Professor Sean Bentley's Journey to IEEE-HKN President Elect

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we share an outstanding achievement within our academic family. Associate Professor Sean Bentley, PhD, a distinguished member of our Physics Department faculty, was elected as the 2024 President-Elect of IEEE-HKN, or the IEEE Eta Kappa Nu. This organization is a distinguished honor society dedicated to recognizing excellence in electrical engineering and related fields. Founded in 1904, it encourages excellence in the workplace and in school with the goals of scholarship, character and attitude. It also promotes professional accomplishment and service to others. It is a prominent standard-setting organization in the country. It is recognized as a leader in the country for its contributions, and it plays a central role in defining communication standards and protocols for computers, making significant achievements in shaping the technological landscape.

Carolina Guekjian and Associate Professor Sean Bentley, PhD

Dr. Bentley is a member of the Gamma Theta Chapter and previously served IEEE-HKN as a regional governor for the Northeastern United States in 2018–2019 and the HKN Faculty Advisor Committee from 2018–2020. He is currently a member of The Bridge magazine’s Editorial Board. Dr. Bentley was welcomed to this new role in November of 2023 and took office on January 1, 2024, during the Governors’ Retreat. He was nominated last summer by his longtime mentor in his life and entire career Steve E. Watkins, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Dr. Bentley recalls that it was his mentor who introduced him to this honor society 30 years ago, while being his undergraduate and graduate advisor. With admiring words for his mentor, Dr. Bentley stated, “He has been a great mentor through the years, and he has also been a past president for the organization. It’s been great to work with him over the years, and it has been great to see his enthusiasm and his dedication to these things. It is so great that you never feel you can live up to that, but at least try to do the best you can.” He further explained that he is excited to be president-elect this year and stated, “I’m excited to see what I can do with the organization; there are a lot of different things I would like to see happen, and the biggest thing really is trying to support what happens to the university chapters.” He added: “All these organizations are about making opportunities for students. It is really the goal of honor societies to both recognize students for their excellence and help create opportunities for them.” Most importantly, Dr. Bentley identified that one of the main reasons for taking this new role “is the idea of giving back and doing service.”

During his term in office, Dr. Bentley will be tasked with many different responsibilities. He explained how this organization has over 250 chapters worldwide, which include North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. “It is a growing organization that has been around for 119 years and will be 120 years old in October 2024.” One of his duties will include installing new chapters, and he explained the first one he will be doing will be in March 2024 in the Polytechnic University in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He will also be interacting with the different chapters in the universities working to connect alumni members to engage with student chapters. He explained about the planning that takes place years in advance through the Strategic Planning Committee that he chairs this year, as well as how the organization is currently planning the Pathways to Industry Conference and the Student Leadership Conference, which will each take place later this year.

This prestigious appointment shows Dr. Bentley’s commitment to academic excellence, leadership and the advancement of knowledge in the field. As an integral part of our University, Dr. Bentley has consistently demonstrated an exceptional level of dedication to both students and colleagues, fostering an environment of innovation and intellectual growth. He shared advice for others aspiring to excel in the field based on his experience. “I think networking and getting involved more is good for students because the more people you are in contact with, the more opportunities open up for you in life in general, but I think especially the further you get in your career; it is like turning around and trying to give back.”

We would like to take this opportunity to offer Dr. Bentley our congratulations on this well-deserved achievement. We anticipate that his leadership will have a good effect on IEEE-HKN as well as the larger academic community. Under Dr. Bentley’s direction, IEEE-HKN will continue to motivate the next generation of professionals.