For more than nine centuries, Oxford University in England has educated some of the world’s most influential people. And over the course of the past three years, more than 40 Bryant students have tapped into that legacy through a unique partnership that highlights the university’s commitment to providing a globally informed education.
The Head, Hand and Hertford Programme in Leadership and Innovation, a two-week study abroad course at Oxford, was envisaged by Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., and his Oxford counterpart, Principal of Hertford College Tom Fletcher, after they were introduced by former Bryant trustee and board chair Michael Fisher ’67, ’15H.
“To have a study experience at Oxford, one of the best universities in the world, is a real feather in our cap as a university,” says Bryant Professor of Psychology Allison Butler, Ph.D., who leads the trip each June alongside Trustee Professor of Management Mike Roberto. The duo are the brains behind Bryant’s design thinking initiatives, including the school’s flagship Innovation and Design Thinking for All (IDEA) bootcamp for first-years.
The experiential learning curriculum developed for Head, Hand and Hertford blends the shared expertise of Butler and Roberto — both of whom teach at Oxford as part of the program — with cultural immersion opportunities led by Oxford professors, including world-renowned scholars of Shakespeare and art history. Bryant is the only school in the United States to partner with Oxford University on such programming.
Honors Finance student Bridget McConnell ’26 signed on for the trip despite a fear of flying. A self-described “art nerd,” she was enticed by co-curricular opportunities such as exploring London’s National Gallery of Art and Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, the oldest in the United Kingdom.
“Two weeks is the perfect amount of time to travel if you’re not sure about going abroad,” says the Medford, Massachusetts, native, who enjoyed day trips to Bath and Stratford-upon-Avon, the culinary bounty of Borough Market, and shopping at Harrods for a cheeky souvenir (“My daughter went to London and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”).
The Bryant cohort not only learned at Hertford, which was established in 1282 and is one of the oldest of Oxford’s more than 30 colleges; they lived there, too. Students ate breakfast in a grand Harry Potter-esque dining hall, walked along the Thames River, rode the Tube, and shopped in the city’s historic Covered Market.
The nine days of classes vary year to year, as does the itinerary: This summer, for example, students visited a BMW Mini Cooper plant to learn how innovation enables the production of up to 1,000 cars per day.
Constants include a visit by Nina Luiggi ’18. A London native and member of the 2018 IDEA leadership team, Luiggi took a day off from her market research role at Verve to teach a design thinking session with Butler. She is also one of many alums who attended a posh networking event at the trip’s end, hosted by Gittell.
As for McConnell, she’s overcome her fear of flying and is already researching her next adventure: a full semester abroad in Florence.
