Waltham’s Bentley University Celebrates Inauguration Of 9th President

WALTHAM, MA — On Wednesday, Bentley University celebrated the inauguration of E. LaBrent Chrite as the ninth president in the university’s 105-year-history.

In a ceremony in the Bentley Arena attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other members of the school community, Chrite was welcomed and praised for his leadership skills and strong belief in business as a force for good in the world.

Chrite has more than 25 years of leadership experience in higher education. Before Bentley, he was the president of Bethune-Cookman University, an iconic historically Black college in Florida. He also served as dean of the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business and of the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University, as well as in academic and senior leadership roles at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

During his inaugural address, Chrite highlighted Bentley’s greatest strength as its ability to empower the next generation of students and business leaders to realize their full potential.

“The American Dream includes the possibility that all citizens have the opportunity to move up — or down — the economic ladder,” he said. “In a society that is neither fully meritocratic nor egalitarian, higher education in general, and places like Bentley University in particular, represent a vital gateway to mobility.”

To read Chrite’s full inaugural address, click here.