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An image of a male student. Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students and Chief Diversity Officer Inge-Lise Ameer sits with two students at the Ellen Wilson Leadership Center at ˿Ƶ University. A student works on a laptop inside the Ellen Wilson Leadership Center at ˿Ƶ University. The Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center at ˿Ƶ University. Four Bryant University students hang around the Ellen Wilson Leadership Center.

Ellen Wilson Leadership Center

The Ellen Wilson Leadership Center is the epicenter of leadership initiatives at ˿Ƶ University. Its core mission is to build extraordinary, ethical, and inclusive leaders capable of impacting the world.

Anchored in the new Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center (BELC), the center builds upon ˿Ƶ legacy of leadership and empowers all students to explore and enrich their leadership potential in ever greater ways during their college experience and well beyond. The center serves as a robust hub for groundbreaking research in leadership and management topics, including an undergraduate leadership summit and programming such as a lecture series and Leaders in Residence.

The center spotlights — and expands — the university’s top-tier offerings and solidifies Bryant as a premier institution for educating the next generation of leaders.

“In a world with a lot of smart people in leadership, courage differentiates you.” — Ellen Wilson 

Center Highlights

Key Initiatives
  • Ellen Wilson Leadership Fellows
  • Leadership certification available for all Bryant students
  • Forté partnership
  • Rich co-curricular programming, such as book groups and author seminars
  • Experiential opportunities and learning labs
  • Annual Undergraduate Leaders’ Summit
  • Robust Leader in Residence program
  • Mentorship matching and networking
  • Undergraduate research opportunities
  • Ellen Wilson Leadership Fellows
  • Leadership certification available for all Bryant students
  • Forté partnership
  • Rich co-curricular programming, such as book groups and author seminars
  • Experiential opportunities and learning labs
  • Annual Undergraduate Leaders’ Summit
  • Robust Leader in Residence program
  • Mentorship matching and networking
  • Undergraduate research opportunities
Wilson Leadership Fellows

Throughout their four years at ˿Ƶ, Ellen Wilson Leadership Fellows have access to intensive co-curricular leadership training, fellowship awards and other opportunities.

The program awards $5,000 to 20 incoming first-year students who show strong leadership skills or an interest in building skills. The fellowship awards can be used to fund leadership growth opportunities such as academic research, unpaid internships, attending conferences, and study abroad programs. Wilson Fellows learn about leadership from faculty, Leaders in Residence, alumni mentors, their peers, and staff. This transformative opportunity helps shape their long-term path after Bryant — to be part of a community that focuses on leadership as a subject and on developing strong, bold, ethical leaders for the future.

The goals of the program are to support a sense of confidence, empowerment, and belonging at ˿Ƶ; to enable the pursuit of greater leadership opportunities; to build confidence in the classroom and a stronger sense of self-knowledge; and to help students apply their growing leadership skills to a variety of situations and life experiences.

Throughout their four years at ˿Ƶ, Ellen Wilson Leadership Fellows have access to intensive co-curricular leadership training, fellowship awards and other opportunities.

The program awards $5,000 to 20 incoming first-year students who show strong leadership skills or an interest in building skills. The fellowship awards can be used to fund leadership growth opportunities such as academic research, unpaid internships, attending conferences, and study abroad programs. Wilson Fellows learn about leadership from faculty, Leaders in Residence, alumni mentors, their peers, and staff. This transformative opportunity helps shape their long-term path after Bryant — to be part of a community that focuses on leadership as a subject and on developing strong, bold, ethical leaders for the future.

The goals of the program are to support a sense of confidence, empowerment, and belonging at ˿Ƶ; to enable the pursuit of greater leadership opportunities; to build confidence in the classroom and a stronger sense of self-knowledge; and to help students apply their growing leadership skills to a variety of situations and life experiences.

“Ellen Wilson’s generous gift to create the Ellen Wilson Leadership Center is a testament to her strong belief in ˿Ƶ exceptional students and our talented faculty and staff, who live the center’s core mission: to build extraordinary, ethical, and inclusive leaders capable of impacting the world.”

Bryant University President Ross Gittell

Ross Gittell

Bryant University President

20

first-year students eligible for Wilson Leadership Fellow program

10

key initiatives of the Ellen Wilson Leadership Center

Making an Impact

Career

The Ellen Wilson Leadership Center supports and promotes leadership initiatives across campus, working closely with academic and student life partners to deliver a top-tier, in-depth experience. The outcome is graduates who set the highest personal and professional standards, furthering ˿Ƶ ethical, values-based leadership legacy.

Industry Partners

Bryant has joined the Forté Foundation as an academic partner to advance women’s leadership. Forté is changing the balance of power in the workplace through business education and training. The organization shows women how to build the credibility, skills, network, and confidence to thrive as leaders.

About Founder D. Ellen Wilson ’79

Ellen Wilson’s career includes executive roles at UnitedHealth Group, Optum, and Fidelity Investments, among others. She is the chair of ˿Ƶ Board of Trustees, sharing her considerable experience in values-based leadership with the broader Bryant community.

D. Ellen Wilson poses for a group photo with the Ellen Wilson Leadership Fellows.
D. Ellen Wilson speaks to a small group of people.
D. Ellen Wilson poses for a photo.