October 7, 2026

On campus, we just hosted our Fall Weekend for students and their families. As part of the weekend, we also hosted the first of what will be a series of alumni gatherings centered around President Danielle Egan’s listening tour.

She is both eager to meet you and hear your thoughts on how to strengthen Bennington as we approach our Centennial and chart the century ahead of us. There is much work to be done, but if history is any guide, I know alumni can, and will, show up.

More than 30 alumni local to Bennington gathered in Roz’s Cafe in Commons for a thoughtful and engaging conversation around three core questions from President Egan:

• What do you love most about Bennington? What feels especially strong or distinctive today?
• What holds Bennington back from being at its best? 
• Given what Bennington does well and the challenges it faces, what should we prioritize over the next three years?

Keep those questions in mind, and feel free to email me your thoughts. Or, share them with President Egan at an event coming near you in the not too distant future. We’re working on an event in Boston in early November and events in Los Angeles and New York City in January.

We will soon have these events on our website and in the alumni newsletter. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, there are ways to get involved right now.

Tell Students About Your Life after Bennington

My thanks to Paul Cello '92, Seth DeCroce '98, Krystle Niemela '24, Abby Geoghegan '09, Mariam Shah '14, and Erika Lygren '16 for agreeing to be this term’s alumni presenters in the Life after Bennington course. 

If you’re interested in presenting for the Spring Term (which runs April 21 to June 2), let me know. This year’s format is a Wednesday afternoon class with a break for alumni to tour campus (if you’re here in person), followed by dinner with students and/or staff and faculty. If you can travel to campus, I can find you a room on campus.

Better yet, offer a Field Work Term or recruit a Bennington graduate. Who knows better than alumni what it’s like to stress about a Field Work Term or trying to explain it to a potential host employer?

Or, an even lighter lift: sign up to be a mentor. Students are often coming to my office, or the Field Work Term office, looking to connect with an alum about career advice and opportunities. The same goes for younger alumni.  

Join and Help Build the New Alumni Association

Beyond Los Angeles and New York City, the newly formed Alumni Association is looking to build chapters in the following regions and cities in the next year or two:

• Boston
• Washington, DC
• San Francisco/Bay Area
• Portland, OR
• Seattle
• Chicago
• Local to Campus (VT/NY/MA)

Please email me if you’re interested, 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.

I’ve helped alumni plan a total of more than 20 formal and informal get-togethers since arriving two years ago, and we’re just getting started.

Stay Connected (with Bennington and Each Other)

My office and the new Alumni Association continue to ask alumni to update their contact information or confirm the accuracy of information on file. This is essential to ensure we can connect you with 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.

Graduates from the classes of 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021-2024, please take a moment to fill out our post-graduation survey about what you’re doing for work. 

If you’d like to connect with other alumni professionally, 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. Our goal is to use this platform to help alumni connect to each other by location, vocation, and also connect with students about Field Work Term opportunities and mentoring.

Volunteer at Bennington! You can present your career trajectory to our Life After Bennington class, judge Young Creator Awards submissions, or interview prospective students. Contact Alumni Relations for the volunteer opportunity that best suits your skills and experience. 

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.

Join us on campus in a class! We want to bring alumni back to campus next summer for in-person classes. So, what kind of programs would you like to see the College offer? Fill out this short survey.

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