It was a defining moment in Gull history.
On September 1, the Endicott community gathered inside the MacDonald Gymnasium for a landmark dual Inauguration & Convocation that had been relocated indoors as rain swept the region.
Perhaps the weather was good luck for Bryan Cain, Ph.D., who was formally inaugurated as the College’s eighth president, surrounded by students, staff, faculty, Trustees, alumni, and distinguished guests.
Dr. Cain was named president in March 2026, after serving as Acting President from April through October 2025 and then as Interim President, all while leading the College through a period of significant growth and momentum.
The milestone also marked a new beginning for the Class of 2030, as students embarked on their own Endicott journeys and took their place in the next chapter of Endicott’s story.
This year’s Class of 2030 comprises 875 eager students who hail from 28 states and eight countries, from Switzerland to Mexico. Most popular majors for the Class of 2030? Nursing, psychology, and business management.
“To the Class of 2030, Convocation marks your arrival. And though I’ve served as Interim President and President for nearly two years now, today feels like my arrival, too,” said Dr. Cain in his inaugural address. “And just as the Class of 2030 begins its journey, so do we—as one community, looking toward what comes next.”
‘That is Bryan’
As Endicott looks toward its future, Sara Allen, Professor of Communication and President of the Endicott College Faculty Association, joked that “it was a wild time to become a college president.”
As colleges and universities confront a host of challenges at the moment, including artificial intelligence, affordability, changing policies, public perception, and more, Allen recalled reaching out to Dr. Cain about the future.
Dr. Cain acknowledged the magnitude of the challenges, Allen said, while also pointing to the energy that can emerge when people across different roles and perspectives—even when they disagree—work together toward a common purpose.
“I appreciated Dr. Cain’s willingness to admit we are up against a lot,” she said. “You cannot fix problems if you do not admit they are there.”
Jennifer Flewelling, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the School of Education, brought Dr. Cain’s leadership to life by recollecting a visit from her twin niece and nephew to Endicott. During a stop at College Hall, she ran into Dr. Cain, who took time out of his schedule to meet with them and learn about their interests.
“Before we left, he handed us lunch tickets for Callahan—and made sure to tell the kids to end their meal with ice cream,” she said. “That is Bryan.”
From 1939 to What’s Next
In his inaugural address, Dr. Cain reflected on Endicott’s founding in 1939, when Eleanor Tupper established a two-year women’s college shaped by the changing world around her. Rather than asking what kind of college already existed, Tupper asked what kind of college needed to exist.
Endicott has continued to evolve through pivotal moments, Dr. Cain noted, including the introduction of four-year degrees, the transition to coeducation, and the growth of athletics and graduate education.
“Moments like this invite us to look back with pride. But they also challenge us to look ahead with purpose,” he said. “Because Endicott isn’t simply responding to change: we’re helping define what comes next.”
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape how people live and work, Cain emphasized the importance of pairing emerging technology with ethical reasoning, curiosity, and human judgment. When combined with Endicott’s experiential learning model, he argued, AI makes a liberal arts foundation more valuable, not less.
“Our responsibility is to graduate students who can harness emerging technologies while asking better questions, making wiser decisions, and leading with integrity,” said Dr. Cain. “And we’ll continue to do that as Endicott always has: through experience.”
Cain also pointed to Endicott’s next strategic plan, which faculty, students, staff, Trustees, and alumni will collaboratively develop over the coming year.
“Nearly 90 years ago, our founder saw a changing world and asked a simple but consequential question: What kind of college does this moment require?” he said. “Today, we’re being asked that same question once again.”
When Opportunity Calls
The ceremony also celebrated Endicott’s faculty, with Provost Sara Quay, Ph.D., recognizing recent accomplishments across the academic community.
Kyungmin Park, Associate Professor of Studio Art, and Elizabeth Winthrop, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, were named Endicott’s newest Distinguished Professors, while four faculty members were selected for newly established endowed positions recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and experiential learning.
The afternoon culminated with a keynote address from 2026 Academic Excellence Award recipient Alyssa Czarnecki, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Faculty Lead of Sport Management and Esports Management.
Czarnecki recalled changing majors, walking away from the athletic career she once believed would define her, and facing setbacks that made her question whether she belonged. Experiences she once viewed as failures, she explained, ultimately became opportunities for growth.
“Looking back, changing majors taught me courage. Failure taught me humility. Asking difficult questions taught me confidence,” she said. “But lessons don’t only come from difficult moments. Sometimes they come from opportunities we choose to embrace.”
Her message to students came down to four words: “Put me in, Coach.”
More than a sports reference, the phrase represents a willingness to choose participation over hesitation and to put in the work that stepping up requires.
Reflecting on the upcoming 25th anniversary of September 11, Czarnecki encouraged students to consider how they will serve their communities and respond to the moments that shape the world.
“We don’t always get to choose the moments that shape our world. But we do get to choose how we respond to them,” she said. “Will we simply watch the world change around us, or will we help shape what comes next?”
As a new academic year began, she left the Endicott community with one final challenge: “Choose courage. Choose compassion. Choose integrity. Choose to pay attention. Choose to contribute. Choose to become.”
And when opportunity comes?
“Put me in, Coach.”