Bentley University News

There are several unknowns when it comes to environmental policy in 2013.

Even if President Obama wins re-election, it's unclear whether he will be able, or willing, to move on the environment in his second term; it's also unclear how far the Republicans will go to stymie robust environmental regulation.

But, whatever the outcome of the November election, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be front and center, because it is the bellwether governmental agency for the environment and sustainability in this country.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced recently that a billion people are now signed on to the ubiquitous social networking site. If you’re a college student today, you’re probably one of them. Facebook is where students check out their roommates, classmates, and potential dates long before they meet in person. And if they’re not on Facebook? What are they hiding?

Watching my students use social media tools has led to several observations:

Behind the scenes, in health-care organizations all across the country, thousands of physicians and allied health care providers are struggling with “compassion fatigue.”

The public conversation about the role of women in the workplace was recently reinvigorated by the appointment of (pregnant) Marissa Mayer as Yahoo's new CEO and the controversial article by Anne-Marie Slaughter. This conversation has been waxing and waning throughout my career … and my mother’s career … and even my grandmother’s career.

Did Occupy Wall Street provide the campaign’s subtext?

During the recent campaign Occupy Wall Street seemed to have disappeared completely. In fact, Occupy lurked just below the surface. Mitt Romney’s infamous remark that 47 percent of Americans are irresponsible mooches was an unhappy echo of Occupy’s 99 percent. When the GOP nominee later insisted that he cared about 100 percent of Americans, he nullified Occupy’s distinction between the 1 percent and the rest — just as his tax plan promised across-the-board cuts for all Americans, including the top 1 percent.

The actuarial career is consistently rated among the top jobs in America, according to surveys and rankings such as one recently reported by CareerCast. Good pay, low stress and interesting work equal high job satisfaction. It’s not surprising, then, that actuarial science is gaining a lot of attention from prospective students. But what does it take to educate a successful actuary?

Where is the action on climate change? The answer may surprise you.

It’s in business.

Rating agencies in the capital markets — like Moody’s credit ratings — have dominated the investing landscape for decades.

I’m often humbled by the amazing people who do so much to make the world a better place. These are everyday people who never intend to take the grand stage but who rise to be symbolic leaders because they have the courage to do what they think needs to be done.

The Boston Globe's 11/19/12 feature on selling hospice care to the public focused on the most benign aspects of that process. While it is true that hospice care in America was built through the commendable efforts of committed volunteers and grossly underpaid health care professionals, the current industry has morphed into the fastest growing “product” purchased with Medicare dollars.