Bryant Globe for Faculty Innovation Grants Story
Faculty-in-residence program connects students with senior business executives, seasoned practitioners
Apr 28, 2020, by Staff Writer
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As many educators—and learners—assert, students benefit when theory and practice intersect. Bryant University is known for providing students with ample opportunities to put concepts into action through real-world problem solving. That way, say faculty, students take their learning further—from idea to implementation—and gain career credentials along the way.

“Our faculty-in-residence program is a critical component of our academic excellence at Bryant.”

Bryant’s faculty-in-residence program was developed with the same approach to learning in mind. Created by dedicated educators, the program offers students the opportunity to learn and connect with senior business executives and seasoned creative practitioners who bring additional applied perspectives and new learning opportunities to Bryant. 

As Bryant’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer Glenn M. Sulmasy, J.D., LL.M., explains, “Our faculty-in-residence program is a critical component of our academic excellence at Bryant. The faculty in residence bring a practitioner’s expertise to new learning opportunities, allowing students to pursue their intellectual curiosity and become well-prepared for a career.”

Programs and expertise that benefit students

Current faculty in residence include Kevin Maloney, Ph.D., Executive in Residence in finance and accomplished scholar and finance industry executive; Tom Dougherty, M.A., Executive in Residence of Information Systems and Analytics and former Vice President of Database Analytics at Fidelity Financial Advisor Solutions; and Valerie Carrigan, M.F.A., Visiting Artist and Lecturer of English and Cultural Studies and award-winning book artist and printmaker.

"Our executives-in-residence program ... is where the classroom meets the corporate world.”

Both Maloney and Dougherty teach and mentor students. Maloney teaches the Archway Fixed Income Portfolio Management course and co-teaches the Archway Equity Portfolio Management course; Dougherty teaches Information Systems and Analytics Department courses. They also use their applied perspective to help develop curricula and innovative programming. In this way, students benefit from mentoring relationships with industry leaders—and they learn in programs built for success in the real world. 

“This is where a Bryant education is different,” says Madan Annavarjula, Ph.D., Dean of Bryant’s College of Business. “Our executives-in-residence program is another example of how our business education is very student-focused, and value-enhancing. It’s where the classroom meets the corporate world.”

“Carrigan has enhanced our arts programming for students, bringing out our students’ creativity and desire to participate in the arts and creative writing, and our tremendous faculty that reflect our academic excellence.”

Carrigan, the proprietor of Messenger Press, is a print and book artist. At Bryant, she teaches studio-based courses in visual and material arts. She guides students as they explore their craft, and offers students a sense of the professional life of an artist. 

Notes Bradford Martin, Ph.D., Dean of Bryant’s College of Arts and Sciences, “Carrigan has enhanced our arts programming for students, bringing out our students’ creativity and desire to participate in the arts and creative writing, and our tremendous faculty that reflect our academic excellence.”

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