WALTHAM,
Mass., May 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For over a
hundred years, Bentley University has celebrated each new class of
graduates as they head off into the world, but this year's
commencement ceremony — the first held on campus after a
two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic — felt especially
electrifying. Students and parents embraced in celebration, friends
posed for pictures with maskless faces, and faculty and trustees
sat together — less than six feet apart — as graduates crossed the
stage to sweeping cheers.
While celebrating together as a community felt new to many after
the last couple of years, the commencement drew upon Bentley's
time-honored traditions and rich history. Faculty and students
processed onto the football field to the sound of "Pomp and
Circumstance," a tune accented by the supportive cheers of family,
friends, mentors and classmates. Large video screens on either side
of the stage showed videos, and students reacted happily as they
spotted the familiar faces of classmates and friends.
Congratulatory messages submitted via social media from friends and
family across the world scrolled across the screen. "A milestone
has been reached today," one message said. "Never give up! Continue
learning, trying, and accomplishing as you travel along."
On a sunny and warm spring day, the university awarded
undergraduate degrees to 1,154 students representing 36 states
and territories and 36 countries. Approximately 8,000 people
attended the university's 103rd undergraduate commencement which
was held on May 21, 2022, on the
football field on South Campus. A livestream option was offered for
loved ones near and far who were unable to attend in person.
E. LaBrent Chrite, in his
first commencement since becoming president on June 1, 2021, greeted the crowd and commended the
graduates for overcoming obstacles as they pursued their
undergraduate degrees during the pandemic. "You have set new
benchmarks for what can be expected from a Bentley student," he
said. "You were there for one another when times were tough ... I
can think of no more deserving group to honor and celebrate in our
first commencement back on campus than you, the Class of 2022. You
should be proud of how you have succeeded in the face of so many
challenges."
Valerie Mosley, founder of the
financial technology platform Upward Wealth and this year's
undergraduate commencement speaker, encouraged graduates to "become
comprehensively wealthy" by finding what it is that "makes your
spirit sing."
"Like income, giving is so incredibly important, and you will
feel so much better if what you do matters, not only to yourself
but to others," said Mosely, who created Upward Wealth to be an
"emotionally intelligent" financial wellness benefit provider. Her
company's mission and career as an investor and adviser reflect
Bentley's commitment to using business for good.
Mosely acknowledged the toll that the stress of the pandemic had
taken, especially on young people, and encouraged the students to
be resilient and to know their worth. She spoke honestly about the
self-doubt and abuse she had endured in her own life. "You aren't
what's happened to you," she said. "You are what you believe you
can be, and what you repeatedly try and do.
"Disappointments are going to happen," she told the students.
"There is opportunity in adversity, and you have to be able to see
it. When disappointment comes, what you see in the midst of that
storm is magical, because that is where the returns are the
greatest."
Mosley, who "believes strongly that everyone deserves to be
financially healthy," received an honorary Doctor of Commercial
Science degree.
While Mosely encouraged graduates to look to the future for
inspiration, Senior Class Cabinet President Erin Buckmeier '22 encouraged her
classmates to learn from the experiences and relationships of the
past four years. As she recalled fun memories the class had shared
together — attending a Red Sox game, a boat cruise and even a
senior class trip to the Bahamas —
Buckmeier reminded the class of the close community they had built
and how much they had grown in their four years as Falcons.
"We would not be standing here today without the support of the
faculty and staff at Bentley and our personal support systems," she
said. "At the end of the day, we must also give ourselves credit
for our resiliency and determination."
At the 47th annual commencement ceremony for
Bentley's McCallum Graduate School of Business. later in the
day, President Chrite addressed a crowd gathered inside the Bentley
Arena, where the ceremony had been moved because of unseasonably
warm temperatures. The university awarded 187 Master of Business
Administration degrees and 339 Master of Science degrees in
subjects including Accounting, Business Analytics, and Human
Factors in Information Design. Degree recipients donned
cassock-like gowns, and their satin-lined hoods in gold and Bentley
blue bore velvet borders that reflected each recipient's field of
study. Four graduates were awarded a PhD in Accounting and three
students received a PhD in Business.
Robert L. Reynolds, the president
and chief executive officer of Putnam Investments, a global
investment management firm, offered the graduate commencement
address, beginning with an impassioned call for graduates to
believe in themselves and their abilities while also benefiting
from collaborative work environments. "Accomplishments driven
by team collaboration and creativity will almost always triumph
over the results of individuals working on their own," he said.
"Diversity brings powerful perspective to the table, so encourage
and respect different points of view."
Reynolds encouraged the graduates to embrace change. "Most of
the industries that dominate the 21st-century economy barely
existed a generation ago," he said. "So, I would encourage you to
relentlessly look forward. Look around the corner. The systemic
changes coming in the next generation will make the changes we've
seen in recent decades look like a warmup. Whatever you do, don't
stand still."
President of the Graduate Student Association Elizaveta
Borisova MSMA '22 said, "As graduate students, we are equipped
not just to succeed in our careers, but to make a real difference
with the help of our communities. Apart from new technical and
social skills, it is the long-lasting friends and mentors we've
gained at Bentley who will take us even further. It is the force of
the Bentley community that we will cherish."
ABOUT THE GRADUATES
The Bentley University Class of 2022 includes 1,154
undergraduate students representing 36 states and territories and
36 countries and 550 graduate students representing 24 states and
territories and 29 countries. Graduate degrees included 339 Master
of Science degrees, 187 Master of Business Administration degrees
and 24 certificates. Fifty-four students earned both their
bachelor's and master's degrees this academic year. Four graduates
were awarded a PhD in Accounting and three students received a PhD
in Business.
Bentley University is more than just one of the nation's top
business schools. It is a lifelong-learning community that creates
successful leaders who make business a force for positive change.
With a combination of business and the arts and sciences and a
flexible, personalized approach to education, Bentley provides
students with critical thinking and practical skills that prepare
them to lead successful, rewarding careers. Founded in 1917, the
university enrolls 4,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate and PhD
students and is set on 163 acres in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of
Boston. For more information,
visit bentley.edu.
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SOURCE Bentley University