|
A Message from your University ...Dear Alumni and Friends, I am pleased with the direction in which the University of Rhode Island, as a land-grant, sea-grant and urban-grant university, is moving. The journey continues. In recent years, we have brought more visibility to our teaching, research, and outreach activities by aligning them into focus areas--areas in which the University has existing strength and the potential for even greater successes. These focus areas--Marine and the Environment; Children, Families and Communities; Health and Health Promotion; and Enterprise and Advanced Technology--along with the Liberal Arts core, serve as major themes of our funded research Partnerships. The partnerships themselves are collaborations of faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students, University staff and external participants from business, industry and other state agencies, addressing significant issues. They all include a strong learning component. Two outstanding examples of the success of this program are the Partnership for the Coastal Environment and the President's Health Promotion Partnership--efforts that have proven to be fertile ground for enhancing the University's approach to teaching, learning, research, and service. All of the partnerships serve as magnets for external funding. University-wide, the outstanding research conducted by our faculty earns about $50 million each year in external support from federal agencies, private foundations, and business and industry sources. These grants and contracts support research conducted in our laboratories, studios and offices, in off-campus venues such as public schools, and in places around the world. Many of these endeavors now involve both undergraduate and graduate students who actively participate in the discovery process led by the faculty here at URI. In addition to externally funded research, the University also provides start-up funds through its Council for Research to support proposal development, pilot studies, or research in areas where external dollars are less available, especially for our newer faculty members. From the generous endowments and gifts from our Alumni and friends, the URI Foundation also awards faculty assistance grants to support research and competitive grants for innovation in classroom teaching and learning. The URI Alumni Association, through the Annual Fund, provides further support for such activities. Of course, concurrent with these innovative curricular and research developments, our student profile has also improved dramatically. Through the creative programs in University College initially, and later through the degree-granting colleges, and the work of our Alumni Association, our students are also feeling even more connected to the University. I am proud of our University and of its potential, and I accept the challenges of moving forward as this journey continues. Sincerely, M. Beverly Swan Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs |
|
