QS is a partner that can help us achieve our international reputation and recruiting goals
Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D.
We spoke to Bryant University’s President, Ross Gittell, PhD, about the QS Stars experience. The US based institution recently earned a five star overall rating in their QS Stars assessment, and achieved five stars in Teaching, Facilities, Employability, Good Governance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Business and Management Studies.
What challenges or issues was Bryant University facing before engaging with QS? How has working with QS helped solve these challenges?
Bryant has a strong reputation as one of the best business schools in the U.S., and our international business program is especially well-regarded. We are less well-known abroad. Our objective is to increase our presence in international markets by raising our profile and improving our global reputation.
Currently, international students represent about 6% of our student population. Our goal is to increase this number. We currently recruit students from about 40 countries, including in key international markets like India, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. We are fortunate to have alumni networks in 100 countries who help deliver the message about the transformative power of a Bryant education.
QS is a partner that can help us achieve our international reputation and recruiting goals, not only because of the prestige of the QS ratings we have earned but also through the audit process, which has allowed us to self-assess our capabilities, areas for improvement, and opportunities for the university to better compete internationally.
Congratulations on achieving Five Stars in your QS Stars audit. Please describe your audit journey with Stars. How did completing the audit help refine your internal university processes?
The data-driven QS methodology is very comprehensive. A team of more than 20 people across all divisions of the institution, organized under the leadership of our Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategy, was united around the goal of performing a comprehensive self-assessment. The process was a six-month learning experience that allowed us to work collaboratively to gather information and make refinements along the way.
The process not only fulfilled the requirements for the QS Stars rating but provided valuable insights into our internal processes. For example, our Governance self-assessment led us to create an ethics committee that now meets regularly to look for areas where we can enhance our decision-making processes.
Now that you have achieved Five Stars, how will you use this achievement to reach new prospective students and partners?
The QS Stars rating is featured on the home page of our website as a badge of distinction for the institution. We are also adding the QS recognition to our promotional materials, highlighting that we have achieved Five Stars for excellence in multiple categories.
We are particularly proud of the Five Stars in the category of Employability, an affirmation of the fact that Bryant ranks in the top 1% in the U.S. for return on education investment, and that 99% of our graduates find full-time jobs or start their graduate education within six months of earning their degrees. It’s a recognition that’s fully aligned with our focus on student outcomes.
Our Five Stars for Facilities highlights over $100 million that Bryant has invested in academic and campus infrastructure as part of our Vision 2030 strategic plan, including the 2024 opening of the Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center (BELC), the new home to our College of Business and a dynamic learning hub. We continue to invest in facilities that enhance our capabilities and provide the best student experience possible.
The Five Stars ratings signal that Bryant is an institution that not only has a reputation for excellence but is continuing to invest in its future and is committed to continual innovation and improvement. International students who enroll at the university will become lifelong members of our community and contribute their own unique talents to the deep legacy of success that Bryant leadership, faculty, staff, and students have established.
What is your advice for getting the most out of Stars, from audit to promotion?
Ask questions of the QS Stars team, and make sure they understand how your institution operates. In cases where we had divergence around expectations and reporting, we were able to work closely with QS and explain how our information was collected. View QS as a partner that is helping you better understand your processes, operations, and organization, and provides the methodology and guidance to help you refine them to earn and retain your Five Stars for the long term.
The QS audit is unique compared to other rankings of academic excellence, which largely revolve around completing a questionnaire. With QS, we had multiple rounds of data revision, which made for a better assessment of the institution and gave us valuable insights into how these ratings get shaped. Be prepared for a much more intensive process than you might have had with other rankings. It takes more time to prepare and collect the information and engage with the QS team on refinements, but it is very high quality with significant value added.
How has being rated Five Stars in Employability, Teaching, Facilities, Good Governance, as well as Business and Management Studies, helped your institution be further recognized in those areas? How will you maximize your Stars ratings?
Employability, teaching, and our business and management studies programs are at the core of Bryant University as an institution. Bryant has a reputation as a leading university for business education, with all students benefiting from our integrated business and liberal arts curriculum. Our faculty is committed to teaching and student success, our facilities are first class, and we offer a very safe and collegial environment. Students who come to Bryant and spend their time learning and challenging themselves will graduate prepared for a lifetime of personal and professional success.
Governance is another Five Stars rating that we can leverage into greater recognition for the university. Bryant has done very well in a highly competitive domestic market where many institutions are facing financial challenges, shutting down departments, and cutting majors. Over the last two decades, Bryant has operated with positive net margins. We are proud of our financial performance and how our institution has navigated through a challenging higher education landscape.
The governance rating speaks to the fact that we not only deliver an excellent education but that the institution is well managed, with strong support from the Board of Trustees and a Cabinet that makes strategic decisions to ensure the financial sustainability of the institution for decades to come. Bryant University has been around for over 160 years, and with the work we have done over the last decade we’re confident it will be here for another 160 years — and beyond.
Would you recommend QS to others, and why?
The QS stars self-study audit offers a relevant perspective on your operations and how the investments you make influence outcomes for students. QS’ international perspective has enhanced how we operate, how we make decisions, how we think about students from other countries, and how the information that we produce will be conveyed and communicated globally.
Having the QS seal of excellence is an important distinction that resonates with international students and their families. That alone is worth the investment in time to work with QS on the assessment. QS processes are very transparent, and their methodology is well established. There are no surprises about how the assessment is conducted. The team assigned to work with us was highly professional and responsive.
Finally, we not only achieved our goals to complete the assessment and earned Five Stars in multiple areas that are critical to Bryant as an institution, but the QS audit helped us identify areas of opportunity where we can be more strategic and make changes that will serve us well in the future.