SMITHFIELD, RI – “The Summer Village was a place where we together explored innovations and ideas in a number of areas—learning from one another and alumni industry experts,” said Finance Professor Peter Nigro about Bryant’s inaugural Summer Research and Innovation Village, which wrapped up with a closing ceremony on August 6.

“Every crisis presents opportunities to discover new ways of solving problems.”

Recognizing that many students had lost their summer jobs and internships due to the coronavirus pandemic, Professor Nigro, Economics Professor Edinaldo Tebaldi, and Management Professor Michael Roberto teamed up to quickly respond to this unmet need. They developed this “successful experiment” and rallied fellow faculty members to help fill the gap and provide meaningful experiential learning and research opportunities.

All 35 of the faculty involved volunteered their time to help 75 students develop research skills and expertise that they can apply to their careers and academic interests.

All 35 of the faculty involved volunteered their time to help 75 students develop research skills and expertise that they can apply to their careers and academic interests. Research topics included crisis communications, international business, analysis, inequality, constitutional law, economic data and analysis literacy, ethics, machine learning, predictive analytics, and more.

“These types of experiences are immersing students in lifelong learning, exploration, and adapting to the world as it changes at a rapid rate.”

“These types of experiences are immersing students in lifelong learning, exploration, and adapting to the world as it changes at a rapid rate,” said Bryant President Ross Gittell. “To do that in an applied research-oriented way and to learn from that experience with faculty, it is truly an incredible experience during these challenging times for students and for our institution.”

“I’m tremendously proud to see this group of faculty rise to the occasion."

Provost and Chief Academic Officer Glenn M. Sulmasy, JD, LL.M commended the faculty for recognizing the need and acting quickly on their innovative idea and dedication to students. “I’m tremendously proud to see this group of faculty rise to the occasion. They pushed other things aside, reacted, and were incredibly nimble in meeting the students’ needs during this challenging time.”

“Every crisis presents opportunities to discover new ways of solving problems,” said Tebaldi. “This program has been incredibly successful, and we plan to keep developing opportunities like this—to help students keep sharpening their research skills and develop ideas that can drive policy and change.”

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to expand my learning beyond the classroom during these unprecedented times.”  

Bryant Honor’s Program senior Kathleen Bannon took full advantage of the opportunity to expand her learning and to gain valuable research experience to help prepare for graduate school. The Politics and Law major chose to study both formal and formal institutions in Russia working with English and Cultural Studies Professor William Graves III, an expert in post-Soviet culture and governance. 

“Throughout the summer I enjoyed diving deep within a topic that I found was not widely discussed within the classroom,” said Bannon. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to expand my learning beyond the classroom during these unprecedented times.”  

“The Summer Village was the highlight of my summer.”

Professor Roberto said he "treasured the opportunity to work one-on-one this summer with bright, curious students on issues that are of importance and interest to each of us.”

Amanda Whitham, a senior majoring in Marketing and Applied Analytics, said she learned a lot working with Roberto and recent alum Dhruv Patodia ’20. Together they explored a case study on French luxury conglomerate Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE’s recent acquisition of American jewelry icon Tiffany & Co. They looked at the history, global profitability, marketing segmentation, synergies, and opportunities for both companies in this historic $16 billion deal.

“It has opened my eyes to taking that ‘what’s next?’ approach to everything I do.”

“This project has provided vital interpersonal, research, and academic opportunities that have enabled tremendous growth for me and my fellow students,” said Whitham. “It has opened my eyes to taking that ‘what’s next?’ approach to everything I do.”

“The Summer Village was the highlight of my summer,” said Roberto at the program’s closing ceremony. “I think it was a success, and I hope that we do other things in the future to really elevate the opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate on research.”

2020 Virtual Summer Research and Innovation Village volunteer Faculty mentors:

• Asli Ascioglu, Ph.D., Professor of Finance
• Laura Beaudin, Ph.D., Professor of Economics
• Dennis Bline, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting
• Stefanie Boyer, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing
• Diya Das, Ph.D., Professor of Management
• Erim Ergene, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management
• William Graves III, Ph.D., Associate Professor English and Cultural Studies
• Terri Hasseler, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural studies
• Jennifer Horan, Ph.D., Lecturer, English and Cultural Studies
• A Can Inci, Ph.D., Professor of Finance
• Crystal Jiang, Ph.D., Professor of Management
• David Ketchum, Ph.D., Professor of Finance
• Kacy Kim, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Marketing
• Eileen Kwesiga, Ph.D., Professor of Management
• Gaitha Langlois, Ph.D., Professor of Science and Technology
• Suhong Li, Ph.D., Professor (Chair) of Information Systems and Analytics
• Kevin Maloney, Ph.D., Executive in Residence, Finance
• Robert Massoud, MBA, Lecturer of Management
• Judy McDonnell, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology
• Chris R. Morse, Ph.D., Professor of Communication
• Son Nguyen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics
• Peter Nigro, Ph.D., Sarkisian Chair, Professor of Finance (Co-chair)
• Kathryn Ostermeier, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management
• Chris Ratcliffe, Lecturer of Management
• Michael Roberto, D.B.A., Trustee Professor of Management (Co-chair) 
• Saeed Roohani, Ph.D., Professor of Accounting
• Yasamin Salmani, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management
• Jacqueline Saslawski, JD, Visiting Professor of Management
• Edinaldo Tebaldi, Ph.D., Professor of Economics (Co-chair) 
• John Visich, Ph.D., Professor of Management
• Julie Volkman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication
• Mark Vozella, M.S., Lecturer of Management
• Ron Washburn, JD, Lecturer of Politics and Law
• R. Isil Yavuz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management
• Cathy Zheng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Finance                                         

About Bryant University 

For 157 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 3800 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 www.Bryant.edu.