SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant University College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula, Ph.D., announces the appointment of Jacqueline Saslawski, J.D., MPIA, as Director of the International Business (IB) Program. She joins an academic leadership team that continues to garner national recognition for developing innovative graduate and undergraduate programs.
“I know not everything is global, but in business, everything is global."
Saslawski came to Bryant as a Visiting Professor in the IB Program last year after previously serving for 13 years as Managing Director, International Business Center (IBC), at the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. In that capacity, she envisioned, implemented and oversaw the UBC’s portfolio of global strategies and initiatives and international programs. Earlier in her career, she served as Manager, International and Executive Education at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and Assistant to the Director of the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia, and Export Credit Insurance Underwriter in Cologne, Germany.
"Jacqueline Saslawski is the right person to take our IB program to the next level in preparing students to solve the world’s most complex challenges working with colleagues around the world.”
“Our International Business program has grown to be recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence, rigor, and research at the highest level, as well as for our commitment to student success,” says Annavarjula, who led the curricular design, development and administration of Bryant’s International Business program in 2006. “With her depth of experience in developing academic programs and global business strategies, Jacqueline Saslawski is the right person to take our IB program to the next level in preparing students to solve the world’s most complex challenges working with colleagues around the world.”
Coming from a large research-driven university, Saslawski especially appreciates Bryant’s high-touch environment and is impressed by the University’s intentional, purposeful, and well-designed IB Program. As a new faculty member, she acknowledges being in an exploratory phase – reviewing what changes may be needed and evaluating what cutting-edge elements can be incorporated into the already first-rate program, Saslawski said, “There are always new issues arising in global business environments, such as diversity, equity and inclusion.”
“I know not everything is global, but in business, everything is global,” said Saslawski. Even a local business could have international suppliers, she said, we are all affected by the non-business, non-market issues. “I try to instill to students that they must pay attention … and understand the history, the politics, the laws and the policies that will affect business decisions.”
One of the University’s hallmark academic programs, IB has climbed steadily in the rankings since the program was founded in 2004. This interdisciplinary program attracts some of the most academically accomplished men and women from around the country, offering rich experiential learning opportunities, an intensive language component, quality internships, and immersive study abroad programs. Faculty work closely with the John H. Chafee Center for International Business to partner with regional and global businesses for the intensive capstone practicum for seniors.
With her sights on ensuring Bryant’s IB program continues to be recognized among the top programs in the world, Saslawski in is working with Dean Annavarjula, fellow faculty, and students to implement a Global Competence Assessment, a comprehensive assessment tool that will help students and their professors and mentors to evaluate “how globally ready they are and what they need to do while at Bryant to become more culturally competent.” It’s also a tool that can demonstrate global competencies to employers.
Saslawski received her JD from Duquesne University, her Master of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She is a member of Academy of International Business and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
About Bryant University
For 158 years, Bryant University has been at the forefront of delivering an exceptional education that anticipates the future and prepares students to be innovative leaders of character in a changing world. Located on a contemporary campus in Smithfield, R.I., Bryant enrolls approximately 3,800 undergraduate students from 38 states and 49 countries. Bryant is recognized as a leader in international education and regularly receives top rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Money, Bloomberg Businessweek, Wall Street Journal, College Factual, and Barron's. Visit https://www.bryant.edu/.
