University of Rhode Island

Work-Life at URI:
401-874-5289
work-life@etal.uri.edu

History, Accomplishments, and Past Events

The Work-Life Committee began as a subcommittee of the NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant (2003-2009) and the President's Commission on the Status of Women (PCOSW) and works closely with the Equity Council. The Work-Life Committee was the first ADVANCE committee to develop initiatives that included the entire University community. Committee members comprise faculty, staff, and students. The committee welcomes new members!

Work-Life Committee activities fall into three broad categories: policy advisory to Human Resources, information and awareness programs, and research and outreach.

Policy Advisory:

Working with the PCOSW, we developed URI's first paid Parental Leave Policy.
We developed a nationally-recognized set of guidelines for Dual Career Hiring.
Under an Elsevier Foundation New Scholars grant, the committee developed an award-winning Lactation Program and Lactation Policy.
In 2008, the Rhode Island State Senate passed a Senate Resolution recognizing the importance of work-life balance in Rhode Island workplaces and the work of the URI Work-Life Committee.

Information and Awareness

Each year since 2007, the committee celebrates National Work-Family Month (www.awlporg)
Ongoing Brown Bag Lunch series (in collaboration with the Women’s Center)
Work-life topical lunches for women in science, visiting work-life scholars
Administrators’ Workplace Flexibility Breakfasts
Work-life literature distributed to chairs, new faculty

Research and Outreach

In collaboration with the Schmidt Labor Research Center, research initiatives in work-life and workplace flexibility

Annual Reports

Past Work-Life Events at URI

Events 2013

Feb. 25 - Mar. 8: Photo Exhibit: In Our Family

June 26: Administrators' Breakfast: Work, Life, and URI Staff Employees

Brown Bag Lunches:

Jan. 30, Herbal & Complementary Medicine (Noemi Ramos- Desimone, Christina Abelli & Robin Sollars), MU 308
Feb. 6, Rethinking Work-Life Balance (Barb Silver & Helen Mederer), MU 308
Feb. 20, Pest Control (Heather Faubert), MU 308
March 6, The Power of Play (Janice O'Donnell & Mary Scott Hackman), MU 308
March 27, Caregiver Burnout (Gina Maclure, URI Couple and Family Therapy Clinic), MU 308
April 10, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
with (Nancy Graham, Spring Lotus Holistic Health Center), MU 308
Wed. April 24, Gardening for the Birds (Rosanne Sherry, URI Master Gardener), MU 360

Events 2012

Feb. 27: The End of Breast Cancer Luncheon Rally, 12:00 - 2:00 pm, Women's Center Library. Guest Speaker: Marlene McCarthy, Breast Cancer CoalitionChild

April 25: Care Fair

Oct. 1: Diversity Week Presentation: Work-Life Issues on the College Campus: A Snapshot of Care Giving Responsibilities

Brown Bag Lunches:

Feb. 15, Caregiving with Self in Mind, MU 301
Feb. 29, Financing Long-Term Care, MU 202
March 7, Grief and Grieving (Dr. Jay Anderson), MU 301
March 14, Childcare Choices & Info. Session (Phyllis Penhallow) , MU 354
March 21, Healthy Meal Planning on a Budget (Linda Sebelia), MU 301
March 28, The End of Breast Cancer (Marlene McCarthy),
MU 301
April 4, Stress Relief (Joan Dwyer), MU 301
April 11, Planning for Long-Term Elder Care (Cindy Bielecki & Sherrell Parker), MU 354
April 18, Breastfeeding Matters (Linda Sebelia), MU 301
April 25, Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners (Joan Dwyer), MU 360
May 2, Basic Gardening Techniques (Rosanne Sherry),
MU 301
May 9 Sleep Habits & Sleeplessness (Sue K. Adams),
MU 202
Sept. 12. How Healthy Am I? Asess your Wellness to Help Start your Journey. Courtney Mackey, MU 354 (sponsored by Rec Services)
Sept. 19. Time to Quit: Tools for Smoking Cessation. Roger Jadosz, URI Health Education, MU 308
Oct. 3. Composting. Sejal Lanterman, URI Cooperative Extension (location tbd)
Oct. 10. Yoga, Body, & Mind. Courtney Mackey, MU 354 (sponsored by Rec Services).
Oct. 17. Putting Your Garden to Bed. Lee Menard, URI Master Gardner. (location tbd)
Oct. 31. Herbal Remedies & Alternative Medicine. Noemi Ramos-Desimone, URI Pharmacy Outreach Program. (location tbd)
Nov. 7. Caring for Elders - Preventing Falls & Assessing Risks. Jen Lee, Rehab Services, VNA Care New England. (location tbd)
Nov. 14. Eat Healthy for Life: Lose Weight by Ditching Diets and Eating Real Food. Courtney Mackey, MU 354 (sponsored by Rec Services).
Nov. 28. Grains and Greens for Busy People. Tracey Blahy, All that Matters. (location tbd)
Dec. 5. Stress Management During the Holiday Season. Joan Dwyer, All That Matters (location tbd)
Dec. 12. Stress Less: Learn about Mindfulness and Do Some Yoga. Courtney Mackey, MU 354 (sponsored by Rec Services).

Events 2011

April 15: Child Care Fair

June 23: Department Chairs' Workshop Lunch: Workplace Flexibility and Faculty Success: What a Chair Needs to Know.

Brown Bag Lunches:

Feb. 4, 14; March 4 & 18; April 1,5, & 29: Student Parenting Group
Feb. 11, 15; March 11, 25; April 8, 22; May 6: Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group
Feb. 16: Work-Life Resources at URI
Apr. 13: Preparing for Kindergarten
June 1: Sleep and Your Child
June 21: Breastfeeding and Working
Sept. - Dec. Caring for the Caregiver Support Group meetings