Volume 19 Issue 1, Winter 2019 A Newsletter for Members of the Alumni-Admission Connection Thank you to our fall volunteers!
The Bryant community participates in the annual Festival of Lights to usher in the holiday season.
This past fall, Bryant was represented at hundreds of high schools and college fairs around the world. With the help of our AAC members, 23 of those college fairs were attended by you! On behalf of the entire Office of Admission, we sincerely thank the following AAC members who made connections with prospective Bryant students at college fairs this past fall:
Michael Bauer ‘04 Michael Boyd ‘92 Raquel Cordeiro ‘13 Liz Cournoyer ‘15 Ariella Esterkin ‘17 Katie Farrell ‘13 Larry Finkelstein ‘69 Anthony Franco ‘12 Michael Gurevich ‘96 Scott Ingle ‘14 Robert Levy ‘76 Kevin Ludemann ‘18 Jim Magee ‘88 Michael Motschwiller ‘88 Deanna Polizzo ‘93 Jeff Steacie ‘10 Stephanie Sudol ‘10 Daniel Verderamo ‘11 Kara Watson ‘15 Dawn Zittel ‘98 Four dedicated alumni also joined us on campus this fall for our Bryant 101 events. In addition to hearing from an admission counselor, faculty members, and current students, our Bryant 101 visitors also learned how Bryant influenced the lives and career paths of the below alums:
Vernon Baskerville ‘17 Raquel Cordeiro ‘13 Tiffaney Konkin ‘11 Aaron Pereira ‘14
Spring 2019 Volunteer Opportunities The Office of Admission is already planning another exciting and busy spring—reviewing applications, attending college fairs, and hosting all of our on-campus events. Please view all upcoming volunteer opportunities, including college fairs in your area, and submit the volunteer form to assist us as we bring in another bright class of Bryant students!
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Ambassador Angle: Bryant Student Ambassadors Participate in Sophomore International Experience Jonathan Huntley—This winter break I had the pleasure of fleeing from the cold and visiting South
America. SIE Argentina/Chile was a 14-day adventure that served as a learning and growing opportunity for the 40 students who were involved. While abroad, we spent six nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina, two nights in Viña Del Mar, Chile, and four nights in Santiago, Chile. Some highlights included touring Riverplate Stadium, kayaking on the Tigre River, listening to a lecture on the Argentine Agroindustry, taking a day trip to Uruguay, attending a Tango show, learning about the Chilean wine industry, taking a Valparaiso street art tour, and zip lining at the base of the Andes Mountains. My personal favorite activity was our day of service at an Argentine orphanage named Hogar El Alba. I met a three-year-old boy named Elicio who lives in the orphanage with his five older sisters. Despite their circumstances, their excitement for life was intoxicating and inspiring. SIE was an incredible opportunity to learn how other parts of the world operate in terms of business and culture. I will be entering an increasingly global workforce and having experience traveling, as well as knowledge of other cultures and business climates, will give me a leg up on the competition.
Mercedes Lahaie—This past January I went on the SIE trip to Malaysia and Singapore. It was an
amazing two-week experience that included so many fun and different activities. There are many cultures and religions within Malaysia, and as a group we visited these temples that were gorgeous. Each temple was unique in its own way, whether it be the vibrant colors, statues, or the fact that at one temple, we all had to wear conservative clothes they provided ! We then traveled to Singapore and it was so interesting to see such a different way of life when the countries are so close. Malaysia is much more underdeveloped than Singapore, so it was fascinating to see how modern everything is. The city is absolutely gorgeous and I learned so many different things. One interesting thing that I learned was they use their Super Trees not only for a magnificent light show, but to also catch rain water to be used for drinking water. This was such an exotic and creative way to obtain more drinking water for the citizens. Visiting different companies and understanding how business is done outside of the United States was very insightful, and I am glad to have been able to experience it.
Luke Samperi—I participated in SIE Italy this January and spent ten days with our group of
23 students and three faculty mentors as we traveled throughout the country. Some of my most outstanding experiences were climbing the Lamberti Tower in Verona and taking the vaporetto to Murano, an island off of Venice where I observed a glassblowing demonstration. While walking through Rome, it was as if there was a historical site or landmark around every street corner. One of my favorite experiences was taking a cooking class with Chef Mario Quattrucci and making a few delicious and authentic Italian pasta dishes. I learned how to communicate with other students and the locals when asking for directions or ordering our dinner. Walking into a store and being greeted in Italian then trying to respond in as much Italian as possible became an enjoyable challenge that left me feeling accomplished that I was able to communicate effectively. We were able to see examples of innovation all around us throughout our trip. Locations that were once arenas, churches, and theaters have used innovation to become popular sites that bring in revenue for their cities.
Cara DelSesto—This winter I participated in SIE China, where myself and 21
other Bryant students traveled to five different cities in China over the span of two weeks. While in China we were able to take in the amazing views from both Victoria Harbor, in Hong Kong, and from atop The Great Wall, in Beijing. We experienced the balance between tradition and modernity in Shanghai, and reached new heights while rock climbing in Yangshuo. One of the most amazing experiences I had while in China was visiting our sister school in Zhuhai. We explored the city with a group of Bryant Zhuhai students and got a firsthand look at what it was like being a college student in China. We learned we have a lot more in common that we expected, and I cannot wait to reconnect with them when they come to our campus in Rhode Island. Through SIE China I learned that I am much more independent than I thought, and I am more confident in my ability to manage unfamiliar situations. At Bryant, I am studying Global Supply Chain Management and getting to go overseas to China, one of the world’s biggest economic powers, has been so important to my education. We learned different work customs that are valued so highly in China, and I will remember these to be successful in business. I see myself traveling to China again in my future, for both work experience, as well as leisure! 2
Bryant’s IB Program Ranks 25th in the Nation In the most recent U.S. News & W orld Report’s college rankings, Bryant University’s International Business (IB) program has earned the distinction as No. 25 in the nation. Keeping company with some of the most prestigious universities in the country, the IB program at Bryant has been one of the university’s fastest-growing and most popular programs since it was introduced in 2004. “This is an important milestone for the IB program and the University. It is an honor to be recognized by our distinguished peers as one of the best programs in the country,” said Glenn Sulmasy, provost and chief academic officer. In particular, the program has earned special attention for its unique features including international functional concentrations, something only few programs in the country offer. First-year students in the program have the opportunity to take specialized courses in international business theory, and then as sophomores learn a concentration through a global lens. As juniors, students participate in a full language and cultural immersion as they live and intern abroad for at least their fall semester. In the spring semester, juniors work in a cohort to run a virtual company. Finally, senior IB majors complete a rigorous practicum where they serve as consultants for real-world clients. Campus Comes Together to Participate in Seventh Annual IDEA Program Approximately 800 first-year students moved back to campus early to participate in the IDEA (Innovation and Design Experience for All) program. With the guidance of almost 200 faculty, staff, and student and alumni mentors, the cohorts were challenged to design solutions to problems facing 35 businesses, communities, or organizations. During the three-day bootcamp, the cohorts learned about the key elements of the innovation process: design thinking and teamwork. The IDEA design thinking steps are: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The focus this year was heavily placed on the first step, empathize, allowing students to truly understand the user experience as they came to solutions. Along the design thinking journey, each cohort conducted field research at the site of their challenge, participated in workshops, created storyboards of their ideas, built prototypes, and finally, made an eight-minute pitch to over 100 alumni and regional business leaders who served as judges. The first-place winners of the 2019 IDEA program whose challenge was recycling, were from Cohort 19, while Cohort 18 came in second place with their idea to a challenge within bowling alleys. Third place went to Cohort 10 whose challenge was bookstore and video game retailers. “We're very focused on our students' understanding that design thinking is not an academic exercise. It’s really a valuable tool that they can use far beyond their Bryant undergrad experience,” says IDEA Director and Associate Professor of Applied Psychology, Allison Butler, Ph.D. First-year students learn about the building blocks of innovation: design thinking and teamwork during their participation in the 2019 IDEA program on January 21—23.
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Chris Merritt Announced Next Head Football Coach In late December 2018 after the program’s twentieth season, President Machtley and Director of Athletics Bill Smith announced Chris Merritt as the next head football coach. He will be the fourth head coach in Bryant history. Coach Merritt has spent the last 18 years of his career as the head coach at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida where he posted an overall record 172-45 (.792) and led the team to two state finals, five regional championships, 14 district championships, and an 80-4 record in district competition in the largest high school classification in the state of Florida. Merritt's program has produced over 100 collegiate football players in 18 seasons, including two current Bryant offensive linemen. "I'm 23-25, extremely excited to hit the road recruiting and to begin September work with these young men to 2016 develop a culture of success. It is my number one goal at Bryant University for every young man in our program to expect to win!" said Merritt. Prior to his tenure at Columbus High School, Merritt coached at Thiel College and Eastern Illinois University. Coach Merritt has received additional recognitions as the Nike Coach of the Year in 2005, the Miami Herald Coach of the Year in 2014, and the Warren Henry South Coach of the Year in 2017. Over the course of his career, Merritt served as the head coach of the Junior National Team in 2010, the defensive and offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012, and the defensive backs coach on the gold-medal winning U.S. U-19 National Team at the IFAF World Championships in 2009. Merritt also served as the head coach of the Hamburg Blue Devils in the German Football League. Coach Merritt has hired Steven Ciocci as offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, Tom Masella as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Darrius G. Smith as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, and Sean Cullen as director of football operations. He will also be welcoming back to the Bulldogs Marquise Watson ‘17 who was one of the best defensive players in program history, and will now serve as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator. John Sielawa, who spent five previous seasons coaching at Bryant, will also return to the program as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.
Know a fellow alum who is interested in joining the Alumni-Admission Connection? Share this link so they can be added to our mailing list:
https://explore.bryant.edu/register/ BryantAAC We’ll make them a member before you can say “Bryant Bulldogs!”
The Character of Success
The Bryant Connection is published three times a year for the Alumni-Admission Connection members of Bryant University. Please send comments on this newsletter to Laura Ferrell, Assistant Director of Admission Event Operations and Technology at lferrell@bryant.edu. 4
Bryant University Office of Admission 1150 Douglas Pike Smithfield, RI 02917 Phone: 401-232-6100 Toll Free: 800-622-7001 admission@bryant.edu @bryantadmission