Bryan School of Business and Economics
At the Bryan School of Business and Economics, we develop exceptional problem solvers. We are proud of our track record and the fact that we offer one of the best business programs in the state. But we cannot be satisfied with the status quo. Through Light the Way, you can help strengthen student success programs to prepare students to compete for the best jobs. You can make certain faculty members have the resources they need to conduct cutting-edge research. You can ensure that students can access our top-quality education. Together, we can elevate the school’s profile to achieve our goal of becoming the premier business school among U.S. regional public universities — one that attracts more students, keeps them here in North Carolina, and creates more opportunities in our state.
— Dr. Joy Bhadury, Dean of the Bryan School of Business and EconomicsThe Bryan School changes students’ futures by providing distinctive educational experiences that are designed based on input from industry leaders. We combine rigorous academic subject matter with a strong program for personal and career growth. Our practical, hands-on approach to education offers both concrete and abstract learning experiences that enables our students to showcase their potential worth to future employers and has resulted in exceptional post-graduation outcomes for our students.
Bryan School of Business and Economics Funding Priorities
Ensuring Student Success
Ensuring student success includes helping them develop so they can compete for, and secure, the best jobs available. This is what we do through the Bryan Blueprint Series, four student success courses that are required and bear credit. We are one of only two schools in the country with this requirement. Another program, Bryan Gold, allows students to track their extracurricular professional engagement activities and build a professional development resumé they can share with employers on LinkedIn. Your campaign gift can support these innovative efforts, ensuring that they become a permanent fixture at the Bryan School.
Investing in Faculty Excellence
One of the best ways to enhance student success is by attracting and retaining top faculty. These talented professionals are committed to creating and delivering exceptional learning opportunities for students while also producing outstanding research. The market for these faculty members is extremely competitive – particularly in business fields, where they could earn much more in corporate America. Your campaign gift can give the Bryan School an edge in faculty recruitment by providing named positions. We particularly seek support for named professorships at the ranks of assistant and associate professor, which provide start-up funding for faculty research and help attract up-and-coming academic stars.
Promoting Research Excellence
Great research is critical in advancing the Bryan School’s reputation. This top-notch research requires resources, which help fund the costs of expensive databases; surveys and interviews to create custom datasets; travel; graduate assistantships for students to work with faculty members; and more. Through the campaign, you can strengthen our research enterprise by creating a named fund for faculty research or by investing in one of our proposed centers of research excellence: the North Carolina Center for Wine Business, the North Carolina Center for Sustainable Business Practices, and the National Center for Cellular Mobility Data Research.
Increasing Student Access to Excellence
We want to attract and enroll great students regardless of their financial need, yet we are mindful that students and families are increasingly concerned about student debt. We do not want a lack of funding to be the barrier to any capable student enrolling here. Your gift through the campaign can pave the way by establishing generous undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships. Your support will keep our doors open, helping secure our reputation as the #1 school for social mobility in North Carolina. Opportunity exists to create scholarships and fellowships that are need-blind as well as those that are merit-based.
Fueling the Enrichment Fund
The Bryan School Enrichment Fund is a source of funding that gives us the flexibility to respond to pressing demands and emerging opportunities. In the past, the fund has allowed us to help students facing financial emergencies and closed the tuition gap to keep students in school. It has provided seed funding for new program ideas and enabled us to keep up with the technology needs of faculty, staff, and students. It has also sent student teams to national or international business case competitions. Through the campaign, your endowed gift will generate income in perpetuity that will help us address needs as they arise.
1%
The Bryan School is among 1% of business schools worldwide with dual AACSB accreditation in business and accounting
#2
ranking in the U.S. for MBA — Greatest Resources for Minority Students by the Princeton Review 2021
#1
The Bryan School graduates more Black/African American undergraduate students and students of color than any other business school in North Carolina
86%
of undergraduate students seeking or continuing employment are employed within 6 months of graduation (2023-2024)
93%
of graduate students seeking or continuing employment are employed within 6 months of graduation (2023-2024)
#1
Online Bachelor’s in Business in NC from US News & World Report 2025
Your generosity will help develop exceptional problem solvers — the kind business executives tell us they most want to hire.
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