PROVIDENCE, R.I. – January 4, 2006 — For more than 60 years at its campus in Providence, the University of Rhode Island has opened its doors for adults returning to school to earn undergraduate or graduate degrees. Now for the first time, those doors are being held open for 2006 high school graduates to enroll as full-time freshmen.
Students now applying for admission to some University programs for the fall of 2006 can choose to earn their degree at either the Kingston or the Providence Campus. This new enrollment option is available only to students who plan to major in communication studies, human development and family studies, or psychology.
“URI’s primary mission has always been to help Rhode Islanders learn to lead in a dynamic environment. Nowhere is change more powerful than in our urban communities. This program will give students at the Feinstein Providence Campus an opportunity to engage that environment while they learn the skills necessary for effective leadership,” said URI President Robert L. Carothers.
“We’re expanding the resources that are already available here to provide students with a seamless transition from one academic step to the next – without needing to move to a new residential locale,” said Ed Ferszt, associate dean of URI’s Feinstein College of Continuing Education. “The Providence Campus offers a non-residential option for an education in an urban setting – with the added benefit of reduced student fees and overall costs.”
Annual tuition costs for undergraduate students at URI in Kingston or in Providence are $5,258 for in-state, $17,900 for non-residents of the state, and $7,888 for New England regional students in select programs. At the Kingston Campus, students are assessed health services and student services fees while at the Providence Campus students pay only the student activity fee of $40. Students pay a $50 registration fee at both campuses.
All students must file an application by February 1 for September enrollment and must submit SAT or ACT scores. Outstanding freshman candidates are eligible for Centennial scholarships ranging up to full tuition.
With the new program, all required courses for the degrees offered, as well as general education and elective courses will be scheduled throughout the day. URI’s Continuing Education, graduate degree and professional, non-credit courses will continue to be provided primarily during the evening hours.
“This option for entering URI students provides greater access than ever before to higher education,” said John McCray, vice provost, Urban Programs and dean of the Feinstein College of Continuing Education. “These students will enjoy the benefits of our small, personalized classes, our library and our fully equipped labs – all within the historic Shephard’s Building.
They’ll also be in close proximity to financial and governmental institutions and a variety of cultural establishments. Our campus is a very tight-knit learning community and we’re looking forward to new students becoming a part of it.”
According to Ferszt, opening the Providence Campus for undergraduate admissions in these popular academic areas has been in the works for a number of years.
“We have worked closely with URI’s Admissions Office, Enrollment Services, faculty from each of the colleges involved, and all of the administration at both campuses to make this option a reality for 2006 high school graduates,” Ferszt said. “These freshman admitted for study on the Providence Campus will have the same requirements for admissions and for graduation as students in Kingston. The only difference will be their locale.”
The new option for direct matriculation on the Providence Campus was approved by the URI Faculty Senate and the president last fall and by the RI Board of Governors for Higher Education in spring of 2005.
“The URI Providence Campus option truly affords students the best of both worlds — an exciting and vibrant urban setting, as well as an opportunity to experience, if opted, select academic offerings in Kingston, a quintessential New England rural campus,” said James Lynch, dean of undergraduate admission. “It’s a great formula to follow, allowing students the personal attention and quality opportunity needed as an undergraduate, so that they can leave their mark, especially the inaugural freshman class in Providence.”
The Feinstein Providence campus is a non-residential environment that offers small classes, fully equipped computer, biology, and chemistry labs, an on-campus library and bookstore, a 500-seat theatre style auditorium, as well as a child development center and an urban art gallery.
Tours are held most Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. only. To schedule a tour, contact Nathalie Nascimento at 401-277-5150, or email nnascimento@mail.uri.edu. For more information on admission requirements, phone 401-874-7000, or email admissions@uri.edu.
Pictured above
URI offers freshmen the choice of Providence: URI’s Feinstein Providence Campus will expand enrollment opportunities for full-time undergraduate students in the fall 2006.
URI photo by Joe Giblin.