Bentley University announced changes in its academic leadership team to position the university for continued success. Lynne Rosansky, Ph.D., who had been interim provost since July 2017, has been re-appointed to a three-year term as provost. Rick Oches, Ph.D., chair of the department of natural and applied sciences, has been named as the new dean of arts and sciences. Associate Dean Donna Maria Blancero, Ph.D., will become interim dean of business and the McCallum Graduate School of Business. The appointments will take effect on July 1, 2018.

The dual dean appointments highlight Bentley’s interdisciplinary approach that integrates the study of arts and sciences within a business degree program to prepare students for successful careers and lives.  

“I’m excited to work with Rick and Donna to continue to build Bentley’s strong academic reputation as a university on the rise and one of the country’s top business schools,” said Rosansky. “It’s a time of change in higher education and I know this team can help Bentley successfully navigate these waters.”

Lynne Rosansky, Provost

Rosansky has made a significant impact in her first year at Bentley, working with the Cabinet and the faculty to reposition Bentley’s graduate programs and expand online course offerings.

Rosansky’s academic credentials span both business and arts and sciences, and she has extensive experience in higher ed leadership. She served as founding president of the Hult International Business School, dean of the University of New Haven College of Business, provost at SUNY’s Levin Institute and interim provost at Franklin Pierce University. She has also served on the faculty at Brandeis International Business School, the Simmons School of Management, the International University of Japan and Babson College. Rosansky earned a Ph.D. and M.A. from Boston University, M.B.A. from Babson College, and B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University.

Rick Oches, Dean of Arts and Sciences

Oches has taught as a member of the Bentley faculty for 10 years, serving as chair of the Natural and Applied Sciences Department for seven years. His teaching and research interests have focused on Earth's recent climate history as well as the human and environmental responses to climate changes. He is currently researching environmental sustainability planning in the context of population growth, increasing natural resource consumption, environmental degradation, and global climate change.

Before joining Bentley, Oches was chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of South Florida. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and B.S. from Purdue University.

Oches’ appointment followed a comprehensive national search to succeed Dan Everett, who announced last year that he would step down in June 2018 after eight years as Bentley’s dean of arts and sciences.

Donna Blancero, Interim Dean of Business and the McCallum Graduate School

Blancero has served as associate dean of business at Bentley since 2016 and as an associate professor of management since 2010. She has held faculty and research roles at Arizona State University and Cornell University and served as Ph.D. director at Touro University and as a fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She is the division chair for the Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division of the Academy of Management and a Ph.D. Project faculty member.

In the private sector, Blancero has consulted with organizations on diversity, networking, mentoring and leadership training, specifically for Latinos and other people of color. She is a national speaker on issues related to Hispanic leadership and the founding editor of The Business Journal of Hispanic Research. Blancero received her Ph.D. from Cornell University, M.S. from New York Institute of Technology and B.S. from SUNY, College at Old Westbury.

Blancero will succeed Roy “Chip” Wiggins, who announced in March that he would step down after seven years as dean of business and the McCallum Graduate School. Bentley will conduct a comprehensive search for a new business dean beginning this summer.

About Bentley University

Bentley University is one of the nation’s leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of business leader with the technical skills, global perspective and ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. Bentley’s diverse arts and sciences program combined with an advanced business curriculum prepares graduates to make an impact in their chosen fields. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students. For more information, visit www.bentley.edu.