As one of America’s research universities,
the University of Rhode Island has a complex, multifaceted mission. Our mission
includes a host of priorities including undergraduate education, graduate
education, research, scholarship and creative work, economic development,
technology transfer, public service and outreach, creating community, fostering
diversity, consulting, workforce development, and much more. And we have a multitude of constituencies,
both internal and external: faculty, and
staff, all the people of Rhode Island, state and local governments, the federal
government, businesses, NGOs, agencies, and more. It is occasionally possible to overlook what
is most important amid all the activities, the seemingly ever-increasing
demands, and the multitude of constituencies.
Three events this week illuminated the
central truth that students are the reason we exist as a university. Each captured a different moment in the life
of URI, and each reaches beyond that moment.
On Tuesday night the Honors Colloquium
featured Stephanie Chafee, a nurse and a passionate advocate for affordable
health care. Lynn and I hosted a dinner
for Ms. Chafee, students, and faculty, which her husband Governor Lincoln
Chafee also attended. To observe our
students energetically and enthusiastically engaging Ms. Chafee and the
Governor was simply inspirational and a cogent reminder of the quality and
ability of so many of our students.
On Thursday we celebrated our
international students with the official opening of the flag display in the
Memorial Union; see the story at (http://www.uri.edu/news/releases/?id=6467). The event was part of International Education
Week 2012 at URI. This was in many ways
a straightforward acknowledgement of the growing diversity of the University of
Rhode Island community: flags from 99 countries were displayed, representing
the homes of the students at the university – with room for more. But as Alice Odhiambo ( class of 2011, and
currently pursuing a master’s degree at URI) so beautifully pointed out, the
flags also symbolize that the University of Rhode Island is a second home for
our international students. It is
important, even critical, for all of our students, not just those from abroad,
that URI become a more internationally focused university. In order for our students to succeed they
must be prepared to participate and lead in a global economy, and an
increasingly globalized society.
Also on Thursday, a committee of our
faculty presented a thoughtful, thorough report to the Faculty Senate on how
the University of Rhode Island can improve undergraduate academic advising for
students, especially undergraduates. In
my view, excellent advising is an intrinsic component of excellent
teaching. A consistent theme expressed
by our alumni and many current students in regard to their academic and career
success is the commitment of our faculty to advising and mentoring them. Strong advising can be as important to
undergraduate education as the curriculum itself. To the faculty who are
actively engaged in improving advising I say, “Thank you very much” for your good
work on this critical element of our teaching.
I look forward, as I am sure our students do, to the implementation of
your recommendations.
Yes, the research and scholarship
conducted at the University of Rhode Island is also part of our core mission.
It also greatly benefits students. Student engagement in research and creative
work is more important than ever, for both graduate students and undergraduates
alike. As we work to increase research,
scholarship, and creative work at URI, as we seek to help rebuild the Rhode
Island and the national economy, and as we strive to serve the people of our
state and nation, we must remember that, in the end, all that we do really is
about our students and their future.
Their future is the world’s future, and higher education and the University
of Rhode Island have always been about creating the future.
