| 1863 |
Originally called Bryant and Stratton
National Business College, Bryant was founded as part of a
national chain of private coeducational commercial colleges. |
| 1916 |
Harry Loeb Jacobs buys the college
and merges it with the Rhode Island Commercial School, granting
bachelor of commercial science and bachelor of accounting degrees. |
| 1949 |
Bryant becomes a nonprofit, governed
by a board of trustees. |
| 1963 |
Bryant holds its first Women’s
Symposium. |
| 1964 |
Bryant earns accreditation by the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges. Bryant becomes a
four-year school and offers a blend of business and liberal arts
courses. |
| 1969 |
The new master of business
administration degree program is introduced. |
| 1970 |
Bryant breaks ground on the 220-acre estate in
Smithfield, Rhode Island donated by Earl Tupper, president of Tupperware Corporation. |
| 1971 |
Bryant moves from Providence, RI to the
$17.5 million campus in Smithfield, RI. Bryant now occupies 420 acres
and 85 percent of Bryant undergraduates live on campus. |
| 1973 |
Bryant opens the Executive
Development Center, which offers adult students classes and
certificate programs that provide a practical education to excel
in business. |
| 1988 |
The Rhode Island Export Assistance
Center opens on the Bryant campus to serve regional businesses
that conduct or would like to begin to do business abroad. |
| 1994 |
Bryant's business programs receive
accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of
Business (AACSB) International. |
| 1996 |
President Ronald K. Machtley takes
office. The former U.S. Congressman and U.S. Naval Academy graduate
leads Bryant to a new level of prominence. |
| 2001 |
Bryant launches The Campaign for Bryant,
the institution's first comprehensive capital campaign. |
| 2001 |
The Elizabeth and Malcom Chace Wellness
and Athletic Center opens. The facility rivals state-of-the-art, private
fitness centers. |
| 2002 |
The George E. Bello Center for Information
and Technology is the highlight of the physical transformation of Bryant's
campus. Designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, the Bello
Center houses the Walter and Heidi Stepan Grand Hall, the Douglas and Judith
Krupp Library, and the C.V. Starr Financial Markets Center. |
| 2003 |
Bryant is reclassified as a Master's I-level
institution by U.S. News & World Report and ranked in the Top 20 in
its category in the Northeast region. |
| 2004 |
Bryant College becomes Bryant
University, with two colleges: the College of Business and the
College of Arts and Sciences. |
| 2004 |
The Campaign for Bryant successfully ends, raising more than
$35 million for new facilities, programs, and scholarships. |
| 2005 |
The U.S.-China Institute opens on
campus to enhance academic and business programs with Chinese
academic institutions and foster trade between U.S. companies and
China. |
| 2005 |
The Communications Complex in the Koffler Building
provides students with a state-of-the-art digital multimedia studio. |
| 2006 |
Bryant offers undergraduate degrees in
Sociology and Applied Economics. The Graduate School launches the
Bryant MBA program that offers a full-time program on a part-time basis. |
| 2007 | 200 bed suite-style residence hall opens and Bryant announces transition from Division II to Division I athletics with membership in the Northeast Conference. |
