Before graduates fill Bryant University's Commencement tent in just over a week, we challenge you to test your Bryant Commencement knowledge. Will you be earning your degree in Bulldog trivia?
1. Which former United States president once delivered Bryant’s Undergraduate Commencement address?
2. One student from each graduating class is selected to serve as a Recent Alumni Trustee on the Bryant Board of Trustees. This individual presents what object to the president during Commencement?
3. Which Bryant canine earned an honorary Bachelor of Science degree for “character and obedience”?
4. True or false: Bryant’s outdoor volleyball court was a senior class gift.
5. How many undergraduate and graduate students in Bryant’s Class of 2026 will receive their degree this May?
6. Which Bryant program holds its graduation ceremony in March?
7. What are the Class of 2026’s top majors?
8. At Commencement, the president carries the Bryant University mace (a.k.a., a ceremonial staff). The mace, which is crowned in gold, has two different emblems at the top. What do they display?
9. True or false: The only way to watch Bryant’s graduation ceremonies is to attend in person.
10. What campus landmark are Bryant seniors finally allowed to pass through on graduation day?
ANSWERS
1. George H. W. Bush ’08H was Bryant’s Undergraduate Commencement speaker in 2008 and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at the ceremony.
2. The graduating class’s Recent Alumni Trustee presents Bryant’s president with a class brick that has the class’s graduation year inscribed. The brick, a symbol of enduring connection and a commitment to Bryant’s legacy, is later placed along the university’s Alumni Walk alongside other bricks representing the previous graduating classes.
3. Ironclad Tupper I ’10H. Donning a black shirt that matched his fellow graduates’ robes, this pooch, Bryant’s original live bulldog mascot, received his honorary degree in 2010.
4. True. The court was a gift from the Class of 1993. Other past class gifts have included an endowed study abroad scholarship (2013), the two Bulldog statues adorning the entrance to Beirne Stadium (2009), a 10 station fitness trail (1992), park benches by the pond (1984), and enhancements to Bryant’s WJMF radio station (1979).
5. A total of 1,243 students will receive their degrees this May. That number includes 921 undergraduate students and 322 graduate students.
6. Physician Assistant Studies. PA students celebrate the successful completion of their 27-month program by donning their whitecoats in Bryant’s Heidi and Walter Stepan Grand Hall.
7. The Class of 2026’s top three majors are Finance, Accounting, and Marketing.
8. These emblems are the seal of the State of Rhode Island and the seal of Bryant University.
9. False. Bryant offers livestream coverage of both the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies so that families and friends who are unable to make it in person can still cheer their loved ones on.
10. The Archway. Rumor has it that walking through Bryant’s historic Archway, a landmark brought over from the university’s original Providence campus in 1971 before graduation jeopardizes a student’s chances of graduating.
YOUR RESULTS
(8 to 10 correct): Summa cum laude. You brought your A-game and it shows! With these top marks, you are surely on track to earn your Ph.D. in Bryant University history.
(4 to 7 correct): Magna cum laude. A few questions may have stumped you, but you persevered. With your grit and determination, you’re well on your way to earning an honorary degree in campus trivia.
(1 to 3 correct): Cum laude. Just a few more study sessions will have you reciting the institution’s history forward and backwards.