Month: November 2018

An Emotional Return for Chef Chris Cosentino ’94

They say you can’t go home again, but try telling that to Chef Chris Cosentino ’94, whose whirlwind return to JWU Providence after 18 years included visits to his former South Hall room, his old kitchen-classrooms (now completely redone), and even Delaney Gym, where JWU used to hold Distinguished Visiting Chef (DVC) presentations.

Now the “Top Chef Masters” winner and restaurateur (his West Coast restaurants include Cockscomb, Acacia House and Jackrabbit PDX) is being lauded as a DVC himself — the 183rd. Speaking to a packed amphitheater filled with aspiring chefs, he can’t quite get over JWU’s evolution in those intervening years. He’s particularly enamored of the Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence, with its gleaming equipment and 360° views: “It’s like ‘Star Trek,’ it’s so different now!”

Cosentino grew up in a family where food “superseded family feuds, politics and religion.” His love of Old World Italian flavors and off-cuts was inspired by his great-grandmother, Rosalie — today, his own trippa Napoletana recipe pays homage to her deft cooking. (Ironically, he hated it as a kid.)…Click to read more

‘Entirely unique … by design’: Behind the high ranking of Bryant’s IB Program

Every year, as part of its Best College rankings, U.S. News & World Report includes a list of top international business programs, and this year Bryant’s International Business (IB) Program came in at number 25, one of the nation’s best. It’s a significant accomplishment for such a young academic program whose first graduates entered the job market just a decade ago.

The program’s distinctive features are garnering national attention from presidents, provosts, deans and senior faculty members of AACSB-accredited institutions, whose nominations for the rankings were solicited by U.S. News. Their responses earned Bryant the outstanding recognition.

A program built with global ambitions

Through the program, students gain the knowledge and credentials necessary to become multinational specialists in a chosen concentration, graduating with a B.S. in International Business. The program boasts a nearly 100% placement rate within six months of graduation, with most grads going into full-time employment and some to graduate school.

“The precise combination of all the elements of this program make it entirely unique, and that’s by design,” says Bryant’s College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula, Ph.D., the program’s co-founder. “We’ve sought to build a best practices program.”…Click to read more

New England Institute of Technology, EDP Renewables to train new wind farm workers

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. — Steven H. Kitchin, vice president of corporate education and training at New England Institute of Technology (NEIT), announced that the university will collaborate with EDP Renewables North America (EDPR) and its planned Number Nine Wind Farm in Aroostook County, Maine to develop and train workers with the knowledge and technical skills required for employment in the wind farm industry. According to Linda Dionne of NEIT, several NEIT students are from the Eagle Times coverage area.

EDPR is a global leader in the renewable energy industry that develops, constructs, owns, and operates wind farms and solar parks. Number Nine Wind Farm will provide clean, zero-emissions electricity to Rhode Island customers at a low, fixed price if selected by National Grid in the upcoming procurement of renewable energy initiated by the State of Rhode Island.

Number Nine Wind Farm would be the largest operating on-shore wind farm in New England and will require a highly skilled workforce to construct and operate the site. NEIT’s mission of preparing its graduates with the technical skills needed to be successful in the ever-changing labor market fits perfectly with the needs of growing and successful renewable energy owners and operators like EDPR. New England Tech faculty are experts in their respective fields, and the university offers relevant coursework and training in its Associate of Science degree program in electrical technology with renewable energy. NEIT’s degree program can afford Rhode Island workers and new, potential EDPR employees the opportunity to learn the necessary knowledge and technical skills used in the fast-growing renewable energy industry….Click to read more

John Kerry tapes special episode of Story in the Public Square at Slave Regina University

NEWPORT, R.I. – Silence filled the great hall of Ochre Court. The cameras rolled and the audience sat in hushed anticipation of the special guest. On October 10, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry filmed a special edition episode of Story in the Public Square at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. Salve Regina President Sister Jane Gerety gave the opening remarks welcoming the Secretary to the University.

Hosted by Jim Ludes, Executive Director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, and G. Wayne Miller, Senior Staff Writer at The Providence Journal, Story in the Public Square is a weekly 30-minute program that tries to make sense of the stories shaping public life in the United States.

Upon answering the first question from Story in the Public Square co-host Jim Ludes, Kerry broke his stoicism. “First of all, I’m glad the Red Sox won last night,” he said, to much laughter and amusement of the audience.

The episode focuses on Kerry’s new book, Every Day is Extra. “This one is a lot from the heart and from the gut,” Kerry said, “It’s honest and it’s optimistic.”…Click to read more