Pilot Program Puts Global Issues on the Table

Students Study the Impact of 'Techno-Trash'

Bentley University freshmen and sophomores will tackle global issues and push past academic boundaries, through a pilot program launched with a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation. The award of $62,000 funds a curriculum initiative called Complex Problems/ Creative Solutions, which began this fall with 70 students enrolled.

Participating undergraduates — as future leaders of corporations, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) — will bring insights from different disciplines to bear on climate change, affordable health care, poverty, and other multidimensional issues.

“In recent years, governments and NGOs have concluded that they alone cannot solve complex worldwide problems. They must partner with the corporate world to address such problems in creative, effective ways,” notes Dean of Arts and Sciences Lynne Durkin. “Just as Bentley faculty work across academic departments to understand a pedagogical or research problem that lies well beyond any single area of expert- ise, we want to foster the same approach and mind-set in students.”

Penetrating Problems

The program introduces a timely multifaceted problem that students study, analyze and ulti- mately try to penetrate from varied intellectual perspectives over their first two years of undergraduate work. The initial topic is the Unintended Consequences of our Consumer Choices, in particular, the environmental impact of “techno-trash” (unwanted cell phones, computers and the like). Program participants explore the issues through relevant required courses in both the General Education curriculum and the Business Core, as well as through guest lectures, films, and other co-curricular activities.

The initiative has two guiding principles: first, that business needs to join government, NGOs, and other entities at the forefront of addressing global problems; and second, that students must be better prepared to confront complicated issues upon graduation.

“Innovative teaching is required to help prepare students for the challenges they will face as leaders in a global context,” observes Durkin. “Together with organizations such as the Davis Educational Foundation, Bentley can help redefine business education and excel in thought leadership that makes a significant contribution to building a better world.”

History of Support

Previous support from the Davis Educational Foundation helped Bentley integrate liberal learning across the university. This initiative, as well as the popular Liberal Studies major, has earned recognition from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

“As a foundation interested in improving the teaching and learning process — and promoting cost efficiencies — we see an array of projects shaped by the unique needs and missions of individual campuses,” says Leanne Greeley Bond, program officer at the Davis Educational Foundation. “We are pleased to assist Bentley in introducing this new curriculum approach.”

The foundation was established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after the former’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc.