SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Glenn M. Sulmasy, JD, LL.M, announces key appointments in the College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences.  

College of Arts and Sciences

Wendy Samter, Ph.D., has been appointed Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as the University conducts a comprehensive national search to fill the role permanently. Samter, who succeeded founding Dean David Lux, Ph.D., in 2015 before temporarily stepping down in 2016, now returns to serve in this capacity.

Samter joined Bryant’s Department of Communication in 2003 as Associate Professor and went on to become Professor and Chair (2005-2013), Director of Graduate Studies (2011-2014), and Associate Dean (2014). She has been instrumental in developing Bryant’s nationally recognized undergraduate Communication degree program and in establishing the Graduate Program in Communication.

A prolific writer, Samter has published articles and book chapters in scholarly publications, been sought after by media for her expert commentary, and given keynote speeches nationwide. She is the co-author of Explaining Communication: Contemporary Theories and Exemplars, and Children Communicating: The First Five Years. She is the former editor of Communication Research Reports, an affiliate of the National Communication Association, and serves as associate editor for two other journals. She is an active member of a number of professional associations, as well.

Samter has also been recognized for her dedication to students and teaching with the Distinguished Faculty Award, the Center for Student Involvement’s “Since 1863 Faculty Award,” and Bryant’s Excellence in Teaching Award. She received both a Ph.D. and MA in Interpersonal Communication from Purdue University, and a BA in Communication from LaSalle University.

Christopher Morse, Ph.D., Professor of Communication, has been appointed to serve as Associate Dean, also on an interim basis, during the search period. Morse became a member of the Bryant community as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication in 2008. Promoted to full professor in 2016, he also served as Graduate Director for the Communication Department’s Master’s and Certificate of Graduate Studies program.

His service at Bryant includes the IDEA Leadership Team, Honors Council, and Bias Incident Committee. He has served as academic chair for 10 graduate students, and as an advisor for multiple honors theses and undergraduate students looking to specialize in health communication.

Morse’s research examines uncertainty management and information seeking in individuals as they relate to health and crisis issues, as well as the impact that emotions have on decision making. He has published in top journals including Health Communication, Journal of Communication in Healthcare, and the Journal of the National Medical Association. He has also contributed chapters to books such as “Research Methods in Health Communication” and “Uncertainty, Information Management and Disclosure Decisions.” A sought-after presenter at conferences around the world, Morse currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Communication Research and on the Editorial Board for Nursing Communication and Communication Research Reports.

Morse received his Ph.D. in Communication from the Pennsylvania State University, his MA in Communication Sciences from Illinois State University, and a BA in Communication from the Pennsylvania State University.

College of Business

Diya Das, Ph.D., who has been a faculty member in the Department of Management since 2007, was appointed Associate Dean of the College of Business this fall. Das was granted tenure and promoted to Chair of the department in 2016. She led the development of several market-driven programs including the Leadership and Innovation Concentration and Team Project Management Concentration, and played a key role in developing and coordinating the Human Resources Concentration. She previously served as Visiting Professor for International Organizational Behavior at Aalto University in Mikkeli, Finland, and as Vice Chair of the Equal Pay Task Force, Human Relations Commission, for the city of Providence, RI.

Das has taught courses in International Business, International Human Resources Management, and Employment Relations. Her research interests include the globalization of work, identity theory, international business, and employee attitudes and behaviors.

A dedicated educator, she received the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2015, and the Bryant Merit Award in 2008 and 2013. Das has received the Carolyn Dexter Best International Paper Award, the Best Paper Award, and the Outstanding Reviewer Award. She has published in International Journal of Human Resource Management, the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, and the Journal of Organizational Behavior.

Das received her Ph.D. in Management from Syracuse University, Whitman School of Management, her Masters in Human Resources and Organizational Development from the University of Delhi’s School of Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with Honors, from Presidency College, University of Calcutta.

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.  Bryant delivers an innovative and uniquely integrated business and liberal arts education that inspires students to excel. With approximately 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students from 38 states and 53 countries, Bryant is recognized as a leader in international education and regularly receives top rankings from U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, and Barron’s.