The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

land-grant

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

with its main campus in Kingston,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of

. Its main campus is located in the village of Kingston in southern Rhode Island. Satellite campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Downtown Providence, 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 West Greenwich is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 6,528 at the 2020 census. West Greenwich was named for the historic town of Greenwich, Kent, England. It was separated from East Greenwich in 1741. Stud ...

. The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and

doctoral degrees A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in 80 undergraduate and 49 graduate areas of study through nine academic schools and colleges. These schools and colleges include Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Professional Studies, Engineering, Health Sciences, Environment and Life Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy and Oceanography. 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. The university is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". 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.

History

The University of Rhode Island was first chartered as the Rhode Island State Agricultural School, associated with the state

agricultural experiment station An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with ...

, 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. 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. In 1951 the school was given its current title through an act of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

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, and by a 17-member Board of Trustees in 2019. In 2013 the faculty adopted an open-access policy to make its scholarship publicly accessible online.

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.

Main campus

URI's main campus is located in northern South Kingstown, and 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, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2017.

Gallery

File:URI East Hall and Washburn Hall.jpg, File:Lippitt Hall, URI.jpg, File:GreenHall URI.JPG, File:URI Carothers Library.jpg, File:URI Memorial Student Union.jpg, File:URI Multicultural Center.jpg, File:University of Rhode Island Planetarium.jpg, File:Chester H. Kirk Center for Advanced Technology.jpg, File:URI_StairwayToExcellence2.jpg, File:URI_Engineering_Pano.jpg,

Academics

URI is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. 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%.

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. * 40th in ''Pharmacy (tie)" in 2021 * 47th in "Best Library and Information Studies Program (tie)" in 2021 * 53rd in ''Best Nursing School: Master's (tie)'' in 2021 * 54th in ''Earth Sciences (tie)'' in 2021 * 80th in ''Best Nursing School: Doctor of Nursing Practice (tie)'' in 2021 * 101st in ''Clinical Psychology (tie)'' in 2021 * 102nd in "Physical Therapy (tie)" in 2021 * 108th in "English (tie)" in 2021 * 109th in "Speech-Language Pathology (tie)" in 2021 * 119th in ''Computer Sciences (tie)'' in 2021 * 119th in "Best Education Schools (tie)" in 2021 * 122nd in "Chemistry (tie)" in 2021 * 127th in "Mathematics (tie)" in 2021 * 131st in "Psychology (tie)" in 2021 * 132nd in ''Best Undergraduate Engineering Program'' in 2021. * 140th in ''Biological Sciences (tie)'' in 2021 * 146th in "Physics (tie)" in 2021 * 154th-202nd in "Best Engineering Schools" in 2021 '' Academic Ranking of World Universities'' ranks URI for 51-75 globally for ''Oceanography'' in 2021.

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).

Student clubs

URI has 18 club sports teams consisting of around 600 athletes. Club sports the school offers include

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

, ultimate frisbee, volleyball,

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

, crew,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...

, amongst others. These teams travel and compete against other intercollegiate programs in the country. URI also has 20+ intramural sports, including

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

, dodgeball, and

. The intramural sports allow students to compete in tournaments and games with other students on campus. URI also has over 300 student organizations and clubs. The university's

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...

, ''The Good Five Cent Cigar'', was founded in 1971. It is also home to several Greek-lettered organizations.

Athletics

The University of Rhode Island competes in 16 intercollegiate sports. The university is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and the

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I whose full members are located in East Coast ...

in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

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. Athletic facilities include the Ryan Center,

Keaney Gymnasium Keaney Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States on the campus of the University of Rhode Island. Built in 1953, it was the home of the university's men's and women's basketball teams until they moved to the adj ...

Meade Stadium Meade Stadium is a 6,555-seat multi-purpose stadium in Kingston, Rhode Island. It is home to the University of Rhode Island's Rams football team. The facility opened in 1928 and was originally named Meade Field, in honor of John E. "Jack" Meade, ...

, Mackal Field House, Tootell Aquatic Center,

Bradford R. Boss Arena The Bradford R. Boss Arena is a 2,500-seat ice arena on the campus of The University of Rhode Island located in Kingston, Rhode Island. The ice arena is named in honor of Bradford R. Boss, one of the founders of the URI men's hockey club in 1951, ...

, URI Soccer Complex,

Bill Beck Field Bill Beck Field is a baseball venue located on the campus of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is home to the Rhode Island Rams baseball team, a member of the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. T ...

, and URI Softball Complex. URIQuad

Off campus living

While 5600 students live in the 25 on campus residence halls, thousands more opt to commute from the surrounding area. 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 University of Rhode Island alumni in politics and government include Lieutenant General Michael Flynn (B.Sc. 1981), 38th mayor of Providence

Jorge Elorza Jorge O. Elorza (born November 24, 1976) is an American law professor and mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. He defeated former mayor Buddy Cianci in the 2014 mayoral election and on January 5, 2015, was sworn in as mayor of the city. Early lif ...

(B.Sc. 1998), and governors of Rhode Island Lincoln Almond (B.Sc. 1959) and J. Joseph Garrahy (1953). Notable graduates in journalism and media include CNN correspondent John King (B.A. 1985), CNN anchor

Christiane Amanpour Christiane Maria Heideh AmanpourStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', 22 January 2019 (; fa, کریستیان امان‌پور, Kristiane Amānpur; born 12 January 1958) is a British-Iranian journalist and television host. Amanpour is the Chief ...

(B.A. 1983), and CBS correspondent

Vladimir Duthiers Vladimir Duthiers (; ; born December 21, 1969) is an American television journalist who has been a correspondent for CBS News since 2014 following five years at CNN. He was a member of the CNN team that won two Emmy Awards for its coverage of the ...

(B.A. 1991). Among URI's alumni in the arts and entertainment are actors

J. T. Walsh James Thomas Patrick Walsh (September 28, 1943 – February 27, 1998) was an American character actor. His many films include ''Tin Men'' (1987), ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987), '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), '' Hoffa'' (1992), ''Nixon'' (1995), ...

, Peter Frechette (B.F.A.),

Amanda Clayton Amanda Clayton (born October 24, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role as Alex Montgomery in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, '' If Loving You Is Wrong''. Life and career Clayton was born in Johnston, Rhode Island. ...

, and

Andrew Burnap Andrew Burnap (born March 5, 1991) is an American actor. He was born and raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and graduated from the University of Rhode Island. He starred in the 2019 Broadway production of '' The Inheritance'', for which he w ...

(recipient of the 2020

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

- Best Actor in a Play, The Inheritance.) Notable graduates in business and finance include billionaire

Ben Navarro Benjamin W. Navarro (born 1962/1963) is an American billionaire businessman, the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Sherman Financial Group, LLC, which owns Credit One Bank. Early life He is one of eight children of Frank Navarro, a col ...

(B.Sc. 1984); former president of

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...

, Robert Crandall (1960); and former CEO of CVS, Thomas Ryan (1975). File:J. Joseph Garrahy, Rhode Island Governor.jpg, Governor of Rhode Island J. Joseph Garrahy '59 File:Michael T Flynn (cropped).jpg, 25th

U.S. National Security Advisor The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor (NSA),The National Security Advisor and Staff: p. 1. is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President, based at t ...

Michael Flynn '81 File:Christiane Amanpour June 2008 (cropped).jpg, CNN anchor

'83 File:Providence mayor Jorge Elorza (1).jpg, 38th mayor of Providence

'98 File:Lamar Odom 2012 Shankbone.JPG, Basketball star

Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Si ...

(did not graduate)

Notable faculty

Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology: maritime archaeology and archaeolo ...

, undersea archaeologist and discoverer of the wreck of the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'' * Yehuda Hayuth, Israeli professor of geography, and President of the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming ...

* Natalie Kampen *

Joëlle Rollo-Koster Joëlle Rollo-Koster is a Professor of Medieval History in the University of Rhode Island's History Department. On December 6, 2016, she was knighted by the French government with the medal of Chevalier des Palmes académiques. In 2017-2018 she ...

Andrea Rusnock Andrea Rusnock is a professor of history at the University of Rhode Island. She has published two books and numerous articles on science and medicine in the Enlightenment, quantification, public health and the environment, and the history of va ...

* Melvin Stern * Robert Weisbord

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhode Island, University Of Educational institutions established in 1888 Flagship universities in the United States Land-grant universities and colleges South Kingstown, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Washington County, Rhode Island Education in Washington County, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Washington County, Rhode Island 1888 establishments in Rhode Island Historic districts in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Rhode Island University of Rhode Island