GOAL #1 — Focus
Areas: Driving Resources towards Excellence
I. Marine and the Environment
Environmental Biotechnology Initiative will encompass undergraduate
as well as graduate programs because there is a strong demand for undergraduates with
knowledge of molecular biological techniques, existing faculty and staff expertise,
significant federal and corporate funds for research and development, and the ability to
attract and sustain high-quality researchers in the field.
A multidisciplinary initiative involving faculty in the Marine and
Environmental Focus Area, it has gained strong support within the University and is
attracting attention from biotechnology firms.
A conceptual plan for the renovation of Ranger Hall for use as the home
for this initiative is being considered.
New faculty are being recruited in the fields of genomics and
biochemistry.
A proposal for a State Center of Excellence based on these ideas was
submitted to the State Economic Policy Council and has been approved for funding by the
State.
The Rhode Island Economic Policy Council funded a proposal for a Samuel
Slater Technology Fund Partnership Program in tick management technologies.
The Coastal Institute Building on the main campus will provide
facilities for two departments, (Natural Resources Science; Environmental and Natural
Resource Economics) and provide the long-awaited main campus physical focus for Coastal
Institute activities. A builder has been approved and construction will begin this spring.
A Director of the Coastal Institute will be in place in FY00.
A five-year plan of intended research activities of the Agricultural
Experiment Station and its relationships with Cooperative Extension will be presented to
the USDA by June 1, 1999 as required.
The transfer of the Landscape Architecture program from the
Department of Plant Sciences to the Department of Community Planning and Area Development
has been approved on campus and is being submitted to the Board of Governors for approval.
Additional areas under development:
Management of Coastal Ecosystems
Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture
Aquacultural Pathology and Disease Management
Planning and Design for Sustainable Communities
- A partnership was established with the Research Office, the College of Arts and
Sciences, and the Naval Underwater Warfare Center to facilitate collaborative research and
educational projects.
II. Health
The College of Nursing will be offering a midwifery program at the
University of Vermont via distance education in Spring 2000.
The College of Pharmacy has continued the Non-Traditional Doctor of
Pharmacy Program and initiated PictureTel transmission to Augusta, Maine for students from
that area.
- The Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science is reconfiguring its community
outreach programs to reach a broader population and advance the work funded by the
President's Health Promotion Partnership.
- An addition is being built onto the Cancer Prevention Research Center to expand their
research into health promotion and disease prevention.
III. Children, Families and
Communities
Efforts to develop a doctoral program (focus area) on social policy
and planning are continuing.
Admission to the Consumer Affairs program has been suspended.
- Community Conversations were held in the Fall of 1998 focusing on Black Notebooks: Race
and Identity.
The College of Human Science and Services will seek formal approval
for the removal of the following programs:
B.S. in Home Economics Education
M.S. in Home Economics Education
M.S. in Physical Education (Recreation option)
M.S. in Physical Education (Health option)
- The Human Development and Family Studies Department revised its undergraduate program to
provide stronger career preparation and enhanced opportunities for experiential learning.
IV. Enterprise and Advanced Technology
- College of Engineering will appoint an Associate Dean for Diversity. This will be
budgeted as a full-time position, with possibility for teaching or research if the
individual is qualified or interested.
- Establish Distinguished Engineering Professorship in Diversity that is awarded to a
faculty member in recognition of past performance and potential future contributions to
enhancing the diversity of the College and its programs.
- The College of Engineering is developing a technology management program with the
College of Business Administration.
- The College of Engineering has proposed a general education course on Ethics in
Engineering with the Department of Philosophy.
- The College of Engineering is in the process of developing a technology-based general
education elective to be offered to non-engineering majors.
- The College of Engineering is preparing for Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET) accreditation. Accreditation requirements and evaluation of Engineering
programs will be outcome-based rather than process-based. Provost’s grants have
supported the preparation process for the Fall 2000 accreditation visit.
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GOAL #2 — The
Liberal Arts Core: Shaping the Future and Preserving the Past
In keeping with the University’s commitment to the Liberal Arts
Core, a number of faculty positions in traditional areas which will also serve focus areas
have been filled or offers have been extended since the last plan was drafted. An example
is a position in Bioethics which comes from the traditional field of Philosophy but also
addresses issues in the Marine and the Environment Focus Area.
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GOAL #3 —
Compelling Learning Experiences in the Learner-Centered University
The Department of Natural Resources Science is developing a new
undergraduate curriculum emphasizing experiential learning and research.
Departments with marine science undergraduate majors (Biology;
Natural Resource Sciences; Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science) have begun work on a
partnership with the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR) to develop a
semester-long program for URI students to study at and use the facilities of the BBSR.
Based on the concept of One-Stop Shopping, Green Hall will be
refurbished to provide a combination of enrollment services to students in one location,
including the Offices of Student Financial Aid, Admissions, Registrar and Bursar.
Theme Dormitories or living communities are being planned in
dormitories based on academic foci and/or quality of life and lifestyle concerns. Examples
of such dormitories include Wellness, German Language and Engineering, Honors.
The University Libraries in cooperation with several academic units
are exploring coursework in the area of information literacy.
Learning communities are a pedagogical technique which can take many
forms, but all share the goals of providing coherence and academic support to students.
Examples include:
Enrollment of 25 students simultaneously in a section of composition
and in a large section of psychology. Students are encouraged to form academic support and
study groups among themselves.
Bring together three or four courses around a theme and include team
teaching, common assignments and collaborative learning across disciplines.
The goal for Fall 1999 is to have 19 learning community clusters within
the URI 101 offerings.
The Feinstein Center for Service Learning focuses on helping faculty to
integrate service into the curriculum. Currently 20 faculty are "Feinstein Faculty
Fellows," and we have an additional 12 for next year.
A special designation for courses that integrate service is now listed
in the Catalog. The current list includes twenty-five courses from different colleges with
many more in development.
In the Fall, 1998, 2,300 first-year students served in a large variety
of community agencies in Rhode Island. Over 16,000 hours of local community service was
provided through URI 101
The Vice Provost for Information Services and Dean of the University
Libraries has led the University in a successful initiative known as "99 by 99"
— a commitment to have 99% of the campus wired and networked by 1999.
As a result of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC) accreditation review, the Libraries are carefully evaluating our collections and
services for both the general education and focus areas of the University.
An Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities was founded as
part of the Honors Program to assist excellent students in applying for highly competitive
scholarships, e.g., the British Marshall, the Fulbright, the Rhodes, the Harry S. Truman
and the Jacob K. Javits Scholarships. The first Fulbright award to a URI student was
received.
CNN and Turner Broadcast Systems established URI as one of 20 pilot
student broadcast bureaus. Daily broadcasts are produced and transmitted by URI students
as part of this network. This partnership offers solid experience for students majoring in
Journalism or Communications.
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GOAL #4 —The
Research Mission: Growth and Application in Research and Graduate Education
The Libraries’ support of the University’s commitment to
achieve Carnegie Research I status is ongoing. A special budget request for a $1 million
increase in Library Capital was included as part of the FY00 request.
The University Libraries are working with the Grants Accounting
Office to increase our contributions to the overhead rate for Federal grants. While we
know that under the new accounting principles the administrative percentage of overhead is
fixed, the "points" which the Libraries receive can grow.
Modifications to the tuition policies for out-of-state graduate
students who serve as Graduate Assistants and Research Assistants are being proposed for
FY00. The intent is to bring these policies into compliance with federal agency funding
limitations and to make them consistent with those at peer institutions.
The Graduate Student Manual was revised to clarify policy and define
student rights and responsibilities.
Proposals were submitted, and studies were continued to define a
Cognate in Education for Graduate Students to prepare them for future faculty roles.
A program to teach research ethics to graduate students involved in
projects with human and animal subjects is in preparation. This is a key compliance issue.
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GOAL #5 —
Outreach and Economic Development: A Core Component of the University’s Obligation
The University Libraries Special Collections department is the
repository of a large political papers collection, including the works of Senators Pell
and Chafee, former Governor Bruce Sundlun, and numerous other State and national
politicians. The Libraries’ Special Collections department is working to make these
important collections more accessible to researchers.
A catalog of University Outreach activities is near completion.
Policies for aiding faculty entrepreneurship are being defined.
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