Greetings from campus! I am pleased to share some developments that have given the year an exciting start.

The work to finalize our next five-year strategic plan continues. Though economic conditions are challenging, they also present an important opportunity. Our efforts to hold down expenses, find additional efficiencies, and otherwise focus on priorities will help Bentley navigate unsteady waters today and chart directions to pursue when economic stability returns.

The current crisis also shows that emerging priorities for the corporate community are perfectly aligned with the university’s strategic direction. Our long-standing expertise in accountancy gains special relevance as the function remains vital in business, and our strengths in information technology, communication, ethics and social responsibility have never been more needed.

Brian Smith

It is also gratifying to see our achievements recognized off campus. Recent grants totaling nearly $1 million support our longtime core strengths and new initiatives to advance our mission.

The Geneen Charitable Trust has awarded $400,000 to create an institute at Bentley for researching social, comparative and reformative approaches to corporate governance. The institute will further our commitment to ethical and socially responsible leadership. Support for our strength in accounting education comes from the Ernst & Young University Fund, through a $400,000 grant for a groundbreaking curricular initiative in accountancy. Finally, the Davis Educational Foundation has recognized our innovative work to integrate the study of business and the liberal arts. The $62,000 Davis grant supports a pilot initiative called Complex Problems, Creative Solutions. The project engages undergraduate students to work across academic disciplines in considering new ways to address challenges such as global warming and affordable health care.

Another validation comes from Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Bentley University earned a place among the best values in private higher education — ranked #28 among private universities and #9 in New England on the magazine’s list of the top 100 private universities and liberal arts colleges nationwide. The accolade speaks to our determination to keep Bentley a cost-effective value investment for students and their families.

Plans are well underway for the fifth annual Bentley Leadership Forum, to be presented on April 16 in partnership with TIME magazine. The focus of this year’s forum is “The Business of Healing Our World: Leveraging Innovation, Social Enterprise, and Service.” At this writing, we have confirmed several outstanding participants, including environmental activist and author Van Jones. His organization, Green For All, promotes “green collar” jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged. The forum also welcomes social entrepreneur Priya Haji, co-founder and CEO of World of Good, which promotes fair trade practices and invests in fair trade artisan communities worldwide. Another featured speaker is Leigh Blake, who created Keep a Child Alive (KCA) with award-winning musical artist Alicia Keys. KCA provides much-needed anti-retroviral treatment for children and families with AIDS in the developing world.

I hope that alumni, parents and friends share my excitement about all that is happening at Bentley. Thank you for your continued support.