Former URI President Frank Newman stands before a plaque unveiled during ceremonies to name the renovated admissions building in his honor. The dedication of Newman Hall, located at 14 Upper College Rd., followed a round-table discussion, in which Newman participated, on the need for undergraduate education champions.

Dozens of 4-H Club members, leaders and parents joined Gov. Lincoln Almond at a State House celebration in October at which he signed a proclamation in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 4-H Program. Pictured with the Governor is Jeffrey Seemann, dean of URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, which administers the state’s 4-H Program, and 4-H members (l-r) Sara Hogarth, Lauren Breene and Amanda George.

During URI’s Journalism Day in November, Thomas E. Franklin, the photojournalist who snapped the photo of the firefighters hoisting the flag at the World Trade Center site, told the moving story of his coverage of the aftermath of the terrorism and how he took the famous picture.

Ten URI freshmen were recently honored for their outstanding scholastic achievement and formally inducted as University College Scholars. The scholars earned the highest grade point averages in the freshmen class while also participating in extracurricular or community service activities. The scholars shown standing with University College Dean Jayne Richmond (far left) and Provost M. Beverly Swan and President Robert L. Carothers (right) are Heather White, Deana Blanchette, Karen Begin, Letitia Kane, and Salma Faghri. Seated are Ryan Richards, Meghan Bellows, Benjamin Rutt, Wayne Russo, and Staci Wasserman.

Workers begin stripping the surface at the Mackal Field House as part of a $380,000 interior renovation and resurfacing project. Work began in mid-November and was expected to be completed by late January. The basketball courts and indoor track were resurfaced. The $8 million Mackal Field House opened in 1991 and is the main recreational facility for the URI campus and home to URI’s men’s and women’s track teams.

Marine archaeologist Robert Ballard, who joined the URI faculty last summer, stood before a slide illustrating hydrothermal vents, which he helped discover, as he discussed “Ocean Exploration in the 21st Century.” Ballard was the featured speaker at the 13th annual Charles and Marie Fish Lecture in Oceanography.

President Carothers and Virginia Chafee, widow of the late Sen. John Chafee, unveil a plaque honoring the Senator during ceremonies to rededicate the Chafee Social Science Center last fall. The eight-story building, which houses many offices for the College of Arts and Sciences, was originally dedicated in 1972 to Senator Chafee, who was Rhode Island’s governor when the building was planned.