August 26, 2024
To Our URI Community,
I am writing to share that after more than 35 years of dedicated service to the University of Rhode Island, Anne Veeger will retire from her role as vice provost for academic and faculty initiatives next month.
We are grateful to Anne for her leadership and years of service to URI, from her time as a faculty member to her tenure as vice provost. As vice provost, she helped launch URI Online, played an integral role in the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and expanded the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning to better meet the needs of our faculty and serve our students, among her many contributions.
Anne first joined URI in 1989 as an assistant professor in the department of geosciences. Over time, she assumed the role of department chair, then associate dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, and ultimately vice provost. As a faculty member, Anne’s teaching and research focused on hydrogeology, isotope hydrology and ground-water management, contributing broadly to the study and management of Rhode Island groundwater resources.
Anne has been a friend and trusted advisor to many across our University, and she leaves a legacy at URI of which to be incredibly proud.
As we prepare for the start to the fall semester, Sue K. Adams, professor of human development and family science, has graciously agreed to assume the role of interim vice provost for academic and faculty initiatives, effective Sept. 1.
Sue brings valuable experience as an interim associate dean, department chair, and faculty member. In every role she has held at URI, she has demonstrated a commitment to collaboration and to supporting our faculty and students. I am excited to work with her over the coming months as we prepare for URI’s 2027 accreditation, undertake promotion and tenure review, and ensure that the perspective of our faculty is reflected in our strategic planning and prioritization. She also will serve as liaison with the Faculty Senate and will oversee the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and other academic initiatives.
Sue has been a member of the URI faculty for more than 15 years, arriving in Kingston in 2007 as an assistant professor. She has been a full professor since 2018, with a robust research and publication portfolio and a teaching focus in family and community health, counseling techniques, and family dynamics and health. Sue earned a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College (Massachusetts) and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and completed her clinical psychology residency at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Please join me in thanking Anne for her many decades of dedicated service and for the considerable impact she has made on the University, and please welcome Sue to the role of interim vice provost for academic and faculty initiatives.
Sincerely,
Barb
Barbara Wolfe
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs