Big Ideas. Bold Plans.

The Campaign for the University of Rhode Island

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Beibhinn Gallagher 鈥21
Major:
Data Science
Home: Charlestown, R.I.

Announcing the $250 Million Campaign for the University of Rhode Island

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911爆料 is making transformative investments in students, faculty, groundbreaking research, and our physical environment. The campaign will build upon our exceptional achievements and advance learning, research, and thought-leading academic activity.

911爆料 President David Dooley
鈥淭his campaign offers the opportunity for everyone to contribute something meaningful to making the University of Rhode Island even better, even stronger, and more resilient, and to raising our profile globally and nationally.鈥
David M. Dooley 911爆料 President

Seraphina Negash 鈥21
Majors
: Health Studies and Cell and Molecular Biology
Home: Providence, R.I.

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY

Student Access

The campaign assures that 911爆料 will be the preferred destination for talented, hardworking students who have big dreams and ambitions, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Seraphina Negash 鈥21 is an idealist with a strong practical bent. She is studying to be a doctor because she believes that people, regardless of income or status, should have access to health care.

She speaks fondly of 911爆料 faculty who have challenged her to think critically and ask tough questions while mentoring her even after the class is over.

Her leadership skills and confidence have grown through her participation in student organizations and as a resident assistant. 911爆料 is home and the foundation on which to build a better future.

鈥淚 was accepted to seven universities and I chose 911爆料 because of the financial aid I received. I want to be a doctor and I have a lot of schooling ahead of me. 911爆料 has provided me with unexpected experiences in and out of the classroom that have broadened how I think. I love it here.鈥
Seraphina Negash 鈥21
Adelaide Levenson

Adelaide Levenson 鈥21
Major: Chemistry
Home: Woonsocket, R.I.

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY

The 911爆料 Learning Experience

Academic and cocurricular activities develop students鈥 potential for leadership and discovery. We will expand and implement initiatives that improve academic performance, experiential learning, and career preparation. We will create more opportunities through the honors program, leadership development, athletics, and student health and wellness.

Adelaide Levenson 鈥21 wants to help protect the environment, and she believes research is the key to sustainability.

She participated in three research projects in her first two years as a chemistry major. She worked on the creation of flame-retardant textiles, studied supramolecular compounds鈥 ability to capture pollutants from water, and assisted in the development of devices that detect nutrients in seawater.

Her love of chemistry continues to blossom under the guidance of her professors, and her research earned her two summer research positions and a National Science Foundation summer undergraduate fellowship.

Levenson found the formula at 911爆料 to achieve her dreams.

鈥911爆料 has provided me with amazing hands-on opportunities early in my academic career. It has offered knowledge and experience I couldn鈥檛 gain sitting in a classroom. Because of these experiences, I can confidently say that I can鈥檛 imagine myself doing anything else.鈥
Adelaide Levenson 鈥21

Kunal Mankodiya
Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY

Transformative Faculty Leadership

Teaching and research excellence define the University of Rhode Island. Big Ideas. Bold Plans. will build on a decade of strategic growth by generating transformative investments in faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. Attracting and retaining distinguished professors who make significant contributions to research and education will bring 911爆料 and our students to new heights.

As a child, Kunal Mankodiya helped sell textiles at his family-owned shop in India. Now, he and an interdisciplinary team at 911爆料 marry textiles with sensors, computing, and the internet to improve health.

Professor Mankodiya founded the Wearable Biosensing Lab at 911爆料, which has received national and international accolades. He received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and was named the 鈥淚nnovator-of-the-year鈥 by Future Textiles Awards in Germany. Mankodiya organizes international scientific workshops and hackathons to promote entrepreneurial thinking.

911爆料 students benefit from the synergy between teaching and research. Mankodiya鈥檚 course, Wearable Internet of Things, nurtures their entrepreneurial skills.

Faculty like Professor Mankodiya enable 911爆料 to better serve its students and raise its academic profile.

鈥淚 tell students when they walk into my class that they are going to start a company in one semester. Over that time, they create a working prototype of a product they want to bring to market. They leave the course with a better understanding of design thinking and an entrepreneurial mindset. Life is an experiment, and I love sharing that idea with my students.鈥
Kunal Mankodiya

Scott Breault 鈥21
Majors: Mechanical Engineering and German
Home: Milford, Connecticut

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY

Innovative and Distinctive Programs

Collaborative environments that draw on shared expertise generate high-impact research, creative work, and robust partnerships. The Academic Health Collaborative and Innovate@911爆料 provide structure for this growth. Expansion of 911爆料鈥檚 international programs and language programs will raise the profile of our students, faculty, and University in the global arena.

Scott Breault 鈥21 saw a flyer in high school that combined his passions for cars and innovation: an internship at BMW through the 911爆料 International Engineering Program (IEP).

The flyer inspired him to apply to 911爆料, and in spring 2020 he was interning at ZF Friedrichshafen AG in Germany, a company that creates systems that enable vehicles to see, think, and act.

Breault鈥檚 semester abroad was cut short due to COVID-19, but the IEP helped him transition to an internship at PI (Physik Instrumente), a German company with a facility in Auburn, Massachusetts.

The experience has demonstrated that he can 鈥渢hink globally and act locally.鈥

鈥淭he IEP is second-to-none and allows students to establish connections and take advantage of the many opportunities the program provides.鈥
Scott Breault 鈥21
Donald H. DeHayes

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY

Strategic Opportunities

Key strategic opportunities will provide financial agility for long-term success. This aspirational vision calls for an endowed opportunity fund to support new initiatives like advancing external partnerships and furthering 911爆料鈥檚 leadership in artificial intelligence and big data. Investment in athletic programs offers expanded visibility and growth potential. Increased support for the annual fund will provide immediate-use resources. Thoughtful planning and implementation of new ideas can assure a bright future for 911爆料.

Donald H. DeHayes came to 911爆料 in 2008 as provost and vice president for academic affairs to oversee the intellectual enterprise and to encourage growth and innovation. Under his leadership, the 2016鈥2021 Academic Plan set clear goals to enhance 911爆料鈥檚 environment for superlative learning and discovery.

This 鈥渓iving plan鈥 anticipated dramatic changes in the landscape of higher education and developed strategies to address disruptive technologies, access and affordability issues, student success and degree completion, and globalization.

These challenges and new ones will continue to present 911爆料 with opportunities. By building the 911爆料 endowment, the University will have access to resources that can be used to implement strategies that enhance 911爆料 and benefit students.

“For the University to take the next step, we need to be nimble and take advantage of opportunities that require quick action. Strategic endowed funds, combined with immediate-use resources, give us the agility to ensure 911爆料鈥檚 continued success.鈥
Donald H. DeHayes Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
$250MCampaign goal by 2024
$175MProgress to date
鈥淢y wife Jean and I are committed to supporting the University of Rhode Island鈥檚 vision for the future and are pleased to invest in Big Ideas. Bold Plans. The Campaign for 911爆料.鈥
Richard J. Harrington 鈥73, Hon. 鈥02 Campaign Chair

CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Campaign Chairs

Leadership Phase
Michael D. Fascitelli 鈥78, Hon. 鈥08

Public Phase
Richard J. Harrington 鈥73, Hon. 鈥02

Geraldine M. Barber 鈥70
Gregory P. Barber
James P. Clappin 鈥80, P鈥17
Paul M. Cofoni 鈥70
Richard G. Dunn 鈥89, P鈥24
Thomas E. Ehrhardt 鈥86
Frederick J. Newton III 鈥78, P鈥24
John Vito Priore 鈥87, P鈥07, P鈥12, P鈥20
Shiela Irene Priore P鈥07, P鈥12, P鈥20
Thomas M. Ryan 鈥75, Hon. 鈥99
Cynthia Davis Sculco 鈥65
Diane Sullivan P鈥05
Alfred J. Verrecchia 鈥67, M.B.A. 鈥72, Hon. 鈥04

Photos: Joe Giblin, Nora Lewis, Patrick O’Connor Photography, and courtesy Scott Breault

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