Bryant University

Sophomore Jake Zimmer of Monroe, CT, an advocate for entrepreneurial initiatives at Bryant, has been named a 2016 Changemaker Fellow for by Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) in Providence, RI.

Changemaker Fellows, selected from among Rhode Island’s 11 universities, collaborate to connect student entrepreneurs with resources and opportunities. With support of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, they develop entrepreneurship programming, activities, and ideas at their respective schools. Each of the nine Fellows receives a $1,500 stipend for a year of service. Tim Levene ’17 was a 2015-2016 Changemaker Fellow.

Zimmer serves on the executive board of Bryant’s chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) and is the director of the Bryant University Northeast Entrepreneurship Conference (BUNEEC), one of the largest entrepreneurship events in the region. His efforts bring successful entrepreneurs from all over the country to campus to provide inspiration and guidance to Bryant’s aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators. Zimmer is also a play-by-play announcer for Bryant’s Division I athletic teams on NEC Front Row and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

“I’m excited to be a Changemaker Fellow,” said Zimmer, a double major in Social Entrepreneurship and Management. “I want to inspire young entrepreneurs to realize that they can truly have a recognizable impact, not only in their community, but also worldwide.”

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This commentary, written by Edward Kairiss, Ph.D., Director of Faculty Development and Innovation at Bryant University, originally appeared in the American Management Association’s fall 2016 issue of AMA Quarterly.

Modern organizations exist in an increasingly complex, globally interconnected environment, and must adapt and rapidly reinvent themselves in response to new challenges. Innovation, creative leadership, and fluencies in multiple domains are hallmarks of many successful institutions. What kind of employee do they need to continue to be successful?

Employers in any professional discipline are looking for employees who approach problem solving by drawing on multiple varieties of knowledge, and can apply quantitative and qualitative methods to find a solution. Being able to think critically and write effectively are essential proficiencies. Many business situations require a collection of critical thinking skills, such as being able to distinguish good data from bad, asking smart questions of clients and colleagues, and thinking about a problem from multiple perspectives. In addition to being able to work in a team of diverse individuals, people who can acquire new skills quickly and independently will bring more value to an organization.

Many business schools highlight the success that their students experience in the post-graduation job market, no doubt an important factor in attracting students to this academic discipline. However, there is also data that suggests that the lifetime earnings of many non-business majors can equal or exceed that of business graduates. Indeed, there are numerous examples of highly successful CEOs and other business leaders who majored in humanities or some other liberal arts discipline.

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At the 12 th Annual YWCA Rhode Island Women of Achievement Awards, Bryant University and Amica Mutual Insurance Company were honored for their joint program, the Fantastic Girltastic Code Company’s App Challenge. The Fantastic Girltastic Code Company is a YWCA program that encourages middle school girls to develop a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Bryant Women’s Summit Executive Director Kati Machtley partnered with Amica’s Internet and Mobile Experience Marketing Officer Jill Rasmussen to build a multidisciplinary team of women from both organizations to develop the App Challenge program, which took place at Bryant on April 2.

Twenty-seven girls from the YWCA, ranging in age from 9 to 12, participated in the challenge. They worked in teams to identify a challenge in their community and propose a creative technology solution to address it. Mentors helped the teams develop their ideas and create storyboards to present to a panel of judges.

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The atmosphere on campus was electric as the Bryant University community joined President Ronald K. Machtley to celebrate the grand opening of Bryant’s Academic Innovation Center. The project broke ground just 16 months ago and opened for the first day of classes on September 6 — on time and under budget.

The new building is the culmination of an innovative development and design process five years in the making. It is a light-filled architectural masterpiece that was conceived and created by a team from multiple academic and professional disciplines who came together to reimagine and redefine higher education.

“We want to not only teach innovatively in this building, but also to imbue our students with the essential traits to become innovative leaders for the future,” said President Ronald K. Machtley.

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