This summer, President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., celebrated his fifth year of leading Bryant University. He recently sat down with Digital Marketing and Applied Analytics double major Leo Donnelly ’26, to reflect on the last several years, share his favorite memories and areas around campus, and discuss how Bryant is continuing to evolve to provide students with exceptional educational opportunities:
Reflecting on your five years as president, you’ve seen a lot of growth and change throughout the campus. What are you most proud of, and what are you most excited for with the future of the institution?
I’m most proud of Vision 2030, and the community uniting during the global pandemic. It was a challenging time, and the Bryant community came together to think about the future and develop a strategic plan that built on Bryant’s strengths and helped identify areas that we had to take to the next level. The pillars were around strong academics linked with career outcomes, student life, and athletics.
What I’m excited about is seeing the results (record first-year enrollment, rising rankings and reputation) five years into our 10-year strategic plan. This August, we made LinkedIn’s inaugural Top 50 Colleges for Career Success list — number 38, which we’re very proud of. And, within that, Bryant ranked Top 5 for internships and Top 5 for recruiter demand. So, I’m really proud of those outcomes; we made decisions about investing in the future and it’s paying off.
Students spend almost all their time here on campus, and you live right here on campus, too. What’s your favorite campus spot?
My favorite place, and it’s pretty new, is the pathway between the Archway and the Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center; it has some curvature to it, beautiful trees, and a beautiful setting. I run into people there, and you see the different spots on campus, like the townhouses, the new Puishys Residence Complex, the Fisher Student Center, and the BELC. I see more and more people — faculty, staff, and students — walking the pathway, which is nice.
You’ve talked about Vision 2030 and all the strides Bryant’s made, but obviously there are moments scattered throughout that, so what would you say is a personal moment or time on campus that’s the most memorable to you in the last couple years?
This one goes back a ways. The end of my first year was challenging with the COVID-19 pandemic; we stayed open, had in-person classes (one of the few institutions in the world that stayed open throughout the year 2020 to 2021), and in May of 2021 we made the decision to hold our commencements. It was my first time as president of Bryant University leading the commencement, and we had a graduate commencement, two Class of 2021 commencements, and brought back the Class of 2020 for commencement. We had four commencements to preside over, and the graduates and their families were so enthusiastic. They thanked me and said they really appreciated Bryant faculty and staff making sure the student experience was as close to normal as possible.
At the same time, we were starting to gain momentum on Vision 2030. It was an exciting time because it was representative and reflective of a turning point.
There are tons of good places to eat here on campus including Salmo with its new renovations, but off campus around Smithfield, do you have a favorite restaurant you find yourself going to?
I was born in New York City, and I like big cities partly because of the quality and diversity of the food. Here, Smithfield does pretty well. So, let’s start with breakfast. Not that I go out for breakfast that much, but when I do, I like Cafe Such-A-Bagel. I like bagels and this spot rates high with New York bagels; it’s also nice because I tend to run into students there. For coffee, I enjoy Coffee Connection, which is a little further away. For lunch, I like Wise Guys; it’s good value, has nice people, and it’s a quick car drive over there. Then for dinner, I like Italian food. Rhode Island Italian food is great and there’s differences of opinion on which is the best Italian place, but I like Fresco, which is more family style.
What do you expect over the next five years for Bryant University, and what do you think the most significant changes are going to be?
That’s something we think about a lot. We did very well with recruitment with the Class of 2029, but there’s a lot of competition out there, so anything we do, we have to continue to do better. AI is happening fast, and it’s going to affect how we deliver education and the pedagogy employed by our faculty. Our faculty in particular are really moving forward and embracing it — trying to critically understand its applications in the Bryant context. Also, we recently formed a Global Advisory Council where we have members from five continents and graduates from five decades advising us on opportunities.
As a residential college, we have to focus on our core strength, which is that intersection of student life/student experience and the academics/curriculum. The integration of those two, and having them complement each other in different and creative ways, leads to strong outcomes for students.