University of Rhode Island

{{Short description|Public university in Kingston, Rhode Island, US}}

{{Infobox university

| name = University of Rhode Island

| image = University of Rhode Island seal.svg

| image_upright = 0.7

| motto = "Hope"

| established = {{start date and age|1892|05|19}}

| type = Public land-grant research university

| academic_affiliations = {{hlist|Sea-grant|Space-grant}}

| endowment = $203 million (2022)As of March 7, 2022. {{cite report |url=https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/research/2022-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Values--FINAL.ashx?la=en&hash=362DC3F9BDEB1DF0C22B05D544AD24D1C44E318D|title=U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY21 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA |date=2022 |access-date=June 5, 2023}}

| president = Marc Parlange

| provost = Barbara E. Wolfe

| students = 18,061 (fall 2021){{cite web|title=Final Enrollment Reports|url=https://web.uri.edu/ir/files/fer-spring19.pdf|publisher=University of Rhode Island|access-date=July 2, 2019}}

| undergrad = 14,654 (fall 2021)

| postgrad = 3,407 (fall 2021)

| administrative_staff = 675 full time

| city = Kingston, Rhode Island

| country = United States

| campus = Large Suburb

| campus_size = {{convert|1254|acre|km2}}

| former_names = Rhode Island College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (1892–1909)
Rhode Island State College (1909–1951)

| sporting_affiliations = {{hlist|NCAA Division I FCS - Atlantic 10|CAA Football|NEISA}}

| colors = Navy Blue and Keaney Blue{{cite web|title=Brand Colors|url=https://web.uri.edu/gso/administration/public-engagement-archive/branding-and-identity-toolkit/branding-and-identity-toolkit-color/|date=September 1, 2016|access-date=November 28, 2023}}
{{color box|#002147}} {{color box|#75b2dd}}

| nickname = Rams

| mascot = Rhody the Ram

| website = {{url|www.uri.edu}}

| logo = University of Rhode Island logo.svg

| logo_upright = .9

| accreditation = NECHE

| free_label2 = Newspaper

| free2 = The Good 5¢ Cigar

| free_label = Other campuses

| free = {{hlist|Narragansett|Providence|West Greenwich}}

}}

The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".{{cite web|title= University of Rhode Island |url=https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institution/university-of-rhode-island/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |website=Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning |publisher=American Council on Education}} As of 2019, the URI enrolled 14,653 undergraduate students, 1,982 graduate students, and 1,339 non-degree students, making it the largest university in the state.{{cite web |title=Facts |url=https://www.uri.edu/about/facts/ |website=uri.edu}}{{cite web |title=The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=RI&l=92+93+94 |access-date=2017-08-30 |publisher=U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics}}

Its main campus is located in the village of Kingston in southern Rhode Island. Satellite campuses include the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center in Providence's Jewelry District, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich, which closed in June of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.{{Cite news |last=Kuffner |first=Alex |title=URI closing W. Alton Jones campus; summer camps canceled |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/coronavirus/2020/06/11/uri-closing-w-alton-jones-campus-summer-camps-canceled/113700354/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=The Providence Journal |language=en-US}} The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees in 80 undergraduate and 49 graduate areas of study through nine academic schools and colleges. Another college, University College for Academic Success, serves primarily as an advising college for all incoming undergraduates and follows them through their first two years of enrollment at URI.

History

The University of Rhode Island was first chartered as the Rhode Island State Agricultural School, associated with the state agricultural experiment station, in 1888. The site of the school was originally the Oliver Watson Farm in Kingston, whose original farmhouse is now a small museum. In 1892, the school was reorganized as the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.{{cite web |url=http://smithlever.wvu.edu/r/download/199832 |title=Philosophical & Institutional Innovations of Kenyon Leech Butterfield and the Rhode Island Contributions to the Development of Land Grant and Sea Grant Extension |author= Rice, M.A., S. Rodrigues and K. Venturini |publisher=Century Beyond the Campus: Past, Present, and Future of Extension A Research Symposium to Mark the 100th Anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act September 24–25, 2014, West Virginia University. Waterfront Place Hotel, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Sep. 2014.|access-date= April 11, 2017}} That year, it extended courses of study from two years to four years; URI reckons 1892 as its founding date. The first class had only seventeen students, each completing their course of study in two years. In 1909, the school's name was again changed to Rhode Island State College as the school's programs were expanded beyond its original agricultural education mandate.

The college graduated its first African American student, Harvey Robert Turner, in 1914. Turner majored in civil engineering, competed on the college's football and track teams, and received a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to teach at Prairie View A&M University, where he also served as treasurer.{{Cite journal |last=Slater |first=Robert Bruce |date=1996 |title=The First Black Graduates of the Nation's 50 Flagship State Universities |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2963173 |journal=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education |issue=13 |pages=83 |doi=10.2307/2963173 |jstor=2963173 |issn=1077-3711|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/YEARBOOK1913 |title=The Granite Yearbook |date=1913 |publisher=University of Rhode Island |volume=17 |location=Kingston |pages=27 |language=en-US}}

In 1951 the school was given its current title through an act of the General Assembly following the addition of the College of Arts and Sciences and the offering of doctoral degrees. The Board of Governors for Higher Education, appointed by the governor, became the governing body of the university in 1981 during the presidency of Frank Newman (1974–1983). The Board of Governors was replaced by the Rhode Island Board of Education in 2013,{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=New RI Board of Ed meets for first time|url=http://www.wpri.com/news/local/providence/providence-new-ri-board-of-ed-meets-for-first-time|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130818041102/http://www.wpri.com/news/local/providence/providence-new-ri-board-of-ed-meets-for-first-time|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 18, 2013|access-date=August 18, 2013|date=March 11, 2013}} and by a 17-member Board of Trustees in 2019.

In 2013 the faculty adopted an open-access policy to make its scholarship publicly accessible online.{{cite journal|title=University of Rhode Island|url=http://roarmap.eprints.org/552/|access-date=July 24, 2018|journal=ROARMAP: Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies|date=December 15, 2014 |publisher=University of Southampton|location=UK}}

= Presidents =

Twelve individuals have served as president, and three others have served as acting president of the University of Rhode Island. Marc B. Parlange is the current president, having served since August 2021.{{cite web|title=University of Rhode Island history and timeline|url=http://www.uri.edu/home/about/history_timeline.html|access-date=May 5, 2012|publisher=University of Rhode Island}}

Main campus

URI's main campus is located in northern South Kingstown,{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st44_ri/cousub/cs4400967460_south_kingstown/DC20BLK_CS4400967460.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: South Kingstown town, RI|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2023-07-02|pages=1-2 (PDF pp. 2-3/7)|quote=Univ of Rhode Island}} and most of the university property is in the Kingston census-designated place.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st44_ri/place/p4438980_kingston/DC20BLK_P4438980.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Kingston CDP, RI|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2023-07-02|quote=Univ of Rhode Island}}

The campus is accessed via Rhode Island Route 138 from either the west (Interstate 95) or east (United States Route 1). The campus was mostly farmland when it was purchased by the state in 1888, and still includes the c. 1796 Oliver Watson Farmhouse. The early buildings of the campus are set around its main quadrangle, and were built out of locally quarried granite. The campus master plan was developed by the noted landscape architects Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot in the 1890s. The central portion of the campus, where most of its pre-1950 buildings are located,{{cite web|url=http://www.preservation.ri.gov/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/sk_uri.pdf|title=Draft NRHP nomination for University of Rhode Island Historic District|publisher=Rhode Island Preservation|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116031505/http://www.preservation.ri.gov/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/sk_uri.pdf|archive-date=November 16, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

= Main Campus Gallery =

File:URI East Hall and Washburn Hall.jpg|{{center|East Hall (1909){{cite web|title=East Hall Turns 100|url=http://web.uri.edu/quadangles/east-hall-turns-100/|website=University of Rhode Island|access-date=August 18, 2016|date=January 7, 2010|quote=The 100th anniversary of the official opening of East Hall on October 15, 1909, was celebrated on October 15, 2009}} and Washburn Hall (1921)}}

File:Lippitt Hall, URI.jpg|{{center|Lippitt Hall, named for Governor Charles W. Lippitt, was originally a drill hall and armory (1897)}}

File:GreenHall URI.JPG|{{center|Green Hall, named for Theodore F. Green (1937)}}

File:URI Carothers Library.jpg|{{center|Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons (built 1965, renovated 1991)}}

File:URI Memorial Student Union.jpg|{{center|Memorial Student Union}}

File:URI Multicultural Center.jpg|{{center|Multicultural Center (1998)}}

File:University of Rhode Island Planetarium.jpg|{{center|Planetarium}}

File:Chester H. Kirk Center for Advanced Technology.jpg|{{center|The Chester H. Kirk Center for Advanced Technology (1995)}}

File:URI_StairwayToExcellence2.jpg|{{center|New URI Engineering Stairway to Excellence (2019)}}

File:URI_Engineering_Pano.jpg|{{center|New URI Engineering Building (2021)}}

= Satellite Campuses =

== <u>W. Alton Jones Campus</u> ==

The W. Alton Jones Campus is one of three satellite campuses of the University of Rhode Island and is located in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. At 2309-acres (9.34 km²) it is the largest satellite campus of the University of Rhode Island and consists of an Environmental Education Center, a business conference center, a working farm and the Nettie Marie Jones Nature Preserve.{{Cite web |title=A campus with stories to tell |url=https://www.uri.edu/features/a-campus-with-a-history-stranger-than-fiction/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2012-04-02 |title=Big Moments in the Woods |url=https://web.uri.edu/quadangles/big-moments-in-the-woods/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |language=en-US}}

The land was donated to the University of Rhode Island by Nettie Marie Jones, widow of businessman W. Alton Jones. {{Cite web |title=URI commemorates 50th anniversary of W. Alton Jones Campus |url=https://www.uri.edu/news/2012/09/uri-commemorates-50th-anniversary-of-w-alton-jones-campus/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |language=en-US}} The addition of the property tripled the size of the University's landholdings and gave it the unique position of possessing more land than any of the other New England state universities.{{Cite book |last=McLeish |first=Todd |title=Rhode Island's Natural Laboratory |publisher=University of Rhode Island |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-615-65473-7 |edition= |location=Rhode Island |pages=23–24,28 |language=English}}

The property is a part of the coastal forest and wildlife corridor that spans from Washington, D.C., to Maine.{{Cite web |last=Carini |first=Frank |date=2020-06-29 |title=Possible Development of URI Nature Campus Creates Worry |url=https://ecori.org/2020-6-29-future-uncertain-for-uri-nature-campus/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=ecoRI News |language=en-US}} The property also is a link between the 2,200-acre (8.90 km²) Tillinghast Pond Management Area in West Greenwich and the 14,000-acre (56.66 km²) Arcadia Management Area in West Greenwich and three other towns.

The campus closed in June, 2020 and an online petition urging former URI president Dr. David M. Dooley and former governor Gina Raimondo to reopen the camp and education programs has collected more than 6,900 signatures.

== History ==

In 1954 W. Alton Jones, president of CITGO, bought the property for hunting and fishing vacations. He was a close friend of United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who visited the property four times for fishing, hunting and skeet shooting. {{Cite web |date=2012-04-02 |title=W. Alton Jones Campus — By the Numbers |url=https://web.uri.edu/quadangles/w-alton-jones-campus-by-the-numbers/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |language=en-US}} On March 1, 1962, W. Alton Jones passed away in a plane crash while on his way to Los Angeles to meet Eisenhower for a fishing trip.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=W. Alton |date=1962-03-02 |title=W. Alton Jones and Admiral Conolly of L.I.U. Among Victims of Queens Disaster; SKETCHES OF DEAD IN JETLINER CRASH Several Couples and Three Brothers Perish Friend Was Joining Eisenhower |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/02/archives/w-alton-jones-and-admiral-conolly-of-liu-among-victims-of-queens.html |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} His widow, Nettie Marie Jones, donated the property to the University of Rhode Island and included everything that remained on the property, from the buildings, to the farm animals and equipment - was included in the gift.

== Environmental Education Center ==

In 1965 a Youth Science Center (now called the Environmental Education Center or EEC) was constructed with much of the funding provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation. Governor John Chafee celebrated the opening of the Environmental Education Center at a dedication ceremony with a speech. 50 years later, his son Governor Lincoln Chafee celebrated the 50th anniversary of the W. Alton Jones campus at a rededication ceremony also with a speech. {{Cite web |date=2012-09-23 |title=URI's Alton Jones Campus turns 50 |url=https://www.southcountyri.com/articles/post/09-23-2012-uris-alton-jones-campus-turns-50/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=www.southcountyri.com |language=en-us}}.

The Environmental Education Center hosted an average of 1900 campers each summer and 70 different school groups from the New England region during the academic school year.{{Cite web |last=Bessette |first=James |date=2020-06-10 |title=URI to close 2 facilities on Alton Jones campus |url=https://pbn.com/uri-to-close-2-facilities-on-alton-jones-campus/ |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Providence Business News |language=en-US}}

== Whispering Pines Conference Center ==

The Whispering Pines Conference Center hosted conferences, retreats and team-building programs. It consisted of 32 guest rooms and four conference rooms.

The center’s client list ranged from small businesses, to teachers’ unions and big banks.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=P. B. N. |date=2000-06-19 |title=Whispering Pines far from the office |url=https://pbn.com/whispering-pines-far-from-the-office3089/ |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Providence Business News |language=en-US}}

== Pop Culture ==

In 2005 the W. Alton Jones campus was the base of the movie Hard Luck, featuring Wesley Snipes, Cybill Shepard, and Mario Van Peebles. The movie intertwines stories involving a drug dealer trying to go straight, and a housewife trying to hide a sadistic secret.{{Cite web |last=Connect |first=P. B. N. |date=2007-03-02 |title=Movie filmed at URI's Alton Jones campus released on DVD |url=https://pbn.com/movie-filmed-at-uris-alton-jones-campus-released-on-dvd23683/ |access-date=2024-11-10 |website=Providence Business News |language=en-US}}

== Closing ==

In June of 2020 the University of Rhode Island closed the Environmental Education Center and Whispering Pines Conference Center, citing financial hardships dating back several years. [https://www.ricentral.com/narragansett_times/uri-decides-to-close-w-alton-jones-campus/article_ab2ce16e-ab2c-11ea-b2ee-0f805927cf70.html]

Academics

{{Infobox US university ranking

| Forbes = 315

| THE_WSJ = 84

| USNWR_NU = 152

| Wamo_NU = 174

| THES_W = 601–800

| QS_W =

| USNWR_W = 749

}}

URI is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.{{Citation|title=Rhode Island Institutions – NECHE|url=https://www.neche.org/institutions/ri/|publisher=New England Commission of Higher Education|access-date=May 26, 2021}} The student-faculty ratio at University of Rhode Island is 16:1, and the school has 43.1% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at University of Rhode Island include: Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse; Psychology, General; Speech Communication and Rhetoric; Kinesiology and Exercise Science; and Health-Related Knowledge and Skills, Other. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 84%.{{Cite web |title=A campus with stories to tell |url=https://www.uri.edu/features/a-campus-with-a-history-stranger-than-fiction/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |language=en-US}}

= Rankings =

U.S. News & World Report ranks URI tied for 152nd overall among 436 "national universities" and tied for 81st out of 225 "top public schools" in 2024.{{cite web |title=University of Rhode Island Rankings |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-rhode-island-3414/overall-rankings |access-date=October 5, 2024 |magazine=U.S. News & World Report}}

31st in ''Pharmacy (tie)" in 2024{{Cite web |last=Carini |first=Frank |date=2020-06-29 |title=Possible Development of URI Nature Campus Creates Worry |url=https://ecori.org/2020-6-29-future-uncertain-for-uri-nature-campus/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=ecoRI News |language=en-US}}
47th in "Best Library and Information Studies Program (tie)" in 2024
48th in Best Nursing School: Master's (tie) in 2024
70th in Earth Sciences (tie) in 2024
66th in Best Nursing School: Doctor of Nursing Practice (tie) in 2024
101st in Clinical Psychology (tie) in 2024
106th in "Physical Therapy (tie)" in 2024
108th in "English (tie)" in 2024
78th in "Speech-Language Pathology (tie)" in 2024
148th in Computer Sciences (tie) in 2024
130th in "Best Education Schools (tie)" in 2024
150th in "Chemistry (tie)" in 2024
144th in "Mathematics (tie)" in 2024
111st in "Psychology (tie)" in 2024
139th in Best Undergraduate Engineering Program in 2024.
144th in Biological Sciences (tie) in 2024
152nd in "Physics (tie)" in 2024
135th in "Best Engineering Schools" in 2024

Academic Ranking of World Universities ranks URI for 51-75 globally for Oceanography in 2023.{{Cite web |title=2023 Global Rankings of Academic Subjects |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/gras/2023/RS0107 |archive-date= |access-date=Oct 5, 2024 |website=Shanghai Ranking}}

= Admissions =

The average incoming freshman at the Kingston campus for the fall of 2017 had a GPA of 3.54 and an SAT score of 1178 (out of 1600) (with ACT scores converted to SAT scale).[https://web.uri.edu/ir/files/Fall2017FactSheets.pdf Fall 2017 Campus Highlights], University of Rhode Island, Office of Institutional Research.

Student clubs

URI has 21 club sports teams, including crew, equestrian, field hockey, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, pickleball, rugby, sailing, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, ultimate, volleyball, and wrestling.{{cite web |author= |date= |title= Campus Recreation: Club Sports Teams |url= https://web.uri.edu/campusrec/club-sports/teams/ |website= uri.edu |location= |publisher= University of Rhode Island |access-date= February 14, 2025}} These teams travel and compete against other intercollegiate programs in the country. URI also has 20+ intramural sports, including volleyball, badminton, dodgeball, and soccer. The intramural sports allow students to compete in tournaments and games with other students on campus.{{cite web|url=https://www.uri.edu/athletics/|title=Athletics and Recreation|website=uri.edu}}

URI also has over 300 student organizations and clubs.{{cite web|url=https://studentorg.apps.uri.edu/|title=Student Organizations - University of Rhode Island|website=studentorg.apps.uri.edu}} The university's student newspaper, The Good Five Cent Cigar, was founded in 1971.{{cite web |title=Women lighting the way for The Good 5-Cent Cigar |url=https://today.uri.edu/news/women-lighting-the-way-for-the-good-5-cent-cigar/ |website=today.uri.edu |access-date=12 January 2021}} It is also home to several Greek-lettered organizations.{{Cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lul/chaptersframe.htm|title=Chapters of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.|website=www.columbia.edu|accessdate= August 14, 2022}}

Athletics

File:Rhode Island Rams logo.svg

File:Meade Field Panorama.JPG]]

The University of Rhode Island competes in 16 intercollegiate sports.{{Cite web|title=Athletics and Recreation|url=https://www.uri.edu/athletics/|access-date=2020-09-15|website=University of Rhode Island}} The university is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Coastal Athletic Association in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

The Rhode Island Rams men's basketball competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and has appeared in the NCAA "March Madness" Tournament a total of 10 times since its first appearance in 1961. Two of these ten appearances occurred during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.{{cite web|url=https://www.ncaa.com/schools/rhode-island|title=University of Rhode Island - NCAA.com|website=www.ncaa.com}}{{Cite web|title=General - Story Archives|url=https://gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/archives|access-date=2020-09-15|website=University of Rhode Island|language=en}}

Athletic facilities include the Ryan Center, Keaney Gymnasium, Meade Stadium, Mackal Field House, Tootell Aquatic Center, Bradford R. Boss Arena, URI Soccer Complex, Bill Beck Field, and URI Softball Complex.

File:URIQuad.jpg

Off campus living

While 5600 students live in the 25 on campus residence halls, thousands more opt to commute from the surrounding area.{{Cite web|title=Facts|url=https://www.uri.edu/about/facts/|access-date=2020-09-15|language=en-US}} Narragansett, an abutting town to Kingston, is made up of hundreds of summer vacation homes which are rented to students for the academic year.

Notable alumni

{{Main|List of University of Rhode Island people}}Notable University of Rhode Island alumni in politics and government include Lieutenant General (retired) Michael Flynn (B.Sc. 1981),{{Cite web|last=Fenton|first=Josh|title=URI Scrambles As General Flynn's Ties to QAnon Come Under Greater Scrutiny|url=https://www.golocalprov.com/news/uri-scrambles-as-general-flynns-qanon-ties-comes-under-greater-scrutiny|access-date=2021-02-22|website=GoLocalProv|language=en}} 38th mayor of Providence Jorge Elorza (B.Sc. 1998),{{Cite web|last=Rogerson|first=Kate|title=URI Alum: Jorge Elorza, Mayor of Providence {{!}} The Good 5 Cent Cigar|date=March 23, 2017 |url=https://rhodycigar.com/2017/03/23/uri-alum-jorge-elorza-mayor-of-providence/|access-date=2021-02-22|language=en-US}} and governors of Rhode Island Lincoln Almond (B.Sc. 1959) and J. Joseph Garrahy (1953).

Notable graduates in journalism and media include CNN correspondent John King (B.A. 1985),{{Cite web|title=John King, CNN's chief national correspondent, analyzes election results for viewers in front of the "Magic Wall." (Photo courtesy of CNN)|url=https://www.thewesterlysun.com/john-king-cnn-s-chief-national-correspondent-analyzes-election-results-for-viewers-in-front-of/image_15b1dc1e-3b57-11eb-bc05-034e7ef65f7c.html|access-date=2021-02-22|website=Westerly Sun|date=December 10, 2020 |language=en}} CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour (B.A. 1983), and CBS correspondent Vladimir Duthiers (B.A. 1991).

Among URI's alumni in the arts and entertainment are actors J. T. Walsh, Peter Frechette (B.F.A.), Amanda Clayton, and Andrew Burnap (recipient of the 2020 Tony Award- Best Actor in a Play, The Inheritance.)

Notable graduates in business and finance include billionaire Ben Navarro (B.Sc. 1984); former president of American Airlines, Robert Crandall (1960); and former CEO of CVS, Thomas Ryan (1975).

File:MatFranco2015.jpg winner Mat Franco '10]]

First magician to win America's Got Talent Mat Franco (2010).

File:J. Joseph Garrahy, Rhode Island Governor.jpg|Governor of Rhode Island J. Joseph Garrahy '59

File:Angelo Cataldi, Wing Bowl 2007.jpg|Sports radio personality Angelo Cataldi '72

File:Michael T Flynn (cropped).jpg|25th U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn '81

File:Christiane Amanpour June 2008 (cropped).jpg|CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour '83

File:Providence mayor Jorge Elorza (1).jpg|38th mayor of Providence Jorge Elorza '98

File:Lamar Odom 2012 Shankbone.JPG|Basketball star Lamar Odom
(did not graduate)