Year in Review: Our Favorite Stories from 2022
The Bentley community had plenty of reasons to celebrate in 2022, including the inauguration of the university’s ninth president, E. LaBrent Chrite, the campus return of our undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies and a visit from the Kingdom of Bahrain’s ambassador to the U.S., Bentley alumnus Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa ’01 MBA ’03.
From innovative academic offerings and historic athletic performances to exhilarating and enriching campus events, we look back at some of our favorite stories from 2022:
Historic Number of First-Gen Students
We welcomed the Class of 2026 — the most diverse class in the university’s history, with 25% of incoming students the first in their families to attend college.
Among Top 10 for Return on Investment
Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce ranked Bentley among the top 10 colleges and universities in the nation offering the greatest long-term return on investment.
Hoop Teams Make History
For the first time in the 40-plus year history of the Northeast-10 Conference, one university — Bentley — won both the women’s and men’s basketball championships in the same season.
Introducing New PhD Program
Our new Executive PhD program offers a flexible, accelerated format that empowers experienced business leaders to make “game-changing, data-driven decisions” for their companies and communities.
First In-Person Rainbow Graduation
Graduating seniors, friends, professors and university staff gathered for the first in-person Rainbow Graduation ceremony for graduating LGBTQ+ students.
ASA Gala Named “Best Program of the Year”
Featuring fashion, food and live performances, the Africana Student Association’s sold-out event provided a venue to showcase and honor African cultures.
Spring Day Returns to Campus
Concert headliners Diplo and Jack Harlow hyped a crowd of more than 3,000 students at the annual event, which also featured a mechanical bull, an axe-throwing activity and a caricature artist.
Gift Transforms the Business of Health Care
A $5 million gift from alumni brothers Chris and Greg Smith will help the university expand its offerings to include innovative and impactful programs related to the health care industry.
Bentley-Gallup “Force for Good” Report
Bentley partnered with Gallup to conduct a new survey and found that a majority of Americans believe business has a positive impact on people’s lives.
Carbon Neutrality by 2030
Bentley’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan committed to further reductions in campus greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy use, equity and education.