WORLD TRADE DAY More than 500 businesspeople attended Bryant’s 28th Annual World Trade Day on May 22. Titled “Made in the USA : Globalization Starts Here,” the day-long conference featured seminars and presentations that inspired, educated, and motivated business leaders seeking to increase global sales, find new markets, or begin exporting. The morning keynote speaker was Jill Schlesinger, CFP ®, editorat-large for CBS MoneyWatch. com, who shared an overview of the current state of the global economy.
Jill Schlesinger shares her overview of the global economy at World Trade Day.
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee offered remarks at the luncheon prior to a C-Suite Panel Discussion: “Making It in the USA,” featuring Giovanni Feroce, CEO of Alex and Ani; Cheryl Merchant, president and CEO of Hope Global; and John Hazen White Jr., president of Taco. Participants were encouraged to take advantage of an array of services available at agencies such as the John H. Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant, which offers ongoing programs to assist local and regional companies to expand their international business efforts.
V.K. UNNI NAMED INTERIM DEAN V.K. Unni, D.B.A. , has been appointed Interim Dean of the College of Business. During his 13-year tenure as Bryant’s vice president for academic affairs, he is credited with providing guidance and leadership for many new programs, faculty appointments, and projects. He stepped down from that role in May 2010. After a year-long sabbatical, he returned to Bryant, joining the faculty as Distinguished Professor of Business. Unni, who has extensive experience in academic administration, provided focused leadership during the transition from Bryant College to Bryant University, including the creation of the College of Arts and Sciences and the integration of its curriculum with the College of Business. The University is currently involved in a number of accreditation-related activities including preparation of the AACSB Maintenance of Accreditation study. Unni has been at the forefront of the current reaccreditation process since August 2012, and has chaired or been a member of the site visit accreditation teams to numerous other universities since the 1980s. He has also chaired AACSB committees, and served as an AACSBappointed mentor to several universities in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Latin American countries. He was highly successful in leading Bryant through laudatory NEASC and AACSB reaccreditation efforts during his tenure as vice president for academic affairs.
BRYANT’S HOT NEW GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM The Wall Street Journal notes that select universities, including Bryant, have recently introduced global supply chain management programs, and that employers are noticing. Bryant’s global supply chain management program is cited
and innovation, Bryant also has recently added two concentrations to its diverse selection of academic programs: Creative and Applied Arts; and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. • Creative and Applied Arts: This concentration provides a valuable means for students to expand their creative skills, while learning the practical and
Teresa McCarthy, Ph.D., director of Bryant’s global supply chain management program (second from the left), meets with students.
in the article headlined “The Hot New MBA : Supply-Chain Management.” The story appeared in the newspaper’s June 6 U.S. edition and online. These universities “have recently introduced undergraduate majors, MBA concentrations and even entire degree programs dedicated to procurement, inventory management and global supply-chain strategy,” the article states. Associate Professor Teresa McCarthy, Ph.D., director of
Bryant’s global supply chain management program, told the paper that employers “don’t want cobbled-together courses, they want a real, content-laden supply-chain program,” and added that “Bryant has nearly 150 undergraduate and MBA students pursuing a major or concentration in the field, and employers are taking note.” Building on its 150-year history of continuous growth
applied skills needed to merge creative processes with current technologies. Students can draw upon a range of creative and critical skills required for work in design companies, museums, nonprofit and community arts organizations, and more. • Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies: This concentration, offered for some time as a minor, analyzes how gender and sexuality continue to shape society. Students develop the ability to think critically about privilege, power, stereotypes, and discrimination, skills that are valuable in the marketplace as organizations address issues of globalization and diversity. This course of study prepares students for careers in education, law, public policy, human resources, and more. To learn more, visit www.bryant.edu/courseofstudy
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