Dr. Robert L. Carothers
President, University of Rhode Island

When Bob Carothers moved to Rhode Island from Minnesota in 1991 to become the University of Rhode Island's tenth president, he discovered an institution poised at the edge of a new era. The vision and courage President Carothers has brought to the URI campus has resulted in a series of progressive, transformational changes in the University's structure, infrastructure and curriculum.

A visit to any one of the University's campuses will make it clear that things are happening at URI. The newly renovated Providence Campus, located in Rhode Island's capital city, is a showcase for some of the University's most popular instructional and community outreach programs On the Narragansett Bay Campus, the spectacular new Coastal Institute is testimony to the University's pre-eminence in the field of marine science. The Multicultural Center's location in the heart of the main campus symbolizes the centrality of diversity to campus life. The Chester Kirk Engineering Complex, with its high-tech classrooms and interactive auditorium, leaves little doubt that URI is a player in the new Information Age.

The fact that these projects were viable during challenging economic times speaks to the creativity of the fiscal policies put in place during Dr Carothers' presidency. Along with focusing its efforts, URI has benefited from successful programs designed to enhance traditional revenue streams and tap untapped revenue sources.

The University's first Capital Campaign exceeded the original campaign goal by nearly $17 million. About $67 million in gifts and endowments were realized through fruitful reconnections with the institution's alumni and friends. On President Carothers' watch, the University also has experienced a renewed commitment from the state's executive and legislative branches. Support has come to URI in the form of increased base funding, allocation of state resources to protect the school's physical assets and the recent passage by Rhode Island voters of two bond referenda -- one which will support the renovation of aging academic buildings and another which has funded the implementation of a campus-wide electronic technology network along with the necessary hardware, software and support services.

The most exciting hallmark of President Carothers' vision for the University of Rhode Island has been his goal to shift the focus of the student experience from teaching to learning. The initiative begins with a focus on undergraduates--particularly the freshmen. URI 101, Traditions and Transformations, is a required freshman course that introduces students to the values and culture of the academic community. These values have been clearly articulated outside of the classroom as well through President Carothers' "no tolerance" policy toward violence, drug use and alcohol abuse. These bold stands have brought national attention and recognition to Dr. Carothers and to URI.

Further enhancing the student learning experiences was the establishment of Focus Areas and Partnerships. In order to maximize the efficient use of the University's limited resources, four broad areas of programmatic focus were identified as those areas where resources will be invested: Health, Marine and Environmental Studies, Children, Families and Communities, and Enterprise and Advanced Technology.

Within these areas, a small number of problem-based partnerships have been funded to provide experiential learning opportunities for students while supporting the work of faculty and stall on research and application of new knowledge to community problems.
Focus areas and partnerships are not constrained by the traditional boundaries of colleges and departments. Colleagues in a partnership are defined as anyone who wishes to tackle a particular problem together. Partners may be from within or outside the University--the wider the net the greater the catch. Simply put, the partnerships are the Focus Areas in action.

From 1986 to his arrival in Kingston, Dr. Carothers was chancellor of the Minnesota State University System, a system with seven universities, 64,000 students and a campus he helped create in Akita, Japan. Before becoming chancellor, Dr. Carothers served as president of Southwest State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, his doctorate from Kent State University and his law degree from the University of Akron. He has the unique distinction of being a poet, a lawyer, scholar, and administrator. Dr. Carothers is also active on the boards of many civic and professional organizations, including Bradley Hospital, The National Council of Christians and Jews, Citizens Bank, The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, the Newport Music Festival, the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council and the Leadership Council of the American Council on Education.

For more information about Dr. Carothers or the University of Rhode Island, please visit the President's Office.
 

Updated: 10/13/2003