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Written by: Sindhu Palaniappan
Name:
John Richard Tommasi
What field does he teach?
Mainly economics, for freshmen through seniors. He also used to teach GB 101 until the curriculum changed.
Why did he choose teaching?
Because it’s really fun and he genuinely enjoys it. He even tells his students than when he “gets up in the morning, [he] looks forward to going to work. That means it’s not work.” Tommasi started teaching part time in 1981, while working as a full time cop in Salem, NH.
He retired in 2003 and switched to being a full time professor here at Bentley.
Why Bentley?
Tommasi taught at four different colleges, including UNH, his alma mater, but chose to stick with Bentley for a few reasons. The facilities, the other teachers and faculty, and especially the students, he stressed, make Bentley different from the other schools. He really feels like he can have a “one-on-one basis” with students here, something rare at a university.
Something interesting about his past?
The wildest answer received so far: Tommasi used to be an undercover cop who specialized in busting drug deals. He was assigned to the state for two years. He was also a pilot, and he owned a flight school and a charter business. He integrated the two by making his undercover cop persona a pilot. Slightly different than the average university professor.
Where did he do his undergraduate and graduate school work?
Both were done at the University of New Hampshire. Tommasi also worked at UNH for some time before coming to Bentley.
Best part of teaching?
“The interaction with the students and the fact that [he teaches] freshmen through seniors,” he said. He gets to see students up until graduation, something he has never missed during his time here, so expect to see him there this year and for the years to follow!
Worst part of teaching?
The 45-mile commute from New Hampshire, but luckily his classes are around noon time. He does bring an extra set of clothes, though, because of the unpredictable snow. “The couches are really comfortable,” he says, humorously joking about sleeping over at Bentley.
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