pool and expanding their leadership pipeline in an effort to connect them with the student cohort. 

GLSEN CEO Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, who worked closely with Cruz to finalize the partnership, was the keynote speaker at the Rainbow Lunch. 

“As one of the most exciting and emerging spaces for future business leaders, Bentley University can create pathways, open doors and provide resources that make a real difference — not only for LGBTQ+ professionals today, but for the next generation of students who aspire to follow in all of your footsteps,” Willingham-Jaggers said. “Business leaders have always been catalysts for change, and now it’s time to extend that influence to the LGBTQ+ community in a deeper and more meaningful way ... We are investing in a future where every student — regardless of identity — can grow into a leader, innovator and successful professional.” 

Founded by a group of teachers in 1990, GLSEN advises on and advocates for policies designed to protect LGBTQ+ students. The partnership will also allow Bentley to provide “pre-college” programs in the summer for LGBTQ+ high school students, drawing upon GLSEN’s network of more than 1,000 high schools across the country.  

The partnership with GLSEN supports Bentley’s Falcons Forward 2030 strategic plan, which calls for broadening access to a Bentley education to a diverse set of learners and pursuing corporate partnerships that align with the changing workforce. 

The new programs complement existing Bentley LGBTQ+ and gender-inclusive initiatives organized by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Center for Women and Business, Office of Gender and Student Sexuality Programs and others. Rainbow Scholars, for example, is a yearlong leadership development program for LGBTQ+ and allied undergraduate Bentley students. Bentley PRIDE (People Respecting Individuality and Diversity through Education) is a student organization that provides support and social activities for the university’s LGBTQ+ communities.    

Sai Waters ’25, who is majoring in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and has been an advocate to change the Bentley culture to be more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, is hopeful about the new partnership with GLSEN.   

“The partnership between GLSEN and Bentley is sure to be revolutionary for queer and trans students,” said Waters, who is a lead program manager for the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center and a member of PRIDE. “Over the years, the LGBTQ+ community on campus has been calling for administrative action and our voices are being heard. I’m delighted that President Chrite understands that campus culture will not change until the administration takes a firm and outward stance to support us. To me, this partnership shows that Bentley wants to change that culture — and that is extremely hopeful to me for future LGBTQ+ students on campus.”   

Bobby Robbins ’25 — an English major, member of PRIDE and program manager in the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center — agrees. “As a student, queer man and stakeholder in our university and its values, I am overjoyed by Bentley's commitment to GLSEN. To see Bentley support those who make real changes in our country and ultimately my life, is a sign of investment in queer futures I didn’t know I needed. To know that my university is so loudly, and dare I say proudly, supporting GLSEN’s mission gives me hope and peace.”   

Interested in joining the LGBTQ+ Executive Change Leader cohort from June 11 to 14? Please email Dr. Cruz at mcruz@bentley.edu.