SMITHFIELD, RI: Bryant University is ready to celebrate the Class of 2024. In addition to the 976 students receiving diplomas, Bryant will confer honorary degrees to four individuals who excel in their chosen fields. 

Karen S. Lynch, President and CEO of CVS Health®, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration and give the undergraduate commencement address on Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. African philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and champion for gender equality Tsitsi Masiyiwa P'17, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Former Bryant Board of Trustee member David C. Weinstein, founder and CEO of Write the World and former Chief of Administration at Fidelity Investments, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration. 

Bryant’s graduate degree commencement ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 16 at 5 p.m. Edmund (“Ted”) Shallcross III, President and CEO of Amica Mutual Insurance Company, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration and give the graduate commencement address.

“Every May, Bryant’s campus comes alive as we celebrate our graduates. We are honored that Karen Lynch and Edmund (“Ted”) Shallcross will help us commemorate the outstanding achievements of our graduates as our commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients,” says Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D. “We are particularly pleased to welcome a group of notable professionals to our campus to confer honorary diplomas for excellence in their fields. Congratulations to the Class of 2024 for their hard work and dedication. With their strong Bryant education, they will make indelible marks on our world.”  

Full details for Commencement 2024 are available at Bryant.edu.

BIOS

Karen S. Lynch is president and chief executive officer of CVS Health®, the nation’s leading health solutions company, powered by 300,000 colleagues delivering care to more than 100 million people where and when they need it. Lynch was featured on the TIME100 annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world in 2023. Fortune has named her a top-ranking leader three years running on their Most Powerful Women in Business list.

Edmund (“Ted”) Shallcross III is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Amica Mutual Insurance Company. Amica offers personal insurance products, and, with more than 60 J.D. Power awards, is known as one of the top customer service companies in the country. Shallcross also serves on the board of several nonprofit institutions, including the American Cancer Society’s CEOs Against Cancer, the CEO Partnership for Rhode Island, and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and champion for gender equality. In 1996, she co-founded of the Higherlife Foundation, which works across education, health, food security, and disaster preparedness to support African countries to achieve upper-middle income status. In 2017, Masiyiwa established Delta Philanthropies, an impact investor that funds human capital development in Africa through grant-making. She serves as chair of Co-Impact and END Fund and is a founding board member of the African Philanthropy Forum. 

David C. Weinstein spent 24 years at Fidelity Investments, where he served as Chief of Administration and was a member of the firm’s Operating Committee, chaired the Ethics Committee, and led Fidelity’s government relations efforts in Washington, DC, and various states. After retiring in 2008, Weinstein founded Write the World, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for young writers, designed to bridge literacy gaps and equip students with the skills essential for success in school, career, and life.     

About Bryant University   

For over 160 years, Bryant University has been at the forefront of delivering an exceptional education with top 1% outcomes that anticipate the future and prepares students to be innovative leaders of character in a changing world. The university delivers a uniquely integrated academic and student life experience with nationally recognized academic programs at the intersection of business, liberal arts, and health and behavioral sciences.   

Located on a 428-acre contemporary campus in Smithfield, R.I., Bryant enrolls approximately 3,800 undergraduate and graduate students from 38 states and 49 countries. Bryant is recognized as a top 1% national leader in student education outcomes and ROI and regularly receives high rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Money, Bloomberg Businessweek, Wall Street Journal, College Factual, and Barron’s. Bryant.edu 

The Vision 2030 strategic plan sets an exciting trajectory for Bryant University. Priorities include an ecosystem of academic excellence, vibrant student life, community and belonging, and championing access and economic mobility. Vision2030.Bryant.edu