Photo gallery.

See more photos online: advance.uri.edu/photo­albums/pridenight/2011

On April 28, Karina Edmonds ’92, second from left, was the featured speaker at URI’s Big Thinkers event in Washington, D.C. Seen here with Edmonds are, from the left, Yasah Vezele ’10, a graduate student in chemistry/pharmacy and a past National Society of Black Engineers board member; URI President David M. Dooley; Michael Fagbote, a senior majoring in electrical and biomedical engineering and current president of the URI chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers; and Charles A. Watson ’93, the College of Engineering’s minority student recruitment and retention coordinator.

As many as 15,000 people gathered in Kingston for the University’s 125th Commencement. On May 21, advanced degrees were awarded to 711 graduate students. On May 22, degrees were awarded to 3,283 undergraduates. The Main Commencement speaker was Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory A. Booker, and the student speaker was Rainville Award winner Valerie Damon-Leduc. Citing the advice of his grandfather, Booker advised the new graduates: “Please, in everything you do, stand up tall. Stand up for who you are and from where you come from. Stand up in honor of those who came before, and stand up with hope for those who will come after.”

Our 2011 event was a great success!

The Big Chill Scholarship Evening & Auction was held on Saturday, January 22 at the Rosecliff Mansion and the Newport Marriott. With nearly 300 guests attending, we raised over $60,000 for the URI Alumni Association’s student scholarship fund.

Participants enjoy a great night of PawSox baseball and summer family fun at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium at this popular event held this year on August 18.

See more photos from Pride Night online: advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/pridenight/2010

advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/goldengrad/2010/index.htm

advance.uri.edu/photoalbums/50threunion/1960/index.htm

John King ’85, anchor of CNN’s new evening program, John King, USA, and CNN’s chief national correspondent, returned to his alma mater to deliver the Commencement address at URI’s 124th undergraduate Commencement. Comments about the occasion were included on John King, USA, on Monday, May 24th.

The Alumni of the Game program, which is held during half time at every men’s basketball home game, recognizes URI alumni who demonstrate the best of what our graduates are all about—successful careers combined with service to their communities and to the University. Seen on court with President David M. Dooley and Vice President for University Advancement Robert M. Beagle are the first six honorees for 2010. They are, left to right, Raymond L. Watson ’02, M.C.P. ‘05; Edward J. Quinlan ’71; Karen McKay Davis ’82, M.A. ’93; and Dana Edward Ramey, M.A. ’99 (who is profiled at Class Acts Profiles

The Dooleys prepare for the holidays by trimming the tree at the President’s Upper College Road residence. A set of official White House Christmas tree ornaments is a gift from alumnus Richard Beaupre, (below left with President Dooley) founder of ChemArt, which designs and manufactures photo-chemically etched decorative ornaments and collectibles, in Lincoln, R.I. they have been the sole provider of the official White House Christmas tree ornament since 1981.

John J. Palumbo Jr. ’76 isn’t one to do things halfway. When he was asked to be honorary chair of the URI Alumni Association’s Big Chill Weekend last year, he declined. At the time he was in his seventh and final year as chairman of the board of trustees for the Rhode Island Zoological Society, the administrators of the gem we call Roger Williams Park Zoo.

He was also in the midst of what he calls the “long, arduous process” of buying Rhode Island Monthly, the magazine he has been publisher of since 1997. Life was more than busy, and Palumbo doesn’t believe in taking on any responsibility he can’t put his all into.

As Rhode Island Monthly’s new owner, he’s not exactly sitting around eating bon bons these days, but Palumbo is a man who believes strongly in community engagement. So when the URI Alumni Association came calling again, inviting John and his wife, Gail, to chair the 2010 Big Chill (slated for January 29–31), he was ready to sign on.

His title includes the word honorary, but Palumbo is very much a working chairman, using his standing as a prominent local grad to raise funds for the event, whose proceeds go to scholarships. “Now more than ever, this event is important,” he says. “If there was ever a time when scholarship money is needed, this is it.”

Palumbo has a well-deserved reputation for being the go-to guy when it’s time to get things done. As chairman of the zoological society, he helped Roger Williams Park Zoo devise its $35 million master plan and spearheaded a capital campaign that has thus far raised $25 million for the zoo. The Plains of Africa exhibit has already been revamped and upgraded, and new plans include a North American Trail and a Children’s Zoo and Wetlands Trail.

And in 2010, the new John J. Palumbo Veterinary Hospital will open on the zoo’s grounds. Palumbo confesses to being overwhelmed when he found out the new hospital would bear his name, “I just happened to be chairman when things needed to be done,” he says modestly.

Over the years, Palumbo has been active as a URI alumnus. “I’ve never been far from URI,” he says. “Anytime anyone calls from there, I’m more than willing to help.”

If his past accomplishments are any indication, the 2010 Big Chill Weekend should be a roaring success.

—Paula M. Bodah ’80

The weekend activities included: whale watching, classroom experiences (theatre, watercolor monotype, and BioScience), a trip to Yawgoo Water Park, a barbecue, a movie on the Quad, and a day on the bay.

We can’t wait for next year.

Photo by Nora Lewis.

Moving In: URI President David M. Dooley and his wife, Lynn Baker-Dooley, must enjoy moving day. Having successfully moved themselves and their dog, Rhody into the freshly renovated president’s house on Upper College Road in August, on Saturday, September 5, the pair bustled down to URI’s residence halls to help the University’s entering freshmen get settled. As President Dooley wrote on his blog the night before move-in: “Obviously, it’s my first academic year at the University of Rhode Island, so I will always have a unique connection to the Class of 2013 as we begin our first year together.” On the next blog post, the president noted that he and Lynn found their first interaction with members of URI’s entering class and their families rewarding and encouraging: “During move-in weekend, Lynn and I met many parents and students from outside the state who were attracted by the quality and value of a URI education.”

Photos by Nora Lewis

Above: President Dooley throws the first pitch at URI’s 11th annual Pride in URI Night at McCoy Stadium on August 20, 2009.

advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/pridenight

Photo by Nora Lewis.

Mark your calendars for August 20, the date for our 2009 Pride in URI Night at McCoy Stadium as the PawSox take on the Rochester RedWings.

The URI Alumni Association and the Department of Athletics invites you to join alumni, family, and friends for a great evening of baseball, fun, food, and Rhody camaraderie. The event includes hot dogs & hamburgers, a free raffle, and special guests. Meet URI’s 11th president, David Dooley, who will be on hand for this popular annual event. Online registration is available at advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/pridenight.

For more information, call Brittany Manseau at 401.874.4536 or email bmanseau@advance.uri.edu.

FIREWORKS – FOOTBALL – FAMILY FUN

On Saturday, URI and Hofstra will take to the field, and a variety of activities and events are being planned for the weekend.

For more information, contact the Alumni Relations Office: 401-874-2242.

advance.uri.edu/events/homecoming

Tee Sponsors:
Amica Insurance, Carousel Industries, Eaton Vance, Gilbane Building Company (2), Global Spectrum, Hampton Inn, Liberty Mutual Group, Nationwide Insurance, New England Trane, New Image For the Home, PAETEC, RDW Group (2), South County Orthopedics & Physical Therapy, Sullivan & Company Certified Public Accountants, Starbucks, URI Bookstore, URI Health Services, Washington Trust.

Family Camp July 17-19, 2009

Return to your alma mater and show your children or grandchildren where you lived, studied, and played! You and your family can stay overnight in a residence hall, or you can all join us for day camp.

We are planning a weekend that makes it easy for you to reconnect with your family and University.

There will be plenty of fun activities on the Kingston Campus and in the surrounding area.

For more information, please contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401.874.4854 or email mfontes-barros@advance.uri.edu

If you have a disability and need an accommodation, please call 401.874.2242 at least three business days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the Rhode Island Relay Service at 1.800.745.5555.

Read more about this event advance.uri.edu/alumni/events

The URI Alumni Association’s Big Chill Weekend, held February 13-15, 2009, offered alumni and friends a chance to enjoy great activities and support student scholarships.

The 140,000 square-foot facility houses modern teaching laboratories, cutting edge research laboratories, high-tech facilities for DNA sequencing and analysis, faculty offices, a 100-seat classroom, and a two-story, 300-seat auditorium, all to meet the needs of URI’s growing environmental biotechnology, life and health sciences programs.

To see many more photos from the Golden Grad weekend, go to advance.uri.edu/photoalbums

To see many more photos from the reunion weekend, go to advance.uri.edu/photoalbums

To see many more photos from the reunion weekend, go to advance.uri.edu/photoalbums