The Bentley Buzz is a biweekly update to share news and stories about the faculty and staff who make Bentley special. It is compiled by Kevin Wong, associate director of internal communications. To share your news or an idea for a story, please email buzz@bentley.edu.
January 30, 2020
Paws for Thought
When Associate Professor of Law Liz Brown and her family adopted a puppy this past fall, the new addition was an instant fit. As the puppy, a terrier mix originally from Tennessee, settled into his new home, the last thing to do was pick a name. That’s where Liz enlisted the help of the Bentley community.
Liz and her family were torn between "Truffle" or "Beso" (which means "kiss" in Spanish) for the pup's new name. To see which name other people liked, Bentley’s Instagram account shared a photo of the new puppy and polled its 14,000+ followers. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and even other universities weighed in. And, and with 60% of the vote (drumroll, please), the Bentley community officially welcomed Truffle to campus!
Now 7 months old, Truffle is well acquainted with the Bentley community. “I’ve brought him to campus and to class,” said Liz. "He is a real extrovert and loves everyone he has ever met, including my students!”
Speaking of Buzz
Did you know that there are a few members of our community who have a lot to be buzzing about? Marketing Professor Susan Dobscha and Senior Web Developer Justin Grant are both amateur beekeepers.
For Susan, the hobby has given her firsthand knowledge of bees' impact on the environment. “Keeping bees has provided me with a hobby that allows me to observe, witness and interpret bees as they pertain to our food supply, climate change and farm-to-table philosophy, among other things,” said Susan.
Justin, who started beekeeping in 2016, was drawn to it for a few reasons. “The combination of my love of honey and the social media ‘buzz’ about the importance of bees on the environment got me into the hobby.” This past fall, he collected an impressive 32 pounds of honey from his two hives. The importance of bees to the American ecosystem shouldn’t be understated, as honey bees are responsible for pollinating $15 billion in crops each year.
In addition to having two beekeepers in our community, Bentley's been supporting bee habitats on campus by creating pollinator gardens — areas with plant species designed to promote biodiversity and attract native pollinator species. This spring, be sure to take a look at the pollinator gardens located just behind Jennison!
