Gregory H. Adamian Professorship in Law
The history of an institution is without doubt the history of the individuals who have been part of that institution. This is true for Bentley University, named for its esteemed founder, Harry Bentley, and shaped by a succession of strong and visionary leaders. Chief among these leaders is Gregory H. Adamian, who has been called “Bentley’s Second Founder.” His impressive accomplishments and service to Bentley as chancellor are enormous. Notwithstanding these, thousands of his students remember him as a charismatic, highly effective professor of business law. Professor Adamian taught for 15 years, giving students the benefit of his experience as a practicing attorney and relating that experience to his courses. He utilized memorable cases and examples recalled to this day by his students.
Several of the university’s leading alumni and friends joined together in supporting an important objective; the creation of a professorship in Gregory H. Adamian’s honor - the Gregory H. Adamian Professorship in Law.
The professorship provides support for research, curriculum development, innovation and outreach to the business and academic communities. In seeking to fill this position, the university considers excellence in teaching and scholarly activities specifically in developing innovative pedagogy and law-related curricula.
Currently, Gerald R. Ferrera is the Adamian Professor in Law. He has held the position since its induction in 1998. Professor Ferrera has used the professorship to broaden the horizons of the Law Department’s curriculum, academic standing and international reputation particularly in the areas of integrating business with information technology law and cyberlaw.
Professor Ferrera has been instrumental in developing and teaching cutting-edge courses in Cyberlaw at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His past and present cross-disciplinary efforts particularly in the field of applied ethics have provided the catalyst for another course he developed, Law and Ethics for CyberSociety. Additionally, his cross-disciplinary partnerships have assisted him in creating and founding the Bentley University CyberLaw Center, a teaching and research resource available to students, faculty and other professionals engaged in cyber related fields.
Ferrera’s record continues to be exemplary. At Bentley, he has received the prestigious Scholar of the Year Award, Adamian Excellence in Teaching Award and the Innovation in Teaching Award. In addition to commendations from his peers and students at Bentley, he has received national recognition. The Academy of Legal Studies in Business, an international association of legal scholars and academicians, has honored him with its highly prestigious Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Award, Senior Faculty Award of Excellence and for his superb research and scholarship with the Ralph C. Hoeber Award for outstanding lead article published in the Journal of Legal Studies Education.
In addition to numerous other articles published in highly ranked and regarded law reviews, journals and other publications, he has co-authored two widely adopted textbooks in Business Law and The Legal Environment of Business. In 2001, his co-authored third text and first of its kind on the topic, CyberLaw: Text and Cases was published along with a co-authored fourth book, Cyberlaw, Your Rights in Cyberspace.
Ferrera continues his curriculum innovation and development. Most recently, his efforts have resulted in an international partnership with the Institut International de Commerce et Distribution and the American Business School in Paris. At the Institut he delivered seminars on cyberlaw to MBA students and established coalitions of collaboration between their students and those at Bentley by which mock global e-businesses would be created to be used as pedagogical vehicles. Additional seminars and lectures will include delivery by Centra Symposium™ software whereby students abroad will interact via the Internet in real time in a virtual classroom with Fererra and Bentley students.
