Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley announces plans for 2020 retirement

Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley announces plans for 2020 retirement

Ron and Kati Machtley have spent 23 years leading the Bryant University community.

In a May 6 letter to the Bryant community, Ronald K. Machtley announced his retirement date as University president. He will serve through Commencement in 2020. Machtley became Bryant’s president in 1996 and has led the organization for 23 years. Under his leadership, Bryant has experienced significant growth in areas including academic excellence, enrollment, campus expansion, and endowments.

Machtley’s letter stated, “It has been an honor to serve as president of Bryant University and Kati and I are extremely grateful. We love this institution, its faculty, staff, and students. It is simply time to start a new chapter in life. Kati and I would like to pursue creative interests and travel while we’re still in good health, rekindle old friendships, and spend much more time with our children and grandchildren. After 49 years of a working career that included the US Navy, the practice of law, service in the US Congress, and now 23 years as president of this great institution, it is time to pause and pass the mantle of leadership to another.”

Ron Machtley has been a catalyst in transforming Bryant from a regional business college to a nationally-ranked, world-class university. For 23 years he has ignited and sustained growth at Bryant – in academic offerings, enrollment, student programs and athletics, and campus facilities. He has excelled in every aspect of the job.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR WILLIAM J. CONATY ’67

Under Machtley’s leadership, Bryant saw results that included:

> A record-breaking capital campaign currently exceeding $103 million;

> Establishing the College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences, elevating Bryant from college to university;

> A move to highly competitive NCAA Division I athletics;

> Prestigious national rankings, including a U.S. News & World Report jump from #24 to #10, with top-ranked programs in International Business and Marketing;

> Establishing the School of Health Sciences and its Physician Assistant program;

> Making global perspective an integral part of a Bryant education, creating the Sophomore International Experience and a campus in Zhuhai, China;

> Hiring 102 additional full-time faculty and staff to serve a student population that grew from 2,200 in 1996 to over 4,500 today;

> Adding nearly 500,000 square feet of academic, library, residence hall, athletic, and other facilities, with 20 new spaces including the award-winning Quinlan/Brown Academic Innovation Center and the Bulldog Strength & Conditioning facility.

When visitors look around the campus today, appreciating the new buildings and beautiful grounds and the positive attitude of students and staff, they are admiring the results of the Machtley years. As an alumnus, I’m proud of Bryant, and so grateful that Ron came to us at the right time. He made bold changes on all fronts, and clearly for the better. Ron and Kati will be a tough act to follow.

TRUSTEE DAVID M. BEIRNE ’85

Board Chair Conaty noted, “We expect to start the search fairly soon and conclude the process before next year’s 2020 graduation.”

The Bryant community responds