Presidential Reception Honors Philanthropic Community
On a beautiful fall day at the start of Falcon Weekend, President Chrite held a special Presidential Reception celebrating the spirit of generosity that enhances every aspect of Bentley's enduring mission — from giving bright students from every walk of life the chance to attend Bentley and excel; to enhancing the school's slate of academic, experiential and programmatic offerings; to engaging alumni and partners in ways that build institutional resilience and vitality. More than 200 Bentley enthusiasts gathered for the festive event — including leadership donors in the President's Club; university trustees and President's Council members; and faculty, alumni and students.
Along with celebrating the university's philanthropic community, President Chrite specially honored four new families who have joined Bentley's Great Benefactors Society, an incredibly engaged group of alumni, parents and friends whose gifts to the university total $1 million or more.
“Together, we’re preparing the business leaders of tomorrow to meet any challenge the global economy may bring. And we’re doing so because we believe good business can impact more than just the bottom line — it can change the world,” he said.
Meet Bentley's Newest Great Benefactors
Bruce R. ’73 and Patricia A. Bartlett
Bruce and Patricia Bartlett have been Bentley supporters since Mr. Bartlett earned his accounting certification at the university and throughout the growth of his businesses. The Bartletts recently stepped up that support with a commitment to establish an endowed professorship of Free Speech and Free Enterprise. The Bartlett professorship will focus on free speech as an essential building block for business innovation and entrepreneurship and practice the critical skills of openly expressing and debating differing viewpoints in an environment of respectful exchange.
J. Paul ’83 and Susan Condrin P ’19 ’22
Paul Condrin, chair of Bentley’s board of trustees, and his wife Susan have provided exceptional support for women students at Bentley. Mr. Condrin, who also served as the university’s interim president before President Chrite, was instrumental in helping to establish Bentley’s Women’s Leadership Program, which each year supports a corps of high-achieving female students through scholarships and supportive programming. The Condrins have also endowed a generous scholarship for women that will benefit the school and equip women to excel in business for generations to come.
Steven C. ‘83 and Beth Millner
Bentley Trustee Steve Millner with his wife Beth most recently supported Bentley through a gift in support of the university’s technology, innovation and entrepreneurship initiative, designed to further instill entrepreneurship and innovation skill building across academic disciplines and co-curricular programs. The Millners have also supported Bentley's Hillel, enabling it to introduce new award-winning programs.
Stephen B. ’08 and Samantha Somers
Stephen and Samantha Somers provided seed funding and continue to support Bentley’s Entrepreneurship Hub (E-Hub). Through the E-Hub, Bentley is creating a comprehensive ecosystem that provides opportunities for students to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset. To date, the E-Hub has established a flagship entrepreneurial space on campus, built strong collaborations with MIT and the Cambridge Innovation Center, and launched both a living-learning community with 12 incoming students and an inaugural incubator program.
A Celebration of Giving
