Dear Bentley community,
This time of year always highlights a paradox; the short days help us appreciate the beautiful sunsets from the higher locations on campus. The biting cold makes slipping into the warmth of the library, Student Center or LaCava Café that much more inviting. This time just before winter break is filled with deadlines, late nights of studying and anxious exam preparation for our students, and heavy loads of grading for our faculty.
In crafting my annual year-end note to this community, I’m obviously reflecting on this weekend’s two tragic acts of violence at Brown University and in Sydney, Australia, adding to this mix of emotion. While much remains unknown about the situation at Brown, it is especially distressing to know that members of the Jewish community in Sydney were targeted as they celebrated the arrival of Hanukkah and this season of light. Like many of you, I spent much of Sunday mourning those lost in these senseless attacks, and I’m grieving for their families who were no doubt preparing to come together in celebration of this holiday season.
Here on campus, I also appreciate that members of our Bentley community, in this charged national environment, are feeling singled out and under threat because of who they are, where they are from or what they believe. As 2025 comes to a close, I want those who are burdened by the weight of this uncertainty to know that I recognize the pain and fear they feel during what should be a time of year-end joy.
Yet as final exams end and the semester draws to a close this week, I’m heartened by this community. This is a semester I will long remember as an example of how our Falcon family came together under the most difficult circumstances. I will remember how we persevered through the loss of a beloved faculty member and how, once again, we affirmed our highest and best aspirations.
This week and every week, I am grateful and proud to be a member of this community. My wish for all of you is that the upcoming break will bring you warmth, light, rest and renewed energy for the spring semester to come.
With warmth and blessings,
President Chrite