Hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni and outside guests gathered in the Executive Dining Room and remotely for the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration to hear reflections on the life and legacy of Dr. King. Throughout the morning, students shared personal stories about experiences with racism or discrimination and the ways that they have found strength in Dr. King’s words and teachings.

The theme of this year’s event was Honoring Indigenous Communities, recognizing the many ways that Indigenous populations have endured centuries of racism and colonial oppression, much of which continues today. To begin the program, Jordyn Garrett ’24 shared a personal reflection before unveiling Bentley’s new land acknowledgment statement, which was developed over the course of the past year by the Honoring Indigenous Communities Working Group.

President Chrite welcomed the community and guests from local high schools before remarking on the importance of Dr. King’s legacy and the many ways that his work continues to be relevant today. “I find tremendous value in this opportunity to come together and fellowship on campus for events like today's,” the president remarked. “These gatherings offer an important opportunity to affirm, reflect and celebrate our shared university community. And in particular, I’m grateful that we are gathering to honor the enduring legacy of one of our nation’s most inspiring leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

President Chrite was joined by Fatima Khalid ’23, Tajon Vassar ’23, Ileaqua Adams ’23 and Ahmed Amer, MBA ’23 in sharing reflections before this year’s keynote speaker, Indigenous rights advocate Winona LaDuke, took the stage. In her informative and engaging presentation, Winona shared stories of her extensive work advocating for Indigenous rights and educated the audience on the many ways that Indigenous communities continue to be oppressed across North America and beyond.

Winona closed her compelling address by encouraging those in attendance to not forget the power that individual impact can have on making meaningful change. “In this world we live in, we forget our power,” remarked Winona. “We give away our power. We relinquish it.” She then challenged the audience to have faith and to practice giving voice to the oppressed, as Dr. King did throughout his life and does today through his continued legacy.

The program closed with the presentation of the Dr. Earl L. Avery MLK Leadership Award, presented by Anyfern Gonzalez ’23. Anyfern presented the award to Professor of Marketing Isaura Beltre ’01, MSIAM ’02, for her mentorship of students on campus and her work outside of Bentley as an advocate for inclusive advertising practices through ADCOLOR.    

As the event prepared to close, Anyfern herself was surprised with the second MLK Leadership Award for her many contributions to promoting racial justice on campus through her roles on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Class Cabinet and Women's Leadership Program.
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Students returned to campus for the spring semester to a newly renovated (and renamed) Multicultural Center Lounge, which offers a refreshed space for students of color to recharge and forge new connections. The new lounge — named after longtime staff member Claudette Blot — originated from the work of the Racial Justice Task Force and feedback from students of color, which revealed that they lacked a space on campus where they felt safe and welcome. The lounge was designed by these students and will provide an important resource for all students of color on campus for years to come.  

Throughout her lengthy career on campus, Claudette has mentored thousands of students and is regularly praised for the impact she has had within the community over the years. The lounge that bears her name is significant for another reason, too — it is the first space on campus named after a person of color.

To celebrate the space, the students who helped to bring it to life got a sneak peak of the lounge at the start of the semester, and the entire community got a chance to check it out and celebrate its importance shortly after. 

Congratulations to the students and staff members who worked so hard to breathe new life into this important space on campus!

Faculty and staff came together at the start of the semester for a Town Hall Meeting focused on the implementation of the university’s strategic plan: Falcons Forward 2030. After a welcome by President Chrite, Vice President for Strategy and Innovation Sean Ferguson, Associate Provost for Student Success Jane Griffin and Vice President for Enrollment Management Carolina Figueroa addressed a full Koumantzelis Auditorium, each sharing implementation updates from their respective areas.

During Carolina’s presentation on the efforts of the Gender Mix Action Implementation Group (AIG) to bolster female and non-binary student enrollment, faculty and staff participated in an interactive exercise answering key questions from the AIG. Audience members provided input on questions related to the cultural barriers preventing women and non-binary students from enrolling in Bentley, before sharing ideas on curricular and co-curricular programs that could attract a more gender diverse student body. This exercise helped our community see that addressing the university’s gender mix goes far beyond enrollment and requires continued attention and efforts to make Bentley a more inclusive community.

The responses from this exercise were discussed by the Gender Mix AIG at their meeting on Jan. 26, two days after the Town Hall event. The results of this exercise will continue to inform the AIG’s work to outline a plan to achieve the university’s Gender Mix goals. Faculty and staff who are interested in further engaging with this important topic can submit their name to be considered for one of several working groups being designed by the AIG over the course of the next several months. You can submit your name, or an idea for the AIG’s consideration, using the forms below. 

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The Bentley Athletic Hall of Fame 2022-2023 Induction Ceremony will take place this Saturday, Feb. 4 at noon. Tune in to the livestreamed event using the link below to watch as Falcon alumni are celebrated for their achievements and contributions to athletics at Bentley. Learn more about this year's inductees here. 

Watch the Livestream