Bryant University

History

Butler Exchange and downtown Providence

Bryant University was founded in 1863 as a branch of a national school which originally taught bookkeeping and methods of business communication and was named after founders, John Collins Bryant and Henry Beadman Bryant. This separate chain of schools is currently called Bryant & Stratton College. In 1878 the Providence branch of Bryant & Stratton was sold to a teacher at the school, Thomas Stowell. Stowell died in 1916 the school was sold again and merged with Henry Jacobs' Rhode Island Commercial School (founded 1898). Classes for Bryant and Stratton College were originally held in the now demolished Butler Exchange building located in downtown Providence, at 111 Westminster Street on Kennedy Plaza. Bryant became non-profit in 1949 and offered its first master's program in 1969.

College Hill

From August 1, 1935, to 1971, Bryant College of Business Administration campus was located on College Hill near Brown University. Housed first at "South Hall" at the corner of Hope Street and Young Orchard Avenue, formerly Hope Hospital, the college expanded into neighboring buildings. The "South Hall" building was originally the 19th-century home of Byron Sprague, a nephew of manufacturer William Sprague III, and later the home of Isaac Gifford Ladd. When the school relocated to Smithfield, it sold the Providence campus to Brown University. The property, 26 buildings on 10 acres of land, became known as Brown's East Campus. The former South Hall became home to Brown's music department, and is now called the Orwig Music Center.

Smithfield

In October 1967, Earl S. Tupper, alumnus and inventor of Tupperware, donated his 428-acre (1.73 km2) hillside estate to Bryant College for the creation of the new campus. To thank Tupper, Bryant named the campus after him and awarded him a second degree, an honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters. In 1971, the university moved to the new campus. The famous Bryant Archway was also relocated. The old Emin Homestead and Captain Joseph Mowry homestead occupied much of the land that makes up the present day Smithfield campus. The land was purchased and farmed for three generations between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century. Today, many descendants of the original Emin settlers still live near the Bryant campus. The school also claims a handful of family members as alumni and offers a scholarship for accounting students as a tribute to the Emin family. Historical pictures of the Emin Homestead can still be found in the Alumni house.

Bryant Archway tradition

Students at Bryant have a particular way of symbolizing the completion of their education: walking through the archway. In 1875, Isaac Gifford Ladd, an associate of Charles M. Schwab and a famous U.S. steel tycoon, constructed a one million dollar building which contained the iron arch on Young Orchard Avenue on the east side of Providence. This building was meant to be a sign of his endearment to his newlywed wife.

However, his wife expressed hatred for the structure which was named after her. He took this as a personal rejection, and Ladd later took his own life. The building remained unoccupied until Thomas Marsden transformed it into Hope Hospital, which was part of Bryant College. To provide more space for classes, an addition was constructed and Hope Hospital was renamed South Hall. Four years later, prior to the school's move from Providence to Smithfield, the wrought-iron arch at the entrance to South Hall was transported to the new campus.

Today, the archway remains the only physical link to the Providence campus. After the archway was transferred from the old campus, students immediately began to avoid passing through this out-of-place structure. As a rumor had it, walking through the archway before graduation mysteriously jeopardized chances of graduating. Since this is quite a large price to pay for not following tradition, most students opted not to take the chance, which has resulted in worn paths around the arch.

Archway seal

The Bryant Seal represents the educational mission of the university and its worldwide implications. The central symbol is an ellipsoid globe with quills on each side to signify the traditional emblem of communication in business. In the center, behind the globe, is a torch symbolizing liberty, the spirit of free inquiry, academic freedom, and learning. The Archway, forming the background for the globe, torch, and quills, is a university landmark affectionately and superstitiously by Bryant alumni. The Latin motto expresses the purpose of the university: "Cognitio. Virtus. Successus." – Which means Knowledge. Character. Success. The original Latin motto has remained unchanged and has been translated into the university's current day motto which is The Character of Success.

Presidents

Ross Gittell is the ninth president of Bryant University.

John H. Chafee Center for International Business

The building was named after the late Rhode Island Senator John Chafee. The center serves the regional business community, as well as offering hands on opportunities for students to learn about global business. The Chafee Center houses the World Trade Center and Export Assistance Center for the state of Rhode Island.

Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center

The Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center (BELC) is a 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) facility donated to the university by Fidelity Investments in 2022.