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Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island awards the University of Rhode Island $750,000 for scholarships

From left, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Dean Libutti, Director of Financial Aid Victoria McNeil, President Marc Parlange, Hayden Foundation Board Member Nick Gorham, Corporate and Foundation Relations Executive Director Katharine Flynn, Hayden Foundation Executive Director George Panichas. (URI Photo/Nora Lewis)

KINGSTON, R.I. — September 16, 2024 — A recent $750,000 charitable gift will create scholarships designed to support Rhode Island students through periods of unexpected financial hardship. The gift from the Donald P. and Elaine M. Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island provides $250,000 annually for three years, which will be matched by the University. 

“We are excited to partner with the University of Rhode Island to create the Hayden Student Success Scholarship,” said George Panichas, executive director of the Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island. “The Hayden Foundation is proud to be a helping hand as students strive toward their goals.” 

Many students at URI face financial, family, and health challenges that disrupt their lives and their education. When “life happens”—a parent loses their job, or a student or their family member is facing an illness—students often experience significant financial barriers that cause them to either delay their degree or dropout completely. 

During the Fall 2023 semester, the University provided over $250,000 in emergency grants to more than 150 students in the first six weeks of classes. While the University has been able to support some students in the face of hardship, greater financial need persists. The emergency scholarships supported by the Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island will provide critical support to help students through these difficult times and complete their degrees without taking on additional student debt or time off from school. 

“Being able to support students when they face unexpected challenges often makes the difference for them staying in school and completing their degrees,” said Dean Libutti, associate vice president for enrollment management and student success. ” With this gift, we will be able to support many Rhode Island students who need unexpected help to stay at URI and afford a college education.”

This gift contributes to the ongoing commitments of the institution through its ambitious and dynamic strategic vision, Focus URI, that seeks to broaden the institution’s impact, enhance student achievement, foster an inclusive culture, and power the university of the future. Embedded in the plan is a commitment to ensuring that a URI education is within reasonable reach for all students. Scholarship support is part of this effort to help make a degree from URI accessible.

“Scholarship support is an essential part in helping our students to be successful,” said Libutti. “Donors like the Hayden Foundation are helping to make a college degree possible, and the Foundation’s partnership with URI is greatly appreciated and needed for our terrific students.”

The Donald P. and Elaine M. Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island is a philanthropic organization dedicated to providing financial assistance via scholarships and grants to educational and animal welfare organizations.