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$3.5 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant Janett Trubatch, vice provost for graduate studies, research, and outreach, is the lead scientist on a $3.5 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant that will help URI recruit women faculty members in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. URI was one of nine institutions to be awarded the very competitive ADVANCE grant and the only institution in New England. “Women are severely under-represented in the hard sciences nationally,” said Trubatch, noting that women represent 22 percent of the science and engineering workforce and less than 20 percent of science and engineering faculty in four-year institutions. “Science and technology are the cornerstones of our society. Women bring different viewpoints, perspectives, skills, and values to the scientific table, which helps broaden and integrate scientific practices with society’s needs. Beyond equity for women in the workplace, women faculty are critically needed as role models for our female students,” said Trubatch, noting that 56 percent of the freshmen at URI are women. Advancement Update Advancement Vice President Robert Beagle calls URI’s advancement office a prototype for other institutions looking to build relationships among their development, athletics, and alumni relations staffs. In “Competing Interests,” an article that ran in the October 2003 issue of CURRENTS, the magazine of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Beagle spells out how university fund raising programs can be successfully integrated. For the latest news about fundraising at URI, go to advance.uri.edu.
A Breakfast Meeting David Weinstein, executive vice president of Fidelity Investments, gave a talk on “Ethics and Corporate Governance” at a reception held at the University Club on September 24. Governor Donald Carcieri also addressed the group. After the meeting, Weinstein chatted with students, including Erica Conners, top right, who is working on both an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. The event was sponsored by Fidelity Investments in conjunction with the colleges of Arts & Sciences and Business Administration.
Academic Enhancement Center A new Academic Enhancement Center has opened on the fourth floor of Roosevelt Hall. Students who find astronomy over their heads, math problems that don’t add up, or who suffer from writer’s block can receive help either by appointment or on a walk-in basis. And unlike many other colleges and universities, URI charges no fee for the assistance. “This is a retention strategy,” explains Jayne Richmond, dean of University College. “We’re taking a proactive approach by bringing together all our resources and strengthening them to show that we are committed to the academic success of students in all majors.”
Updates on Alumni On September 3, 2003, Christiane Amanpour ’83, Hon. ’95, joined all of the other 60 Minutes correspondents in receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Television Academy in celebration of 60 Minutes’ 35 years of excellence. Award-winning Boston Globe investigative reporters Richard Lehr and Mitchell Zuckoff ’83 have joined the faculty of Boston University’s College of Communication as visiting professors. The two, who shared Pulitzer Prize finalist honors in 1997 as members of The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative team, are also on a book tour promoting their recently published Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind The Dartmouth Murders (HarperCollins). Zuckoff, who won numerous national writing awards in his 13 years at The Boston Globe, is the author of Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey and is under contract to write a book about Charles Ponzi and his infamous scheme. Army 1st Lt. Mark Padien ’01 was among the first American forces to invade Iraq last spring. But he told a group of ROTC cadets that combat was not the toughest part of his seven-month deployment; the worst part was doing police and security work. A member of the Army’s Third Infantry Division, Padien is a graduate of the College of Business Administration and the Army ROTC program. He was invited to campus by Army Lt. Col. Paul C. Krajeski, professor of military science, to talk to the cadets while he was home on leave. Padien returned to duty in Fort Stewart, Ga., on Sept. 26. A partial list of URI ROTC graduates who have served in Iraq or who are still deployed includes: Lt. Col. Terry Hermans ’83; Lt. Col. John Bianchi ’83; Maj. David Accetta ’87; Capt. Jason Glick ’95; Capt. Peter Mandeville ’88; Capt. Anthony Cassino ’97; Capt. Jeff Scott ’99; 1st Lt. Matthew Pierce ’01; 1st Lt. Scott Mras ’01; 1st Lt. Mark Gabriele ’98; 1st Lt. Dana Coppola ’00; 1st Lt. Eric Lewis ’01; 2nd Lt. Adam DePetrillo ’02; and 1st Lt. Matthew Pezzullo, Roger Williams University ’01, a graduate of the ROTC program at URI. For more information, call Lt. Col. Paul Krajeski at 401-874-5420.
Cramer Family Donates Portrait to ROTC Battalion The University of Rhode Island Reserved Officers Training Corps Cramer’s Saber Battalion now has a face to put with its namesake. The battalion is named after 1st Lt. Parker Dresser Cramer ’59, a graduate of the program and member of Sigma Chi fraternity who was killed during an ambush in Ben Cat, Vietnam in 1963. A reproduction of a portrait of Cramer painted by famed cartoonist Milton Caniff, creator of such popular comic strips as “Terry and the Pirates” and “Steve Canyon,” now hangs in the ROTC conference room in Keaney Gymnasium. Caniff, who died in 1988, painted Cramer in his Army uniform with a map of Vietnam and its surrounding countries behind him. It is believed to be one of only three portraits Caniff painted. When Caniff, a member of Sigma Chi at Ohio State, learned of Cramer’s death, he wanted to paint his portrait. In 1965, Caniff visited the Kingston Campus and presented the portrait to the University’s Sigma Chi chapter. The painting was later presented to Cramer’s parents and hung in their home until their deaths. Nancy Cramer Wilson ’72, one of Cramer’s four sisters and the owner of the original, presented the reproduction to URI’s ROTC program in May 2003. Patricia Cramer Schlick gave a personalized picture of her brother in a pamphlet written for the presentation: “Parker was many things besides being a soldier. He was funny, he had a self-deprecating humor...He could be weird. He liked to eat peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches, and if it would make his sisters gag he was not above adding ketchup or mustard to those concoctions. “He was thoughtful in the sense of thinking beneath the surface about issues. You know that he was a ROTC graduate of the University of Rhode Island and you probably know he was a Sigma Chi. Did you know he worked in the library and spent many hours conversing with the head librarian there about literature, philosophy and history? One of the kindest letters we received after his death came from that librarian who told us of his love for Parker’s intellect.” —Jan Sawyer ’87
From Your Alumni Association President Dear Fellow Alums: I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about the students who entered the University of Rhode Island this fall. With 2,600 freshmen entering, this will be the largest class ever. Thirty-one states and 8 different countries are represented, including Ireland, Scotland, Korea, Belgium, Brazil, Greece, Turkey, and Canada. Three freshmen came from Anchorage, Alaska! About 23 percent of the students in the freshmen class will receive the University’s Centennial Scholarships, and the average class rank is in the top 29 percent. Altogether, there will be 10,800 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students at URI this year. The Admissions Office reviewed more than 14,400 applications for enrollment, a 16 percent increase from last year. It would appear that the secret is out. Improvements to the campus in the areas of student housing and transportation, refurbished classrooms and academic buildings, and the new Sherman Trading Room in Ballantine Hall have all contributed to the University’s success in attracting top students. I had the pleasure of meeting one of those students, Kevin Lopes, president of the Student Senate, at the Alumni Association Executive Board Meeting in October. I was impressed with this articulate young man, whose goals include improving collaboration between the Student Senate and the Student Alumni Association. I’ve been equally impressed with the young men and women of SAA, who bring their enthusiasm for the University to everything they do. These are the alums of the future. They’re active today, and I’m sure they will maintain an active role in the future. I’m looking forward to working with them. Attracting top-notch students to URI is only part of the equation. The other part is keeping them. The University recently demonstrated its commitment to helping all students succeed by establishing the Academic Enhancement Center. The center provides one-on-one tutoring for students seeking assistance in any academic subject; it also holds workshops on a variety of topics to help students with time management, research, reading, and memory techniques. As we all know, sometimes the transition to college can be overwhelming so a strong support system can make a big difference. Sincerely, Kathy Goulding ’77 Prelaw Center A prelaw center has opened on campus. Thanks to generous alumni and friends who donated more than $125,000, a section of the second floor of Washburn has been transformed into a centralized home for students interested in law school. It provides space for these pre-law students to meet informally with faculty and alumni who are practicing attorneys or judges. Bruce Kleinman ’75 and his wife, Ava, were the lead donors of the project. “The home provides a means for students to get a better understanding of the career on which they are embarking,” said Kleinman, an attorney with the Short Hills, N.J., office of Edwards and Angell. To learn more about the Pre-Law Home, contact Tom Zorabedian, development officer for the College of Arts and Sciences, at 401-874-2853 or email him at zman@advance.uri.edu. 2003 Robert M. Goodrich Distinguished Public Service Award President Robert L. Carothers is one of two recipients of the 2003 Robert M. Goodrich Distinguished Public Service Award. The annual awards were presented in October during the 60th annual meeting of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC). The other recipient is Jane F. Correia, director of Administration, Bristol Warren Regional School District. Since Carothers became the 10th president of URI in 1991, the University has increased enrollment of the best and brightest students in the state and region, improved its physical campus environment, increased the diversity among students and faculty, and enhanced its levels of alumni, corporate, and state support. Student Disturbances After Red Sox Victories Six URI students have been arraigned on charges of disorderly conduct in the wake of disturbances that followed the World Series games on October 6 and 8. After the Boston Red Sox win over the New York Yankees, a group estimated to be nearly 1,000 students roamed the campus, lit dumpster fires, and set a fire on the Quadrangle. Similar student mayhem was reported at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Dartmouth campuses; the University of New Hampshire; Plymouth State University; and Keene State College. URI President Robert L. Carothers met with University officials and student leaders the following morning and set into motion a plan to increase security patrols with URI police, local police, and state police officers on campus. A group of 100 to120 student leaders volunteered as “peace officers” and patrolled the campus alongside the police after each subsequent baseball game. As a result of the mayhem, one of the benches located near Edwards Hall was tossed into a bonfire on the Quad and destroyed. The Student Senate voted to pay $2,500 to replace the bench, which was donated to the University. “What annoyed me was the idiocy that took place,” said senior Evan Duggan-Lever, a member of the Senate and the author of the legislation seeking payment for the bench. “People were hurt and property was destroyed. The new bench will stand as a testimony to the standard of honor and maturity that we as students hold ourselves and each other to.” The Book Shelf Featuring recently published works by URI alumni and faculty. Charles Faulkner Bryan: His Life and Music by Carolyn Livingston, professor of music. (The University of Tennessee Press, 2003). Livingston has expanded her Ph.D. thesis into this biography of Charles Faulkner Bryan, who was a pioneer in the study of American folk music and composer of music that both preserved and transformed the regional culture of Appalachia. Bryan performed this music for audiences at Carnegie Hall and on national radio, often accompanying his singing with an Appalachian Mountain dulcimer. Lincoln’s Moral Vision: The Second Inaugural Address by James Tackach, M.A. ’78, Ph.D. ’86 (University Press of Mississippi 2002). Tackach, a professor of English at Roger Williams University, traces how Lincoln’s second inaugural address—delivered more than a month before the end of the Civil War and 41 days before he was assassinated—addresses the critical issues of slavery, race, and religion. Reel Baseball: Essays and Interviews on the National Pastime, Hollywood and American Culture edited by Stephen C. Wood, professor of communication studies, and J. David Pincus. (McFarland & Company, Inc., 2003). This book features the works of leading scholars and interviews with 13 directors, actors, and others. Professor Wood thanked URI’s Alumni Association for supporting this project: “The grant you provided me allowed the liberal use of illustrations so important to the success of a book about baseball and film. ...Further, the work of faculty scholars, such as myself, is enabled by such support.” Stephen Crane’s Literary Family: A Garland of Writings edited by Thomas A. Gullason, professor emeritus of English. (Syracuse University Press. 2002). Stephen Crane was a prominent American author whose bohemian lifestyle seemed to contradict his pious upbringing. Drawing on unpublished documents by Crane’s father, mother, and sister, Professor Gullason shows how his family’s vitality and versatility galvanized Crane’s imagination and spurred his literary career. Strawberries...with Love: The Story of a Girl Who Died, but Whose Memory Lives On by Richard R. Fracasso ’85. (Vantage Press, 2002). First published in Switzerland in German, the book is a collection of poems, essays, and stories about the author’s wife, Ann, who died of cancer. The book also includes perceptions and insights that Fracasso developed over the years as his eye sight deteriorated, eventually leaving him blind. Structured Group Psychotherapy for Bipolar Disorder: The Life Goals Program, 2nd edition by Mark S. Bauer and Linda McBride ’76, M.S. ’94. (Springer Publishing Company). The book outlines the authors’ psychotherapy program that is based on a series of core principles for effective, patient-centered care for manic-depressive disorder. The Life Goals Program attempts to support more effective self-management by examining positive and negative consequences of various coping strategies. Images of Baseball: The Pawtucket Red Sox by David Borges ’92. (Arcadia, 2002). Borges is a prize-winning sports writer for The Pawtucket Times who covers the Pawtucket Red Sox for several newspapers. Student Awards URI students keep winning awards in nearly every national and international scholarship competition. During the 2003 spring semester alone, students have been awarded the prestigious Truman, Fulbright, Boren, and Udall scholarships—Carter Johnson ’02 is at Cambridge University this year after winning an Economics and History Prize grant from that prestigious institution. Behind these successes is URI’s Office of National Scholarships, which opened in 1996 under the auspices of the Honors Program and at the urging of Philosophy Professor Cheryl Foster, who directs its activities. Foster works with 30 faculty and staff members who volunteer to serve on selection committees, mentor applicants, and provide mock interviews for finalists. |
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