The W. Alton Jones campus, the third University of Rhode Island campus, in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, is looking to reopen its research and education purposes since its closure during the COVID-19 pandemic due to financial troubles, according to Abby Benson, the vice president for administration and finance.
The campus has been part of URI since 1964, according to a Request For Information Solicitation issued on Nov. 4, 2024. The RFI requests that the campus return for usage proposals that support URI’s mission as a land grant institution.
URI is actively exploring what the next phase of the campus’s use will look like, according to Benson. During the pandemic, a task force led by former interim provost Laura Beauvais was looking at future uses for the campus.
“URI’s intention is to find partners that will help manage the facilities,” Benson said.
Before the campus closed, it allowed for hands-on research opportunities for nursing, biology and wildlife ecology students, according to Anthony Burnett Testa, a computer teacher at Archie R. Cole Middle School. He runs an Instagram account promoting reopening the campus. At the campus, students learned leadership and communication skills for real-world experiences.
“With [the campus] being shut down, it limits opportunities for students at URI,” Burnett Testa said. “I think that [students] are missing out because it’s a beautiful area to learn about the environment.”
Students studying in the College of Environment and Life Sciences utilized the campus the most, according to Benson. Faculty from across URI also utilized the campus for research involving the Department of Arts and Sciences.
The campus is unlike traditional universities, according to Benson. There aren’t any resident halls or academic buildings. Instead, the three main buildings are the Whispering Pines Conference Center, the Environmental Education Center and a historic farm.
“It’s just a beautiful wilderness area, so I think it’s of interest to our community to have access to it and learn,” Benson said.
The conference center held 350 conferences and hosted 50 weddings, and the environmental education center held summer camps, according to an article from the university’s website. It was also used as a hideout for Rhode Island State Police for an organized crime informant and filming the 2005 movie, “Arthur Hailey’s Detective” according to the article.
The summer camps at the campus involved sleepover camps for children and teenagers, according to Burnett Testa. For young children, there was a farm camp and an expedition camp. For teenagers, they had the ability to canoe and hike with two teachers for a week.
Besides summer camps, elementary and high schools went to the campus for field trips, according to Dawn Bergantino, the assistant director of communications at URI. On the trips, students would learn about the importance of the wilderness in Rhode Island.
“It’s almost like a living laboratory,” Bergantino said. “It’s a significant piece of land with excellent forestry features, water features and great conservation for the university.”
URI is proud to be a steward of the campus, according to Benson. Right now, there is no definite date for when the campus will reopen, however it is included in URI President Marc Parlange’s 10 year strategic plan.
