Rhode Island College (RIC)

Have you stopped by Unity Center RIC lately? Meet the new director, Lehidy Frias. “We want to teach students how to support and understand differences... We want all of our students to feel comfortable at RIC," she says.

RIC’s Unity Center Director is a Proud Latina with Experience in Restorative Justice Lehidy Frias, the newly appointed director of the Unity Center at Rhode Island College, was born in Providence but feels as LatinX as their parents who moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic.

“Hope is important to me,” says Polanco, “because I came from a place where there wasn’t much hope.” Enacted this fall, RIC’s Hope Scholarship makes the final two years of a four-year bachelor’s degree tuition-free for R.I. residents.

Student Veteran, Ariel Polanco, Says Hope Scholarship is “Real Hope” RIC Junior, Ariel Polanco, Talks About How the Hope Scholarship Has Impacted Him: “I’m a U.S. Marine Corp veteran,” says Polanco (pictured above). “I enlisted in the military when I was 19. I grew up on the West End of Providence, where there was a lot of drugs and gun violence. We all knew ...

It’s feeling like fall on campus 🍂

RIC alumnus Melissa Medenciy ’06, whose authorial name is M.Z. Medenciy, was recently honored with the International Latino Book Award in the fantasy category for her novel “Island Eight.”
Rhode Island College Alumni Association (RIC)

RIC Alumnus Produces Award-Winning Fantasy Novel RIC alumnus Melissa Medenciy ’06, whose authorial name is M.Z. Medenciy, was recently honored with the International Latino Book Award in the fantasy category for her novel “Island Eight.” This award is the largest Latino literary and cultural award in the United States. It is designed to reco...

The Graduate Student Nursing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Association's commitment to diversity extends beyond RIC into the Rhode Island community.

Graduate Nurses Aim to Diversify Nursing Ranks and Tackle Healthcare Disparities In 2020 the Multicultural Student Nurse Organization at Rhode Island College was founded to bridge the gap between nursing students of color and nursing faculty and staff and ensure that students of color are equipped with equal opportunity and adequate resources. Ultimately, their goal is to increa...

Hope is Here ⚓️ A beautiful day on the quad as we celebrate the official signing of the Hope Scholarship! Hope will provide tuition funding for juniors and seniors who qualify.

Did you see the RIC Swag Wagon today? 👀 Every Thursday this Fall, wear your RIC gear or RIC colors and find the wagon on campus to pick out a free item! Times and locations vary, so be on the lookout.

It’s time! The Rhode Island College Theatre production of Machinal, a journey through the life of Helen Jones, opens tonight with shows running through the weekend ⚓️

The largest number of Guatemalans in Rhode Island live and attend school in Providence and Central Falls.

It’s no wonder then why Erin Papa, RIC assistant professor of world languages education, would tap teachers in these cities to engage in four weeks of professional development in Guatemala. "It’s important to know where students come from, so we can better support them in our schools," she says.

El mayor número de guatemaltecos en Rhode Island viven y asisten a la escuela en Providence y Central Falls.

No es de extrañar entonces que Erin Papa, docente de educación en idiomas del mundo del RIC, contacte a profesores de estas ciudades para participar en cuatro semanas de desarrollo profesional en Guatemala. "Es importante saber de dónde vienen nuestros estudiantes para poder apoyarlos mejor en las escuelas", dice Papa.

R.I. Educators Travel to Their Students’ Native Guatemala, Led by RIC Professor The largest number of Guatemalans in Rhode Island live and attend school in Providence and Central Falls. It’s no wonder then why Erin Papa, RIC assistant professor of world languages education, would tap teachers in these cities to engage in four weeks of professional development in Guatemala.

"Members of Rhode Island’s Latino community have long had a difficult time finding Spanish-speaking mental health providers to help them.

But a new center opening at Rhode Island College aims to fix that, and wants to meet the needs of the Latino and Hispanic populations statewide."
Globe Rhode Island

New center at Rhode Island College will expand state’s bilingual mental health workforce - The Boston Globe The new center wants to meet the needs of the Latino and Hispanic populations statewide.

RICFEST DATE CHANGE- Due to the weather, RICFest 2023 date changed from Saturday, September 30 to SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1ST, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM at the RIC Quad

SAME ACTIVITIES
Food Trucks
Beehive Tour
Inflatables
Balloon Artist
Photobooth
Pumpkin Painting
Kids Fall Crafts
Scarecrow Contest

ON SATURDAY:
School of Nursing events
Admissions tour

CANCELED:
Pottery Workshop
Adams Library archive tour

One week from tonight, ReUnite w/ the Rhode Island College Alumni Association (RIC) for evening of food, drink and live music featuring alumni musicians!
https://ric.edu/news-events/events/ric-reunite

Come back the next day for ! https://ric.edu/news-events/events/ricfest-2023

American Democracy Project at RIC presents "No Time to Fail" film screening & discussion one week from today: Thur., Sept. from 5:15-8:15 p.m. RI's election teams take center stage in this unprecedented voting adventure. This event is free and open to the public. Ticket link in first comment.

NO TIME TO FAIL, Official Trailer COMING THIS FALL!Original trailer for documentary film, No Time To Fail, directed and produced by Sara Archambault and Margo Guernsey.Amidst an onslaught of ...

Recent RIC alum Nick Garvey '22, a computer science major, with minors in cybersecurity and Web design, says the first thing aspiring tech professionals need to do is explore the field.
Rhode Island College Alumni Association (RIC)

Want to Work in the Tech Industry? Here’s What Nick Garvey ’22 Recommends Nick Garvey ’22 was hired by a cybersecurity company before the ink had dried on his diploma. A computer science major, with minors in cybersecurity and Web design, Garvey started out as a student intern for AXIOTROP, a Rhode Island-based, online company that helps its clients become cybersecurity...

It's challenging for Latinx community members in Rhode Island to find a bilingual mental health provider. A new initiative at the RIC School of Social Work aims add up to 55 across RI by 2027.


Para muchos miembros de la comunidad latina de Rhode Island encontrar un proveedor de salud mental bilingüe es un desafío. Sin embargo, esta nueva iniciativa de la facultad de Trabajo Social de RIC apunta a sumar 55 más para 2027.

New Center Seeks to Eliminate Barriers in Latinx Mental Healthcare For many years, it’s been challenging for Latinx community members in Rhode Island to find a bilingual mental health provider. The pandemic only made that prospect worse. In fact, Rhode Island’s behavioral healthcare workforce, which is primarily white and English-speaking, does not reflect the ...

RIC celebrates Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month! View our schedule of events.

¡RIC celebra el Mes de la Herencia Latinx y Hispana! Vea nuestro calendario de eventos.

LatinX and Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 RIC Honors LatinX and Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) and the 2023 Theme of "Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America." From September 15 to October 15 each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the achievements, historie...

Edward M. Bannister is not only the namesake of one of our public art galleries on campus, the E. M. Bannister Art Gallery, but also an influential African American painter and a founding member of the Providence Art Club.

The recently revealed statue of Bannister allows people to sit with and take photos of him while enjoying the downtown area of Market Square. Included here are samples of Bannister’s landscape work 🎨

Get ready to celebrate with the Rhode Island College Alumni Association (RIC) as RICFest returns to campus on Saturday, September 30!

RICFest 2023 Be here for the fun of live music, delicious food, alumni and student performances, a pottery workshop, a beehive tour, and a kid zone. Register for RICFest (General Registration) View all Individual RICFest Events

From WPRI 12:
On this episode of 12 Informa, we spoke with the director of the RIC Unity Center about the events planned for Hispanic Heritage Month. Watch the complete interview here 👇

En este episodio de 12 Informa, conversamos con la directora del Unity Center de

sobre los eventos del Mes de la Herencia Hispana planificados.

Vea la entrevista completa aquí 👇

Programa Completo: 9/6/23 – 12 Informa Esta semana en 12 Informa, Adriana Rozas Rivera y María Elena Wah-Fitta presentan los eventos y la entrevista de la semana.

While the demand for cybersecurity💻🔒experts is high 📈 the number of qualified professionals is low.📉 In Rhode Island alone, there are currently 2,700 job openings for cybersecurity-related positions.👩🏽‍💻Nationwide there are more than 600,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions.🧑🏾‍💻

Brand New B.S. Degree in Cybersecurity @ RIC While the demand for cybersecurity experts is high, the number of qualified professionals is low. In Rhode Island alone, there are currently 2,700 job openings for cybersecurity-related positions. Nationwide there are more than 600,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions.

Ariana was getting ready for the upcoming semester in one of my favorite spots on campus, overlooking the quad ⚓️ She’s interested in getting involved with student groups this year that connect to her secondary education English major!

Jamiere and Lizbeth are all smiles heading into senior year at RIC 😎 I ran into them outside the James P. Adams Library on the first day of classes where we each talked about our preferred medium of content creation (film and graphic design, respectively)

We’re excited to see students back on the quad for the first day of classes! Looking forward to a great year ⚓️

Congrats to Marianne Raimondo, Dean of the RIC School of Business, for being highlighted as one of Providence Business News' Leaders & Achievers 2023!

Marianne Raimondo, Rhode Island College School of Business dean PBN Leaders & Achievers 2023 Marianne Raimondo Rhode Island College School of Business dean THERE WAS A TIME when Marianne Raimondo questioned whether she made the right decision stepping back from her career during her 40s to focus on her children. Raimondo remained active, volunteering with her ch...

The RIC School of Business is not only educating college-level business students, it's inspiring future ones, as well.
Prepare RI

High School Interns Try Out a Business Career at RIC This summer, for six weeks, Rhode Island College’s School of Business hosted 11 high school interns interested in becoming business entrepreneurs. The 11 were among 350 teenagers taking part in the PrepareRI Internship Program. Designed to prepare high school juniors to enter the workforce, Prepar...

Jeremiah hopes to one day become a police officer and loves to visit RIC Campus PD.👮🏾‍♂️He's a Providence resident who recently graduated from pre-K. Ofc. Del Santo got him a graduation card and a gift card to McDonald's to celebrate his big accomplishment! 🎓🎉

RIC alumnus Jason Cabral '07 is making a *dramatic* career move from acting to theater administration. Today he takes the reins of the The Gamm Theatre as its new executive director.
Rhode Island College Theatre Rhode Island College Alumni Association (RIC)

RIC Alum Jason Cabral is New Executive Director of Gamm Theatre Jason Cabral ’07 has been named the new executive director of The Gamm Theatre, a nonprofit in Warwick. He comes to The Gamm with notable leadership experience, driving fundraising campaigns and operations at nonprofits nationwide, including prominent performing arts organizations in New York City...

The RA team is excited for next week’s move in days!! We’ll welcome new first-year students on Friday the 25th and all returning members of the RIC community on Saturday the 26th ⚓️ Which residence hall are you in this year?

President Jack Warner joined The Rhode Show today to discuss the new Hope Scholarship, which provides eligible RI students with the opportunity to earn a four-year degree, two years tuition-free. The scholarship launches this fall; no timetable yet for the Brendan Kirby - WPRI '04 Grilled Cheese at Donovan Dining.

Hope Scholarship launches this fall Hope Scholarship launches this fallThe Rhode Show is WPRI 12's daily lifestyle show for having fun, eating well, and living life.

Just a few more weeks until move-in! We’re excited to welcome the campus community back after a restful summer break. First-year move in is Friday, August 25 with everyone else coming back Saturday, August 26 ⚓️

The Feinstein School of Education and Human Development's program is considered a national model by literacy experts in preparing teachers for reading instruction.
National Council on Teacher Quality

RIC’s Elementary Education Program Earns High Distinction The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recognized Rhode Island College’s undergraduate elementary education teacher preparation program as among the best in the nation in preparing future elementary teachers to teach children to read. The program earned an A+ distinction in NCTQ’s new re...

“We want to put our college and our state at the forefront of one of the most rapidly growing and most strategically important industries in the country,” said Jack Warner, interim president of RIC.

For many, tech institute can’t come fast enough The alarming notice appeared without warning on the town of North Kingstown’s computer system in April. A message said hackers had taken control of the town’s data, and town officials should contact them to discuss a ransom. What the hackers apparently weren’t aware of was that the town had ta...

Forty top young professionals are being recognized by Providence Business News. Six of them earned their degrees at RIC: Stacey Aguiar ’12, Luca Carnevale ’11, Morgan Jones Champlin ’08, Kimberly (Brown) Mittelsteadt ’16, Stefan Petrella ’11 and Brooke (Souza) Tremblay ’07.
Rhode Island College Alumni Association (RIC)

RIC Alumni Dominate PBN’s 40 Under Forty 2023 Awards Each year, Providence Business News honors 40 Rhode Island professionals under the age of 40 with the 40 Under Forty Award for their career achievements and involvement within their communities. Inevitably, each year, RIC alumni make the list. This year, they dominated the list. This year’s winner...

These IT technicians have gone from a free job training program at Year Up to RIC Help Desk employees on their way to earning their degrees.
Year Up Rhode Island

RIC is Pipeline for Year Up Job Training Program in IT “Hey, I’m locked out of my computer.” “Darn it, the system crashed and I just lost my file. How do I get it back?” “Honest to God, the computer wasn’t working until you got here.”

As a leading educator of Rhode Island’s workforce, RIC has been tapped by the State of Rhode Island to assist in producing more technologically skilled graduates. The new B.S. in biotechnology is a multidisciplinary major that encompasses biology, chemistry, computer science, math and physics, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the industry.

Looking For a Job in the Biotech Industry? RIC is the Place to Earn Your Degree. Biotechnologists don’t turn water into wine but they do take the way we live to a whole other level. From the large-scale production of vaccines that save millions of lives to the genetic modification of crops that permit greater resistance against pests or diseases, biotechnologists are the innov...

50 high school students from across the country (20 of which are from Rhode Island) are participating in GenCyber Camp 2023. This free cybersecurity program for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors is sponsored by the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation.

RIC Prepares High School Students for Tech Career Paths “Over the past five years, Rhode Island College has been awarded over $400K in cybersecurity education grants sponsored by the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation,” says RIC Associate Professor of Computer Science Suzanne Mello-Stark.