View source for Organization:University of Rhode Island

{{Short description|Public university in Kingston, Rhode Island, U.S.}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = University of Rhode Island
 | image                  = University of Rhode Island seal.svg
 | image_upright          = 0.7
 | motto                  = "Hope"
 | established            = {{start date and age|1892|05|19}}
 | type                   = Public [[Organization:Land-grant university|land-grant]] research university
 | academic_affiliations  = {{hlist|Sea-grant|[[Organization:National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program|Space-grant]]}}
 | endowment              = $203 million (2022)<ref>As of March 7, 2022. {{cite report |url=https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/research/2022-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Values--FINAL.ashx?la=en&hash=362DC3F9BDEB1DF0C22B05D544AD24D1C44E318D|title=U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY21 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA |date=2022 |access-date=June 5, 2023}}</ref>
 | president              = Marc Parlange
 | provost                = Barbara E. Wolfe
 | students               = 18,061 (Fall 2021)<ref name=Enrollment>{{cite web|title=Final Enrollment Reports|url=https://web.uri.edu/ir/files/fer-spring19.pdf|publisher=University of Rhode Island|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref>
 | undergrad              = 14,654 (Fall 2021)<ref name=Enrollment/>
 | postgrad               = 3,407 (Fall 2021)<ref name=Enrollment/>
 | city                   = Kingston
 | administrative_staff   = 675 full time
 | state                  = Rhode Island
 | country                = United States
 | campus                 = [[Engineering:Suburb|Large Suburb]]
 | campus_size            = {{convert|1254|acre|km2}}
 | former_names           = Rhode Island College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (1892–1909)<br />Rhode Island State College (1909–1951)
 | sporting_affiliations  = {{hlist|NCAA Division I FCS - Atlantic 10|CAA|NEISA}}
 | colors                 = Navy Blue and Keaney Blue<ref>{{cite web|title=Brand Colors|url=https://web.uri.edu/gso/administration/public-engagement-archive/branding-and-identity-toolkit/branding-and-identity-toolkit-color/|date=September 1, 2016|access-date=November 28, 2023}}</ref><br />{{color box|#002147}}&nbsp;{{color box|#75b2dd}}
 | nickname               = Rams
 | mascot                 = Rhody the Ram
 | website                = {{url|www.uri.edu}}
 | logo                   = University of Rhode Island logo.svg
 | logo_upright           = .9
 | accreditation          = [[Organization:New England Commission of Higher Education|NECHE]]
 | free_label2            = Newspaper
 | free2                  = ''The Good 5¢ Cigar''
 | free_label             = Other campuses
 | free                   = {{hlist|Narragansett|Providence|West Greenwich}}
}}

The '''University of Rhode Island''' ('''URI''') is a public [[Organization:Land-grant university|land-grant]] research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The university is [[Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education|classified]] among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".<ref>{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=217484 |access-date=13 September 2020 |website=carnegieclassifications.iu.edu |publisher=Center for Postsecondary Education}}</ref> As of 2019, the URI enrolled 14,653 undergraduate students, 1,982 graduate students, and 1,339 non-degree students, making it the largest university in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts |url=https://www.uri.edu/about/facts/ |website=uri.edu}}</ref><ref name="ipeds">{{cite web |title=The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=RI&l=92+93+94 |access-date=2017-08-30 |publisher=U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref>

Its main campus is located in the village of Kingston in southern Rhode Island. Satellite campuses include the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center in Providence's Jewelry District, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich. The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees in 80 undergraduate and 49 graduate areas of study through nine academic schools and colleges. Another college, University College for Academic Success, serves primarily as an advising college for all incoming undergraduates and follows them through their first two years of enrollment at URI. 

== History ==
The University of Rhode Island was first chartered as the Rhode Island State Agricultural School, associated with the state [[Earth:Agricultural experiment station|agricultural experiment station]], in 1888. The site of the school was originally the Oliver Watson Farm in Kingston, whose original farmhouse is now a small museum. In 1892, the school was reorganized as the '''Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://smithlever.wvu.edu/r/download/199832 |title=Philosophical & Institutional Innovations of Kenyon Leech Butterfield and the Rhode Island Contributions to the Development of Land Grant and Sea Grant Extension |author= Rice, M.A., S. Rodrigues and K. Venturini |publisher=Century Beyond the Campus: Past, Present, and Future of Extension A Research Symposium to Mark the 100th Anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act September 24–25, 2014, West Virginia University. Waterfront Place Hotel, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Sep. 2014.|access-date= April 11, 2017}}</ref> That year, it extended courses of study from two years to four years; URI reckons 1892 as its founding date. The first class had only seventeen students, each completing their course of study in two years. In 1909, the school's name was again changed to '''Rhode Island State College''' as the school's programs were expanded beyond its original agricultural education mandate.

The college graduated its first African American student, Harvey Robert Turner, in 1914. Turner majored in civil engineering, competed on the college's football and track teams, and received a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to teach at Prairie View A&M University, where he also served as treasurer.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Slater |first=Robert Bruce |date=1996 |title=The First Black Graduates of the Nation's 50 Flagship State Universities |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2963173 |journal=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education |issue=13 |pages=83 |doi=10.2307/2963173 |issn=1077-3711}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/YEARBOOK1913 |title=The Granite Yearbook |date=1913 |publisher=University of Rhode Island |volume=17 |location=Kingston |pages=27 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1951 the school was given its current title through an act of the General Assembly following the addition of the College of Arts and Sciences and the offering of doctoral degrees. The Board of Governors for Higher Education, appointed by the governor, became the governing body of the university in 1981 during the presidency of Frank Newman (1974–1983). The Board of Governors was replaced by the Rhode Island Board of Education in 2013,<ref>{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=New RI Board of Ed meets for first time|url=http://www.wpri.com/news/local/providence/providence-new-ri-board-of-ed-meets-for-first-time|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130818041102/http://www.wpri.com/news/local/providence/providence-new-ri-board-of-ed-meets-for-first-time|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 18, 2013|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 11, 2013}}</ref> and by a 17-member Board of Trustees in 2019.

In 2013 the faculty adopted an open-access policy to make its scholarship [[Open access|publicly accessible]] online.<ref>{{cite journal|title=University of Rhode Island|url=http://roarmap.eprints.org/552/|access-date=July 24, 2018|journal=ROARMAP: Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies|date=December 15, 2014 |publisher=[[Organization:University of Southampton|University of Southampton]]|location=UK}}</ref>

=== Presidents ===
Twelve individuals have served as president, and three others have served as acting president of the University of Rhode Island. Marc B. Parlange is the current president, having served since August 2021.<ref>{{cite web|title=University of Rhode Island history and timeline|url=http://www.uri.edu/home/about/history_timeline.html|access-date=May 5, 2012|publisher=University of Rhode Island}}</ref>

==Main campus==
URI's main campus is located in northern South Kingstown,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st44_ri/cousub/cs4400967460_south_kingstown/DC20BLK_CS4400967460.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: South Kingstown town, RI|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2023-07-02|pages=1-2 (PDF pp. 2-3/7)|quote=Univ of Rhode Island}}</ref> and most of the university property is in the Kingston census-designated place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st44_ri/place/p4438980_kingston/DC20BLK_P4438980.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Kingston CDP, RI|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2023-07-02|quote=Univ of Rhode Island}}</ref>

The campus is accessed via Rhode Island Route 138 from either the west (Interstate 95) or east (United States Route 1). The campus was mostly farmland when it was purchased by the state in 1888, and still includes the c. 1796 Oliver Watson Farmhouse. The early buildings of the campus are set around its main quadrangle, and were built out of locally quarried granite. The campus master plan was developed by the noted landscape architects Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot in the 1890s. The central portion of the campus, where most of its pre-1950 buildings are located,<ref name=NRHP>{{cite web|url=http://www.preservation.ri.gov/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/sk_uri.pdf|title=Draft NRHP nomination for University of Rhode Island Historic District|publisher=Rhode Island Preservation|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116031505/http://www.preservation.ri.gov/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/sk_uri.pdf|archive-date=November 16, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="150px">
File:URI East Hall and Washburn Hall.jpg|{{center|East Hall (1909)<ref>{{cite web|title=East Hall Turns 100|url=http://web.uri.edu/quadangles/east-hall-turns-100/|website=University of Rhode Island|access-date=August 18, 2016|date=January 7, 2010|quote=The 100th anniversary of the official opening of East Hall on October 15, 1909, was celebrated on October 15, 2009}}</ref> and Washburn Hall (1921)}}
File:Lippitt Hall, URI.jpg|{{center|Lippitt Hall, named for Governor Charles W. Lippitt, was originally a drill hall and armory (1897)}}
File:GreenHall URI.JPG|{{center|Green Hall, named for Theodore F. Green (1937)}}
File:URI Carothers Library.jpg|{{center|Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons (built 1965, renovated 1991)}}
File:URI Memorial Student Union.jpg|{{center|Memorial Student Union}}
File:URI Multicultural Center.jpg|{{center|Multicultural Center (1998)}}
File:University of Rhode Island Planetarium.jpg|{{center|Planetarium}}
File:Chester H. Kirk Center for Advanced Technology.jpg|{{center|The Chester H. Kirk Center for Advanced Technology (1995)}}
File:URI_StairwayToExcellence2.jpg|{{center|New URI Engineering Stairway to Excellence (2019)}}
File:URI_Engineering_Pano.jpg|{{center|New URI Engineering Building (2021)}}
</gallery>

== Academics ==
{{Infobox US university ranking
<!-- U.S. rankings -->| ARWU_NU = 182–190
| Forbes = 444
| THE_WSJ = 401–500
| USNWR_NU = 151
| Wamo_NU = 130
<!-- Global rankings -->| ARWU_W = 801–900
| THES_W = 601–800
| QS_W = 
| USNWR_W = 774
}}

URI is accredited by the [[Organization:New England Commission of Higher Education|New England Commission of Higher Education]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Rhode Island Institutions – NECHE|url=https://www.neche.org/institutions/ri/|publisher=[[Organization:New England Commission of Higher Education|New England Commission of Higher Education]]|access-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref> The student-faculty ratio at University of Rhode Island is 16:1, and the school has 43.1% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at University of Rhode Island include: Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse; Psychology, General; Speech Communication and Rhetoric; Kinesiology and Exercise Science; and Health-Related Knowledge and Skills, Other. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 84%.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=University of Rhode Island Academics|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-rhode-island-3414/academics|website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref>

=== Rankings ===
''U.S. News & World Report'' ranks URI tied for 170th overall among 389 "national universities" and tied for 83rd out of 209 "top public schools" in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-rhode-island-3414/overall-rankings |title=University of Rhode Island Rankings |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=October 12, 2020}}</ref>

* 40th in <nowiki>''</nowiki>Pharmacy (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=URI's Graduate School Rankings|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/university-of-rhode-island-217484/overall-rankings|website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref>
* 47th in "Best Library and Information Studies Program (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 53rd in <nowiki>''</nowiki>Best Nursing School: Master's (tie)<nowiki>''</nowiki> in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 54th in <nowiki>''Earth Sciences (tie)''</nowiki> in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 80th in <nowiki>''</nowiki>Best Nursing School: Doctor of Nursing Practice (tie)<nowiki>''</nowiki> in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 101st in <nowiki>''Clinical Psychology (tie)''</nowiki> in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 102nd in "Physical Therapy (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 108th in "English (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 109th in "Speech-Language Pathology (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 119th in <nowiki>''Computer Sciences (tie)''</nowiki> in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 119th in "Best Education Schools (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 122nd in "Chemistry (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 127th in "Mathematics (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 131st in "Psychology (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 132nd in <nowiki>''Best Undergraduate Engineering Program''</nowiki> in 2021.<ref name=":0" />
* 140th in <nowiki>''Biological Sciences (tie)''</nowiki> in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 146th in "Physics (tie)" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
* 154th-202nd in "Best Engineering Schools" in 2021<ref name=":1" />
''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' ranks URI for 51-75 globally for <nowiki>''</nowiki>Oceanography<nowiki>''</nowiki> in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2021 Global Rankings of Academic Subjects|url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/gras/2021/RS0107|website=Shanghai Ranking}}</ref>

=== Admissions ===
The average incoming freshman at the Kingston campus for the fall of 2017 had a GPA of 3.54 and an SAT score of 1178 (out of 1600) (with ACT scores converted to SAT scale).<ref>[https://web.uri.edu/ir/files/Fall2017FactSheets.pdf Fall 2017 Campus Highlights], University of Rhode Island, Office of Institutional Research.</ref>

==Student clubs==
URI has 18 club sports teams consisting of around 600 athletes. Club sports the school offers include men's and women's ice hockey, soccer, tennis, equestrian, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, field hockey, wrestling, crew, gymnastics, and sailing, amongst others. These teams travel and compete against other intercollegiate programs in the country. URI also has 20+ intramural sports, including volleyball, badminton, dodgeball, and soccer. The intramural sports allow students to compete in tournaments and games with other students on campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uri.edu/athletics/|title=Athletics and Recreation|website=uri.edu}}</ref>

URI also has over 300 student organizations and clubs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://studentorg.apps.uri.edu/|title=Student Organizations - University of Rhode Island|website=studentorg.apps.uri.edu}}</ref> The university's student newspaper, ''The Good Five Cent Cigar'', was founded in 1971.<ref>{{cite web |title=Women lighting the way for The Good 5-Cent Cigar |url=https://today.uri.edu/news/women-lighting-the-way-for-the-good-5-cent-cigar/ |website=today.uri.edu |access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> It is also home to several Greek-lettered organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lul/chaptersframe.htm|title=Chapters of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.|website=www.columbia.edu|accessdate= August 14, 2022}}</ref>

== Athletics ==
[[File:Rhode Island Rams logo.svg|left|thumb|URI Athletics Logo]]
[[File:Meade Field Panorama.JPG|thumb|University of Rhode Island Rams Football at Meade Stadium]]
The University of Rhode Island competes in 16 intercollegiate sports.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Athletics and Recreation|url=https://www.uri.edu/athletics/|access-date=2020-09-15|website=University of Rhode Island}}</ref> The university is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Coastal Athletic Association in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

The Rhode Island Rams men's basketball competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and has appeared in the NCAA "March Madness” Tournament a total of 10 times since its first appearance in 1961. Two of these ten appearances occurred during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncaa.com/schools/rhode-island|title=University of Rhode Island - NCAA.com|website=www.ncaa.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=General - Story Archives|url=https://gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/archives|access-date=2020-09-15|website=University of Rhode Island|language=en}}</ref>

Athletic facilities include the Ryan Center, Keaney Gymnasium, Meade Stadium, Mackal Field House, Tootell Aquatic Center, Bradford R. Boss Arena, URI Soccer Complex, Bill Beck Field, and URI Softball Complex.

{{clear}}

[[File:URIQuad.jpg|thumb|right|Quadrangle on an early September evening at University of Rhode Island.]]

==Off campus living==
While 5600 students live in the 25 on campus residence halls, thousands more opt to commute from the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Facts|url=https://www.uri.edu/about/facts/|access-date=2020-09-15|language=en-US}}</ref> Narragansett, an abutting town to Kingston, is made up of hundreds of summer vacation homes which are rented to students for the academic year.

==Notable alumni==

Notable graduates in journalism and media include CNN correspondent John King (B.A. 1985),<ref>{{Cite web|title=John King, CNN's chief national correspondent, analyzes election results for viewers in front of the "Magic Wall." (Photo courtesy of CNN)|url=https://www.thewesterlysun.com/john-king-cnn-s-chief-national-correspondent-analyzes-election-results-for-viewers-in-front-of/image_15b1dc1e-3b57-11eb-bc05-034e7ef65f7c.html|access-date=2021-02-22|website=Westerly Sun|language=en}}</ref> CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour (B.A. 1983), and CBS correspondent Vladimir Duthiers (B.A. 1991).

Among URI's alumni in the arts and entertainment are actors J. T. Walsh, Peter Frechette (B.F.A.), Amanda Clayton, and Andrew Burnap (recipient of the 2020 Tony Award- Best Actor in a Play, The Inheritance.) 

Notable graduates in business and finance include billionaire Ben Navarro (B.Sc. 1984); former president of American Airlines, Robert Crandall (1960); and former CEO of CVS, Thomas Ryan (1975).

<gallery>
File:J. Joseph Garrahy, Rhode Island Governor.jpg|Governor of Rhode Island J. Joseph Garrahy '59
File:Wing Bowl 2007 overview (cropped).jpg|Sports radio personality Angelo Cataldi '72
File:Michael T Flynn (cropped).jpg|25th U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn '81
File:Christiane Amanpour June 2008 (cropped).jpg|CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour '83
File:Providence mayor Jorge Elorza (1).jpg|38th mayor of Providence Jorge Elorza '98
File:Lamar Odom 2012 Shankbone.JPG|Basketball star Lamar Odom <br/> (did not graduate) 
</gallery>

==Notable faculty==
* Robert Ballard, undersea archaeologist and discoverer of the wreck of the ''Titanic''
* Yehuda Hayuth, Israeli professor of geography, and President of the [[Organization:University of Haifa|University of Haifa]]
* Natalie Kampen
* Joëlle Rollo-Koster
* Andrea Rusnock
* Melvin Stern
* Robert Weisbord
* Robert E. Will

== See also ==
* URI Botanical Gardens
* Joint Degrees in law at [[Organization:Roger Williams University School of Law|Roger Williams University School of Law]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Colleges and universities in Rhode Island}}

{{Coord|41.48071|N|71.52580|W|source:placeopedia|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhode Island, University Of}}
[[Category:Land-grant universities and colleges]]
[[Category:Public universities and colleges in Rhode Island|University of Rhode Island]]

{{Sourceattribution|University of Rhode Island}}