News&Views

U. S. Army General Leon J. LaPorte

U. S. Army General Leon J. LaPorte ’68, Hon. ’2004, addressed the R.O.T.C. commissioning ceremony held before Commencement on May 23, 2004. LaPorte is now a four-star general and the commander of U.S. and U.N. forces in Korea. During the ceremony, LaPorte and the new lieutenants unveiled the name of Lt. Col. Richard S. Schott, which has been etched onto one of the granite benches that compose URI’s Vietnam Memorial in front of Keaney Gym. Schott, an R.O.T.C. instructor at URI from 1963-66, was killed in action during the battle of Loc Nihn on April 4, 1972. His remains and dog tags were turned over to an American search team in 2002.

Sue Peterson, Steve Mercier, and Andrea Yates

Center of the Humanities Fellowships

Graduate students Sue Peterson, Steve Mercier, and Andrea Yates have been awarded fellowships by URI’s Center of the Humanities to support their Ph.D. research in English. The funding came through URI’s Humanities Campaign, which was launched in 2002. The original goal for the five-year campaign was set at $500,000. In the preceding year-and-a-half, the campaign raised $535,000 so a new goal has been set to raise $1-million. For more information, please contact Tom Zorabedian at 401-874-2853 or zman@advance.uri.edu.

Synchronized Swim Team

The synchronized swim team does more than just swim at the same time. Last year members of the club team donated the required 10 inches of their hair to Locks of Love, a program that makes free wigs for cancer patients. Although only two of the six swimmers had hair long enough to be donated by the April 30th appointment, the others provided moral support. The two who had their locks lopped were senior Kim Preuit, who had never cut her hair short, and May graduate Liz Fontaine.

Marcia Marker Feld

Marcia Marker Feld, professor of community planning and director of the Urban Field Center at the Feinstein College of Continuing Education, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Campus-Community Partnerships by the Office of University Partnerships, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. The founding director of the OUP, Feld created and implemented numerous university-community partnership programs while working under former U.S. Secretary Henry Cisneros and former Asst. Secretary Michael Stegman.

The URI Multimedia Production Group

The URI Multimedia Production Group received top awards from Cox Communications New England for its 30-minute program, “Outside the Box: Non-Traditional Learning at URI,” that was written, directed, and produced by staff members Dana Neugent, Jon Foley, and graduate student assistant Mike Stevenson. The program won the Best Educational Program and the Best Public Access Program of 2003 PEG awards from Cox Communications New England.

Professor Richard Vangermeersch, M.S. ’64

Professor Richard Vangermeersch

Professor Richard Vangermeersch, M.S. ’64, was honored by more than 280 friends, colleagues, and family members who gathered to celebrate his retirement after a 34-year teaching career in the College of Business Administration. The event raised $160,000 to establish a new endowed professorship in accounting that will be named for Vangermeersch.

Lillian Brown,left, development budget officer in URI’s Division of University Advancement, and Gerri Beagle, fiscal manager of the URI Foundation, with Rhody the Ram during the yard sale to benefit the Rhody the Ram Endowment.

The Rhody the Ram Endowment

The Rhody the Ram Endowment benefited from a yard sale held on June 12 that earned a profit of nearly $1,600, pushing the endowment total to $15,000. “People walked away with some wonderful bargains,” said Gerri Beagle ’01, coordinator of the event. “Someone purchased a built-in microwave oven for $20. We sold an almost brand new wedding gown. A woman bought it and was going to send it to her daughter in Eastern Europe.”

Evelyn Siefert Kennedy Commentucci

Evelyn Siefert Kennedy Commentucci ’69, M.S. ’72, internationally known for her work in restoring treasured textiles and for establishing guidelines on clothing designs for the disabled, has established an endowment to help students who share her passion for textiles, textile science and the fine arts. Commentucci is president and founder of both Sewtique, Inc., and of the Promote Real Independence for the Disabled and Elderly (PRIDE) Foundation in Groton, Conn.

In Memoriam: Former URI President Frank Newman

Frank Newman, Hon. ’89, age 77, a visionary in the world of education who served as the University’s president from 1974 to 1983, died of melanoma on May 29, 2004, at Miriam Hospital.

During his tenure at URI, Newman navigated the University through troubled times and reversed the tide of declining enrollment. He created the College of Human Science and Services, revamped the general education curriculum to emphasize global perspectives, and launched the research vessel Endeavor. Newman also understood the importance of the arts in education and supported programming that made the Fine Arts Center into the cultural hub of the University.

URI President Robert L. Carothers called Newman “one of the great thinkers in higher education” and “a man of immeasurable energy and amazing good will.” Provost M. Beverly Swan, who worked closely with Newman during his presidency, said Newman “was known for his openness and for being unpretentious. He always had an optimistic eye on the future and had a wonderful sense of humor.”

Newman’s influence on education continued after he left URI. He was the lead author of The Newman Report, an influential document filled with innovative ideas that served as a national blueprint for federal legislation related to public education. He served as president of the Education Commission of the States, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that helps governors, legislators and other state education leaders develop and implement policies that improve education.

Most recently he was director of the Futures Project, an education think tank funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts based at Brown University, where he was also visiting professor of public policy and sociology.

URI recognized the contributions of its eighth president by making Newman an honorary alumnus in 1979, by presenting him with an honorary degree in 1989, and by naming the renovated admissions building Newman Hall in 2002.

A resident of Jamestown, R.I., Frank Newman is survived by his wife, Lucile; three sons, Ken, James, and Michael; and two grandsons.

Memorial donations may be made to the Frank Newman Scholarship Fund at Brown University in care of the law firm of John A, Murphy, 77 Narragansett Avenue, Jamestown, RI 02835.

URI’s National Student Scholars

According to Logan Connors ’04, URI’s first Mellon Fellow, “the best way to get a real understanding of another culture is to learn its language.” The history and French double major was one of only 104 college students from the U.S. to be awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies. The fellowship, designed to help exceptionally promising students prepare for careers in teaching and scholarship, will cover Connors’ tuition and fees for his first year of graduate school, including a one-year stipend of $17,500.

Senior Brendan Franzoni has been selected as a 2004 Truman Scholar. The highly competitive scholarship, named after President Harry S. Truman, is awarded on the basis of leadership potential and intellectual ability. Franzoni is one of only 77 scholars chosen from 609 candidates nominated by 300 colleges and universities. The scholarship provides Franzoni with $2,000 for his senior year at URI and $24,000 for graduate study.

Seniors Meghan Bellows and Chris Piecuch, both of whom are students in URI’s International Engineering Program and avid musicians, are currently spending a year studying and working in Germany. Bellows and Piecuch have each received a Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship for students studying science and engineering.

Senior Lisa Lahr spent three weeks in August in the Republic of Georgia. The journalism major focused her camera on that country and its people to complete a photo-documentary she began during two earlier visits to the former Soviet republic. Her trip to the land where Jason and his Argonauts sought the golden fleece was supported by a $4,750 fellowship from the Michael J. Metcalf Memorial Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.

From Your Alumni Association President

Dear Fellow Alumni,

With another summer nearly behind us, it’s time to shift our focus to fall and the work ahead. This is an exciting time as we’re in the midst of a presidential election year. The Democratic and Republican conventions are over, and the tickets have been announced. The debate begins.

Politics aside, this is an extremely important election year for the University. In the recent budget, the state legislature approved four bond issues, which if approved by the voters, will provide tremendous benefits to the University. I’d like to touch on each one here and ask for your support.

Approval of each of the following questions will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes as follows:

Bond Issue 5 seeks approval for $50,000,000 for Higher Education Residence Halls, of which $20,000,000 will be used to construct, renovate, and rehabilitate residence halls at the University of Rhode Island and $30,000,000 to construct a new residence hall at Rhode Island College. As any freshman who’s living three in a room or any transfer student unable to get housing on campus will tell you, dormitory space is sorely needed.

Bond Issue 9 seeks approval for $14,000,000 for the Pell Library-Undersea Exploration Center. These funds will be used to renovate, rehabilitate, and construct an addition to the Pell Marine Science Library at the Graduate School of Oceanography’s Narragansett Bay Campus. The University is privileged to have many fine scientists at the GSO, including Dr. Robert Ballard, the well known scientist and undersea explorer. This expansion will facilitate research of our world’s last frontier, the oceans.

Bond Issue 10 seeks approval for $6,700,000 for a new Athletic Performance Center and for renovations to Meade Stadium. These funds will be used to construct an Athletic Center that will include a state of the art training center, an expanded academic advising and study center, and enhancements to the athletic training and sports medicine area as well as renovations to Meade Stadium.

Bond Issue 13 seeks approval for $50,000,000 for a Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences. The construction of this new facility would be the single largest State investment in the University’s history and would clearly position the University as a leader in preparing our industries and workers for the new economy.

This is an exciting time for our alma mater. Let’s do what we can to ensure that the above projects are approved this November and that we keep the momentum of the last few years.

Sincerely,

Kathy Goulding

Food & Human Rights: Hunger & Social Policy

URI Honors Colloquium Fall 2004

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted

Lecture Schedule

September 14

Ending the Causes of Hunger. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World.

September 20

Famine, War, and Hunger. Christiane Amanpour ’82, Hon. ’95, CNN chief international correspondent.

September 28

The New Human Rights Movement: Linking Ecology with Equity. Anuradha Mittal, founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute.

October 4

Congressional Response to Hunger. Rep. James P. McGovern, co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Center.

October 12

Eating in the Dark: The Meaning of Food in Film. URI professors Tom Zorabedian ’74, M.A. ’76, and Judith Swift ’68, M.A. ’71.

October 19

Beyond Charity. Janet Poppendieck, director, Center for the Study of Family Policy, Hunter College.

October 26

A Living Wage: Working to End Poverty. William Quigley, director of the Law Clinic and Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University.

November 9

Corporate Social Responsibility: Radical Business Philosophy. Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.

November 16

A Food Security Policy for Rhode Island. A panel discussion with Providence Journal columnist M. Charles Bakst and representatives from the Governor’s Office; the Providence Chamber of Commerce; the R.I. Community Food Bank; and the Poverty Institute, RIC. Paff Auditorium, URI Providence Campus.

Unless otherwise noted, events take place at 7 p.m in the Barry Marks Auditorium, Room 271, Chafee Social Science Center. For more information, check www.uri.edu/hc or call 401-874-2381.

If you have a disability and need an accomodation, please call 401-874-2303 at least three days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the R.I. Relay Service at 1-800-745-5555.