The University of Rhode Island’s board of trustees was officially instituted as the school’s governing body of the University on Feb. 1.
The University was originally governed by the Council of Postsecondary Education, which also oversees Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. With a board independent of the council, URI will be able to govern itself specific to the needs of a flagship university. The board’s responsibilities include the hiring and firing of the University president, writing the budget, controlling tuition and overall oversight.
According to University President David Dooley, having a separate board for URI will allow the University to be more competitive.
“[The board of trustees] will help the University be stronger, faster, more adaptable, more flexible, and more resilient,” Dooley said. “We can move the University in the direction we need to move in a rapidly changing competitive climate more effectively and efficiently.”
The board will consist of 17 members nominated by Gov. Gina Raimondo. The nominations will be heard by and voted on by the Rhode Island State Senate over the next three weeks.
Raimondo worked closely with current University President David Dooley to select the nominees. Many of the nominees came from Dooley’s recommendations.
“I am proud to put forth this group of diverse, highly-qualified nominees to serve on the new University of Rhode Island board of trustees,” said Governor Raimondo in a press release. “Each nominee is a leader in their field and many are textbook examples of how a URI education can prepare students for a successful career. I have complete confidence in their ability to guide URI and continue its legacy of scholastic excellence.”
There will also be four ex-officio (non-voting) members: the chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education, the chair of the Council of Postsecondary Education and two student representatives.
Since the start of his time as president in 2009, Dooley has been working on developing this board of trustees. In the last legislative session, he worked closely with Raimondo and other legislators to pass the idea of the board. The bill was officially passed with the state budget in July.
“It’s probably the biggest change at the University of Rhode Island, almost since its founding,” said Dooley.
Making a separate governing body for URI had been discussed previously, but has never gotten far. Dooley attributed this success largely to changes at URI.
“The time was right,” said Dooley. “The legislature and the governor recognized that URI was a very different kind of university than it had been before and that it needed its own governing board. [They realized] that this was the best national model for governing a university like ours.”
Students will most likely not see any immediate changes in their day-to-day lives at URI, but one thing that students may notice is the participation of board members in URI’s student community. According to Dooley, many of the board members are interested in meeting and interacting with students. Board meetings will be on campus and have open times for students to attend.
Part of this may come from the board’s backgrounds. Thirteen out of the 17 members are URI alumni, which Dooley believes gives them valuable insight into URI’s unique culture. The members also have experience that could be relevant to URI: many of the nominees are successful CEOs or have other valuable experience. According to Dooley, having members with experience and connections can help the University fundraise money.
“I think for most students, there won’t be a particular tangible thing that they will point to and say wow this is so different now than it was,” said Dooley. “But I think over time what students will see is URI getting better.”
Before they can pass any policies, the board will have to decide how it will function by setting bylaws and electing a chair. Their next priority will be drafting the University’s budget. After the board has done this, they can start passing actual policies.
Though the University is no longer overseen by the Council of Postsecondary Education, URI’s relationship with the state has not changed. The board will still need approval from the state for the University’s budget and other matters. The University’s relationship with Rhode Island College and Community College of Rhode Island has not changed either and the institutions will continue to work together as they have in the past.
Tim DelGiudice, the chair of the Council of Postsecondary Education, said the transition from the council to the board will be seamless and transparent.
“URI is still a vibrant member of the Rhode Island ecosystem and will work with RIC and CCRI with student transfer agreements,” DelGiudice said. “The school will be shifted to a different group but will still be a part of the Rhode Island ecosystem.”