Student Involvement
Center for Student Leadership & Involvement
The 24/7 Experience
Bryant provides a 24/7 learning environment where you can apply course concepts to a wide range of student life opportunities that inspire you and prepare you for the real world—personally and professionally.
You can go from your Nonprofit Management class to an Up Til Dawn organizer’s meeting to plan a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. From your Political Satire course to your performance with the Bryant Players theatre group. From your Communications course to hosting your own show on WJMF Bryant radio.
You’ll build confidence, interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities alongside your fellow Bryant students, who are motivated and competitive, but loyal to one another. At every turn, you’ll find opportunities to grow within our collegial community where a deep sense of pride and place forges lifelong connections.
With the help of a dedicated, mission-driven Center for Student Leadership and Involvement (CSLI), located in the Fisher Center, you’ll have access to a diverse array of opportunities:
Unpack a variety of core competencies that apply to a wide range of fields through an array of programs, events, partnerships, and positions. Learn more about leadership development offered through the CSLI.
Bryant offers 110+ highly active student organizations, including:
- Partnering Organizations, who serve as recognized representatives of the undergraduate student body to the University administration and are advised by paid University staff dedicated to serving in this role. They serve the University at a system level and include organizations such as the Archway, the Multicultural Student Union, Student Government, and more.
- Additional organizations focus on a wide range of areas and include:
You can find a full list of student organizations and other student life activities at engaged.bryant.edu.
Participate in or help organize a wide array of special events and campus traditions, including:
- CSLI Departmental Programs such as involvement fairs, blood drives, student leadership programs and fellowships, and community service and nonprofit engagement initiatives
- CSLI After Dark, consistent nighttime programming that invites students to relax, meet new friends, and enjoy interesting activities
- Student Programming Board (SPB), the body of undergraduate students that provide meaningful programming to enhance students’ Bryant experience both on campus and in the surrounding community. Examples of activities planned by the SPB include:
- Special Weekends, such as the Big B, Spring Weekend and Concert, and Winter Weekend
- Annual Lectures - recent examples include Danny Amendola, John Quinones, Dennis Eckersley
- Consistent Programming, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly
- Trips, such as to theater shows, sporting events, and seasonal and recreation activities
- Student Organization Events and Programs, which are supported by the CSLI but remain majority lead, managed, and owned by students, for students. Some large event examples:
- St Jude Up ‘til Dawn (Bryant Up ‘til Dawn)
- BUNEEC Annual Conference (Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization)
- Special Olympics (Bryant Special Olympics)
- Greek Week (Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils)
- Derby Days (Sigma Chi)
- Fall Concert (WJMF Radio)
- Relay for Life (Colleges Against Cancer)
- Spring Concert and Weekend (Student Programming Board)
Greek Life organizations play a vital role in the ongoing development of the Bryant University campus and participating students, offering leadership, philanthropic, social, and service opportunities. Bryant’s Greek organization use a deferred recruitment system, meaning that first-year students must wait until their second semester to enter the recruitment process and accept potentially accept a bid.
Community engagement opportunities provide students with a chance to engage with the community through volunteerism, dialogue, and external leadership opportunities. Community experiences are woven throughout CSLI offerings, and the Center supports recognized student organizations that are focused on community engagement such as Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity, and more. Some examples include:
- AmeriCorps VISTA: Bryant proudly hosts an AmeriCorps VISTA grant, which places a full-time staff member on campus with the goal of enhancing the level of external leadership and community partnerships that exist on campus
- CL/LACE Fellowship Program: offers Bryant students the opportunity to participate in a semester long community engagement and leadership development program and receive a stipend
- Special trainings on community concepts: topics have included advocacy, awareness, and responsible/ethical service
- Social Impact Principle: All 110+ student organizations are required to demonstrate at least one instance of social impact throughout the year
- Non-profit networking opportunities that allow students to explore careers in service
As a department that works closely with a large population of students, CSLI staff can help them unpack their interests and connect them with recommended areas of involvement and long term leadership goals. CSLI also serves as an adviser and guide for new and emerging ideas or to discuss gaps they see in the offerings that are provided to the campus.
The Center for Student Leadership and Involvement (CSLI) maintains and supports a diverse array of co-curricular programming, student organizations, community engagement initiatives, and leadership development opportunities. These essential campus resources, along with the advisement and support from CSLI staff, promote inclusive opportunities that foster personal and professional development, innovation, and global thinking. CSLI works to create a comprehensive college experience that emphasizes the importance of linking on-campus collaborative learning environments and social development with off-campus real-world connections, community engagement, and active citizenship. CSLI strives to develop and empower students as they meet Bryant’s mission to “discover their passion and become innovative leaders with character around the world.”
