The
University of Rhode Island community celebrated the opening of two
extraordinary buildings last week. One, the state-of-the art facility for the
College of Pharmacy attracted enormous statewide attention (see http://www.uri.edu/news/releases/?id=6366).
And rightfully so. This
building will provide an outstanding platform for educating generations of
students, and its facilities will foster cutting-edge research. The contributions of the graduates and
the research programs will improve the health and lives of countless
people. Moreover, the advanced
instrumentation and the modern manufacturing facility will help create new
knowledge, new intellectual property, and products that can stimulate sustained
economic development. This building represents a major investment in the
university by the government and people of Rhode Island. As noted in our web story, the
University of Rhode Island had great partners in the design and construction of
the pharmacy building. They, together with our amazing custodial crew and
dozens of student volunteers, worked long hours to make the ribbon-cutting
celebration a great success. Most importantly, the building we celebrated will
provide a home for talented faculty, students, and staff who are dedicated to
making a difference.
With
much smaller crowds, and much less fanfare, the URI community and its partners
dedicated another home just a few days later. But it was just as special an occasion. Over a hundred people, including many
from the University of Rhode Island, gathered to celebrate the dedication of
the first Habitat for Humanity house on the Old North Road site close to
campus. The completion of this
house, the first in a four-unit complex, was an outcome of an inspirational
partnership among South County Habitat for Humanity, URI, the town of South
Kingstown and others. As a direct
result of this partnership the Stone family – Jay and Cora (a CCRI student),
and their sons Jason and Eli – have their first home.
What
should make all of us at URI very proud are the generous and dedicated efforts
of members of our community to make this happen. The partnership between South
County Habitat for Humanity and URI developed in part through the determined efforts
of Fran Noring (an Emeritus faculty member from the College of Human Science
and Services). In honor of her
years of service and advocacy, the street for the Old North Village Project has
been named for her. Gail Faris
(Assistant Director of the Women’s Center, now retired) and Jerry Sidio
(Facilities Services, and advisor to our student Habitat chapter) were also
instrumental in the success of this project. In addition to the energetic and committed members of our
student Habitat chapter, many of our student athletes and members of our Greek
system devoted themselves to raising funds and to construction. URI’s students in the Habitat chapter,
our volleyball team, and the leadership of our sororities and fraternities have
been an inspiration to the entire university. More details and pictures of the
house dedication will be on our website soon.
Thank you – everyone – who made these projects possible. The completion of these buildings is a
wonderful testimony to the importance and value of community.
