Bentley University President Leaving Abruptly

WALTHAM, MA — The president of Bentley University is leaving abruptly after two years at the helm, citing "personal reasons," the school said Monday.

According to an email to the community from the school's Chairman of the Board of Trustees Paul Condrin Bentley President Alison Davis-Blake is leaving the school. He gave no details about the abrupt departure in the message.

Davis-Blake was only the eighth president since the university was founded in 1917. She was the second woman to hold the position and she was the first to hold the position for less than six years. The president in place before her, also a woman, held the role for 11 years.

When the school hired the former University of Michigan business school's dean in 2018, they called her "the right leader at the right time for Bentley."

Condrin briefly thanked David-Blake who he said helped establish a strategic plan that will guide the school for years to come, and moved on to highlight next steps.

"Effective immediately, I will begin working with the Cabinet to ensure that our many important initiatives remain on track," said Condrin in the letter. "We are very purposefully focusing on Bentley’s approach to racial justice, equity and inclusion on our campus, with concrete initiatives and strategies to be announced soon."

Condrin said the school was preparing to reopen more fully for staff and faculty this summer, with the anticipation that students will return to campus in August. School officials are also working on implementing a new trimester calendar system to begin in the fall.

"Our plan is to identify an interim president as soon as possible while at the same time forming a search committee to identify Bentley’s 9th president," he said.

Bentley had $323.4 million in revenue for 2019, according to Business Journal. The Boston Globe reported Davis-Blake's predecessor had a base salary of $504,600 plus a $132,500 bonus as well as retirement contributions and other deferred compensation when she was stepping down.

Some 4,253 undergraduates are enrolled at the school, which sits on 163 acres in Waltham. Bentley University's was ranked No. 2 in the 2020 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities North. Tuition and fees run students $51,830, according to its US News and World Report listing.

Previously:

Coronavirus Concern: Bentley University Cancels ...

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