KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 18, 2026 – A new school year at the University of Rhode Island brings firsts, changes and new challenges. 

For many students that means new environments, classes and schedules. For them, balancing homework, activities and work can be daunting; however, there to help students navigate these challenges is URI’s Academic Enhancement Center, part of the Fannon Institute for Student Success. 

The AEC offers a wide range of support including, academic coaching, writing and speaking help, and tutoring. Their mission is to help students meet the demands of their coursework.

“What we say is that the academic enhancement center is a hub for undergraduate student support. We recognize that students have faculty members and TAs that they work closely with, but a lot of students need and want something supplemental to that,” said Jennifer Burgess, the director of the Academic Enhancement Center.

As a new semester gets underway, the AEC is also preparing to unveil something new. The URI community is invited to an open house and ribbon cutting for its remodeled drop-in space on the lower level of the Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons, Room LL4, on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. 

The ribbon-cutting and open house will feature brief remarks from Burgess, Fannon Institute for Student Success Executive Director Kimberly Stack, and an opportunity for students and guests to interact with tutors who will be available to demonstrate technology and answer questions.

Guests will have the opportunity to explore the newly updated space, learn about programs and services offered by the Academic Enhancement Center, and experience some of the latest technology added to the space.

Burgess notes that many of the changes will improve student experience while also providing better support for tutors and allowing for their professional development. Improvements include wall-mounted TV screens, enhancing tutors’ ability to better share visual materials and allowing students to see from wherever they’re sitting. A state-of-the-art speaker system will also allow audio to be projected to specific areas or throughout the entire space.

“We have live virtual reality dissection software that we partnered with the Innovation Labs to install, so if you’re a nursing student, what better way to learn anatomy than to virtually peel back the layers,” said Burgess.

Burgess said the space needed improvements, partly for technological reasons, but also because of the number of students being supported. Burgess said the center had more than 15,000 student visits last year, with students seeking help across a wide range of classes, from nursing and business to chemistry.

Burgess said the open house will also give the AEC a chance to thank the Fannon family and demonstrate how critical investments like theirs are to student success.

“The space is a reflection of student success as a priority at URI. The improvements and the technology that has been added will not only positively impact the many thousands of student visits we have each year but also the 175-plus students we employ,” said Burgess.

The Academic Enhancement Center’s drop-in space is open Monday through Thursday from 12 to 7 p.m. Students can also schedule appointments with an AEC tutor via: https://web.uri.edu/aec/scheduling/.