KINGSTON, R.I. – February 17, 2022 – The University of Rhode Island inducted 23 faculty and staff members into its Lifetime Service Society, celebrating their 40+ year-long commitment of service to the University.

Inductees were welcomed to campus for a formal ceremony hosted in the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center. Both the classes of 2020 and 2021 were honored at the event after the pandemic delayed the previous celebration.

Since the society’s founding in 2013, close to 160 individuals have been recognized for their dedication to and achievement at URI. Each person inducted will be further honored with commemorative bricks outside the Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons, engraved with their names and years of service to the University.

The 2021 Inductees (retired as of December 2020) are:

Stephen L. Granger of North Kingstown, Marine Research Associate, Graduate School of Oceanography • 40 years
Stephen Granger received his master’s degree from URI in 1994 after joining the Graduate School of Oceanography as a laboratory manager in 1980. His work ranged from installing a Narragansett Bay-monitoring station at the Castle Hill Lighthouse in Newport, to working on coastal lagoons in Ghana, to developing shallow water mesocosms. Granger was described by his colleagues as one of the most “down-to-earth,” “straightforward” and “creative” scientists within the GSO.

Jeffrey E. Jarrett of North Kingstown, Professor, College of Business • 49 years
Jeffrey Jarrett dedicated 49 years of service to the URI College of Business. Jarrett, better known as Dr. JJ, was committed to his concentration on business research. He taught his students with this research in mind, bringing his breadth of knowledge to the forefront of his classes. Dr. JJ was considered a mentor and a friend throughout the College, and his presence is greatly missed by his colleagues.

Galen A. Johnson of Kingston, Professor, Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences • 44 years
Professor of Philosophy Galen Johnson is an internationally recognized expert on French philosopher Merleau-Ponty and was a dedicated faculty member within the College of Arts and Sciences. He served as director of the Honors Program and helped establish its home in Lippitt Hall. After departing from his leadership position in the Honors Program, Johnson took over as the director of the Center for Humanities at URI. His published research is mostly focused on phenomenology, the study of developing consciousness and experience. He received the Teaching Excellence Award in 2006 from the URI Foundation for his commitment to his students and his studies.

Charles Kaufman of Kingston, Professor, Physics, College of Arts and Sciences • 56 years
After graduating from Pennsylvania State University with his Ph.D. in 1963, Charles Kaufman joined URI the following year as a professor of physics. Kaufman was coach of the URI women’s sailing team and advisor to the outing club in addition to his commitment to the Department of Physics. His research spans particle physics, underwater acoustics, chaos theory and ultra-cold neutrons. Kaufman was once chosen for the U.S. World Canoe Championship team in whitewater slalom, in addition to his background as a mountaineer, competitive sailor and dedicated URI professor for 56 years.

Steven M. Kay of Middletown, Professor, Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering • 40 years
Steven Kay received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1980. A few months later, he joined URI’s College of Engineering. Kay is a leading expert in statistical signal processing. With this knowledge, he has taught classes to preeminent scientists at government organizations like NASA and the CIA. Kay is Life Fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He retired from URI with 40 years of experience as a professor and researcher.

Roger A. LeBrun of West Kingston, Professor, Plant Sciences, College of The Environment and Life Sciences • 43 years
Roger LeBrun served as an entomology professor at URI for 43 years. In 2001, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education named LeBrun the Rhode Island Professor of the Year – the first person at URI to achieve this feat. He also won the URI Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2000. LeBrun was always feeding off the energy of his students in the classroom; it was his enthusiasm for his studies and students that made him a beloved professor. He holds multiple patents, has researched more than $1.5 million worth of grants and was named a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Global Public Health in 2006.

James O. Prochaska, Ph.D. of Mill Valley, CA, Professor, Cancer Prevention, College of Health Sciences • 51 years
James Prochaska is considered to be one of the most cited scientists in the world. He is a co-creator of the transtheoretical model of behavior change, a theory widely used to develop effective interventions to accelerate changes in problem behaviors. He oversaw more than $80 million grants related to cancer prevention and chronic disease awareness. Prochaska has won numerous awards ranging from the Top Five Most Cited Authors in Psychology from the American Psychology Society, to a Medal of Honor for Clinical Research from the American Cancer Society, to an Innovator’s Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He served as the director of Cancer Prevention Research Center at URI as well. Prochaska’s preeminent work has made an impact not only at URI, but worldwide.

Antonio J. Sciola of Wakefield, Mechanical and Electrical Shop Supervisor, Facility Services • 70 years
Antonio “Jay” Sciola – a Mechanical and Electrical Shop supervisor – has spent the past 70 years of his life dedicated to his work at URI. Over his decades of experience, Sciola came to know the URI mechanical systems and plumbing set-ups in depth; his memory has been long-serving and has proved to be a most reliable resource for helping engineers and architects expand campus operations. He was a leader within his department, always on call and ready to tackle whatever maintenance concerns arose, even on his days off. Sciola impacted thousands of students across his many years of service to the URI community. 

The 2020 Inductees (retired as of December 2019) are:

David H. Abedon of Warwick, Professor, Education Specialist, College of the Environment and Life Sciences • 46 years
David Abedon made waves throughout his tenure at URI creating various environmental programs like The Blue Lobster, a marine education program that reached more than 60,000 children. He was praised for this program and for his Project EQ, a program that had students document the environmental status of their hometowns. Throughout his career, Abedon led trips to Costa Rica where he showed his students the effect coffee growing has on local people and environments. Abedon alone created the International Development minor at the University and helped prepare his students for global work. He went out of his way to be available for students and wanted nothing more than to see them succeed.

Gary T. Boden* of Exeter, Senior Information Technologist, Institutional Research • 43 years
After starting his career at the GSO as a marine research specialist in 1977, Gary Boden went on to establish himself at URI as a senior information technologist in Institutional Research. Boden’s strength was his ability to take complicated data sets and turn it into something everyone could understand. He engaged the community through his “sandbox sessions” where he would host lessons on utilizing critical data. Boden was the person to go to for making sense of student success statistics and knowledge of institutional measures. His efforts led to two national honors from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities for success in degree completion at URI.

James F. Cacciola of Carolina, Assistant Controller, Payroll, Office of the Controller • 45 years
James “Jim” Cacciola joined URI as the manager of Research and Grant Accounting in 1976 and retired as the assistant controller of Payroll Operations after 45 years of state service. He was known as “Chatty Jim” around campus and was often found walking across the Quad to help different departments with payroll issues and payment inquiries. Cacciola was key to the implementation of PeopleSoft in 2002-2003 which expanded his technical and functional skills. He was well-known at Ram’s Den, frequently found talking with friends.

Louis J. Kirschenbaum of Kingston, Professor, Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences • 49 years
Louis “Louie” Kirschenbaum dedicated nearly 50 years of service to the URI Department of Chemistry. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Brandeis University, was awarded the prestigious Research Medal from the Worshipful Company of Dyers in 2002 and has a robust portfolio of academic publications. In 2018, Louie was awarded the URI/AAUP Lifetime Solidarity Award for his dedication to equity and justice. His colleagues know him for his institutional memory and strong moral compass.

Shmuel Mardix* of Kingston, Professor, Electrical, Computer & Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering • 49 years
Shmuel Mardix was a committed faculty member dedicated to logic and learning. He received a Ph.D. in physics from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Mardix worked with Andrew Lang, inventor of the x-ray camera that studies crystal defects, after receiving his doctorate. After arriving in Kingston in 1970, Mardix taught the electrical engineering course on electro-magnetic theory – a course his colleagues speculate to be the most challenging of the curriculum.

Thomas D. Morin* of Kingston, Professor, Languages, College of Arts and Sciences • 43 years
Tom Morin was a champion for URI’s international student population, specifically those from Latinx backgrounds. He was a professor in the Department of Languages for 43 years where he encouraged classroom debate and provided a platform for all voices to be heard. Morin recruited many international students, primarily from Mexico, to come to URI for their master’s degrees. In 1980, Morin founded the Latin American Student Association which is still active on campus today, serving as one of his enduring accomplishments. His students considered him a committed and welcoming professor.

Marcia A. Morreira of Charlestown, 4-H State Program Leader, URI Cooperative Extension, College of the Environment and Life Sciences • 48 years
Marcia Morreira joined URI in 1971 to serve as a 4-H educator and ended up dedicating her 48-year-long career to the 4-H program and the University community. When she retired in 2019, she had been serving as the state program leader, but over the years she also served as agriculture and natural resources program leader, director of the Cooperative Extension Education Center and Dean’s Office specialist. What Morreira wanted most was to empower others to reach their goals. Through her 4-H leadership, she expanded offerings to marginalized communities and developed policies to ensure equity and safety for all participants. Morreira is remembered by her colleagues as someone committed to the future success of 4-H kids and the URI community.

James J. Opaluch of Wakefield, Professor, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, College of the Environment and Life Sciences • 40 years
James Opaluch, Jim O to his friends, strengthened the Environment and Natural Resource Economics department under his leadership. While serving as chair, Opaluch expanded the department’s range of expertise in an effort to broaden the research needs of the region. He was a mentor to students, always willing to train them and offer career advice. Opaluch was an integral part of establishing the National Science Foundation-funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship at URI.

Lori F. Pivarnik of Narragansett, Coordinator, Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of the Environment and Life Sciences • 42 years
Lori Pivarnik was a highly motivated, ambitious and passionate member of the URI community. She received her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees all from URI. Pivarnik served as a research associate, seafood/food safety specialist and coordinator of food safety research/outreach over her years here. She cared deeply about developing a food safety program and implementing food safety practices on local farms so they could sell goods to local schools. Pivarnik, above all, wanted to help her students succeed and was always willing to provide guidance regarding food safety.

Charles T. Schifino* of Warwick, Director, University Computing Systems, Information Technology Services • 49 years
Charles “Charlie” Schifino loved his time at URI– developing the IT infrastructure, making close connections to his colleagues, being in the middle of an ever changing environment – he loved it. He worked in the IT department for 49 years and was always ready to take on new challenges. His colleagues remember him as being a supportive teammate. He was always there for any and all major life events of his staff. The IT team was always grateful for Schifino’s support and oversight. He seemed to do it all, and that’s what he is so fondly remembered for.

Wayne B. Sherman of Wakefield, Senior Maintenance Technician, Facilities Operations • 40 years
Wayne Sherman is one of many members of his family with a URI legacy career. In fact, the Sherman Building, which he grew to know well throughout his time at URI, is named after his great uncle. Wayne began as a teenager working summers in the carpentry shop, and when he graduated, he secured a job with dining services. Later on, Wayne moved back to the Sherman Building full time, working in the carpentry shop and painting shop. Wayne ultimately retired as a senior maintenance technician where his position had him building stages and preparing campus for commencement.

Jay Singer of Wakefield, Professor, Communicative Disorders, College of Health Sciences • 42 years
Jay Singer has been working in the field of audiology since 1972; since then, he has trained every audiologist in the state of Rhode Island. He created the department of Communicative Disorders and served as the chair for three decades. Singer taught classes and engaged with students hoping to enter the field of audiology. He also interacted frequently with the public and developed the campus Speech and Hearing Center for the local community.

John F. Vanner of Johnston, Associate Director, Athletics Administration • 40 years
John Vanner made the URI Athletics Department a better place through his service. Vanner started out as a graduate student assistant and physical education teacher until 1986. He was appointed by Vice President Robert Rainville to oversee the men’s athletic programs at the University. In his first month in his new position, Vanner hired three coaches that went on to become Kingston legends: Soccer Coach Ed Bradley, Golf Coach Tom Drennan and Basketball Coach Tom Penders. It was clear, Vanner was ready to make an impact right away. He was notorious for his ability to comfort students and co-workers, but give out tough love when needed.

Fritz K. Wenisch* of Narragansett, Professor, Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences • 48 years
Toward the end of his tenure at URI, Professor Fritz Wenisch began responding to emails from his Philosophy Department colleagues in verse – specifically iambic tetrameter most of the time. This only added to his well-known sense of humor among his fellow professors, in addition to his vast intelligence. Wenisch began at URI in 1971, where he started his research on phenomenological realism, ethics, philosophy of religion and the theory of knowledge. He was steadfast to teaching his students and committed to serving the University.

Sze C. Yang of Hingham, MA, Professor, Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences • 40 yearsSze Yang was best known for his thought-provoking and insightful questions. It didn’t matter if he was teaching a chemistry course, participating in a seminar or in a meeting with colleagues, he was always asking the critical questions. He started his role as professor at URI in 1980. Once the chemistry faculty met Yang at his first job interview, they knew right away they had to hire him. He taught his students, but also his colleagues, much about science and the power of being inquisitive.

*Indicates posthumous recognition 

Kate LeBlanc, a senior journalism and political science major at the University of Rhode Island and an intern in the Department of Communications and Marketing, wrote this press release.