KINGSTON, R.I. — March 29, 2017 — What they are saying about the University of Rhode Island’s new Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies:
URI President David M. Dooley: “This is a pivotal moment for the University of Rhode Island,” said President David M. Dooley. “If you look at URI in its 125th year, it looks very different than it did in 1892. Indeed, URI has changed dramatically since the start of the millennium. The creation of this new college is another step in our continuing transformation. It will allow undergraduates to grow, change and be challenged as teachers. It will allow professionals to expand their skills and allow adults to refresh their learning in this essential and vibrant college. This college will provide tools to address the world’s challenges.”
URI Provost Donald H. DeHayes: “This college is focused on education at all levels, including the preparation of the next generation of teachers to instruct and inspire competent and confident young people, engaging the growing population of adult learners seeking college credentials, and working with businesses, nonprofits, and agencies to offer continuing education and workforce development. The College also houses the new Office of Strategic Initiatives, an outreach arm for the entire University that will teach anywhere and everywhere around the state and around the world.”
Lori E. Ciccomascolo, dean of URI’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies: “When we began creating this unique two-campus College, we decided to think big. We wanted to focus on collaborative learning across the lifespan, to dissolve the silos between traditional and adult and continuing education. We envisioned a College that offered innovative and interdisciplinary teaching and research opportunities that complemented our existing synergistic interactions among faculty and staff. We wanted our new and existing faculty to be able to teach and research on both campuses to experience the differences and similarities within urban and suburban school districts and to capitalize on the urban location of the URI Feinstein Providence campus for research and outreach endeavors. We envisioned creating opportunities where our students and faculty would collaborate with global partners and enter into dialogue about the best practices and policies in instruction and research.
“We recognized that the market segment for adult degree completion is now larger than the traditional high school segment and that students are trending toward certifications and credentials as a means towards job creation.”
Janet Raymond, senior vice president of Economic Development and Operations at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce: “Congratulations on the launch of the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies. An article I read just last week announcing the new college summed it up perfectly: ‘Learning in a new light,’ which talked about it being a collaborative college that offers online customized courses and programs and lifelong learning. We need to offer students and adults options for their learning. There should be no wrong entry point or exit. We know that a high school education is no longer sufficient to prepare Rhode Islanders for jobs in the 21st century. Some education beyond high school is the new minimum. By 2020 more than 70 percent of all jobs available in Rhode Island will require some credential beyond a high school degree. We also know that less than 45% of Rhode Islanders meet that benchmark right now. It is also true that bachelor degree recipients earn $1 million more in their lifetime, and associate’s degrees earn $360,000 more compared to high school grads.”
Julie Coiro, associate professor of education: “Five years ago, I had the crazy idea of joining efforts with (Professor) Renee Hobbs in URI’s Harrington School of Communication and Media to design a Summer Institute in Digital Literacy. Held in Providence to capitalize on the excitement of Rhode Island’s urban community, very much supported by (Professor) David Byrd, director of the School of Education and (Dean) Lori Ciccomascolo, and through the tireless efforts of Christine Dolan in the Office of Strategic Initiatives and Lisa Silva in the School of Education, I was encouraged to not only Think Big, but to Think Boldly about what could be here at URI. Now, five years later our one-week institute has evolved into a four-course, 12 credit, Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy with two fully online courses, a two-tiered summer institute, a companion Winter Symposium in Digital Literacy for Higher Education (attended by faculty from all 11 Rhode Island colleges and universities). Importantly, this all happened before our new college was formed, so the people have always been in place. Now, I am proud of who we are, and I am positive that the visibility and strength of our newly formed College of Education and Professional Studies will empower new partnerships among my colleagues, who have lots of other big or crazy ideas, to tap into the synergy and power of one college across two campuses.”
Deborah L Mathews, Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies: “The words, nimble, agile, customized, innovative became our mantra. We envisioned that this new entity would be the entrepreneurial hub of our new College. So how did we land here? It was an ongoing process that focused on uncovering the real needs of our audiences and stakeholders, one that we hope to continue modeling as we build this entrepreneurial ecosystem. We began by meeting with professionals like Janet Raymond. We asked questions and we listened. Other industry and community leaders shared their insight, perspective, experience and knowledge. We now have new partnerships across business sectors–in health care, insurance, education, and manufacturing. And we continue to grow and expand our biotech, cyber security, and digital Literacy programs. Our clients include: Thundermist Health Center, Neighborhood Health Plan of RI, Electric Boat, Toray Plastics, Astro Nova, Dominion Diagnostics. And we have become true partners, learning from each other, listening, trying and changing. We are building the programs and solutions—together– that meet their specific needs. Always moving forward.”
Kaitlin Lambert Donahue, URI class of 2007, principal of Hamilton Elementary School, North Kingstown: “This year the faculty and I have had the pleasure of successfully supporting five URI student teachers in addition to over a dozen URI students working on practicum hours. I am excited to be part of educating these pre-service teachers. The connection from University to school was so important to me as a student at URI, and I know it’s important to these novice teachers. It’s also of great significance to those of us who work in schools. We have a wonderful opportunity, through our strong connection to the new College of Education and Professional Studies, to use our expertise to help develop the next generation of teachers. I am also sure that, with a new College focused solely on education, we can harness more power to educate people across the lifespan, including providing professional development to practicing teachers. What better way to complete the circle of education. I’m proud to say I’m a URI graduate in any room and glad to still have a small part in the great work that is going on in the College of Education and Professional Studies.”