The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with additional college buildings throughout the state.
 The front side of the Knight Campus in Warwick, designed in Brutalist style. | |
Former names | Rhode Island Junior College (1964–1980) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public community college |
| Established | September 24, 1964[1] |
Academic affiliations | Space-grant |
| President | Rosemary Costigan (interim) |
Academic staff | 300 |
| Students | 16,007 (2022)[2] |
| Location | Warwick (Knight Campus), Lincoln (Flanagan Campus), Providence (Liston and Downcity Campuses), Newport (Newport County Campus), Westerly (Satellite Campus) , , |
| Newspaper | The Daily Squire |
| Colors | Green and Yellow[3] |
| Mascot | CCRI Knight |
| Website | www.ccri.edu |
 | |
History
editIt was founded as Rhode Island Junior College, "RIJC", in 1964 with 325 students studying at the Henry Barnard School in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1965, a portion of the nearby former Brown & Sharpe manufacturing facility was converted into classroom space and served as the college's primary facility until 1972. The Knight campus in Warwick, RI built on the donated Knight Estate, opened in 1972 as the school's first permanent building and flagship campus. It was followed by three additional campus and 2 satellite locations.
The Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory, located on the Knight Campus grounds, was opened in 1978. The school was renamed the Community College of Rhode Island in June 1980.
Presidents
editThe following is a list of presidents of the Community College of Rhode Island.
| President | Life | Tenure | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | William F. Flanagan | ?–1984 | 1964–1979 | First president. Headed the construction of the first two campuses (Knight and Flanagan).[4] |
| 2. | Edward J. Liston | 1931–2013[5] | 1979–2000 | Added another campus (Liston).[4] |
| 3. | Thomas D. Sepe | c. 1942– | 2000–2005 | Record low graduation rates and terrible performance with minority students.[6] |
| 4. | Ray Di Pasquale | 1950–2024[7] | 2006–2016 | Record highest enrollment numbers and earned accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) until 2024.[8] |
| 5. | Meghan Hughes | 1966– | 2016–2023[9] | First female president. Led the school to its highest graduation rate in nearly two decades.[10] |
| - | Rosemary Costigan (interim) | c. 1958– | 2023– | First alumni president.[11] |
Campuses
edit
The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with additional college buildings throughout the state.
- Knight Campus (Warwick, opened in 1972)
- Flanagan Campus (Lincoln, opened in 1976)
- Liston Campus (Providence, opened in 1990)
- Newport County Campus (Newport, opened in 2006)
- Satellite Campus, Westerly Education Center (Westerly)
- Satellite Campus, Woonsocket Education Center (Woonsocket)[12]
Architecture
edit
The college's flagship Knight building in Warwick was designed by the Chicago and New York architecture firm of Perkins & Will, in conjunction with Providence firms Harkness & Geddes and Robinson Green Beretta.[13] The campus was designed to house all academic, social, and recreational functions in a single building.[13] The building itself is an enormous concrete structure which terminates in a semicircle, and ranges in height from four to six stories.[13] The design is a notable example of Brutalist architecture, and was heavily influenced by the philosophy of Le Corbusier.[13] The building was hailed by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission as "one of the most striking and innovative contemporary structures in the state" when it opened in 1972.[13]
Over time, the Brutalist style generally lost its appeal and became seen as "drab," "hulking," and "bureaucratic," associated with large-scale mass-planning.[14] In 2019, the Knight campus building made local news after being named "eighth ugliest college campus in the United States" by a lifestyle blog.[15]
Academic profile
editThe college offers the following degrees:
- Associate in Arts (A.A.)
- Associate in Science (A.S.)
- Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
- Associate in Applied Science in Technical Studies (A.A.S.-T.S.)
- Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A.)
Several one-year certificates are also awarded.
Student life
editThe school's student newspaper is The Unfiltered Lens, which began publication in 2007. It replaced the Knightly News, which had been active in the 1980s, but had become defunct several years prior to the Lens' founding.
Athletics
editThe college athletics teams are nicknamed the Knights.
Notable alumni
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2013) |
- Rhéal Cormier - professional baseball player[16]
- Rebecca Haynes - professional basketball player[17]
- Jvke - singer-songwriter and producer[18]
- Ken McDonald - college basketball coach[19]
- Cynthia Mendes - member of the Rhode Island State Senate[20]
- Alex Owumi - professional basketball player[21]
- Joe Polisena - member of the Rhode Island State Senate
- Tiny the Terrible, professional wrestler and politician[22]
- Agostinho Silva - Rhode Island state representative
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Jackson, Laralyn (September 24, 2024). "The Community College of Rhode Island celebrates 60 years". Providence Now. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "Annual Unduplicated Headcount" (PDF). Community College of Rhode Island. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Community College of Rhode Island — Graphic Style Guide" (PDF). Community College of Rhode Island. Marketing and Communications Department. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Our History". Community College of Rhode Island. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Morgan, Thomas J. (August 1, 2013). "Former CCRI President Edward J. Liston dies at 82". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Marion (December 3, 2005). "CCRI's Sepe replaced as supporters ponder future". Providence Business News. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Patrick (April 6, 2024). "Former CCRI president and RI education commissioner Raymond Di Pasquale dies". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Arditi, Lynn (May 20, 2015). "CCRI president to resign". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Andrade, Kevin G. (March 17, 2023). "CCRI President Meghan Hughes announces plan to step down". Rhode Island Current. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "After serving 7 years, CCRI President Hughes to step down Aug. 31". Cranston Herald. March 23, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Dr. Costigan begins tenure as CCRI's Interim President". Community College of Rhode Island. September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Governor McKee, Elected Officials Cut Ribbon on Woonsocket Education Center, Adding Workforce Training and Education Options for Northern Rhode Island". Office of the Governor, State of Rhode Island. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "CCRI moves to the Knight Estate in Warwick". Warwick Digital History Project. Town of Warwick. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ Hill, John (January 9, 2016). "Brutal Beauty: Post-war architects broke with pre-war past". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ "CCRI-Warwick Named 8th Ugliest College Campus in America". September 18, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ "Rheal Cormier Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Rebecca Haynes". WNBL. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ Jackson (October 29, 2022). "Rhode Island TikTok Star JVKE Has Viral Hit in 'Golden Hour'". FUN 107. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Class of 1999". ccri.edu. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Senator Cynthia Mendes". State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Alex Owumi". njcaa.org. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Hadden, Douglas (May 2, 2006). "Former pro wrestler throws hat in ring for Pawtucket mayor". The Pawtucket Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2020.