Bentley University News

Obama — Imagining a Second Term

The far left and the far right agree about one thing — four more years of President Barack Obama would be a nightmare. But for many of us, four more years would offer exactly what Obama promised the first time — hope. We hope that if he earns a second term, Obama, not beholden, will do exactly what he planned to do before the inherited economic mess interceded. We hope he will do what Bill Clinton, who squandered his second term in scandal, could never do — and that means achieve “big” things.

Although the United States still ranks a disappointing 23rd on the Global Gender Gap Index, personal finance social network WalletHub had some good news last week for Massachusetts, just in time for Women’s Equality Day: In its 2014 in-depth analysis of the Best and Worst States for Women’s Equality, the publication ranked Massachusetts 13th best overall.

Authenticity is very much in the autumn air these days — especially with the presidential debates unfolding in front of tens of millions of people.

At a recent business dinner with a client who is a senior partner at a well-known accounting firm, for example, the topic was, not surprisingly, the presidential election. “They’re both liars,” said the executive of the two candidates. “You just can’t trust politicians today. They’ll say whatever they need to say to get elected.”

This has been an eventful summer for all of us who care about the world. In June, we marked the 20^th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. In July, we recorded the hottest-ever month in the United States. In August and September, we listened to the two presidential candidates as they squared off on climate change in their respective convention speeches. And later in September, we learned that the drastic melting of the Arctic sea ice had set a new record, with ice covering just 24 percent of the surface of the Arctic Ocean.

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.

There is a prevalent depiction in society that business is inherently selfish and greedy. It’s a typecast that many business people have reluctantly come to accept. But it doesn’t have to be this way. And it certainly shouldn’t.

In fact, when people are awakened to the extraordinary power of business to impact the world in a positive way, their attitudes and beliefs can shift dramatically. We experience it first hand as educators at a business university.