THE BRYAN S O
By Eddie Huffman
ne North Carolina business wanted to sell pickles abroad. Another wanted to sell chemical products for racing engines. Both found new markets across the Atlantic with help from students in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC Greensboro. “It would be a rare student that would graduate from the Bryan School who had never done a hands-on consulting project,” says McRae Banks, the school’s dean since 2011. The Bryan School celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall, a half century marked by dramatic growth and change. The school’s success and longevity comes from staying ahead of trends in business and education, as well as from interaction with the business world on consulting projects and other partnerships. “These students are doing things for companies that are serious about getting results, because they know that those results can keep them from making major mistakes, or they can open up new markets to them,” Banks says. “A project can also help them refine their business model.” In 2019, the Bryan School offers its 4,200 students 11 undergraduate degrees, six master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs. The school also offers customized executive education and certificate programs in areas such as cybersecurity and supply chain management. An everevolving curriculum helps keep the school ahead of the curve and provides employers with graduates who fit their needs, Banks says. The thousands of Bryan School alumni include Ray Crouse, president and CEO of Parsons Federal Credit Union; Melissa Stone Sale, general manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Gary Keffer, director of strategic marketing at Universal Music Group Nashville. Prominent local grads include Nido R. Qubein, president of High Point University; GreensPHOTO BY BRYELLE DAFELDECKER 4
