August 12, 2026

As I write this, I’m preparing for a summer alumni gathering in Red Hook, NY, this weekend (Hudson Valley, not Brooklyn). We have a few spots left if you want to join us!

Next week, I’ll spend a morning with almost a dozen alumni who are participating in one of three weeklong summer workshops. We anticipate even more workshops and opportunities to return to campus to learn and live—maybe in your old room! If you have an idea for a workshop or short class you’d like to teach or lead, email me, and I’ll pass it along. My colleagues are interested in having alumni bring their talents back to campus to teach others.

These two alumni events will be the 19th and 20th events I’ve helped to organize since joining the College two years ago. I couldn’t have done this without eager and supportive coworkers, campus partners, and alumni hosts who are willing to open up their homes and businesses to us.

It has been so satisfying to help alumni reconnect to each other and the college and in some instances connect with current students. Speaking of students, we’re all making plans for them to fill up our campus in just a few weeks. 

That said, with a new president at the helm, I will be working with her office, my colleagues in Institutional Advancement, and other key campus partners, along with the new Alumni Association Executive Committee, to plan an alumni listening tour during her first year. Stay tuned for a schedule.

That said, we are looking for folks interested in building alumni chapters in the following cities and regions in the next year or two:

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• Boston
• Washington, DC
• San Francisco / Bay Area
• Portland, OR
• Seattle
• Local to Campus (VT, NY, MA)

If you’re interested, please email me, and I can answer any questions you may have about the timing and potential volunteer workload. We have interested alumni in each of the regions listed above, so the time/work commitment will be relatively light.

In the meantime, my office and the new Alumni Association are asking alumni to update their contact information or confirm that the information we have on file is accurate. This effort will be essential as having up-to-date information will ensure we can keep you connected to other alumni in your region and hear about what's going on in the broader Bennington community. Please update your contact information, current employment, and job title using this form.

If you’d like to connect with other alumni professionally, we invite you to join the Bennington Alumni LinkedIn Group. Current students are also being invited to join this group to connect with alumni about mentoring, as well as Field Work Term and job opportunities.

If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see in an online directory as we work on building a new platform this fall, please email me.

If you are an artist who would like to share upcoming performances, readings, or gallery openings with the alumni community, email Alumni Relations so we can add it to the monthly Alumni Newsletter.

Finally, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, let me know, and I’d be happy to treat you to lunch in the Dining Hall and spend time with you on our beautiful campus.

Onward,

Shay Totten ’91
Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement