3 Questions for New Dean of Arts and Sciences

1. What drew you to Bentley?

My own research is quite interdisciplinary — I work in literature, history, theology, politics and several different languages — and I was excited that Bentley values this kind of intellectual exploration in its faculty and students, specifically the university’s model of integrating business with arts and science. Last year, a National Bureau of Economic Research study showed that students who double major are over 50% more likely to thrive in economic downturns than counterparts with a single major because that diversity of study gives students a diversity of skills and knowledge, and hones their critical thinking in an adaptive way. The arts and sciences at Bentley give business students a distinct advantage, and because every student with an arts and sciences major completes a minor in business, they are better equipped than other students without that background.

2. What’s one thing about you that might surprise someone?

Even though I’m a scholar of medieval literature, and my first love is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, I really enjoy modern novels and read as many as I can fit in. In fact, I enjoy them so much that I wrote one! My first work of fiction is coming out in April and is an academic murder mystery, with some Tudor English intrigue thrown in for good measure. I’m also a runner and have done the New York marathon three times and the Chicago marathon twice. I’m too slow to qualify for Boston, but you can bet I will be out there cheering for runners this spring!

3. What is your favorite place on campus so far?

I’m still learning my way around campus, but I have a suspicion that my favorite place will be the library, because inevitably on any college campus I’ve ever been on, that’s where I end up.