A Message from the Dean

Greetings and welcome to the first issue of the Graduate School Newsletter. In this newsletter you will read some of the stories of accomplishments and changes that have occurred at URI.

The Graduate School has undergone many changes this year and has retooled to serve the mission of building a strong research university. We have rebranded and reworked our website and converted many forms into an online electronic format. We further developed thesis templates online and programs to help students prepare proposals and theses. The Graduate School has also streamlined the admissions process and is developing a paperless system for centralized processing of applications.

In addition to streamlining administrative functions, we have begun an assessment of graduate programs by gathering quantitative data and profiles and preparing programs to perform student's outcomes assessment. Furthermore, the Graduate School organized a number of initiatives and forums for Program Directors and students and awarded graduate enhancement grants for the first time.

Our future plans are consistent with the URI Academic Plan 2010-2015. We aim to 1) expand global programs by increasing enrollment of international students and forming joint- and dual-degree programs worldwide; 2) enhance the diversity of students and graduate faculty through recruitment and retention; 3) support interdisciplinary research and experiential programs.

The good news this year is that all our efforts have resulted in a revitalization of the Graduate School at URI. We are currently experiencing a 40% increase in our applications and our enrollment has increased by 8%. This shows that students are interested in coming to URI and being part of our world-class research University. I look forward to working with you and being a part of a bright future for graduate education at URI.

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