Panhia Lee

Mentors connect Bryant students to invaluable experience

Bryant’s culture of mentoring is a key aspect of the University’s student experience, and an important element of preparing for postgraduate success. Take a look at some of the ways students gain guidance and perspective through the University’s corporate partnerships, world-class faculty and extensive alumni network.

Finding answers

The CVS Women’s Success Network Mentoring Program matches 34 CVS Health leaders with 36 Bryant students in a program open to undergraduates, graduate students, and Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies students.

Three group meetings, held throughout the semester, cover topics that include resume writing, interviewing, and career paths. The heart of the program is the individual relationships students develop with  their CVS mentors. Each pairing tailors meetings and discussion topics to meet the student’s needs.

“When I think about the great mentors I’ve had over the years, they listen, they give advice, but they never tell you what to do,” says Laurie Hubble-Brown MBA ’04, a Strategic Human Resources Business Partner at CVS Health Corporation. This past spring she mentored Meaghan Mahoney ’19, a Business Administration major concentrating in Human Resources.

Mahoney appreciates Hubble-Brown’s experience and her unique understanding of her industry. “Laurie’s definitely helped me explore my options and what will work best for me,” she says. “She’s helping me understand what’s worked for her and what didn’t work and what that means for me going forward.”

Gaining perspective

The College of Arts and Sciences Mentor Match program connects students and faculty who have common interests and experiences. The program provides an opportunity for students in the liberal arts and sciences to learn from faculty mentors who have expertise in one of three interdisciplinary areas: education, health care, or environmental studies.

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Hassenfeld Hears from RWU Students about Value of Community Projects

Alan G. Hassenfeld, the retired chairman and CEO of Hasbro Inc., came to Roger Williams University in May to hear about the community projects that RWU students are undertaking with the help of a $500,000 gift from Hassenfeld Family Initiatives LLC.

Kelsey Rogers ’17, one of the seven students in the inaugural group of Hassenfeld Student Leadership Fellows, told Hassenfeld about her work as founding president of the Food Recovery Network on campus. Since its inception in April 2014, the RWU chapter of the Food Recovery Network has collected more than 20,000 pounds of extra food from campus dining halls and provided it to local shelters, she said.

“That would have either been composted or ended up in a landfill, which is obviously a major environmental concern,” Rogers said. “It makes a difference in the community because we are going to these shelters and we are actually putting the food in the fridge. We have a relationship with the people that are benefiting from the food we are bringing.”

For instance, one of the shelters is for battered women and their children, she said. “So many times when we get there, it’s kind of late, but if there are kids still awake, that is the best thing ever because they get so excited. We are seeing those faces of people benefitting.”

Hassenfeld asked what will happen to the Food Recovery Network at RWU once Rogers graduates.

Rogers said the organization (which works in conjunction with Bon Appétit, RWU’s food service provider) has attracted about 100 members and has a strong leadership team. “So I have no doubt it will continue on,” she said. “We have so many faculty who have been completely immersing themselves in this program to make sure it continues.” And, she said, the group has been reaching out to other colleges and universities in Rhode Island to try to make it a statewide program.

Arlene Violet, a RWU trustee who is a former state attorney general and a former nun, told Rogers that she appreciates the organization’s effort to encourage students to avoid wasting food. “It’s making people conscientious about food and people not having food,” she said. “That must be the nun part of me, but it’s this whole business of: ‘Go up for seconds if you are still hungry — but don’t waste food.’ ”

Hassenfeld also heard from Krystal Cardin ’18 about the graphic design work that RWU students did for the Pawtucket Central Falls Community Development nonprofit, which develops and manages affordable housing.

Also, RWU architecture school dean Stephen White and architecture students Meghan Roscoe and Annalisa Baci told Hassenfeld about urban forestry and tree mapping programs made possible through the Hassenfeld projects. They detailed work done with the Bristol Conservation Commission and the Roger Williams University Arboretum.

RWU President Donald J. Farish told Hassenfeld that his generous donation is helping to bolster and extend the university’s commitment to community-engaged teaching and learning. “Part of an education is learning how to be effective in helping the world be a better place and helping to change the world,” he said. “So rather than sort of study it inside the classroom, how about getting out into the community?”

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New England Institute of Technology Offers 2 Ways for RI High School Students to Earn College Credits

New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) is now offering students in Rhode Island public high schools two dual enrollment options to earn credit toward a degree at its technical career university. NEIT was among the first colleges and universities to participate in the state’s Advanced Coursework Network, launched in 2016. If you’re enrolled in a school participating in the Advanced Coursework Network, you are able to take advanced-level, credit-bearing courses at NEIT at no cost to yourself or your family.

The credits earned will then be applied to your college degree at NEIT. You can REGISTER HERE for Advanced Coursework Network to get a jumpstart on your career at New England Tech.

A second way you can earn credits toward a NEIT degree is if you are a Providence Public School junior.  New England Tech is offering conditional early acceptance, allowing you to earn credits toward your NEIT degree while still in high school. The program is open to all juniors enrolled in Providence public schools who have at least a B average at the end of their junior year and, through school attendance and behavior, have proven the maturity necessary for college success. You must also meet NEIT’s admission procedures for the programs to which you are applying. If you do, NEIT will waive all application fees. In this program, you can take up to two courses per quarter, with a maximum of four courses per calendar year. These courses are free and allow you to earn credits for high school and college simultaneously.

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JWU Students Create Campaign to Combat Homelessness in The State

The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless (RICH) recently hosted their annual luncheon. According to their online overview, RICH “strives to highlight the issue of homelessness, increase public awareness, and heighten public involvement in order to solve the problem of homelessness in Rhode Island.”

This year’s 2017 luncheon was special because the campaign utilized was created by Johnson & Wales students. Every year RICH comes to one of JWU’s Integrated Marketing Communication classes in hopes that the students will come up with a unique marketing idea. The classes called upon this time were taught by Professors Oscar Chilabato and Christine Ure. The students had an opportunity to pitch RICH a bunch of marketing ideas.

Two of the students who were instrumental in creating the campaign were Jayson Braynen and Patrick Lindner. Lindner is close to the cause because he interned with RICH over this past summer. The campaign designed was called #BRINGUSHOME. The idea was to remind people that there is work left to be done, and reflect on the hard-work that has already been put in. The students used a video about a man named Luis Fred. His story is about being rehabilitated after being homeless. He exemplifies a success story as he now benefits from a paying job, and is a speaker trying to change the beliefs about homelessness.

Braynen commented on the initiative stating, “”The work non-profit organizations do in this state is no less difficult or meaningful than work that is done by commercial organizations. The “Bring Us Home” campaign for the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and the people it has impacted is proof of that. The experience was unforgettable – I’m happy to have played a small part in a great cause that was worth celebrating earlier this month.”

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