Roger Williams University

The university’s operations date to 1919, when Northeastern University in Boston opened a branch campus in the YMCA building in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1940, the YMCA board of directors began directing the school, and the YMCA Institute granted its first associate's degrees in 1948. In 1956, the institute received a state charter to become a two-year, degree-granting institution under the name of Roger Williams Junior College.

During the 1960s, the school began granting bachelor's degrees, and in 1967 subsequently adopted the name Roger Williams College. Needing a larger campus, the college purchased {{convert|80|acre|ha}} of waterfront land and moved its main campus to Bristol in 1969. In 1989 new president Dr. Natale A. Sicuro initiated the Roger Williams Plan for the 1990s, and became concurrently the president of the newly established Roger Williams University School of Law and, in 1992, led the change to Roger Williams University. RWU celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.rwu.edu/about/history/ |title=History & Traditions | publisher= Roger Williams University |website=rwu.edu |access-date=2012-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227181730/http://www.rwu.edu/about/history/ |archive-date= 2007-12-27 }}

Ioannis Miaoulis was appointed the eleventh president of Roger Williams University in 2019.[https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190213/former-director-of-museum-of-science-in-boston-named-president-of-roger-williams-university "Ex-Boston museum chief to take the helm at Roger Williams"]. The Providence Journal. Miaoulis previously served as both the president and director of the Boston Museum of Science since 2003.

In 2012, Roger Williams University initiated a tuition freeze in which all entering freshmen would have a guarantee that their tuition would not increase for the next four years.{{cite web |url= http://www.rwu.edu/about/partnerships-initiatives/affordable-excellence |title=Affordable Excellence | publisher= Roger Williams University |access-date= 2016-02-18}} In 2019, the university terminated this policy.{{cite web |url= http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20141013/NEWS/310139997 |title=Roger Williams University grows enrollment by freezing tuition |work= The Providence Journal |access-date= 2016-02-18}}

On September 21, 2017, music icons The Beach Boys were honored by Roger Williams University and music historians Al Gomes and Connie Watrous of Big Noise. Plaques were unveiled at the university's Baypoint Inn & Conference Center in Portsmouth, Rhode Island to commemorate the band's concert there on September 22, 1971. The 1971 concert was the first-ever appearance of South African Ricky Fataar as an official member of the band and Filipino Billy Hinsche as a touring member, essentially changing The Beach Boys' live and recording act's line-up into a multi-cultural group. Diversity is a credo of Roger Williams University, which is why the school chose to celebrate this moment in the band's history.{{cite news|last=McGaw|first=Jim|title=Friday, Sept. 22 will be 'Beach Boys Day' in Portsmouth|newspaper=The Portsmouth Times/Rhody Beat|url=http://rhodybeat.com/stories/friday-sept-22-will-be-beach-boys-day-in-portsmouth,27261|date=September 17, 2017}}{{cite news|title=The Beach Boys / Roger Williams University Plaque|url=http://www.bignoisenow.com/images/artistphotos2018/BeachBoysRWUplaque.pdf|date=September 21, 2017}}

Roger Williams University enrolls approximately 4,100 undergraduate and 300 graduate students in eight schools. These schools offer more than 50 liberal arts majors and professional degrees, such as law, architecture, construction management, historic preservation, and computer science. The university has a student to faculty ratio of 14:1 while almost half of the classes offered have less than 20 students.{{cite web |url= http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/roger-williams-university-4917 |title=Roger Williams University |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=2016-02-18}}

The largest majors are business, management, and marketing (24%); architecture (10%); security, law enforcement, and related protective services (9%); communication and journalism (8%); psychology (7%) and construction management (6%).{{cite web |url= https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?217518-Roger-Williams-University |title=Roger Williams University |publisher=College Scorecard |access-date=2016-02-18}}

Roger Williams University has several degree programs that are unusual in the United States:

• Marine Biology program: offers a B.S. in Marine Biology, which is one of about fifteen in the country.{{cite web |url= http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/mbcolleges.html |title=Marine Biology Web |publisher=Stonybrook University |access-date=2016-02-17}}
• Architecture program: One of a few M. Arch. (Master’s of Architecture) in a traditional liberal arts environment.{{cite web|url=http://www.naab.org/architecture_programs/home|title=NAAB schools|publisher=National Architectural Accrediting Board|access-date=2016-02-17|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20160312104956/http://www.naab.org/architecture_programs/home|archive-date=2016-03-12}}
• Historic Preservation program: the B.S. in Historic Preservation is one of seven offered in the country and the M.S. in Historic Preservation is one of about 35 offered in the country.{{cite web |url= http://www.ncpe.us/program-list/ |title=NCPE Academic Programs |publisher=National Council for Preservation Education |access-date=2016-02-17}}
• Construction Management program: offers a B.S. in Construction Management (CM). RWU's Construction Management program is accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) and a member of ASC's Northeast Region (Region 1).
• Law program: Only Juris Doctor available in Rhode Island; offers a Master of Studies in Law (MSL).

Roger Williams University also has official partnerships and collaborations with surrounding environmental organizations.

• In February 2025, Roger Williams University (RWU) partnered with the Atlantic Shark Institute (ASI) to expand student research opportunities in marine science{{Cite web |date=2025-03-03 |title=RWU and Atlantic Shark Institute launch partnership |url=https://www.eastbayri.com//////////////stories/rwu-and-atlantic-shark-institute-launch-partnership,129444 |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=EastBayRI.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY AND ATLANTIC SHARK INSTITUTE PARTNER ON SHARK RESEARCH AND INTERNSHIPS {{!}} Roger Williams University |url=https://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/roger-williams-university-and-atlantic-shark-institute-partner-shark-research-and-internships |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.rwu.edu}}. The collaboration allows RWU students to earn academic credit through internships and fieldwork involving shark tagging, BRUVs analysis, and acoustic tracking. ASI’s shark datasets are also integrated into RWU courses such as Shark Biology and Conservation and Fisheries Science.

File:Roger Williams University school of Architecture, Art, and historic preservation, Bristol, Rhode Island.jpg

Approximately 63% of students live on campus.{{cite web |url= http://www.rwu.edu/about/who-we-are/fast-facts |title=Fast Facts |publisher=Roger Williams University |access-date=2016-02-18}} 88% of the students attend school full-time. About 14% have a family income of less than $40k. 75% of the student population is white, 5% is Hispanic, and 2% is African American; less than 1% of the students are from other races or ethnicities.

The university's campus newspaper, The Hawks' Herald,{{cite web| url= http://www.thehawksherald.com/ | title= The Hawks' Herald | publisher= Roger Williams University| website= thehawksherald.com }} publishes approximately 20 issues per academic year. An FM radio station, WQRI 88.3, plays everything from college alternative to hip hop. The college's 20 varsity athletic teams play at the Division III level as members of the Conference of New England.

File:RWU University Library Clock Tower.jpg|Clock tower of University Library

File:RWU School of Engineering.jpg|School of Engineering

File:RWU Commons.jpg|RWU Commons Dining Hall

File:RWU Gabelli School of Business.jpg|Gabelli School of Business

File:Marine & Natural Sciences, Roger Williams University RI.jpg|School of Marine and Natural Sciences

File:Roger Williams University School of Law, Bristol, Rhode Island.jpg|RWU School of Law

Roger Williams University teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III aside from the co-ed sailing team, which is Division I and is currently [https://collegesailing.org/racing/sw-rankings ranked number six in the sailing world's college rankings]. Most of the Hawks are a member of the Conference of New England, except for the swimming and diving team, who compete in the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA).{{cite web | title=Official Athletics Website | website=Roger Williams University Athletics | date=2020-06-24 | url=https://rwuhawks.com/ | access-date=2021-03-25}}

Men's sports include:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross country
• Golf
• Lacrosse
• Polo
• Soccer
• Swimming & diving
• Tennis
• Track & field
• Wrestling

Women's sports include:

• Basketball
• Cross country
• Field hockey
• Lacrosse
• Polo
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming & diving
• Tennis
• Track & field
• Volleyball

Co-ed sports include:

• Equestrian
• Sailing

• Tim Baxter, '83 chairman of the board, former president and CEO, Samsung Electronics North America{{cite web|url=https://www.rwu.edu/who-we-are/administration-and-governance/board-trustees|title=Board of Trustees|website=www.rwu.edu}}
• Adam Braver, writer
• Roberto DaSilva, first mayor of East Providence, Rhode Island
• Jason Mattera, conservative blogger and writer.{{cn|date=January 2022}}
• James W. Nuttall, United States Army major general who served as deputy director of the Army National Guard and deputy commander of the First Army
• Joe Polisena, former member of the Rhode Island State Senate and mayor of Johnston, Rhode Island
• Jerry Remy,{{cite web |url= http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=remyje01 |title=Jerry Remy Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac |publisher=Baseball-almanac.com |access-date=2012-08-24}} Former Boston Red Sox broadcaster and MLB player
• Chris Sparling, screenwriter and director
• June Speakman,{{cite web |url= http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/representatives/Speakman/default.aspx |title=June Speakman}} member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
• Bob Wiley, former NFL offensive line coach

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Roger Williams University}}

• [http://www.rwu.edu/ Official website]
• [http://www.rwuhawks.com/ Official athletics website]

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