Albano Student Seminars
Thanks to a generous donation from Diane and Dennis Albano, parents of recent Bentley graduate Michael Albano, the Valente Center is able to offer modest support to Bentley undergraduates eager to deepen their understanding of the arts and sciences by organizing their own Student Seminars. These self-directed, not-for-credit seminars will allow small groups of students to explore their interest in drama, music, art, history, film, politics, government and other topics clearly related to the arts and sciences. Participants in a Student Seminar could, for example, propose to:
- Read and discuss four novels related to the experience of newcomers to the United States from the Caribbean such as Julia Alvarez’s How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents and Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory
- Go to a series of concerts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra
- See and discuss plays presented by the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge
- Visit particular exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston
The Albano donation will cover costs incidental to the seminar such as purchasing books or admission to the theatre or museum, and travel expenses. For seminar meetings on campus, the Valente Center will make room arrangements and pay for modest food and refreshment costs.
To apply to organize a seminar, students should submit a short proposal explaining their project accompanied by letters of commitment from all participants (see details below). The Valente Center will forward these materials to a faculty mentor in an appropriate discipline to review the proposal for intellectual quality and feasibility. The seminar groups selected for support will present a brief final report on their work to the faculty mentor. Faculty members will NOT participate in student seminars — the seminars are to be created and directed by students, for students.
Students interested in applying for support from the Albano donation should send a letter including the following information to Janice McMahon, administrative assistant, Valente Center for the Arts and Sciences, Adamian 245:
- A clear description of the intellectual goal of the student seminar.
- Indication of the discipline closest to the proposed activities (e.g., history, philosophy, media studies)
- A clear description of all activities proposed, including dates and locations for off-campus events.
- An estimate of expenses for each element of the proposal, including food and beverage costs, and the total cost of the student seminar.
- A calendar for all activities proposed, including on-campus meetings.
- Signed, original letters of commitment from all students who will participate in the seminar.
Support will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. To maximize the number of seminars that can be funded, no seminar may include more than 10 students.
Our thanks to Diane and Dennis Albano for making the student seminars possible.
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