WHO: URI President Robert L. Carothers and URI administrators, Jack Warner, commissioner of higher education, and members of the URI and local communities.

WHAT: Re-opening of Lippitt Hall, one of the oldest URI buildings on the Kingston campus, after an $8.9 million basement-to-roof renovation. The four-story building is fully equipped with wireless technology and the latest teaching tools in its seminar rooms and classrooms. Built in 1897 to address the need for a military drill hall and gymnasium facility, as well as, for a space to house the Rhode Island College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts’ growing collection of books, the building is now home to URI’s Honors Program and the Department of Mathematics.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at noon.

WHERE: A ribbon cutting will be held at the front steps of Lippitt Hall, 5 Lippitt Road located on URI’s Quadrangle. A reception will follow on the building’s fourth floor.

WHY: The project was funded by $5 million in general obligation bonds and a $3.8 state appropriation. The remainder was funded by a portion of the $5.6 million state grant NOMAD (New Order, Multi-Modal, Advanced-Design Learning Spaces), designed to help education students and in-service teachers create a more engaging and interactive learning environment for their classrooms.

For more information contact Jan Wenzel, 401-874-2116 or wenzel@advance.uri.edu