The Good Five Cent Cigar mourns the loss of longtime University of Rhode Island staff member Keith Labelle, who died on May 30. Labelle mentored many students and Cigar members in his role as a professor and faculty advisor for URi-STAND. The Cigar asked students and alumni to share their memories of Labelle:
Tim Harniman, ’26
The one thing I will always remember from Keith’s PRS 370 class was his mantra of “I get to vs. I have to.” This mentality has taught me that no matter what your situation is, every day is a blessing and you’re on earth for a reason. He wasn’t just my professor, but a friend and a mentor who I’ll hold dear to my heart. Rest in peace, Keith.
Cam Iasimone, ’24
I had the pleasure of being one of Keith’s students in multiple classes my senior year at URI. PRS 370 was the most influential class I ever took during my time in college. Keith didn’t just teach; he motivated and mentored. Everything Keith said and did was always done with a purpose. He would never ask his students to do anything he wouldn’t do. When he asked me to be one of his TAs for a semester for extra credit, I almost didn’t do it. This was simply because I didn’t need any more credits during my last semester. However, I didn’t hesitate to tell him yes. I wanted to be there for him, just like he was always there for my classmates and me.
Keith wrote me a letter of recommendation that ultimately got me my first sports job out of school as an anchor and reporter for KSN/KODE News in Joplin, Mo. For that, I will be forever grateful.
Goodbyes are always hard. That’s why Keith always said, “See ya later.” His consistent motivation and constant drive to be 1% better every day are something that I will always carry with me for the rest of my life. He will be truly missed, and may he rest in peace.
My sincere condolences to his family and close friends.
Tyler Powell, ’27
One of my favorite memories of Keith was his creativity in making work outside the classroom just as fun as inside the classroom. Don’t get me wrong, the activities we did inside the classroom as a group were especially influential on my learning and how Keith helped me grow as a person, but the way he made me excited to do homework is something I won’t forget. Like a lot of college students, I hate doing homework because it takes up a lot of time, but I looked forward to doing Keith’s homework every night. He would put together discussion posts based on what you thought your personal brand was, and then he would come up with unique ways that you could answer the questions based on the prompt he was asking. It would always put a smile on my face when he would answer my discussion posts because he always had something positive or relatable to say, and it would make me feel good knowing he took his time to read through it and give his thoughts on what I had to say. I can’t even comprehend the impact that Keith had on me when I was his student, but this was just one of the many little moments that he helped influence me to work hard and have fun while doing it.
Mike Sormanti, ’28
I first met Keith in September 2025 on the first day of Sport Branding in the Digital Age, otherwise known as PRS 370. Starting my second year of college at URI with an 8 a.m. class twice a week wasn’t ideal at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best things that could have happened to me.
Keith was very upfront and honest from day one, setting the expectation that “the more you put into this class, the more you will get out of it.” He continuously emphasized that the goal was to “get 1% better every day.” These lessons extended far beyond the classroom, as many did for Keith.
Keith was never the type of educator to go by the book or follow every rule to the letter, but something he consistently enforced was a no-phone policy in the classroom. As a member of Generation Z, I wasn’t particularly fond of it in the beginning, but I eventually realized I wouldn’t have learned and grown as much as a student without that rule being put in place.
Keith structured his class around interactive assignments and activities that required my peers and me to communicate and form lasting relationships. Because of him, I now have many more people on campus whom I call my friends.
Don’t get me wrong, there was some busy work from time to time, but Keith made sure we’d benefit as much as we could from it. He made it a point to always write extra-long feedback on every assignment, no matter how important it was. He was always the professor who cared more about you gaining knowledge and understanding what you did well and what needs to be improved, rather than just slapping a grade on a piece of paper.
There were a handful of times I would stay after class, talking with him and the teaching assistants, not only about class but also about life. Keith always showed a vested interest in what I was involved with on campus and was always willing to have a conversation about anything that was on my mind.
Not only was this class my favorite through four semesters at URI, but it was also the most beneficial, not because of the curriculum itself, but because of the person teaching it.
Keith wasn’t just a professor; he was a motivator, a mentor and an incredible human being who touched the hearts of all his students, especially mine. The life lessons I’ve taken from his heartfelt speeches are ones I will carry with me wherever I go.
Saying goodbye definitely isn’t easy, but knowing you’re in a better place will help me move forward.
Rest in peace.
Ryan McKenna, ’27
I had the opportunity to take Keith’s PRS 360 class in the spring semester of my sophomore year. I can truly say that I’ve never taken a more useful and valuable class, not just in college but throughout my entire life.
Keith’s main focus with all of his students wasn’t about giving them homework or making sure they could pass a test; it was about making sure every student applied their potential to the best of their abilities inside and outside his classroom.
Keith would let you know if you could do better; if you didn’t give it 110%, he would call you out. Not to be mean or to fail you, but because he genuinely cared about you and wanted you to succeed in the real world. He viewed his job as an educator as an opportunity to get his students ready for when they left URI and to show them how they could achieve their dreams in their desired careers.
One specific memory I have from his class was during the first week of the semester, he made everyone in the class stand in a circle, and every student had to name every other student in the class by name. To this day, I could still name every single person I had that class with and tell you a couple facts about them. He forced his students to get to know each other and build real connections, and not just sit next to each other for an entire semester while barely knowing the person sitting next to them.
One other memory I have from Keith is his G.A.S. factor. The G.A.S. factor is an acronym for “Give A Shit” factor. It’s about doing the little things that show you care and are serious about your craft and taking pride in it. That is something that has stuck with me ever since. I try to apply it to all aspects of my life, whether it be academic, physical or mental. Keith inspired me, along with so many others, to be the best version of myself, and was such an authentic, kind and genuine person. I’m grateful I took his class and was able to learn so much from him.
Nora Kelley, ’27
The first day I walked into Keith’s PRS 360 class in the spring of 2025, I had made the decision I was going to hate it. He was talking about all the assignments we were going to have to do throughout the semester, and they all had nothing to do with public relations. I had enrolled in a PR class, not a class where I would do elevator pitches or be assigned to lead a 50-minute class later in the semester. It was not what I had signed up for, and I decided immediately that I was going to hate it without giving it a chance.
As time went on, I found it very hard to hate the class I was seated in three days a week in Ranger Hall. The community that was bred in that packed classroom was something I had never been a part of before. That community had everything to do with Keith. Everyone in the room was extremely ambitious with all of our own dreams. Keith helped us harness those. There was something about him that made him able to connect with anyone. Many of us in that room wanted to work in sports media, but some wanted to work as coaches or operational staff. Somehow, Keith was able to tailor everything we discussed in class to each one of us. It was like he was directly speaking to each of us. We were all able to get something out of every sentence, every lesson and every class he taught that semester.
At this time in my college career, I was still very quiet. I had very little confidence and felt somewhat lost. I felt like I was in the middle, I was doing everything halfway and I couldn’t find a way to make it whole. By the end of that one semester with Keith, that feeling changed. A fire was lit under me, and I was so excited to come back and start a new internship in the fall. Keith created an environment that allowed us to network with each other. I found a great connection with Bella Kelley. Without that class, without Keith, without Bella, I would not have the internship and the experiences that I had the privilege of having this past year.
This past fall, I spent a decent amount of time in Keith’s shoebox office in Mackal. We talked about everything under the sun. At the time, I was considering staying in Rhode Island during the upcoming summer. Without missing a beat, he told me he could get me a job at Bonnet Shores Beach Club. He always wanted to help wherever he could, and he wanted his students to succeed in anything they touched. That’s one of the many reasons I will miss Keith. Everyone who knew him lost someone in their corner, someone who made a big impact.
Getting 1% better in something every day was a motto that Keith lived by, and he shared with his students. It was a phrase I had never heard before, and I immediately latched onto it. He had a way to make everything a lesson and learning experience, and I will never be able to thank him enough for that. He injected confidence into my veins and taught me what a good leader looks and acts like. Getting 1% better every day is something I hope to take with me daily. It is something I will never forget.
As I’m writing this, it is hitting me that I won’t be able to walk into his tiny office in September and discuss our summers and plans for the semester. I wish I had gotten more time with him, as I’m sure many others did, too. He taught me more about myself in a semester than I had learned in most of my life. I wish younger students could have met him and interacted with him; they lost a great mentor and friend before they even knew they had one.
Thank you for everything, Keith. I will never forget you, and I will carry your lessons and wisdom with me wherever I go.
