We are living in the lightning-fast age of information, where creating, curating and sharing bits and bytes of communication drive virtually every aspect of our world. URI is at the leading edge of these developments and is positioned to further solidify its influence with a substantial gift to the Harrington School for Communication and Media.

In early June 2018, URI  alumnus Richard J. Harrington ’73 and his wife Jean made a $3 million commitment to the eponymous Harrington School to support building renovations and expanded academic programming. The gift also will provide operating support for facilities as well as endowment funding to ensure the long-term development and success of the program.

With this gift, Ranger Hall, which houses the Harrington Hub for Global Leadership in Communication and Media, will broaden its capacity as a thriving center of research and teaching. A complete renovation of the second floor will more than double usable space, allowing for a social media traffic center/tracking laboratory, new media production facilities and active learning spaces. The Hub opened in 2016, with financial support from the Harringtons. 

The School, established within the College of Arts and Sciences in 2009 with a $5 million gift from the Harringtons, offers educational opportunities designed to adapt to the rapidly changing fields of communication and media. Programs include digital media, communication studies, film/media, journalism, library and information studies, public relations, and writing and rhetoric, and a new minor in sports media and communication. 

An information-media industry leader, Richard Harrington was president and CEO of the Thomson Reuters Corporation, the 10th largest media company in the world. He also is chairman emeritus of the Boston-based venture capital firm Cue Ball. Members of the Harrington School advisory board include prominent media figures and journalists such as Christiane Amanpour ’83 and John King ’85 of CNN, Vladimir Duthiers ’91 and Adam Wiener ’87 of CBS, and Meredith Vieira of NBC Universal.