Fifty-two years ago, when I was asked to interview at Bentley, I thought, an interview wouldn’t hurt. So off I went to talk with the chairman of the Economics Department, who was also chairman of the Math Department, Science Department and Finance Department all in one.

After about 15 minutes, he asked if he could introduce me to Rae Anderson, who was the vice president and dean. We went from 867 Boylston to 925 Boylston, to an office that faced the Prudential Center. It was lined with banks of shelves. They were stuffed with blueprints showing the future of what would become Bentley University.

Dean Anderson told me that we were going to build a school, not merely brick and mortar, but also a whole new curriculum — for business, of course, but for liberal arts too. His vision was, in a lot of ways, challenging the whole concept of what a college was and should be. Rae Anderson might have been one of the best accountants in the United States, but he was also a lover of art and opera and politics and history. He was absolutely fantastic.

I asked myself, is there a possibility that this institution is going to go someplace?

I’ve spent more than half my life associated with the development of this university, and I’m proud of it. It started with one major, no female students and no real campus — my first office was on the fourth floor of a building that also housed a girls’ school with more students than Bentley and a jewelry store. It grew into the incredible university we are today, one that merges business and arts to give students a total education, all within a setting that is one of the most beautiful campuses around.

I’m retired now, but the profession of teaching, and Bentley, both mean a great deal to me. I came back to teach a class this fall. I’ve always had butterflies on the first day of class and, yes, I had them again this year.

Alexander Zampieron, P '05 is professor emeritus of Economics.