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May 26, 2005 Thursday 11:06 AM Eastern Time
Bentley Honors Gregory H. Adamian for 50 Years of
Unparalleled Leadership, Achievement and Dedication,
Thursday, June 2, LaCava Center, Bentley
WALTHAM, Mass., May 27 [AScribe Newswire] — The Trustees and
Officers of Bentley will host an Anniversary Gala honoring Gregory H.
Adamian for an unprecedented 50 year relationship with the
institution on Thursday, June 2 at the LaCava Center on the Bentley
campus. Over the last half century, as professor, president, trustee
and chancellor, Gregory H. Adamian has played an extraordinary role
in the growth and success of Bentley as a business university.
A Somerville, Mass., native, with a BA and a Master’s degree in
Public Administration from Harvard and a law degree from Boston
University, Adamian joined the Bentley faculty in 1955 as a part-time
professor of law and economics. He proved a dynamic and popular
lecturer and widely respected member of the faculty, and soon became
chairman of the law department.
In 1968, the college made its dramatic move from cramped quarters in
Boston’s Back Bay to a brand new campus on more than 100 acres in
Waltham. Less than two years later, then-President Thomas L. Morison
announced his resignation because of ill health. The Board of
Trustees appointed a presidential search committee, with Adamian as a
faculty representative. On May 7, 1970, the trustees elected him
president pro tem and, true to his penchant for getting things done,
Adamian immediately appointed a task force to “define the college’s
precise direction and the most expeditious means of attaining it.”
Sept. 16, 1970 proved to be a memorable day in Bentley history. The
Board of Trustees took two momentous actions; one was to petition the
state to dramatically expand the college’s degree granting authority,
the second was to elect Gregory H. Adamian to be Bentley’s fourth
president, a move whose impact could not be foreseen then, and cannot
be overstated today.
Under President Adamian’s leadership, Bentley was transformed.
Previously a single degree-granting institution, Bentley’s
undergraduate degree programs expanded dramatically, a graduate
school of business was established and national accreditation was
secured.
Bentley launched a first of its kind program to integrate computers
into the curriculum and to require all students to have portable
computers. The college established one of America’s first centers for
business ethics. The student population grew, clubs, organizations
and athletic programs blossomed, 27 new buildings were erected, and
Bentley changed from a commuter school to a residential college.
Moreover, Bentley’s financial security was hugely bolstered as the
endowment grew from $385,000 in 1970 to $60 million in 1991. Today,
the endowment totals nearly $185 million.
The design, construction and furnishing of the President’s House on
the Bentley campus added a new dimension to the college community and
was a labor of love for Adamian and his wife, Debbie.
Adamian also lent his legal and leadership skills to the business and
nonprofit communities, serving on the boards of Liberty Mutual, Joan
Fabrics Corporation, UNICCO, the Massachusetts Higher Education
Assistance Corporation, INROADS and many others, as well as chairing
the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of
Massachusetts.
Deeply committed to the Armenian community, Adamian has been a member
of the Central Board of the International Armenian General Benevolent
Union, an associate trustee of the Armenian Assembly, a director of
the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research, and helped
established America’s first endowed chair in Armenian Studies at
Harvard.
Throughout his career, Adamian has received numerous honors and
awards, including the medal of St. Sahag and St. Mesrob from Karekin
I, Catholicos of All Armenians, for outstanding service to education
and the Armenian-American community; and the Humanity Award from
Facing History and Ourselves. He was named a “Significant Sig” by his
national fraternity, Sigma Chi, for accomplishments in the field of
education, and received a Silver Shingle Award from the Boston
University School of Law for distinguished service to the legal
profession. When Boston University awarded Adamian an honorary doctor
of laws degree in 1991, BU President John Silber wrote: “You have
been Bentley’s second founder. Unsparing of energy and wisdom for the
good of Bentley College, you have devoted your abundant surplus of
these virtues to the larger world.”
In 1991, Adamian stepped down as Bentley president after 21 years of
service and was elected the college’s first chancellor, a position he
holds today. As chancellor, he has remained a trusted adviser, a
leading fund-raiser, and the consummate ambassador for the college.
Upon retiring in 2002 as an active member of the Bentley Board of
Trustees, he was presented a resolution hailing his unparalleled role
in the history of the college. It read, in part:
“Brilliant professor, visionary president, pioneering chancellor, and
esteemed trustee, you have contributed enormously to all aspects of
Bentley College. Your extraordinary devotion and tireless efforts,
spanning six decades, established a foundation upon which your
successors have built, and will continue to build far into the
future. This board, and indeed the entire Bentley community, has
benefited in countless ways from your professional wisdom, personal
philanthropy, abiding love for the college, and true concern for the
people who study, teach and work here. Be assured that our
admiration, appreciation and affection for you are equally abiding
and true.”