Mary Parlange and President Marc B. Parlange
My wife, Mary, and I are energized and enthusiastic as we begin the 2021–22 academic year, our first at URI. We’ve been getting to know the remarkable extended URI community, attending college retreats, music performances, sports events, and the Honors Colloquium; welcoming students and families; and meeting our government partners and our phenomenal faculty, staff, and alumni.
These occasions have led to rich conversations about developing a renewed, shared vision for URI and strengthening our contributions as the state’s flagship university. In the coming months, I look forward to advancing these conversations and to developing a university plan for URI’s future that will build on our distinct assets, reaffirm our commitment to accessible, affordable, and innovative education; rigorous and consequential research; social justice; and a diverse and inclusive community of learners. Among our areas of focus will be enhancing academic excellence by recruiting and supporting our faculty, exploring opportunities to add more graduate and Ph.D. program offerings, and expanding our strategic partnerships locally and globally.
Having been born right here in the Ocean State, I appreciate the distinct and substantial opportunities our location affords us to study such complex and pressing issues as climate change and environmental sustainability. I envision stronger collaborations with universities, institutes, companies, and NGOs along the Eastern Seaboard to examine how we might preserve and protect the region’s natural resources while also nurturing the state’s potential as a hub for a thriving blue—and green—economy.
Supporting student success and cultivating a safe, vibrant, and inclusive community is fundamental to our mission. This has taken on new meaning in the midst of a pandemic. I met many first-year students on move-in weekend and witnessed firsthand their excitement and optimism about a return to in-person instruction. This is a resilient and fearless generation of students, and I look forward to enhancing their experience at URI with new opportunities for experiential learning, such as the creation of lab spaces on campus that allow budding entrepreneurs to test their ideas. Some students have already taken me up on my invitation to join me on my morning runs, and we’ve had productive exchanges about how the University’s administration, faculty, and staff can support transformational initiatives that enable our students to execute their big ideas.
Finally, I have been so impressed with the level of interest and involvement Rhody alumni exhibit for their alma mater, and I think you’ll find many points of pride in this issue of the magazine. In “The Night Charlie Lee Made History,” we profile Rhody basketball player Charlie Lee, the first Black player to participate in a college basketball game in the state of Georgia. In our cover story, “Mind Over Matter,” you’ll read about how David Cipoletta ’14, M.S. ’19, and his company, Pison, are creating devices that enable people to control robots and computers using brain waves. Meet some of URI’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies alumni, who are using their positions—and voices—to create informed communities and to advocate for social justice in “Librarians. Out Loud.”
We have much to celebrate and more to do. I am honored and inspired to begin this journey with you.
Marc B. Parlange
President, University of Rhode Island
September Scenes
Marc and Mary Parlange rolled up their sleeves on move-in day, greeting students and families, unloading cars, and carrying boxes.
President Parlange met with URI Professor of Engineering Arun Shukla, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.) in Professor Shukla’s Dynamic Photomechanics Laboratory in Kirk Applied Engineering Lab.
This is a resilient and fearless generation of students.Marc B. Parlange
A group of students joined President Parlange for a morning run on the Kingston Campus.