Class Notes
Bernie Goba profile
Bernie Goba ’69 AIA: Nourishing the BAC
Volunteer, faculty member, Director, practice firm, alum -- Bernie Goba has served tirelessly in nearly every volunteer capacity at the BAC. He fully embodies the principles on which the BAC was founded: volunteerism and service to the common good. As outgoing President of the Alumni Association, we asked Bernie to share his insights and the lessons he has learned through his involvement with the BAC.
A Lifetime of Service to the BAC
Massier of the Atelier while at BAC
Awarded the BSA Travelling Scholarship
Graduate ’69
Faculty member for seven years
Member, Secretary, Vice Chair and Chair of the BAC Board of Directors
Served on numerous committees through 1984
Chaired the Centennial Dinner Committee in 1989
Served on Finance, External Affairs and Development Committees
Currently a member of Institutional Advancement, Mentorship, and Student Development Committees
Ex-officio member of the Board for six years
Original member of the Cascieri Lectureship in the Humanities for six years
Chair of the Cascieri Committee for the past 14 years
Founded the Cascieri Lectureship in the Humanities Endowment
Permanent Secretary of the Ames Scholarship for the past 6 years;
Treasurer, Vice President and President of the Alumni Association
Made an Honorary Member of the BAC in 1999
Received Distinguished Alumni Award at Commencement in 2002
Member of the Board of Overseers from 2003 to 2006
Supporter of the Solar Decathlon BAC-Tufts competition
Awarded Doctor of Fine Arts (Hon) by the BAC at Commencement 2007
What has it meant to you personally to have served as the Alumni Association President?
"This has been another step in the growth of the school. It has been an opportunity to raise the public perception of the BAC, her students, volunteers, faculty and staff. Concurrently, we have been bringing the alumni back to "the tent" and expanding their involvement in the school."
Your tenure of volunteerism at the BAC is a long one...what keeps you so involved? What is it about the BAC that continues to inspire you to serve?
"My involvement with the BAC is driven by an ideal; an ideal that provides opportunity for professional growth regardless of one's starting point or pedigree. This opportunity to serve and to work with an engaging staff and enthusiastic volunteers is not without "bumps in the road." However, the experience of a successful, unique process manifests itself in personal joy. There is no place like the BAC -- it embraces each person and then each person embraces the BAC.
"Testimony to this is seen in the “non-BAC alums,” people who volunteer to teach, to mentor, to serve on committees, to serve on the Board. They are drawn to the BAC mission and philosophy with a found passion, and that passion serves the BAC for years and decades beyond. These non-BAC alums who give so much to the BAC are my heroes. They truly serve because they believe!"
You have an incredible sense of alumni pride. What drives this?
"It’s driven by the desire to recognize and acknowledge the talents of the alumni. Their work and skills need greater recognition in order that the uniqueness of the BAC professional education is also recognized."
If you could communicate one central message to our newest alums, what would that be?
"Remember that the term “alumni” is from the Latin meaning, "To nourish," and as the school provided an educational experience, it is your responsibility "to nourish" future generations and give back."
What advice would you offer someone considering the BAC for a design education?
"If you are serious about design, serious about the built environment, serious about the well being of the earth, and you have the focus and courage to work and study concurrently, then the BAC is for you. It is not for everyone -- only those committed to an integrated design education."