September 14, 2026

It promises to be a busy term with a new president, the College celebrating the 50th anniversary of VAPA, Fall Weekend, and, for me at least, another iteration of the Life after Bennington course.

Creating this course has been a highlight of my first two years back at Bennington. 

The idea was first sparked in me years ago when, during an accepted students day, myself and my partner (who is an alum as well) were in a meeting with parents and family members of incoming students. Academic services staff were explaining what our students would experience at Bennington. Afterward, in a more informal gathering of parents, one parent seemed to struggle with the idea of no fixed majors and the self-directed educational system. Would it be enough for them to find a job or a career?

My partner and I both talked about our experiences as alumni and our respective careers and as parents sending our kid to Bennington. We were confident they would be OK. (In fact, our Bennington student is more than OK: thriving!) 

This course was piloted in Spring ’26, and it proved a success. Bringing alumni into the classroom to talk to current students about what's possible in the “real world” with a Bennington education is a simple one. But, rather than the occasional visiting speaker, why not make it a regular, ongoing part of the curriculum?

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is connecting students with alumni around this shared experience we have. I enjoy watching students hear alumni journeys, seeing how this patchwork of classroom and studio work, self-directed inquiries and research, along with Field Work Term experiences and peer and faculty relationships, combine to make for a life after Bennington. For alumni, hearing what students are studying and doing at Bennington gives them insight into how the campus is being shaped by today’s students. They walk away a little nostalgic, but more importantly, reaffirmed in how Bennington remains a thriving, curious, and magical place in the world. 

As we learned from alumni presentations during the Spring term, the core elements of the Plan Process guide alumni throughout their post-Bennington life: an ongoing cycle of re-imagining, interrogating, researching, and mapping a path forward. 

This format is an afternoon class with a break for alumni to tour campus and possibly meet with faculty and staff or small groups of students interested in their particular line of work, followed by a dinner with students and/or staff and faculty in Commons.

If you’d like a snapshot of what this course looks like, join me and a panel of alumni during Fall Weekend, from 10:15–11:30 am in DownCaf on Saturday, October 3. Come hear from several decades of Bennington alumni about their post-graduation journeys and, at times, unusual career paths and how Bennington prepared them for what they’re doing now. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A.

If you can’t make this in-person panel during Fall Weekend, I am planning a virtual panel later in October. I’ll announce details and registration in next month’s newsletter.

Thanks again for trusting your students with us. We’re thrilled to have them here and know that an entire alumni community is cheering them on and ready to support them—at Bennington and beyond.

Onward,

Shay Totten '91

Director of Alumni & Constituent Engagement