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Summertime Transformations and works in progressAmong other things, the summer of 2001 at the University of Rhode Island's Kingston Campus was about physical transformations. Book bags were replaced by tool belts, ball caps by hard hats, cars by trucks and tractors, and laptop computers by pneumatic hammers and drills. Nearly every corner of the campus was in a state of change. Here's a quick snapshot of some projects that have kept folks bustling about: Open for classes. The temporary closure of the largest facility on the Kingston Campus last December, the Chafee Social Sciences Center, has in many ways redefined the concept of fast-track work. The building is now ready for partial re-occupancy this fall, with the completion of the first round of work, which involved the removal and replacement of windows and entryways in the two-story low-rise section. This portion of the building includes all four large lecture halls and classrooms. Throughout this entire process, the University's utmost concern has been, and continues to be, ensuring the health and safety of students, faculty and staff. Opening new doors. The front door for potential new students and their parents, the Admissions Office, was moved late this summer to a temporary home just past the University entrance on Upper College Road. This move was made possible by the alumni of Theta Chi fraternity who recently sold their fraternity house to the University. The proceeds of the sale were donated to the URI Foundation to fund student scholarships, faculty research and other charitable activities at URI. (See story on page 3.) Now visitors who are interested in applying to the University, taking a tour of the campus, or interviewing for admissions will easily find the Admissions Office staff and be welcomed at a convenient site on the edge of the main entrance to campus. New Neighbors. The URI Women's Center will also be moving to the Upper College Road neighborhood this year. Next to the new Admissions Office, students, faculty, staff, and visitors will soon find the Violence Prevention Program and the Women's Center office located in the former Phi Sigma Kappa house. Work is expected to begin this fall, with the programs moving to their new home in January 2002. The residential component for women in science and technology, which is based on the model established with the successful URI International Engineering Program, is expected to be available in the fall 2002. Building new foundations. Further down Upper College Road, final details are being worked out for the URI Alumni Association and Division of University Advancement's new home (model shown above), as the neighboring URI Foundation facility is rising. Coastal Institute Kingston Campus. An official opening celebration will be held on Sept. 7 for the new 50,000 square-foot, three-story Coastal Institute building on the Kingston Campus. Funded entirely from Federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the facility provides office and laboratory facilities devoted to research, service, and instruction regarding marine and environmental issues. It also features a state-of-the-art environmental policy simulation laboratory. Steel Rising. The changing profile of the Athletic Facilities is being led by continued progress on the new URI Convocation Center. Since the official groundbreaking just about one year ago, the Center is really on the rise. You can keep tabs on the phenomenal progress being made by logging onto www.advance.uri.edu and checking the site that's updated weekly with new images by the URI Publications Office. Deep Freeze. Of course, there's ice on the horizon for Kingston, and ground preparations are well underway for the $12 million, 2,500-seat, Olympic-sized ice arena that is scheduled to open next fall for its year-round operation. (See story on page 1.) Ballentine Hall. The official groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of the home of the College of Business Administration took place last November. While the building provided vital temporary office space during the spring and summer for faculty and staff displaced due to the closure of the Chafee Social Science Center, January 2003 is the target date for completion of the Ballentine renovation and construction project. The University will work aggressively to compress that construction schedule, but anticipates an 18-month construction period from the June 1 start date. In the meantime, a steel-framed, masonry exterior building was constructed to temporarily house business faculty and staff. Green Hall. At Green Hall, major exterior rehabilitation and interior remodeling will now get underway with the movement of URI Admissions Office in late August. When Admissions returns to Green Hall 18 months later, it will be joined by the URI Enrollment Services group now housed in Roosevelt Hall. Three down, all in style. With the completion of Barlow Hall (Aug. '00), Weldin Hall (Jan. '01), Bressler Hall (Sept. '01) the University has made steady progress in the $64 million, seven-year plan to completely renovate its residence halls. Bressler's summer vacation renovations now completed, Butterfield Hall is next in line for its refresher starting this fall, followed by Browning Hall. About 3,500 students, including more than 2,000 freshmen, will live in URI's 18 residence Halls this year. By Jhodi Redlich
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