SMITHFIELD, RI — Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley today announced the appointment of Daniel J. Borgia, Ph.D., as Academic Dean of Bryant Zhuhai effective August 1, 2017. Borgia, who succeeds David Lux, Ph.D., will oversee the faculty and academic programs at Bryant Zhuhai.

After a successful first two years establishing this strategic location, we look forward to entering the next phase of growth under Dean Borgia’s leadership.” 

Prior to his role as Founding Dean for Bryant Zhuhai, Lux served as Dean of Undergraduate Studies and was Founding Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bryant’s Smithfield campus beginning in 2004. Lux joined the Bryant University faculty in 1990. We are pleased to announce that he will return to join the Bryant University faculty as professor of history with an optional teaching load as a Senior Tenured Faculty member.

For more than a decade Bryant has advanced innovative education initiatives between China and the United States. Bryant is the first and only American university with a presence in Zhuhai, the first university to establish a partnership with a private institution in China, and offers the only U.S.-China joint four-year undergraduate business degree program in China. Bryant Zhuhai was opened in 2015.

“China is a cornerstone of Bryant’s strategic plan, Vision 20/20: Expanding the World of Opportunity. After a successful first two years establishing this strategic location, we look forward to entering the next phase of growth under Dean Borgia’s leadership,” said President Machtley. “We are grateful to Dean Lux for his excellent work in building a strong foundation for our program in Zhuhai.”

"I look forward to creating opportunities for Bryant students from both the Zhuhai and Smithfield campuses to become successful leaders and innovators."

Most recently, Borgia served as dean and professor of finance at the Richard J. Wehle School of Business at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. He previously served in associate dean positions at University of Idaho’s College of Business and Economics and Nottingham University Business School China at its Ningbo campus in China; and he has held numerous academic and administrative posts at Florida Gulf Coast University, University of South Florida, Youngstown State University, and Kent State University.

“I am honored to be joining Bryant University at this exciting time and to help advance the Bryant Zhuhai program,” said Borgia. “I very much appreciate Bryant’s student-centered and innovative approach to education, and I look forward to creating opportunities for Bryant students from both the Zhuhai and Smithfield campuses to become successful leaders and innovators.”

In addition to his time as a Fulbright Scholar in Finance at Nanjing University, Borgia has deep international experience including six years as faculty member at the Copenhagen Business School International Summer University and a visiting professorship at Keuka College-Armstrong University Summer China Program at both Tianjin University of Science and Technology and Yunnan University of Economics and Finance. As founding director of the Florida Gulf Coast University Institute of Chinese Studies, Borgia developed exchange agreements with Chinese universities, co-founded a nonprofit Chinese language school on campus, and became vice president of the Southwest Florida Chinese Association.

Borgia co-authored The Wild, Wild East: Lessons for Success in Business in Contemporary Capitalist China in 2011, a book about conducting business in China. He has published more than 30 articles in refereed journals and has contributed to numerous magazine and newspaper articles and textbooks. He also serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of General Management and the Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies. Borgia received his Ph.D. in Finance and International Business from Kent State University and holds an M.B.A. from Gannon University and a B.S. in Business Management from Cornell University.

In addition to his academic and professional experience, Borgia and his wife, Jia, who was born and raised in China and is now an American citizen, own a home in the northern city of Tangshan where they and their teenage son travel often.

Bryant University welcomed its historic first entering class of Chinese students at Bryant Zhuhai, located in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China, in September 2015. The four-year undergraduate program prepares Bryant students with the global perspective that is essential for success in today's international business world. The academic program in Zhuhai mirrors Bryant's nationally recognized curriculum vigor and quality of faculty, and will be taught in English. Graduating students will receive a Bryant University degree. 

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Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I. is a leading private university offering an innovative and uniquely integrated business and liberal arts education. Founded in 1863, Bryant University has approximately 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students from 32 states and 66 countries. Bryant University is recognized as a leader in international education and regularly receives top rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, and Barron's.  Visit www.Bryant.edu.