Bentley University, a small, four-year business college in the Boston metropolitan area, has a ninety-five percent job placement rate and a ninety-nine percent student loan repayment rate. Bentley was puzzled by the continuing discussion in the media that states there is a preparedness problem in America, especially since they don’t see it with their own graduates.
To understand this in greater depth, Bentley partnered with KRC Research to conduct the single most comprehensive survey ever done on this subject. The survey spans 307 questions and surveyed 9 different stakeholder audiences, with 3,149 total respondents.
What we have found is surprising: at a time when opinions about most public issues are divided, there actually is significant consensus, even among current / recent students and higher education faculty, about how pronounced this problem is and what the solution is.
Bentley now wants to convene key stakeholders and build consensus around how bridging the preparedness gap can be achieved. They are seeking input from all stakeholder groups.
One of Bentley’s first initiatives was a live streaming event at Bloomberg headquarters in New York City hosted by Gloria Larson and Carol Massar, cohost, Bloomberg’s “Taking Stock.” The event was a call to action for corporate America to engage with higher education in developing new partnerships that can bridge the preparedness gap. Bentley plans to continue the discussion among stakeholder audiences through future initiatives throughout the year.
