May Alumni Perspectives: Shay Totten '91

Please join me in welcoming the Class of 2026 to the Bennington alumni family. It’s an exciting month of seniors putting their best work on display for us to witness.

Now, onto updates from Alumni Land … 

Alumni Association

The Alumni Association is moving along nicely, beginning with its leadership meeting in June to start laying out our plans for the year. 

We will be making a big push this year to update our database to ensure we have your up-to-date contact information. Requests to update information will be going out via email and through Bennington Connects later this month and throughout the summer.

Our main focus this first year is to build the infrastructure necessary to launch several chapters where we have strong numbers of alumni and then build out further in the years following. That means focusing on where we have local alumni leaders ready to get to work, such as New York City, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and local to campus. If you’re interested in helping get a chapter going in those cities, email me for details. If you don’t live there, let me know, and I’m happy to touch base with you about building up a community of alumni where you live.

On that note, we had two alumni gatherings last month: one in the Bay Area and one just a stone’s throw from campus in North Bennington.

We had three dozen alumni at each gathering, ranging from 1970s to recent grads. We even had current and prospective students at the North Bennington event.

Many thanks to our Bay Area hosts, John McManus ’88 and Ariele Taylor ’91, and to our North Bennington hosts, V. Hansmann MFA ’11 and Amy Buckley ’83.

Interested in hosting an alumni gathering in your community this summer or fall? Email me, and keep watch on your inbox for invites to upcoming summer events.

I was happy to share updates on how alumni can engage with students and the College (see below) and talk about everyone’s legitimate concerns about the closure of Hampshire College. 

While Bennington, like all small liberal arts schools, shares some of the challenges Hampshire faced, there were also challenges unique to Hampshire that Bennington does not share. Please read this recent opinion piece in Inside Higher Ed by Zeke Bernstein, Bennington’s dean of the College and vice president of strategic initiatives, for more insights into how Bennington is reflecting on, and responding to, the current crisis in higher education and what progressive models like Bennington have to offer to the students of today and tomorrow.

Staying Connected

As I mentioned last month, one of my many projects here is working to bring alumni into the classroom, so they can meet and share knowledge with current students. We’re nearing the end of a term-long pilot course, Life After Bennington. The course features a different alum each week and, so far, has been a hit with both students and the alumni who’ve participated. For alumni who can attend on campus, we have dinner before class with students. And, I can usually nab you a room on campus! I’m planning the next iteration of this course for next year, so If you’d like to present in a future class, email me. We can accommodate both Zoom and in-person participation.

As I write this, I’m planning to welcome the final speakers for this term’s course: Jeff Williams ’91 and Adnan Ifthekar ’97. Last week, Broadway star (and fellow classmate and Boothie) Brooks Ashmanskas ’91 presented to the class. Given Brooks’s well-earned notoriety in drama circles, he also graciously spent time at lunch with current Drama faculty and students to share his insights on forging a career in the theatre. Students were thrilled!

Side note: Next term, photos of these sessions will be a priority. This course has been a highlight of mine since joining the College’s staff 18 months ago. Thanks to the alumni who participated, Dean John Bullock for signing off on it and co-teaching it with me, and the 26 students who were our test subjects… er, first cohort.

Alumni have also recently worked with the Field Work Term office on a virtual networking session that was a big success, and we can expect more to come. Speaking of FWT, I know of students still looking for summer internships if you have any to offer. Please contact me ASAP if you have something to offer students.

In other words, there are plenty of ways that alumni can support current students by sharing their experiences and expertise. As always, email me if you’d like to take part in these current efforts or have ideas for new ones.

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 beloved campus.

Onward,

Shay Totten '91
Director of Alumni & Constituent Engagement