With a rich, 161-year-old legacy like Bryant’s, Bulldogs are constantly learning new tidbits about the university and its history. Whether you’re stepping onto campus as a newly minted college student or are walking the Unistructure’s halls for your fourth academic year, we challenge you to test your Bulldog knowledge:
1. Founded in 1863, Bryant was originally on the East Side of Providence. When the institution moved its campus to Smithfield in 1971, what souvenir did we take from the Providence location?
2. True or false: Bryant’s suite village and first-year residential houses are named after Rhode Island cities and towns.
3. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a Bryant candy store where students, faculty, and staff could purchase candy bars, penny candy, and other snacks. Which campus building was this shop in?
4. In what year did Bryant switch from a college to a university?
5. True or false: There are fish living in Bryant Pond.
6. Bryant’s brick walkways lead you to essential locations across campus but, below ground, an underground walkway connects two university buildings. Which two campus buildings are connected?
7. If you pass Bryant Pond and the Michael E. '67 and Karen L. Fisher Student Center around dawn or dusk, you’ll likely see a black cat leisurely roaming the area. What is the name of this fluffy, four-legged feline?
8. True or false: Bryant used to have a bowling alley on campus.
9. Which professional sports team held its summer training camp at Bryant for 26 years?
10. It’s common to see students repping Bryant gear with the university’s mascot. In what year did the bulldog become the official logo/mascot of Bryant’s athletic teams?
11. Who was bulldog Tupper named after?
12. Tupper II may be the university’s official Bulldog mascot, but there are several other doggos who are part of the Bryant family. What is the name of the iconic labrador retriever who’s a certified community comfort dog and works alongside the Department of Public Safety?
13. True or false: Bryant’s pool was originally located where Salmanson Dining Hall is today.
14. Rhode Island native and actress Viola Davis — who starred in The Help, Fences, and How to Get Away with Murder — was a keynote speaker at which annual Bryant event?
15. Ross Gittell, Ph.D., assumed the position of university president in 2020. How many presidents has Bryant had over its 161-year lifetime?
ANSWERS
1. The archway was brought to Bryant’s Smithfield campus to symbolize the continuity in the university’s history.
2. True. Rhode Island is made up of 31 towns and eight cities. At Bryant, 17 of those communities are represented.
3. The Bryant candy store was located on the main level of the Unistructure, where Faculty Suite A now resides. Today, the Unistructure houses the Archway Cafe, which serves Starbucks-crafted drinks, baked goods, sushi — and, yes, candy too.
4. 2004. At this time, the College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences made up Bryant University. The institution continued to expand its offerings and added the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences in 2022.
5. Yes, there are bass and sunfish in Bryant Pond; you’ll often see students casting a line into the water on warm days.
6. The underground walkway connects the Unistructure and the Koffler Center and Communications Complex. Start by the mailboxes in Koffler and continue along the walkway until you end up at the Department of Public Safety on the Unistructure’s lower level.
7. Campus Kitty. Truly a community cat, Campus Kitty has a water bowl/food dish outside the Ronald K. and Kati C. Machtley Interfaith Center.
8. True. The bowling alley was constructed in 1976 and located in the underground walkway between the Unistructure and Koffler. It was removed just over a decade later when the student center moved to the newly built Fisher Student Center.
9. The one and only New England Patriots held its summer training camp at Bryant.
10. In 1994, the bulldog became Bryant’s official logo/mascot — symbolizing tenacity and ferocious dedication. The bulldog suggestion came from Protestant Chaplain Philip Devlin whose English bulldog, Lester, served as Bryant’s unofficial mascot for many years.
11. Tupper was named in recognition of Tupperware Corporation President Earl Tupper who dedicated the land for Bryant’s Smithfield campus in 1967.
12. Archie is Bryant’s three-year-old certified community comfort dog who came to the university in 2022. His birthday is November 1, and he regularly celebrates this milestone marker with his Bryant friends.
13. False. The current Admission’s atrium was once the location of Bryant’s swimming pool.
14. Viola Davis spoke at Bryant’s Women’s Summit — an annual event with a long tradition of empowering, supporting, and encouraging women to excel professionally, personally, and financially.
15. Ross Gittell is Bryant’s ninth president. His teaching career in management and economics spans more than 20 years, and he is highly regarded for his economic analysis and forecasting. Today, he is leading Bryant through the development and implementation of Vision 2030.
YOUR RESULTS
(11-15 correct): Congratulations! As a walking Black and Gold encyclopedia, you emit Bulldog pride without trying.
(6-10 correct): A few answers may have escaped you, but you certainly know the Bryant basics. Keep up the Bulldog spirit!
(1-5 correct): You may not have had all the answers today, but that’s what tomorrows for. Hit the books and brush up on your Bryant knowledge — soon you’ll be an expert on all things Bulldog.
