The start of the semester has been marked by headlines about the shifting landscape for higher education and, honestly, for the country. For some, this is a welcome opportunity to examine existing policies and practices, while others are feeling concern and anxiety about the future. It’s important to me that we as a university meet the current environment just as we have met past challenges: with a thoughtful, reasoned and values-centered approach.
Before the winter break in anticipation of the new world we’d enter in 2025, I created a Cabinet subcommittee to monitor and consider how changes at the federal level might affect Bentley. This group is also charged with developing response plans that are consistent with the law and our core values. As changes have come out of Washington, D.C., I and members of the Cabinet have been connecting with people and groups on campus who are impacted by them, and we are working to respond to their questions and concerns.
But beyond the nuts and bolts of operational plans that need to be reviewed, I want to make something clear: I recognize the strong reactions and direct impacts that some recent announcements have caused. What hasn’t changed – and will not change – is the importance that we as a community place on listening to and learning from each other based on our core Bentley values including Respect, Caring and Collaboration. Even when some of us disagree – especially when we disagree – we value and encourage dialogue in the classroom and residential spaces and at community events like today’s Panel on Policy and Politics hosted by the Valente Center and Global Studies Department.
We are fortunate to be part of a community filled with smart people who generously share their expertise, and I encourage you to attend opportunities like today’s discussion as well as upcoming Town Hall meetings for faculty and staff, Faculty Senate meetings and Student Government Association meetings.
This is who Bentley is and should be: a place where different ideas and perspectives are exchanged and debated in a respectful way that challenges us and deepens our understanding of the world. Let’s meet this moment with a renewed commitment to our Bentley values and to listening to – and learning from – each other.
Most Sincerely,
President Chrite