A Message from President Davis-Blake

Dear Students,

Tomorrow begins your first day of remote learning as the spring semester continues in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic. As I mentioned in my note to you last Sunday, I know that being away from each other is a great challenge. Our campus is such a special place and this is not how any of us envisioned the semester playing out.

But even as we face these challenges together, I’m confident in your ability to adapt and continue to learn. Your professors have been working hard to ensure they are ready for online instruction and to continue to teach and share their knowledge and perspectives with you. Though different from the classroom experience you have come to know in your time at Bentley, you will still be challenged to learn and analyze and question and think, to discover new perspectives and engage with new ideas.

I know that you will be up to the challenge. And I know, too, that we will be at the ready, all of us at Bentley, to help you succeed. 

This second half of the semester will be unlike any in the history of our university, as it will for universities across the country. I know that in the days ahead, in the relative isolation of your homes, it will be easy to forget that we are all in this together. But remember you are not alone. Every day, you will still interact with our faculty, your advisors, the staff who support you and, most importantly, your fellow students. Therefore, I hope you will continue to be mindful of this new shared experience we’re all going through, offering outreach and support to one another on a regular basis.

It won’t be easy, but remember that you are all learning new ways to participate in classes and connect with your professors and brainstorm with your classmates. I hope you will continue to be mindful of this new shared experience, offering support to classmates or friends. In times of adversity, it’s important that we lean on each other. Even if it’s through phone calls, Facetime, Hangouts or Zoom meetings, set aside time for personal connections with professors, advisors, friends and family. Those relationships will help you, and all of us, move forward and discover new capabilities and strengths.

Together, you’ve done many great things that define what it means to be a Bentley student. As online classes begin tomorrow, what you experience and accomplish together in the weeks ahead will show the world what sets you—and the entire Bentley community—apart.

President Davis-Blake