BSLCE Bulletin ┃ November Edition

We have been having lots of fun in the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center (BSLCE) this past month, coming off of the energy and excitement of the Fair Trade Fair and Fair Trade University announcement in October.

Our service-learning programs are in full swing, and in the good hands of an outstanding and dedicated group of 120+ student Program Managers. Midsemester reflections have been completed by all of our credit students, and it is heartening to see the impact that their service-learning experiences are having on their professional, personal, and academic growth.

We hosted some powerful educational and action events around Native American Heritage Month and Transgender Awareness Week. We continued with our biennial BentleyVotes work, a nonpartisan campaign to get Bentley students registered and to create a voting plan. Our Special Events Committee hosted our semesterly BSLCE potluck for Program Managers, and shared food, community, and fun with the 38 Program Managers who joined, alongside alums Finnlay Fisher, Monica Manna, Garrett Sedgwick, and Tony Thein.

In recent weeks, we were also lucky to welcome two leaders in the social entrepreneurship sector to the BSLCE: Greg Van Kirk and Michael Iyescas . These two movement leaders shared stories and tools on creating effective social impact with well over 100 students. As the BSLCE readies to launch our new Social Innovation Incubator, seeded through a CDS grant from the Small Business Association with support from Senator Markey, Senator Warren, and Waltham’s Mayor McCarthy, we will aim to turn their ideas into action.

We hope that all of our wonderful BSLCE alumni and community are continuing to lead good work in your communities, and especially that you all are doing well!

Cheers,

Jonathan

Social Innovation Incubator

We are excited to introduce you to the people leading the Bentley Social Innovation Incubator! Through this new venture, we will work with entrepreneurs as they build and sustain social enterprises. These businesses--focused holistically on people and planet--will be designed to address social issues as they find financial success.

Stephanie Finigan , Associate Director, Bentley Social Innovation Incubator

Stephanie has been working in the social enterprise and nonprofit space for the past 15 years, focused on supporting small business development in post-conflict and post-disaster areas. She has worked for start-up nonprofits as well as large international NGOs in over 20 countries, and her work has emphasized the importance of the impact of social enterprise on developing economies. Her recent work experience includes acting as Chief of Staff for a global consulting firm aimed at supporting gender inclusion in small businesses and social enterprises. Stephanie has an M.A. in Sustainable International Development and an M.A in Conflict Studies from Brandeis University, and lives in Greater Boston with her family.

Susan Frick , Assistant Director, Bentley Social Innovation Incubator

Susan is the Assistant Director of the Bentley Social Innovation Incubator. She liaises with Bentley faculty and students, community partners, business leaders, local banks, and potential investors to establish and nurture new ventures with a multi-stakeholder model. Susan brings with her more than a decade of experience as an educator and higher education administrator. Her passion is helping organizations, including businesses, contribute to the greater good. Susan spent 14 years teaching in La Paz, Bolivia and loves to read, learn languages, travel, and spend as much quality time as possible with her family.

Nyasha Sibanda , Graduate Assistant, Bentley Social Innovation Incubator

Nyasha has a BSc in Applied Mathematics with Economics from the University of Zimbabwe-Harare and is currently pursuing his MS in Business Analytics at Bentley. He worked previously with a top government division in Zimbabwe, supporting strategic planning by processing export documentation and applying data analysis techniques in identifying trends to enhance decision-making. He possesses a unique blend of quantitative aptitude and business acumen and is proficient in statistical analysis, machine learning, and key data visualization tools. Nyasha is dedicated to continuous improvement and collaboration, eager to contribute to innovative projects and to help drive impactful results, and is excited to be part of the Bentley Social Innovation Incubator team.

Board of Trustees Presentation

As we prepare to launch the new Bentley Social Innovation Incubator, we are delighted to engage with people at Bentley and beyond! On October 24, we had the pleasure of presenting to members of the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees. Provost Paul Tesluk welcomed the 40 people who were in attendance and then introduced Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, who generously offered her continued support of this project and gratitude for how it will add great value in Waltham. BSLCE Executive Director Jonathan White and Director Brian Shea then shared the vision for the Incubator and highlighted opportunities for impact—both for Bentley and for Waltham. President E. LaBrent Chrite concluded the session with an optimistic vision for the future.

During the second half of the session, ten BSLCE student leaders ( Luke Andris , Caroline Bushnell , Evelyn Fuentes , Daniel Furze , Trevor Hodgson , Nyla James , Sophie Killeen, MBA , Andrew Medina , Utsah Thakur , and Sai Waters ) facilitated a series of small-group discussions to gain the Trustees’ insight into key pieces of the Incubator’s work. We left with plenty of new considerations and ideas. In fact, a few students shared that they would have been excited to continue these conversations for hours!?President E. LaBrent Chrite concluded the session with an optimistic vision for the future.

The October 24 session was made possible thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of many of our partners. Thank you to Amanda King, MEM, LEED AP , Guilherme Costa , Courtney Hough, MS, CMP , Christopher Joyce , Erin Kelley, PhD , Jon Nattinville, P.E. , Brett Yanku , the City of Waltham Maintenance Department, the Bentley Brand and Creative Services team, the Bentley Facilities team, and the Bentley Marketing and Communications team for ensuring that the session was set up for success. We are excited to share more news as we begin moving the work of the Social Innovation Incubator forward in the coming weeks and months.

Native American Heritage Month

This past Indigenous Peoples Day, Samantha Eddy worked with Bentley’s Indigenous Education Steering Committee (IESC) to lead an effort to encourage Bentley students, faculty, and staff to attend the 4th annual Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration in Newton, Massachusetts. This is the largest Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration in New England and is only ten minutes from Bentley’s own campus. The IESC partnered with the BSLCE to provide a free hourly shuttle for the Bentley community. (BSLCE Program Manager Madelyn Connor spent the day driving community members to Newton and back to campus.) Throughout the day, there were reflections from Indigenous elders, intertribal dances, cultural demonstrations, and a land acknowledgement read by Senator Ed Markey.?

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the BSLCE and IESC hosted Dr. N. Bruce Duthu , a producer of the award-winning documentary Dawnland?and the Chair of the Department of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth. Dr. Duthu is an internationally renowned scholar of Native American law and policy. He shared his talk, "The Politics of Belonging: Tribal Citizenship, Indigenous Identity, and the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978."?

Trans Health Equity Week

Sai Waters, the BSLCE’s Lead Student Organizer of Civic Engagement, created, organized, and participated in two powerful events for trans health equity. On Monday, October 28th in the BSLCE Social Justice Lounge, Dr. Traci Abbott , Associate Professor of English and Media Studies, joined Sai to co-facilitate a session in which the audience of 25+ folks viewed clips from the documentary Growing Up Trans, followed by discussion around healthcare for transgender children. Dr. Jonathan White, BSLCE Executive Director, reflected that “this was one of the more important, intimate, and impactful educational events I have participated in during my time at Bentley,” following the open discussion which moved between personal stories, national data, policy updates, and social movement awareness-building.

Later that week, on Thursday, October 31st, Sai led a second event where they presented community members with some jarring statistics related to transgender care and well-being, and presented attendees with an inspiring book of transgender art which they had contextualized inside the movement for transgender rights. The event was co-sponsored by and held in the Collins Creative Corner, with great support from Bentley Director of Visual Arts, Danielle Krcmar . Following Sai’s presentation, attendees created their own large visual art pieces that were then displayed as lawn signs on the Bentley Green Space the following week.

Trans Health Equity Week was part of the first annual BSLCE Health Equity Month that Sai has created, with several further events coming up this week.

Collaboration for a Better World: Global Learning, Hope, and Justice Conference

From Friday, November 8 through Sunday, November 10, eight BSLCE student leaders attended “Collaboration for a Better World: Global Learning, Hope, and Justice,” a conference hosted by the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative in Worcester, Massachusetts. Accompanied by BSLCE Director Brian Shea, these students made the most of the opportunities to learn from scholars and practitioners on topics such as global citizenship, effective community partnerships, collaborative leadership, civic identity development, and more. In group conversations, all eight students—Jordy Allembert, Luke Andris, Caroline Bushnell, Sofia Flores, Anna Grondin, Ryan Mayerberg, Terann Selman, and Ivan Yang—all cited ways in which this experience will impact the way they approach their roles in the BSLCE.

Selman, a sophomore, shared, “This conference opened my eyes to service-learning on the global level. Wanting to do non-profit consulting in Latin America as my career, this gave me so much insight into what my future can look like. It has encouraged me by confirming that this is the work that I want to be doing.” Mayerberg, a fellow sophomore, also saw the experience as impactful. He stated, "I really enjoyed how the conference explained the importance of developing mutually beneficial partnerships while on-site. The conference also taught me the impact of self-awareness while reflecting, which I plan on using while facilitating reflections as a Program Manager!"

This experience was made possible thanks to the generous donations of BSLCE alumni. Last spring, the Center put out a call for support for student professional development experiences. This conference was the first such experience that alumni have provided, and we are incredibly grateful to our amazing alumni.

Large Group Meeting #2

Our Program Managers gathered for our second Large Group Meeting on Wednesday, October 23rd. At this group training, they had the opportunity to learn from Greg Van Kirk, an accomplished changemaker and social entrepreneur. During this session, Greg shared lessons from a version of "The Collaborative Changemaking Field Guide for College & University Students," which was modified from his new book, It’s What you Set in Motion: A Toolbox for Collaborative Changemaking.

Caroline Bushnell, a BSLCE Student Director who was a part of Van Kirk’s Social Entrepreneur Corps in Guatemala this summer, expressed excitement for Program Managers to learn from his experiences. She told us, “Greg's perspectives about international community partnership have taught me so much about the impact of co-creation, empathy, and asset-based community development. These concepts are not only applicable to those working international development, but also to anybody who works in a team to improve outcomes. Learning about the process of co-creation from someone with extensive experience in the field has opened Program Managers’ eyes to ways they can incorporate these principles into any career they pursue.”

Program Manager Spotlight: Matt Kue '25

Matthew Kue '25, a Program Manager working with elementary school students at Hanscom Air Force Base, is wrapping up his first semester as a leader in the BSLCE. While he is new to the Program Manager role, he has been as eager as anyone to take on additional responsibilities. He has signed up to work at the Fair Trade Fair, at the Friendsgiving Farmers Market, and most notably, for the BentleyVotes campaign. Over the course of a few weeks, Matt worked 17 tabling shifts, engaging students from across campus and ensuring that they were prepared to vote, whether in person or by mail.

Speaking about his experience with this non-partisan election initiative, Matt told us, "I joined BentleyVotes because I genuinely didn't know much about voting, myself, and I saw it as a chance to learn while helping others do the same. Like many students here, this was my first time voting in a presidential election. Although I’m not particularly interested in politics, I believe that everyone should have a say and learn the voting process early to be prepared for future elections. My favorite part of the experience was connecting with others; I met so many great people with different perspectives from all over the country! BentleyVotes is just one part of the BSLCE, which offers numerous wonderful opportunities to engage with and contribute to the community."

Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter, and thank you for the role you have played in shaping the BSLCE into what it is today. We always appreciate the support of our community.

Community programming for the fall semester will wrap up on December 6, and our students will begin taking their final exams on December 11. We will be back with another newsletter in December. Until then, please don't hesitate to contact us! You are welcome to e-mail us at GA_BSLCE@bentley.edu, call us at 781-891-2170, or drop by Morison 101 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. We hope to see you soon!