Bentley Receives $1 Million Gift to Establish the Ralph Welensky Chair in Accounting

Bentley University established the Ralph Welensky Chair in Accounting with a $1 million endowed gift from the Trustees of the Estate of Thomas F. Goldman. Ralph Welensky graduated from Bentley in 1947 and was a mentor to his nephew, Thomas Goldman.

“When we reached out to Bentley, we were overwhelmed by the information that was shared about Ralph, like photographs and other details that made him a real person and not just a name in stories,” says Edith Hannah, executor and a Trustee of the Thomas F. Goldman Estate. “I was able to know the person who had such a huge impact on Tom’s life, which was incredibly meaningful to me as one of the people tasked with honoring his legacy through his Estate. It was truly an easy decision to make this gift to Bentley.”

The generous gift recognizes the significant impact Welensky had on Goldman, who credited his uncle with guiding him on a path to a successful career. It also reflects the enduring values the two men shared, which exemplify the powerful intersection of professional practice and academic contribution. Both were entrepreneurs who started their own businesses and applied academic training and real-world experience to obtain success.

This gift marks a significant milestone as the university’s first permanently endowed fund created specifically to support practitioner faculty — those who bring deep industry experience into the classroom.

Goldman, who was an accomplished attorney, managed an active practice in international law, technology law and litigation, representing insurance companies and corporations.

He had a successful career in higher education as well. At Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, he developed the Advanced Litigation Support and Technology Certificate Program. He was a professor emeritus at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania, where he taught Law and Management, and served as the director of the Center for Legal Studies and the ABA-approved Paralegal Studies Program.

He also authored textbooks in paralegal and technology studies, and served as a consultant, speaker and lecturer for educational institutions and businesses.

Welensky grew up with his parents, Robert and Lena, who emigrated from Latvia, and two sisters, Sylvia Welensky Goldenberg and Ethel Welensky Goldman. In 1947, he graduated from Bentley, which was then known as the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance. He established a private practice as a public accountant, earning high regard from his clients.

He shared his wisdom with Goldman and helped finance his nephew’s college education. Welensky also purchased Goldman’s first camera — a gift that proved consequential. Goldman became a self-taught and skilled photographer who applied his earnings from this craft to help finance his law school education.

Now nearly 80 years after Welensky graduated, the gift in his name has enabled Lecturer Mary-Joan “MJ” Potvin to become the inaugural Welensky Chair in Accounting.

“The Welensky Chair was established to support the important connection between industry and academia, recognizing the unique contribution that long-time practitioners make in accounting education,” Potvin says. “Thomas Goldman was an educator and textbook author who strived to make the law — and basic accounting principles — easier to understand and more widely accessible.”