Dean Jeannette Riley of the College of Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday her departure from the University of Rhode Island, after an eight-year tenure in her position.
Riley will be moving on in the fall of 2025 to step into the roles of provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Hampshire. Her last day with URI will be May 30.
“Leaving URI was not on my list of things to do, but when the opportunity came along to apply my experience to a new role with university-wide scope, it felt like the right time, especially as I earned one of my degrees from UNH and have family in New Hampshire,” Riley said in an email statement to faculty and staff of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Before coming to URI, Riley worked for 15 years at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her academic research is in the liberal arts, with focuses in American literature, poetry and politics, and feminist theory.
Since her arrival in 2017, the College of Arts and Sciences at URI saw improvements such as increased research, creative works and external funding, according to the statement from Riley.
University Provost Barbra Wolfe also credited Riley for her “instrumental” involvement in the renewal of the Fine Arts Center in an announcement addressed to university community members.
“While we will miss Jen’s leadership, we also are excited for the new opportunities this brings her,” Wolfe wrote in the announcement. “She will undoubtedly bring the same passion and commitment to UNH that she shared with us.”
The search for a new dean of arts and sciences will not conclude until Riley leaves URI, according to a letter from Wolfe addressed to staff and faculty of the college. The letter states that an interim dean will be appointed in the meantime, beginning on May 31 and anticipated to remain in the position until the end of 2025.
