New Director of the Harrington School Ammina Kothari looks to focus on interdisciplinary studies within the school. PHOTO CREDIT: Melissa Marchese
Working on interdisciplinary studies and inclusivity within the Harrington School are at the top of the priority list for Ammina Kothari, its new director.
“I spent most of summer listening,” Kothari said. “I met with all of the Harrington staff to hear about their goals and their needs.”
Kothari is new to Rhode Island, and previously worked at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as a professor of communication and the graduate program director of communication. She began her tenure as director this summer after a search process to replace the prior director.
“I was attracted to this position because URI was looking for someone who had interest in curriculum development and also valued interdisciplinary teaching and research,” Kothari said.
She hopes that in the near future, she will also be able to teach students alongside serving as the director of the Harrington School. Kothari has a journalism background, and hopes to teach some journalism courses during her tenure at URI.
Although she has only been in her position since this summer, Kothari has many projects in the works already.
Kothari is currently working on encouraging department heads to reassess what they offer students in order to learn more about how to engage students with them.
Kothari said that she sees the best in the Harrington School and its students and is working to make others recognize that as well. She has set goals to be accomplished as soon as next year and has set other projects into motion that will come to fruition over the next few years.
“In three to five years, I would like us to be a school that is known for producing storytellers who can work across different disciplines and also create an inclusive environment for students as well,” she said.
One of Kothari’s goals for the Harrington School is to create more classes that will diversify the skill sets of students. Her goal also goes beyond the Harrington School, however, as she hopes to partner with other colleges at URI to create these new courses.
As part of this, she hopes to encourage students to double major or pick up minors within the Harrington School, as well as in other disciplines.
A lesson that Kothari hopes to bring to URI from her time at RIT is the importance of diversity and inclusivity. With this in mind, she’s hoping to provide technology to Harrington students that do not have access to equipment they need.
As Kothari begins her role, the Harrington School’s hub, Ranger Hall, is also beginning its second floor renovations.
RIT is the home of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, where Kothari worked with interpreters in the classroom and personally taught deaf students. This experience opened her eyes to the importance of having more resources for the visually or hearing impaired.
“Even when posting on social media, adding those descriptions for images [is important],” Kothari said. “Those little things matter, it takes a few extra minutes, but it’s important to show that you care about the larger community.”
Many URI students and faculty members are excited to see what Kothari’s direction will bring to the Harrington community, including John Pantalone, the chair of the journalism department.
“The Journalism faculty were all impressed by Dr. Kothari’s credentials and experience, not to mention her enthusiastic personality,” Pantalone said. “She has already brought new energy to the Harrington School. We are especially pleased because she has a journalism background and is a tenured professor in our department. We see her as an advocate for the Journalism major as well as the school.”
When she is not in her office or talking with community members, Kothari can be found exploring her new surroundings in Rhode Island.
“I’m a foodie,” Kothari said. “So I’ve been enjoying the Providence food scene as well as seeing what else Rhode Island has to offer.”