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Bentley Equity Experience

The Bentley Equity Experience

Discovering Who We Are, Uncovering Who We Can Be

The Bentley Equity Experience

As part of its efforts to embrace a culture of inclusion and achieve equity, Bentley University has launched the Bentley Equity Experience study to positively impact our living, learning, and working environment. The study is a concerted effort to invite the entire Bentley community to better understand and improve its campus climate, culture, and values by addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities for change. Bentley invites all community members to participate in this campaign to help the university better understand their lived experiences and feelings of belonging on campus.

The campaign included a campus climate survey completed during the Fall 2021 semester. Over the Spring 2022 semester, Bentley hosted a series of engagement events to bring the campus together to reflect on the survey's data and to engage deeper with themes that emerged from the Quick Questions and Community Polls conducted alongside the climate survey.

The Full Results are Here!

The Inclusive Excellence Council is excited to share the full results from the Bentley Equity Experience study! The findings from the campus climate survey and community narratives provide Bentley the opportunity to see areas of strength and address critical areas related to campus climate and culture.

We invite the Bentley community to engage with each other in understanding where we are and begin thinking about where we can grow as an institution. Check out one of four different ways you can engage with the results and dialogue with outhers about our campus climate.

Ways to Engage

See the Full Results

This document offers a summary of the results from the study, including reflection questions to critically think about and apply what you learn in your day-to-day experiences within the Bentley community.

Read the Document

View the Dashboard

This tool allows you to view the results of the BEX survey in a dynamic way, allowing you to sort through the experiences of Bentley community members by demographics, campus role, and other factors.

View the Dashboard

Request a Sense-Making Session

Are you interested in a guided discussion about the results of the survey with your team or group? Request a session to learn more about the results and engage in reflection about where and how we move forward as a community.

Request a Session

Data Set Now Available!

Complete the request form to receive data from the climate survey.

Data Request Form

Results At a Glance

The Big Picture

  • Overall, about 55% of the Bentley community is satisfied with the campus climate, and Bentley community members generally view our community as friendly and feel a sense of personal value and belonging.
  • However, there are notable exceptions within the experiences of our Bentley community members, both in terms of feelings of inclusiveness and experiences of discrimination.
  • Community narratives illustrated that while Bentley is largely a welcoming and supportive community, community members felt that because of the competitive, work-intensive, and outcomes-focused nature of the University that the community feels transactional and elitist.
  • Bentley community members do believe that the University environment is generally supportive and supports growth and success.

Key Numbers

26.7%

Climate Survey Response Rate

55%

Respondents Satisfied or Very Satisfied with Campus Climate

80%

Respondents Would Recommend Bentley to a Future Students or Employees

Bentley Equity Experience Dashboard

The Bentley Equity Experience dashboard is a tool that allows you to view the results of the campus climate survey in a dynamic way, including the ability to sort through the experiences of Bentley community members by demographics, campus role, and other factors.

Quick Question Findings: Helping or Hindering

In Fall 2021, The Quick Questions series asked community members to provide an insight about Bentley's culture around a specific theme. For our Quick Question #2, over 90 Bentley community members shared their response to the question:

How has the culture at Bentley University helped or hindered your success?

Below you will find a summary of themes from Quick Question #2 and a sample of community member's response. Take a look through the quotes. What stood out to you? What do you think of the themes that were identified? How can Bentley be better?

QQ2 Summary of Themes: How Bentley's Culture Has Helped Success
QQ2 Summary of Themes: How Bentley's Culture Has Hindered Success
Image with the text "I had experienced microaggressions in the classroom (even from a couple professors) and heard numerous stories about others' poor experiences (@sexism.at.bentley and @blackatbentley….)"

I had experienced microaggressions in the classroom (even from a couple professors) and heard numerous stories about others' poor experiences (@sexism.at.bentley and @blackatbentley….)

Image with the text "The assumption that bias and discriminatory treatment against female faculty isn’t sexism or is unrelated to institutional sexism. "

The assumption that bias and discriminatory treatment against female faculty isn’t sexism or is unrelated to institutional sexism.

Image with the text "Bentley has a culture of helping students learn inside and outside the classroom, where emphasis is placed on sharing experiences with fellow students…."

Bentley has a culture of helping students learn inside and outside the classroom, where emphasis is placed on sharing experiences with fellow students….

Image with the text "Some people have been impacted negatively in the past by Bentley’s culture on account of being different: black, gay, trans, POC, differently abled, or woman."

Some people have been impacted negatively in the past by Bentley’s culture on account of being different: black, gay, trans, POC, differently abled, or woman.

Image with the text "…there is an expectation to maintain elitist culture."

…there is an expectation to maintain elitist culture.

Image with the text "The culture of diversity helps in gaining exposure to varied and diverse views, experiences, and information… It has also assisted in building a wider network with people from different walks of life, whom I can reach out to."

The culture of diversity helps in gaining exposure to varied and diverse views, experiences, and information… It has also assisted in building a wider network with people from different walks of life, whom I can reach out to.

Image with the text "…the athletic department places a lot of emphasis on the value of putting your education here at Bentley first, and that has definitely helped me succeed in the classroom and on the field. "

…the athletic department places a lot of emphasis on the value of putting your education here at Bentley first, and that has definitely helped me succeed in the classroom and on the field.

Image with the text "… an extremely positive learning environment where everyone cares about each other and is supportive in their educational goals."

… an extremely positive learning environment where everyone cares about each other and is supportive in their educational goals.

Image with the text "Helping my success by having members of the community be genuinely interested in my development."

Helping my success by having members of the community be genuinely interested in my development.

Image with the text "There is a serious aversion to risk at Bentley…. On the one hand, it is keeping us from big moves and bold thinking. On the other, it has kept us relatively stable over the past few years of turmoil."

There is a serious aversion to risk at Bentley…. On the one hand, it is keeping us from big moves and bold thinking. On the other, it has kept us relatively stable over the past few years of turmoil.

Image with the text "I am appalled every day by the lack of knowledge Bentley students have about equality and equity."

I am appalled every day by the lack of knowledge Bentley students have about equality and equity.

Image with the text "Bentley…fails to recognize systematic inequalities that have place me farther behind the finish line than many others."

Bentley…fails to recognize systematic inequalities that have place me farther behind the finish line than many others.

Image with the text "…we do not have a culture at Bentley that embraces mistakes or shortcomings, especially in matters related to [diversity, equity, inclusion and justice]."

…we do not have a culture at Bentley that embraces mistakes or shortcomings, especially in matters related to [diversity, equity, inclusion and justice].

Community Tabling Event Findings: Bentley's Image

On our second Survey Completion Day (November 17th, 2021), nearly 220 Bentley students, faculty and staff were asked to choose an image that best described Bentley's culture.

We offered fifteen different cards for community members to select from and give a short response about why they selected that particular card. Below is a gallery showing a collage of all possible cards.

The four most selected images were:

The Open Door (15.5% of respondents)

The Checklist (13.2% of respondents)

The Gears (10% of respondents)

The Target (8.7% of respondents)

The most popular images are included with a sample of the reasons individuals selected it. Take a moment to reflect on the responses. What stood out to you? What image do you think best describes Bentley's culture? How can Bentley be better?

A collage showing all the possible cards for the Community Poll activity from the Survey Completion Day on November 17th, 2021
A summary of the responses for the Open Door image showing a 15.5% selection rate
A summary of the responses for the Checklist image showing a 13.2% selection rate
A summary of the responses for the Gears image showing a 10% selection rate
A summary of the responses for the Target image showing a 8.7% selection rate
I am proud that we as a community are engaging in the Bentley Equity Experience campaign. This effort will help us to better understand who we truly are as a university and help us to create paths forward towards a better campus climate and culture for everyone at Bentley.
Patrick Couillard Hale
Director, Office of Diversity & Inclusion

Feedback or Questions for the BEX Team?

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Campus Resources

In addition to the Bentley Equity Experience, we encourage you to seek out resources to support you as you navigate your experiences on campus.

Resources for All

Resources for Faculty & Staff

Resources for Students