As Bryant University’s seniors prepared to pass under the campus’s Archway on their way to Commencement, the university’s faculty gathered for a celebration of their own. The final faculty meeting of the 2025-2026 academic year, held May 13 in the Quinlan/Brown Academic Innovation Center’s Janikies Innovation Forum, was a joyous occasion as educators from Bryant’s College of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Health and Behavioral Sciences commemorated a momentous year — as well as the success of their students.
Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., noted that the faculty was not far from the seniors’ minds either. “When I’ve spoken to students this week, so many of them mentioned their favorite professor, and what that favorite professor meant to them,” he told the assemblage.
“Our students have had a tremendous amount of success because of your dedication to them,” said Gittell. “You challenged them, you inspired them, you mentored them, and you helped them get through what has been at some moments very challenging times over the last four years.”
In addition to highlighting the many accomplishments of Bryant’s faculty — from launching new programs to publication in prestigious journals — Provost and Chief Academic Officer Rupendra Paliwal, Ph.D., and the heads of Bryant’s colleges and school shared institutional milestones from the past year.
The last nine months had seen great change come to Bryant, said Paliwal, including the launch of Bryant’s Doctor of Clinical Psychology program, the opening of the Sprague Center for Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking, the elevation of the School of Health and Behavioral Studies to the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, the integration of applied artificial intelligence throughout the curriculum, and the renaming of the College of Arts and Sciences to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to better reflect its mission and strategic alignment.
“Bryant did not stand still, and you did not stand still either,” Paliwal noted. “We continued to move forward together and, even in a year of significant disruption, the scope of what we have achieved together is remarkable.”
Thirty-three members of the Bryant faculty were presented with Merit Awards at the meeting for their accomplishments during the 2025-2026 academic year, including:
College of Business
- Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics Gianluca Brero, Ph.D.
- Professor of Accounting Charlie Cullinan, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Marketing T.V. “Jay” Jayaraman, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Marketing Kacy Kim, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Marketing Teresa McCarthy, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Accounting Stephen Pascarella
- Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics ML Tlachac, Ph.D.
- Professor of Practice of Management Jack Vensel
- Professor of Management John Visich, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Finance Cathy Zheng, Ph.D.
- Professor of Accounting Xiao Zheng, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
- Associate Professor, Mathematics and Economics Laura Beaudin, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor of History, Literature and the Arts Valerie Carrigan, MFA
- Lecturer of History, Literature, and the Arts Kathleen Daly, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Politics, Law, and Society Holly Dygert, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of History, Literature, and the Arts Kristen Falso Capaldi
- Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Economics Yvette Feng, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Politics, Law, and Society Amanda Fontaine, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Communication and Language Studies Mary Ann Gallo
- Assistant Professor of Politics, Law, and Society Tristan Hightower, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Politics, Law, and Society Richard Holtzman, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of History, Literature, and the Arts Jennifer Horan, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Mathematics and Economics Allison Kaminaga, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor of Communication and Language Studies Emi Kanemoto, Ph.D.
- Professor of Mathematics and Economics Ramesh Mohan, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of History, Literature, and the Arts Eric Paul
- Professor of Politics, Law, and Society Alex Perullo, Ph.D.
- Lecturer of Mathematics and Economics Karen Pitts
- Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Economics Jessica Zhai, Ph.D.
School of Health and Behavioral Sciences
- Clinical Professor of Psychology Lindsey Amper, Ph.D.
- Professor of Psychology Allison Butler, Ph.D.
- Clinical Associate Professor of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Jennifer Hurrell, DHSc
- Professor of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Qin Leng, Ph.D.
Ten faculty members were also conferred special awards to honor their contributions to teaching, research, and service to the Bryant community:
College of Business
- Teaching Excellence Award: Professor of Accounting Charlie Cullinan, Ph.D.
- Excellence in Research and Publication Award: Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics ML Tlachac, Ph.D.
- Outstanding Service Award: Senior Lecturer of Finance Mara Derderian
- Outstanding Research in International Business Award: Professor of Management Crystal Jiang, Ph.D.
College of Arts and Sciences
- Teaching Excellence Award: Lecturer of Politics, Law, and Society Teaching Mary Anne Clark
- Excellence in Research and Publication Award: Assistant Professor of History, Literature and the Arts Valerie Carrigan, MFA
- Outstanding Service Award: Associate Professor of Language Studies and Communication Cedric Oliva, Ph.D.
School of Health and Behavioral Sciences
- Teaching Excellence Award: Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of Medical Simulation Stephen Sherman ’19MSPAS, PA-C
- Excellence in Research and Publication Award: Lecturer of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Robert Patalano, Ph.D.
- Outstanding Service Award: Clinical Associate Professor of Biological and Biomedical Studies Jennifer Hurrell, DHSc
In addition, the ceremony recognized the retiring members of the Bryant faculty:
College of Business
- Executive in Residence of Information Systems and Analytics Thomas Dougherty, after eight years
- Lecturer of Marketing Kevin Gainor, after nine years
- Professor of Accounting Tim Krumwiede, Ph.D., after 33 years
- Professor of Management Harsh Luthar, Ph.D., after 32 years
- Professor of Finance Dave Louton, Ph.D., after 34 years
- Professor of Marketing Keith Murray, Ph.D., after 33 years
- Professor of Accounting Saeed Roohani, Ph.D., after 34 years
- Professor of Finance Hakan Saraoglu, Ph.D., after 30 years
- Lecturer of Information Systems and Analytics Michelle Varin, after six years
College of Arts and Sciences
- Associate Professor of Communication and Language Studies Kristen Berkos, Ph.D., after 24 years
- Lecturer of Political Science Mary Anne Clarke, after four years
- Associate Professor of Spanish and Language Studies Tony Houston, Ph.D., after 18 years
- Professor of Politics, Law, and Society Judy McDonnell, Ph.D., after 36 years
School of Health and Behavioral Sciences
- Lecturer of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Dania Whitaker, after 28 years
The final recognition of the evening was the Faculty Mentor of the Year Award, which was conferred to Assistant Professor of History, Literature and the Arts Valerie Carrigan, MFA. In announcing the honor, Associate Professor of Communication and Language Studies Julie Volkman, Ph.D., read excerpts from Carrigan’s nominations, noting the many endorsements that praised her for being “a kind and generous colleague who cares deeply about the Bryant community.”
Carrigan, who also received a Merit Award and the Excellence in Research and Publication Award for Bryant’s College of Arts and Sciences that afternoon, was visibly moved by the recognition, and the seemingly never-ending wave of colleagues congratulating her.
“I think this is one of the happiest days of my career, knowing that I've made an impact through my artwork and also my teaching and mentoring,” she said. “I feel like this is the most special place in the world to work, and I feel so blessed to be around such inspiring and joyful colleagues who are also my friends.”