Sept. 23, 2026

The University mourns the loss of Dean Emeritus Diane W. Strommer, who passed away on Sept. 9. Strommer was the dean of URI’s University College from 1980 until 1998. She was 91.

Born in Jersey City, Strommer received her Ph.D. from Ohio State University, and began her academic career at Boston University. She went on to become the associate dean at Texas A&M University, the first female academic administrator to be hired at this previously all-male institution. In 1980 she became the dean of URI’s University College. There she helped develop programs for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, study abroad, national student and faculty exchange, learning assistance center, internship program, community service programs and a required first year course. She was named dean emerita in 2001.

Strommer left URI in 1998 to serve for two years as the founding dean of Zayed University, a national university for women in the United Arab Emirates. In 2009 she became the academic and student affairs vice president for the American University of Ras al Khaimah in its inaugural year.

Strommer’s love of international work continued in Bulgaria. She was tasked as the special assistant to the president of the University of Bulgaria to help develop new admission and financial aid policies and strategies to stabilize the university’s financial situation, before moving on to serve as an advisor to two institutions of higher education in Switzerland being evaluated by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Once the schools obtained their NEASC accreditation, Strommer served nine years on the Board of Governors at one of the institutions, Glion Institute of Higher Education. She also worked as a consultant with regional accreditation programs in the U.S. helping develop national systems of accreditation in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam as a Fulbright senior scholar. 

Most recently Strommer had moved her focus towards the Rhode Island nonprofit sector. She served on the Board of Governors for Hamilton House, an independent center dedicated to education for older adults, where she also taught classes. Strommer’s love for the arts and music continued to thrive in her later years as she helped develop programs with the Gamm Theatre. She also wrote for the Providence Village newsletter and initiated the first East Coast group of Longevity Explorers. 

Her family is planning a remembrance of life for next spring. In lieu of flowers, donations in Diane’s memory may be made to Hope Hospice of Rhode Island.

To view her full obituary or send the family a written expression of sympathy, please visit Olson and Parent Funeral Home.