Champion for Philanthropy award brings

Corey Levine ’80 full circle

Ten years ago, Corey Levine ’80 spoke with a new member of the Bryant University Advancement staff who offered to reconnect him with Professor Michael Lynch, the faculty member who first sparked Levine’s passion for tax accounting during his sophomore year. Professor Lynch asked Levine to return to Bryant to speak to his undergraduate taxation classes. That full-circle moment rekindled Levine’s relationship with the University, and it renewed his gratitude for the career path Bryant opened up for him. “I would not be here if it weren’t for Bryant,” says Levine. Because of this reconnection, he felt moved to express his gratitude through philanthropy.

“I felt this was a place where I could make a difference.” Since then, Levine has invested deeply in Bryant, with generous gifts to scholarships, the accounting program, and Hillel. His philanthropy has impacted countless students’ lives by providing educational opportunities and enriching their academic and co-curricular experiences, setting them up for success in their future careers. For his outstanding dedication to Bryant, Levine was presented with Bryant’s Champion for Philanthropy Award in a special ceremony on January 13, 2023 in Palm Beach, Florida.

When Levine first drove onto Bryant University’s campus for a visit with his parents, he felt drawn to it immediately.

“Bryant was the only school I applied to,” he says. He was accepted later that year as a junior in high school.

Already interested in a career in accounting, Levine says Professor Lynch sparked his lifelong passion for taxation in a second-year class.

“It just clicked for me,” he says, and he never looked back.

At the end of his time at Bryant, with job offers from seven of the “Big Eight” accounting firms — “because one of them didn’t come to campus [for a recruiting visit],” explains Levine dryly — he chose to start his career with Arthur Young because, he says, they alone offered the opportunity to start working in the tax department after just one year at the firm.

Levine opened his own private

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Bryant Hillel, a testament to Bryant Hillel's commitment to connecting students of all faiths to Jewish cultural and religious customs and cultivating a welcoming and inclusive community.

Bill ’67, H’22 and Sue Conaty

continued from page 1 mobility. In February, the couple committed $5 million to Vision 2030, earmarked for athletics and scholarships. Their gift drives significant momentum toward a Vision 2030 capital campaign and brings their lifetime support of the University to more than $13 million. Of the Conatys’ Vision 2030 commitment, $3 million will support the construction of a new athletic arena and a baseball turf upgrade to extend the length of the training season.

“Baseball, for us, was nothing like it is now,” remembers Conaty, a Bryant Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. “Our trip ‘down south’ was to go to the Quonset Naval Base in Rhode Island and, depending on whose ship was in at the time, they might have a pretty good team.” transform from a regionally known institution to one with a national presence. Conaty and trustee Michael E. Fisher ’67, H’15 led the charge for Bryant’s record-setting 2019 capital campaign, which raised $111 million — surpassing its initial goal of $75 million.

2030 commitment to scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds who, like her husband, are the first in their families to go to college.

“For the first-generation kids applying to college, it’s a life-changing experience. And their successes could be inspirational to others in their families, as well. That’s the impetus for me, personally, so I’m really pleased Bill decided to listen to me,” she says with a laugh.

The Conatys’ giving accelerated in the early ’90s, when Bryant’s advancement office invited the couple to Smithfield for a visit — their first time seeing the Smithfield campus, which was donated to the University in 1972. They were struck by then-President Ron Machtley’s vision for the future.

“Whether it’s an athletic team making the NCAA regional tournament or a new facility or new curricula, Bryant continues to expand in all areas. The health sciences are fantastic. The PA program is a big deal,” he says.

“And it’s all about the outcomes.

The fact that we have 99 percent of our kids either in graduate school or in a significant job paying $68,000 a year within six months — that’s our brand now.” stratospheric success, Conaty says. That’s why he and Sue made their gift early and made it public. Bryant has a short history of institutional giving, Conaty says, and the alumni community needs to change that.

“ We’re trying to set an example for the next generation and share this mindset that you can really do some good here.”

BILL CONATY ‘67, H’22

February 11 | Baltimore, MD

PRE-GAME BASKETBALL RECEPTIONS practice in 1987, after five years at Arthur Young and two at a smaller Long Island firm. “I wanted to build something of my own,” he says, rather than accept a status quo that wasn’t working for him.

Later in his career, he began working as the accountant for Selma Ettenberg, a business owner and philanthropist.

“She was a big believer in women’s causes, children’s causes, Jewish causes,” says Levine, “and we became fast friends and business acquaintances.” Ultimately, Ettenberg donated to a school in Israel and named it after Levine’s son, Scott, who has autism. “It still chokes me up when I think about it,” says Levine. “She taught me the value of paying it forward.”

As he reflects on his career, Levine credits his success to his passion for his work, first sparked in a Bryant classroom. “I love what I do,” he says. “There are those who just have a job, and there are those who have a career. I encourage graduating students to look upon their future as a career. You get out of it what you put into it.” Now in his 42nd tax year, Levine has put quite a bit into his own career, but he sees no end in sight, though he is considering one change to the status quo. “I’d like to slow down a little bit — maybe only work five and a half days a week instead of seven.”

$75,000 FOR THE 75 TH ANNIVERSARY

To mark the occasion, a crowdfunding campaign to raise $75,000 for student travel and internships in Israel and to augment Hillel staffing resources and student leadership is underway!

Corey Levine ’80 has made a generous commitment to match all gifts up to $25,000 from members of the Bryant community in order to meet the $75,000 goal.

And Parent Networking Events

February 22 | Newark, NJ

Alumni came out to Newark to cheer on the Bryant Bulldogs basketball team with President Ross Gittell, Ph.D. and were given a nail biting, exciting win!

Alumni showing their Bulldog spirit include Gabriella Rossi ’12 and Michael Malenfont ’14 with Daniel Wystapek of Bryant Admissions.

Back row: Kathleen and James Messina ’90 Mark Giganti ’88, and Janine Pielech.

MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY BY SCANNING THIS QR CODE.

View more pictures at facebook.com/bryantalumni/photos

As Conaty and his Bryant classmates were graduating, his fellow Americans were called to fight in the cities and jungles of Vietnam. A year after graduation, while he was enrolled in the management program at GE, Conaty drew a low number in the draft lottery and enlisted in the Army.

“I wanted to serve and, hopefully, get back home,” he says. Conaty was assigned a hospital X-ray technician role, which required over a year of education and medical training. When he completed the program, Conaty was sent to a stateside military base and was never deployed overseas.

Around the same time, Conaty made his first donation to Bryant: $20, in 1970, while he was earning a salary of $147.50 per week at GE.

“That would’ve been a big night out for us,” Sue says, adding that the couple will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary this June. A former special education teacher, Sue volunteers with a local literacy program that helps children read at level by the end of the third grade. She was the motivating force behind the couple’s $2 million Vision

Alumni weekend

continued from page 1 and reconnect with other classmates I may have lost touch with” notes Vicente Pina ’88 of Beaverton, Oregon. Vin will be back hosting a wine tasting as part of this year’s many activities. Returning for our Alumni College sessions will be favorites from last year — a morning yoga class, an art class, and an opportunity to return to the classroom — with no final exam or homework required. Professor Mike Roberto will lead a session with the theme “How to Stand Apart from the Competition” featuring a discussion of Professor Roberto’s two latest case studies: Viking Cruises and Tractor Supply.

Our student orientation leaders will help host a Bulldogs kids camp including a special visit from the Southwick Zoomobile featuring live animals direct from the zoo. We are also planning a disc golf course, a scavenger hunt and other family-friendly activities.

WITH PRESIDENT ROSS GITTELL, PH.D. Taylor Janoskie ’16 Ryan Barrett ’15, and Nicholas Farrington ’21 were among the Bulldogs cheering on the team against UMBC.

IMPACT BOSTON RECEPTION WITH ALUMNI AND STUDENTS

A group of more than 20 Bryant Finance Association students spent the day visiting companies in Boston. The trip was led by professors Maura Dowling and Valerie Leduc ‘03. The tour ended at HarbourVest Partners where Bryant alumnus and Trustee, Scott Voss ‘92 P’25 (far right) hosted a networking reception for more than 50 Bryant students and alumni.

“Ron and Kati were so passionate and so full of enthusiasm,” says Sue. “They were so inspirational; how could you not get caught up with them?”

“For the first-generation kids applying to college, it’s a life-changing experience. And their successes could be inspirational to others in their families, as well. That’s the impetus for me.”

SUE CONATY

Machtley convinced Conaty to reconnect with the campus and, after he retired from GE in 2007, Conaty doubled down on his commitment — both philanthropically, with gifts that built Conaty Park baseball and softball fields and the Conaty Indoor Athletic Center, and with his time as a member of the Board of Trustees, which he joined in 2008. As board chair from 2014 to 2020, Conaty says he watched the University

Members of Bryant’s Class of 1973 and earlier classes will have special programming to commemorate Bryant’s history, including an East Side bus trip and the Archway Society luncheon. Committee chairs Bill Burns, Carol (Carlson) Shibley, and Tom Tatro are enthusiastic about getting a record number of classmates back to Smithfield.

“I’ll be driving my teal 1973 Ford Mustang, 2-door convertible that I purchased shortly after graduation and we’re inviting any alumni with a vintage car to join a small show on Saturday, June 3 on the Bryant campus.”

TOM TATRO ’73

Bryant now has two major opportunities for alumni to return to campus. Alumni Weekend in June and Homecoming in the fall. Register online at bryant.edu/reunion for June 2-4.

Scan here for full details on Alumni Weekend >

In 2019 — “after 24 years of spectacular service to Bryant,” Conaty adds — Machtley announced he was retiring. Alongside fellow trustee Pat O’Brien P’15, Conaty led the search for the institution’s next president.

In that role, he collaborated with a network of faculty, deans, and alumni — a consensus-building process that, he says, was vastly different from the top-down approach at GE.

“In the end, we were a very compatible team and, quite honestly, I forged some great relationships with faculty, too,” he says.

In early March of 2020, as the nation braced itself for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of economist Ross Gittell, Ph.D., then-chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, as the institution’s ninth president.

“Ross has all the credentials but, most importantly, he’s really a good human being,” says Conaty. With Vision 2030 as his bellwether and with the backing of a strong board led by David M. Beirne ’85, Gittell has the potential to usher Bryant into an era of

Philanthropy update

“We’re trying to set an example for the next generation and share this mindset that you can really do some good here,” he says, echoing remarks from his 2022 Commencement address, when he received his honorary degree. “Because if you’re an alum of Bryant, and if you’ve gone out and made it but you haven’t given back, then how will Bryant remain a world-class university?” Conaty is optimistic that Bryant’s new and established alumni are just as committed to the institution’s success. And, on several occasions, he’s been approached by current students who pledge to give back, as he has. They want to make the University a better place for the next generation, and the generation after that, because, like Conaty, they know firsthand what a Bryant education can do. “Everybody,” Conaty adds, “wants to be involved in a success story. And that’s what we have at Bryant.”

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VISION 2030, VISIT VISION2030.BRYANT.EDU continued from page 1 alumni and their guests. celebrating outstanding philanthropic commitment and leadership. Our alumni engagement staff are crisscrossing the globe to connect with the entire Bryant community and share exciting news from Smithfield.

This year, we resume a full schedule of regional events, from New York to Arizona, Washington DC to Chicago, Europe, and beyond. Past events have included remarks from President Gittell about the Vision 2030 strategic plan, insightful talks and networking receptions with prominent Bryant faculty members, and opportunities to cheer for the Bulldogs athletic teams when they are on the road. We are always updating our calendar of events on our alumni engagement website — alumni.bryant.edu — so please be sure to check there for the next alumni event near you or reach out to us to learn more about hosting an event in your city

On June 2-4, Reunion will bring back members of Bryant graduating classes ending in 3 and 8 for a weekend of fun and a trip down memory lane, with outings, family-friendly activities, and evening celebrations planned for our

David C. Wegrzyn ’86, P’23 Vice President for University Advancement

For an extra dose of nostalgia, alumni will be able to register to spend the weekend living in Bryant dormitories! As an alum, I always look forward to the energy and excitement of Reunion — there’s something for everyone, and, as you all know, Bryant always knows how to throw a great party!

With so many events coming up later this spring and summer, including the 75th anniversary of Bryant Hillel on April 19, an inaugural Healthcare Summit on May 6, our 160th Commencement on May 20, and the President’s Cup Golf Tournament on June 26 to name a few, there’s never been a better time to come back to Bryant. I hope to see many of you on campus or at our next regional event. With so much exciting change on the horizon, now is the perfect time to get involved and be part of Bryant’s next decade.