KINGSTON, R.I. — March 30, 2000 — The University of Rhode Island is encouraging all students to become actively involved in the fight against hunger through its Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America. The center was established last year with the goal to eliminate hunger first in Rhode Island and then throughout America. These goals will be accomplished by using scholarship, activism, and public policy initiatives. “The work of the hunger center provides a unique opportunity for faculty and students to take an interdisciplinary approach to learning, collaborating with governmental and community agencies, to make a difference in the fight against hunger. Experiential learning is a key to helping students become life-long advocates in this cause. This is why we created a hunger minor,” said Jayne Richmond, dean of URI’s University College. Beginning next fall, URI will offer an interdisciplinary minor in hunger studies. The 18-credit minor requires three core courses, an internship and a capstone course. The capstone requires a portfolio, which will help students to integrate their various internship experiences and course work. The elective courses for the minor can be chosen from among the broad themes of public policy, food production and distribution, nutrition, children, family and community, health, community planning, resource economics, human services, urban/rural issues and poverty. Since 1996, university freshmen have participated in a 1-credit course, URI 101: Traditions and Transformations. As part of this course, the Feinstein Enriching America Program has enabled students to participate in community service, a key element for academic and personal development. As in the past, hunger issues will be one of the themes for which students can provide valuable community service. They have worked with the Amos House, RI Community Food Bank, Rita’s pantry, the Warm Shelter, and the Johnnycake Center, to name a few. In addition, students in URI 101 have worked long and hard on the Feinstein Petition to end hunger. To date, more than 590,000 signatures have been obtained, with more added everyday on www.Feinsteinfoundation.com. The Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America is currently looking for a director to lead the efforts in hunger eradication by combining research, teaching and activism to address all aspects of public policy and economic development that affect hunger. Efforts such as coursework, lecture series, exhibits, workshops and internship opportunities within the hunger center and in the community will help to accomplish these goals. Students, faculty and staff work out of URI’s Kingston Campus and Providence Campus. For more information about the center, call its interim assistant director Kathleen Cevoli at 401 277-5427. -xxx- For More Information: Jayne Richmond, 401-874-5505, Jan Sawyer, 401-874-2116 For more URI news visit: www.news.uri.edu