Inauguration

Today are the formal inaugural ceremonies, so I will be brief. I simply wish to thank all the faculty and students who participated in yesterday’s symposia and poster session. Those events made Wednesday, April 7, 2010 one of my very best days in Rhode Island. The enthusiasm, energy, and manifest commitment to excellence of the students and faculty at the poster session was inspirational for me, and everyone I spoke with who attended. The quality, breadth, and impact of the research and scholarship shared by the faculty speakers at the symposia was outstanding, even exhilarating. To all who wonder if the University of Rhode Island is truly capable of transforming the world and helping to create a brighter future: talk to the faculty and students who presented their work yesterday. They are already engaged in creating that future.

Spring Break

While it’s raining (again!) here in Rhode Island, I hope that our students are enjoying spring break. Although we generally think of spring break as a time of rest and relaxation, there is a lot going on for many members of our community. This is a particularly busy time for our student-athletes: our men’s basketball team is still competing in the NIT; baseball softball, tennis, golf, track and field (both men’s and women’s) and rowing all have competitions during the week. We wish all of our teams success and appreciate the fact that our student athletes are great ambassadors for URI. Go Rhody!

But there’s much more. URI students are participating in at least three substantial and important service projects this spring break. Hillel led a group to New Orleans to support the continuing efforts to rebuild housing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The URI Saves Volunteer club is in Richmond, Virginia working in soup kitchens and with Habitat for Humanity. The URI Women’s Center and the Honors Program team up to sponsor a Habitat for Humanity trip to Birmingham, Alabama. Undoubtedly, there are even more service projects going on than this; we are just beginning to set up a database to keep track of everything our students, staff, and faculty do via the Clearinghouse for Volunteers. But I think these projects illustrate extremely well the determination of members of the URI community to make a difference.

Work also continues apace on two major projects for the spring – working with the General Assembly on our budgets and capital projects, and planning for the inauguration events April 7 and 8. A frequent topic of discussion has been the recommendation by the Governor to place two major building projects on the November ballot to be funded by general obligation bonds: a new on-campus chemistry building and a nursing education building to be located in the “Knowledge District” of Providence (which will be shared with Rhode Island College). I believe that both of these projects are vitally important to URI’s future and to the future of the state. Our current chemistry facilities located in the Pastore Chemical Laboratory are obsolete, and many years past the expected useful lifetime for such facilities. Further, there is insufficient space for critical instructional and research needs. Some students have difficulty scheduling their chemistry laboratory classes for lack of capacity. Modernizing and expanding our instructional and research capacity in chemistry will be important in building a new knowledge-based economy in Rhode Island. Biotechnology, engineering, marine sciences, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health sciences are all important to Rhode Island’s future and all require a foundation in chemistry.

The nursing building has certainly been in the news – and for good reason. A new state-of-the-art shared facility in Providence will dramatically enhance nursing education at both URI and RIC. Further, it will help us significantly expand and strengthen our partnerships with other programs and health care providers. And it has the potential to serve as a catalyst for development of health care-related enterprises in Providence and Rhode Island. If we are successful, this would represent a new and productive approach to collaboration and cooperation by higher education in Rhode Island. It is also one that would provide a great return on the investment by the citizens of our state.

With regard to the inauguration, I’ll have more to say about that in my next post. For now, I want to note that a major purpose of the inauguration is to showcase the strengths and achievements of URI. The symposia, poster sessions, lectures and colloquia on April 7 will highlight the amazing achievements and contributions of our faculty and students. They truly are transforming the world.

URI Student Town Hall Meeting

A little over a week ago, I met with a group of students in an open meeting organized by David Bedard, the President of the student government at URI. I very much appreciate David's efforts in pulling this event together, and also the coverage provided by The Good 5¢ Cigar. From my perspective it was very useful and informative, with many excellent questions ranging from parking to the curriculum. I would like to briefly comment on a couple of topics that were covered that I think warrant particular mention.

There were multiple questions that related to the quality of student life on campus, and what we might collectively do to improve student life on campus and student engagement. This is an issue that is central to URI's efforts to facilitate student success. It may be timely to bring students, faculty, staff, and university leadership together to examine this issue and to develop specific recommendations to improve student life and engagement both on the Kingston campus and in and Providence. Enhancing student life and creating more opportunities for service and leadership can significantly improve learning, the acquisition of critical skills, and our relationships with one another -- all of which can contribute to the lifelong success of our students. Many alumni have emphasized to me the importance of their participation in activities outside of the classroom to their achievements. Strengthening our community will help all of us. I expect that our students will have many thoughtful and creative ideas about this; Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Dougan and Provost Don DeHayes will be taking the lead in exploring with students, faculty, and staff how URI can achieve its goal of a diverse, welcoming, and thriving community. I certainly would personally welcome your thoughts and suggestions as well.

On another note, URI is moving ahead with the implementation of the new academic plan, which will create exciting new opportunities for students to be involved in research, scholarship, and creative work across all disciplines, and will emphasize experiential learning in internships and service. As an initial step, we started an undergraduate research fund and a graduate student enhancement fund this past fall. We will be examining general education at URI and the possibility of moving to a curriculum where four-credit courses compose a more substantial part. There are, and will be more, opportunities for students to be directly involved in this important effort, and I hope that many of you will participate.

I am looking forward to many more occasions to talk informally with students and hope that you will find such occasions as enjoyable and informative as I do.

Helping Haiti

I write to call your attention to the URI Helping Haiti Campaign that is now underway across the campus. The entire community - students, staff, faculty, and administration – is involved. All of us should be especially proud of the leadership once again demonstrated by the students of URI. Please check our home page for all the events that are scheduled and for ways that you can help.

The University of Rhode Island has a wonderful history of dedication to assisting those in need and of working to make our world a better place. The Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America, the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, and the innumerable opportunities for community service are notable examples of URI’s commitment to making a difference.

Even our research facilities are employed in the service of others. Our primary oceanographic research vessel, the R/V Endeavor, is departing at 2 pm tomorrow to deliver portable living shelters and other supplies to Haiti. It will also spend 14 days mapping the faults and related structures along the coast of Haiti in the vicinity of the January 12^th quake. Many of the Graduate School of Oceanography’s staff worked very hard to prepare the ship for this mission on short notice. On behalf of all of us here at the University of Rhode Island – thank you!

As I am confident you know, our tag line is “Think Big, We Do”. But the people of URI can also say “Think Service, We Do”, "Think Peace, We Do”, “Think Caring, We Do”. It’s a source of joy for me and many others that the University of Rhode Island aspires to be a place that lives those words.

A New Year, a new decade, a new era for URI

Last week I formally announced the creation of the Strategic Budget and Planning Council for URI. This Council, which is advisory to the President, is a new concept for the university. It will have the responsibility for developing the university's budget recommendations and priorities for my approval. The Council will operate in an open, inclusive, and transparent way to define our strategic priorities and goals. It will also develop resource allocation recommendations to achieve them. The Council consists of 20 individuals, including vice presidents, deans, faculty, staff, students, and an external representative. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will chair the Council. To facilitate the participation of the entire university community, a web site that will include agendas, minutes, relevant data, and contact information will be established in the near future. I believe that an open and transparent budgeting and planning process guided by the Council will improve URI's resource allocation decisions, will strengthen shared governance at the university, and emphasize that shared governance involves shared responsibility. These attributes of the new process will help us build a stronger community.

There are more changes on the way. Several task forces that include faculty and students are actively engaged with developing strategies for the implementation of our new academic plan, which will function as a framework for innovation and improvements in our academic programs. As one example, members of the faculty are designing about 30-40 new general education courses focused on the grand challenges of the 21st century. Our new Harrington School of Communication and Media is another great example. Faculty in those multiple disciplines have been working closely with benefactor Dick Harrington and other external communication/media experts to design an innovative curriculum that includes distinctive student experiences. I should also note that we have engaged members of the President's Advisory Council to seek external comments and perspectives as part of our implementation of the academic plan.

URI's research and scholarly activity is growing significantly, with our faculty assuming positions of international leadership in science, engineering, social science, the arts, and humanities. Our research programs in biotechnology, the life sciences, health, ocean engineering, and textiles are gaining global recognition. The worldwide renown of URI's programs in oceanography, marine biology, coastal science and policy, and ocean exploration continues to grow. The International Engineering Program, which involves integral and excellent education in a foreign language, is a model for interdisciplinary, global education. Importantly, the work of our faculty in the humanities and arts is gaining increasing recognition for its creativity and impact. The University of Rhode Island is the state's research university. It is clear that our statewide impact is growing substantially. Our faculty and students are making a difference in K-12 education, bringing new resources into the state to improve the preparedness of the state's teachers and the success of its students. We are working to improve health and healthcare in Rhode Island, to improve the climate and prospects for economic development, and to protect the environment. During my first seven months here, I have been gratified and excited to see the willingness of the business community, government, and other sectors to form new, close working partnerships with URI. Consequently, I have no doubt that URI will play an increasingly larger role in building a better quality of life for all Rhode Islanders.

There is a lot more to be done and many challenges ahead. And time is of the essence. But, as captured so well in the January issue of Rhode Island Monthly, I am convinced, now more than ever, that the University of Rhode Island is up to the task and that our next decade will be our best decade.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2010

Greetings from Montana! It's cold here (subzero this morning) but beautiful, as you can see in this picture of our house in the Bridger Mountains. Despite the distance, Lynn and I just wanted to send along our best wishes for this holiday season. We are delighted to be at the University of Rhode Island, and grateful to share with you the joys and challenges of this year and the new year. We hope and pray that all of you are enjoying this special time of year. We look forward to seeing you all in 2010.

The Staff

Some of you who read my last post might have wondered about one subject that was not addressed – the staff. That is because I wanted to comment separately about the terrific staff of the University of Rhode Island. From the day Lynn and I arrived, we have been tremendously impressed by the individuals who give so much to URI, who contribute so much to the community here, and who work so hard for the benefit of the faculty, students, and programs of the university. Whether classified or professional, union or non-union, the URI staff are exceptionally dedicated to the university. Certainly I could not be successful without the outstanding support of the staff here – folks in dining services, administration, advancement, the Foundation, and facilities have been unfailingly helpful, effective, and genuinely fun to work with. I want to especially thank Michelle and Cathy; I cannot imagine a better team for the President’s Office. Lynn and I want to thank all the staff and we hope to see you at our open house tomorrow or next week.