Standing between the pair of new student residence buildings that now bear their name, Joe ’80 and Kathi '81 (Jurewicz) Puishys both used the same word to describe the experience of seeing the completed Puishys Residence Complex for the first time: “speechless.”
This week, the couple, whose $10 million donation supported the construction of the 204-room student residences, joined family, old friends, alumni, and Bryant leadership, faculty, and students for a dedication ceremony that included the unveiling of a plaque in honor of the benefactors.
Addressing the audience, Kathi Puishys pulled out the orange Bryant University ID card she was issued as a first-year student.
“On it, there's this bright, fresh-faced 17-year-old who, if you told her back then that she would be here at a dedication with her husband, she would not believe it,” she said.
“When I look at this card, two words come to mind: golden ticket. It was a golden ticket to this university, to my life,” she said, alluding not just to the couples’ success but also to the fact that she and Joe met on campus. Addressing the students in attendance, Kathi added, “We all have a golden ticket within us just by being associated with this great institution. And you never know where that golden ticket will take you.”
Fresh off a tour that included a peek inside the apartment of RA Ted Donahue ’27, Joe Puishys, vice chair of Bryant’s Board of Trustees and co-chair of the university’s Vision 2030 Campaign Committee, called the residences “the nicest thing I've ever seen on any college campus in the United States.”
“We're just proud to be a little part of it,” he said.
The residences are “the nicest thing I've ever seen on any college campus in the United States. We're just proud to be a little part of it."
Nodding to the complex’s diverse facilities, which in addition to living quarters include individual and group study spaces, game and fitness rooms, and outdoor gathering places for the entire Bryant community, Joe told the gathering, “We pride ourselves here that our students have experiential learning; with these new buildings, this complex, we can add ‘experiential living’ to that statement.”
Calling the Puishys’ gift “transformative,” Inge-Lise Ameer, Ed.D., Bryant’s vice president of student affairs and dean of students, said the Puishys Residence Complex “serves as a physical embodiment of Bryant’s commitment to fostering community and belonging across our campus.”
Complex resident Eric Mbui ’26 has experienced that embodiment firsthand. “I've been able to use the study spaces for homework and the common areas just to hang out and meet with friends,” the Finance major said. “I use the gaming room quite a lot; I'm a big soccer fan so I put the games on.
“It's just a good place and a good community.”
Donahue extended thanks to the Puishys on behalf of Bryant students, especially the first group of juniors and seniors to call the complex home.
“It is an honor to welcome you to the newest and most versatile building on this campus, with amenities that go beyond the imagination,” he said. “Over the last four weeks, I've had the pleasure of seeing the impact that this building has already had on student life and will continue to have. And believe me, students are more than excited to be a part of this journey.”
“It is an honor to welcome you to the newest and most versatile building on this campus, with amenities that go beyond the imagination."
Tongue in cheek, Donahue said Puishys Residence Complex residents had only one concern to express: “Every time my friends and I have our friends from the other side of the campus over, they don't leave. It really seems like they want to pack their bags and move in with us.”
In response, Joe Puishys joked that Donahue was “lucky to have that corner room looking down on this beautiful space here, because otherwise I would have got it.
“The only thing I didn't negotiate when Kathi and I agreed to do some funding for these beautiful buildings was to keep one room for us,” he said. “So if we do another dorm, Kathi, we're getting a room.”
Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., closed by telling the Puishys that their gift “is a testament to your belief in the power of a Bryant education.
“Your support ensures that generations of students will benefit from a residential experience that is deeply aligned with the values and aspirations of this institution,” he said.