URI QuadAngles Winter 2009-2010

QUADangles

WINTER 2009–2010, VOL. 17, NO. 2

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

ALUMNI MAGAZINE

The President’s Art Gallery

from President David M. Dooley and Reverend Lynn-Baker Dooley

THE DOOLEYS PREPARE FOR THE HOLIDAYS BY TRIMMING THE TREE AT THE PRESIDENT’S UPPER COLLEGE ROAD RESIDENCE. A SET OF OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS IS A GIFT FROM ALUMNUS RICHARD BEAUPRE, (BELOW LEFT WITH PRESIDENT DOOLEY) FOUNDER OF CHEMART, WHICH DESIGNS AND MANUFACTURES PHOTO-CHEMICALLY ETCHED DECORATIVE ORNAMENTS AND COLLECTIBLES, IN LINCOLN, R.I. THEY HAVE BEEN THE SOLE PROVIDER OF THE OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT SINCE 1981.

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS

QUADangles WINTER 2009–10, VOL. 17, NO. 2

DEPARTMENTS THE PRESIDENT’S VIEW 3 UP FRONT 4 News and views PRESS BOX 8

ALUMNI CHAPTERS 28 Upcoming events and contacts CLASS ACTS 31 News from your classmates, photo wrap-ups, and alumni profiles

BACK PAGE 40 The 100th Anniversary of East Hall INSIDE BACK COVER John Palumbo ’76 Chairs the Big Chill BACK COVER President’s Inauguration

WEB EXTRAS PEACE DEMONSTRATION BALLARD ON 60 MINUTES CIAO DA KINGSTON! RHODY POSTCARDS AND MORE… URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

FEATURES 10

A NEW WORLD OF COMMUNITY LIVING AND LEARNING

By John Pantalone ’71 Living with fellow students who share your major or other interests leads to studying together in a supportive community

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URI RESEARCHERS TARGET CANCEROUS TUMORS

By Jan Wenzel ’87 Biophysicists Yana Reshetnyak and Oleg Andreev have discovered a way to detect and treat cancerous tumors without harming healthy cells

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A RESEARCH PARK FOR URI? MAYBE.

By Thomas S. Mulligan, M.B.A. ’88 The concept of a research park at URI is being re-evaluated in the context of recent changes in the economy

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INTRODUCING THE PRESIDENTIAL COLLECTION

By Elise Fitzgerald ’10 Forty pieces of art created by URI students, faculty, and alumni are displayed throughout the home of the URI president and his wife

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THE FOURTH ANNUAL DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS A highlight of the evening was the announcement that the Making a Difference capital campaign has achieved its goal of raising $100 million

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THE ROAD TO RADIO AND BEYOND

By Shane Donaldson ’99 Ibrahim Abdul-Matin has a regular spot on WNYC’s The Takeaway, a national public radio morning news program

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COVER ARTWORK BY RONALD HUTT CONTENTS: JOE GIBLIN; NORA LEWIS; MICHAEL SALERNO; © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

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ALUMNI online

advance.uri.edu/alumni

It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the way we communicate. We’re taking ­advantage of the latest ­advances in this technology to stay in touch with alumni and s­ upporters.

ON THE ROAD? DON'T FORGET TO SEND A POSTCARD! Are you traveling for work, study, or service? Then send a Rhody Postcard! The postcards are a fun, new feature of QuadAngles Online. Alumni, students, faculty, and staff are invited to send a greeting to the URI community with a photo or short video---use your cellphone, camera, or video recorder! So far, postcards have been sent from Paris, Beijing, Moldova, South Africa, Shanghai, and a Habitat for Humanity project site in Birmingham, Alabama. Check out samples at uri.edu/quadangles/rhody-postcards-from.

Contact Barbara Caron at bcaron@advance.uri.edu or 401.874.5895. Can't wait to hear from you!

STAY CONNECTED No matter what your interests or where you live, there are ways to stay connected with your alma mater. Join an alumni chapter in Boston, Chicago, or Baltimore. Get involved with the Women’s Council for Development or the Alumni of Color Network. Participate in one of the Alumni Association’s volunteer committees, or re-connect with old classmates and plan a reunion.

Go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/getinvolved to find out more.

CHECK YOUR CALENDAR From the Big Chill weekend in Newport at the end of January to the next Big Thinkers event in Miami in February not to mention President Dooley’s inauguration in April, there are plenty of upcoming events of interest to alumni in the late winter and spring of 2010. To take a look, go to advance.uri.edu/alumni/calendar. Bookmark the page and check it often.

We’re always adding something new.

YES, MEMBERSHIP DOES MATTER More than 65 programs and services are currently provided, managed, promoted, and funded by the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association. When you join the Alumni Association, you not only enjoy membership benefits, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting these programs, services, and student scholarships. Become a member today by going to advance.uri.edu/alumni/membership.

TRAVEL TIPS The Alumni Association is sponsoring two exciting travel packages in Spring 2010. How does a two-week trip of a lifetime to Australia and New Zealand sound? Or what about May in Provence? Learn more about these travel opportunities and put yourself in the picture. Go to

advance.uri.edu/alumni/travel.

STAY IN TOUCH Sign up for one of our online periodicals or email news lists, and stay in touch with your school! n ONLINE PERIODICALS INADVANCE@URI A biweekly electronic newsletter that contains University news, events, and opportunities of interest to URI alumni and friends. InAdvance@URI is currently emailed to more than 66,000 subscribers on alternate Thursdays.

QUAD ANGLES Prefer to read the URI alumni magazine online? Sign up for this online subscription, and we’ll notify you by email when the latest issue is posted at uri.edu/quadangles. n To subscribe to one of our online periodicals, go to advance.uri.edu/esubscriptions. n EMAIL NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS News and announcements regarding upcoming alumni programs, such as Homecoming, Golf Tournament, chapter events, reunions, cultural events, and member events.

RIRAA ONLINE News and announcements about gifts to the Rhode Island Rams Athletic Association (RIRAA), as well as information about athletic events, special ticket offers, priority points, and more.

SUPPORTING URI News and announcements about gifts to URI, including gifts to endowment, the Fund for URI, planned giving, building initiatives, and more. n To subscribe to one of our email news lists, go to alumniconnections.com/rhodeisland and click on Member Services. Select Email Preferences to opt in or out of our email news lists.

URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action. The ideas and opinions expressed in QUAD ANGLES do not necessarily reflect those of the Alumni Association, the editor, or the University. QUAD ANGLES is published four times a year for alumni and friends of the University of Rhode Island; standard postage paid at Burlington, Vt. QUAD ANGLES is printed at The Lane Press, South Burlington, Vt., and is recyclable.

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QUAD angles QUAD ANGLES is a publication of the University of Rhode I­sland Alumni Association, Division of University Advancement, 73 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881-2011. Phone: 401-874-2242.

Vice President for University Advancement Robert M. Beagle Executive Editor Michele A. Nota ’87, M.S. ’06 Editorial Committee Paula M. Bodah ’78 Jodi Hawkins Mike Laprey Dave Lavallee ’79, M.P.A. ’87 Liz O'Brien Managing Editor Vida-Wynne Griffin ’67, M.A. ’72 Associate Editor Barbara Caron, Online Edition Jan Wenzel ’87 Art Director Kim Robertson Interim Director of Publications Russell Kolton Director of Communications Linda Acciardo ’77 Contributing Editors Mary Ann Mazzone, Class Acts Nicki Toler, Alumni Online & Chapters Contributing Designers Johnson Ma Bo Pickard Verna Thurber Photographer Nora Lewis Alumni Relations Staff Michelle Fontes-Barros ’96, Assistant Director Kathleen Gianquitti ’71, M.S. ’82, Assistant Director Lisa Harrison ’89, Executive Assistant Sarah Howard ’96, Associate Director Brittany Manseau ’08, Program Assistant Jess Raffaele ’04, M.S. ’09, Program Assistant Kate Serafini ’08, Program Assistant Gina Simonelli ’01, M.S. ’03, Assistant Director Alumni Association Executive Board Donald P. Sullivan ’71, President Joseph M. Confessore ’96, Vice President Susan R. Johnson ’82, Vice President Gary W. Kullberg ’63, Past President Louise H. Thorson, M.B.A. ’85, Treasurer Michele A. Nota ’87, M.S. ’06, Secretary Councilors-at-Large William M. Dolan III ’81 Carlos M. Ferreira ’89 Allison E. Field ’95 John Finan ’80 Ronald P. Joseph ’67 Kelly J. Nevins ’90, M.S. ’02 Kathleen P. O’Donnell-White ’90 Benjamin W. Tuthill ’04 Andrew W. Wafula ’01 Raymond L. Watson ’02, M.C.P. ’05 Representatives Arts & Sciences: Jerome H. Kritz ’76 Business Administration: Laurel L. Bowerman ’77, M.B.A. ’84 Continuing Education: Edward Bozzi Jr. ’68 Engineering: Leo Mainelli ’58 Environment & Life Sciences: Wayne K. Durfee ’50 Human Science & Services: John Boulmetis ’71, M.S. ’73 Nursing: Denise A. Coppa ’72, Ph.D. ’02 Student Alumni Association: Bobby Randall ’10 Student Senate: David Bedard ’10 URI Foundation: George Graboys, Hon. ’99

Think Big

We Do

Big Thinkers series 2009–2010

Shaping the Future

Join URI President David M. Dooley for the Big Thinkers Series this spring.

Miami, Florida February 9, 2010 Coming to other locations this spring, including California, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

The Division of University Advancement’s Big Thinkers Series has brought President David M. Dooley to key cities to speak to alumni and

uri.edu

other URI stakeholders about “Shaping the Future” of the University. So far, the president has addressed groups in Boston; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. President Dooley would love to meet you to share ideas—his and yours—about the future of the University, so please join us if you can.

For up-to-date information about this series, please go to advance.uri.edu/ programming/bigthinkers.

Building on Our Strengths This is the first opportunity that I have had to write for Quad Angles, and the first point I would like to make is a simple one: Thank you for your genuine interest in and support of the University of Rhode Island. It is clear to me that our alumni and other friends are one of the University’s greatest assets. I have very much enjoyed meeting so many of you in the short time that I have been here.

An important goal of Quad Angles is to keep you up-todate on the people, programs, and work of URI, as well as its opportunities and challenges. In this context, I would like to call your attention to the article on the possibility of creating a research and development park that would be closely affiliated with URI. I think the article provides a thoughtful and fair analysis of the benefits and issues associated with such a venture.

Strengthening and expanding the research agenda of URI is a high priority for the University and the state for multiple reasons. Foremost among them is the compelling need to rebuild and revitalize the economy of the state and the nation. Economic renewal in Rhode Island is a priority for everyone here, and for good reason given the severity of the downturn and the number of jobs that have been lost. The magnitude of the challenge would be daunting but for the advantages that I see in Rhode Island, especially in the talent and dedication of the faculty and students of URI. By building on our strengths we can be successful, and the development of a research park that emphasizes public/private partnerships and technology transfer could be an important component in a winning strategy.

Because URI is Rhode Island’s public research university, I believe that providing expertise, research, education, and leadership relevant to economic renewal in the state is at the heart of our mission. And it is important to note that the entire spectrum of URI’s research and scholarly activities can play a role—basic and applied research in science and engineering, of course, but also research and creative work in business, the social sciences, design, communications, and the humanities and the arts. Externally supported research has a direct and immediate impact as such funding creates jobs, prepares an advanced workforce by supporting graduate education, and expands the research infrastructure.

Finally, I want to emphasize that expanding and strengthening the research and scholarly aspects of URI’s mission provides numerous opportunities to improve undergraduate education. Engaging our talented and enthusiastic undergraduates in research, scholarship, and creative work provides a rich and unique learning experience that fosters critical thinking and analysis, the development of diverse communication skills, leadership and teamwork, and develops learning skills that can last a lifetime. In addition, externally funded research provides equipment, facilities, and opportunities that would otherwise not be available to our students. For all of these reasons, I look forward to working with our faculty, students, and stakeholders—and with all of you—to grow research and scholarship at URI. —David M. Dooley

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 3

UPfront A Diet Idea to Chew Over

A Blossoming Legacy Video | uri.edu/quadangles

Remember the olden days when if you were caught chewing gum in class, you had to put it on the end of your nose or march yourself down to the principal’s office? Like Rodney Dangerfield, gum chewers got no respect.

That’s about to change. Kathleen Melanson, associate professor of nutrition and food sciences, compared gum chewing and non-gum chewing in 35 healthy adult volunteers who came to her lab on two separate visits. One day they chewed and one day they didn’t. During both visits, their resting metabolism rates and blood glucose levels were measured during regular intervals.

When the volunteers chewed gum for an hour in the morning (three, 20-minute sessions) they ate 67 fewer calories at lunch then they did on their chew-less days, and they did not compensate by eating more later in the day.

Melanson also found that when her subjects chewed gum before and after eating, they expended about five percent more energy than when they didn’t chew.

According to the researcher, nerves in the muscles of the jaw are stimulated by the motion of chewing and send signals to the appetite section of the brain that is linked to satiety, which may help explain why the act of chewing helps to reduce hunger.

With spades and enthusiasm, about 175 freshmen established their roots this October by helping plant 5,000 tulip, narcissus, and other spring bulbs around the Quad and nearby locations. The freshmen and another 50 community volunteers dug, weeded, raked, and mulched. It was all part of the first “URI Gives Back Day.” The first-year students are enrolled in URI 101, a required course supported by the Feinstein Enriching America Program, which introduces all first-year students to the traditions of higher education and academic culture, as well as significant societal and personal issues that influence their college experience. The course provides students with the opportunity to serve the community with their peers and reflect upon that experience.

Through URI 101, 75 classes composed of more than 1,350 freshmen engaged in service during October.

“Social responsibility and community engagement start at home, and we hope that URI Gives Back Day will be an annual opportunity for our community to come together and make a beautiful and

lasting impact,” said Jayne Richmond, dean of University College.

The planting is made possible through the generous support of Robert Weygand ’71, ’76, vice president for Administration and Finance, the Feinstein Center for Service Learning, URI Lands and Grounds Department, and Washington Trust Co. The bank donated thousands of daffodil bulbs in 1991 to help URI celebrate its Centennial. Those daffodils still bloom today. The addition of these new bulbs will create an even more stunning spring display.

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PHOTOS TOP: RUDI HEMPE; BOTTOM: MICHAEL SALERNO

Partners for Saving Energy A team of students working with the URI Energy Center has developed a plan to help the Naval War College in Newport reduce its energy consumption to meet a Department of Defense directive. The students spent the summer analyzing the War College’s energy bills, conducting energy audits of its buildings, and researching appropriate renewable energy options that will achieve the goal of reducing energy consumption by 30 percent below 2003 levels by 2015. They presented their recommendations last summer to Rear Adm. Phil Wisecup, president of the War College, who enthusiastically endorsed the plan and encouraged the students, who continue working with his staff to implement the plan.

Speed Dating For A Major Like most colleges and universities, the largest major at URI is “undeclared.” Even when students decide on a major, 60 percent of them will change their minds, according to Jayne Richmond, dean of University College. To assist freshmen in this often confusing challenge, University College hosted its first Find Your Perfect Major fair in the fall.

Students followed a speed dating format to facilitate some easy and fun question-and-answer interactions among advisors, deans, student representatives, and faculty members representing all colleges.

“We do not expect our freshmen to choose a major sooner,” said Richmond. “And there was no pressure to do so at this event. We know the selection process can produce a lot of anxiety. We wanted our students to relax, have some fun, and ask their questions about a variety of disciplines and discover what major may be most compatible.”

First ADHD Drug Effectiveness Study on College Students Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common disorders of childhood. But symptoms of ADHD often linger into adulthood.

Approximately 2 to 4 percent of college students report significant symptoms of ADHD such as difficulty with attention, impulse control, and restlessness.

Although there is a great deal of information about childhood and adult ADHD and treatments, there’s scarce information about the effectiveness of medication on college students with ADHD. That is about to change thanks to Lisa Weyandt, associate professor of psychology and one of the nation’s leading researchers on ADHD in college students, who launched a study in the fall to test the effectiveness of the stimulant medica-

PHOTOS TOP RIGHT: SHANE DONALDSON; BOTTOM: MICHAEL SALERNO

tion, Vyvanse™, on college students with ADHD. It is the first such study for this population. Weyandt was awarded a grant from Shire Development, Inc., to support the study.

“Twenty five to 40 percent of college students who receive disability support services receive it for ADHD,” Weyandt said.

The URI professor is collaborating with ADHD expert George DuPaul at Lehigh University. “Many colleges and universities offer resources to help students with ADHD from a functional standpoint. However, we are the first to look at the impact of medication to treat the symptoms of ADHD, ” he said.

To learn more click on uri.edu/news/ releases/index.php?id=5032.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 5

Hot off the Presses Called Back: My Reply to Cancer Cancer and hope often sit side by side in a hospital waiting room. Interestingly, two professors recently published books that explore each topic.

“The moment the suspicious looks start flying among the technicians in mammography you can pretty well tell that your life is going to change,” recalls English Professor Mary Cappello about entering the often harrowing world of medicine.

Rather than blink, Cappello looks at her breast cancer straight on with a poet’s eye for incongruity. She translates those experiences into her newest book, Called Back: My Reply to Cancer, My Return to Life, just published by Alyson books. The book is part memoir, part meditative, and wholly absorbing.

The book follows Cappello’s diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but it does more than simply reproduce the standard neatly packaged redemption narrative. “I hope my approach opens things up rather than closes off aspects of the treatment and disease that we’d rather not discuss, admit, or meditate on,” she says. “To put this another way: What happens inside of the treatment regime is entirely expected, but what happens inside of the book is not—and this establishes both an intellectual and emotional suspense in the book.” To learn more about Cappello and her book, go to uri.edu/news/releases/index.php?id=5016.

Henry Biller

Anthony Scioli

Hope in the Age of Anxiety In these times of economic uncertainty, shrinking life savings, fear of global terrorism, and medicine-resistant germs, comes Hope in the Age of Anxiety, just released by Oxford University Press.

Co-authored by two clinical psychologists, URI Professor Henry Biller and Anthony Scioli, M.A. ’87, Ph.D. ’90, of Keene State College, the book does not talk about blind optimism, wishful thinking, or denial of reality but spans the “roots and wings” of true hope.

Their message is simple: Hope matters!

Emily Dickinson suggests that hope is the “thing with feathers that perches in the soul”; President Barack Obama, author of The Audacity of Hope called it “the bedrock of the nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us.”

Scioli, Biller’s former student who is also a member of the URI graduate faculty, says “abiding in hope is the basis for achieving true success, crafting loving relationships, and securing a genuine sense of peace.”

The authors find current theories on hope narrow at best. The pair drew on their own clinical experiences as well as the best insights of philosophers, theologians, poets, and scientists from a variety of fields, to develop a fresh perspective on the topic.

Grounded in science with practical tips, Hope in the Age of Anxiety focuses on four universal aspects of human experience that embody the essence of hope: attachment, mastery, survival, and spirituality and offers hope lessons and hope tips.

To help hope seekers discover their current hope profile, Biller and Scioli created a hope “test”, a 40-question instrument at the book’s web site, gainhope.com.

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Mary Cappello

Video | uri.edu/quadangles

Sailing Team Takes First in Nation, Fourth in World When it comes to tacking and reaching the URI sailing team is hard to beat. URI remains the only collegiate keelboat program in the country to win the Collegiate Keelboat World Cup, sailing to victory in 1990. This year, the team raced against 15 international teams and finished fourth.

No other University team representing any other country has competed as often (11 times) or has been as successful at the annual race, held at different ports and venues either along the French Mediterranean or the French Atlantic seaboard.

In addition to winning the event, the Rams have finished second three times

PHOTOS BY MATT GINEO

(1992, 1993, 2004) and third twice (1988, 1998).

This year’s team qualified for the World Cup by besting the field at the 2008 Kennedy Cup, hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., last November.

Skippered by Jesse MacGowan Fielding of Wickford, this year’s team members were Alex Baittinger and Scott Millard, both of East Greenwich; Carl Merrill of Hope, Maine; Lauren Gineo of Newport; Westy Barlow of Narragansett; Jeremy Henry of Groton, Mass.; and Liv Gunnarson of River Vale, N.J.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 7

Baseball After its record-setting 2009 season, the baseball team was recognized as the Top-Ranked Division I Baseball Team in New England by the BoSox Club, the official booster club of the Boston Red Sox. Head coach Jim Foster and URI Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn were presented with the award at the club’s annual Awards Luncheon on Oct. 2, 2009, at the Newton Marriott.

This past season, the Rams amassed a school-record of 37 victories, including wins over No. 8 Miami, No. 11 Oklahoma State, and No. 25 Ohio State. In defeating the eighth-ranked Hurricanes, URI became the first unranked team to hold Miami scoreless since 2001and the first to shut down the Hurricanes on their home field since 2004.

Football Jim Foster and Thorr Bjorn

Matt Rae

Sophomore defensive tackle Matt Rae has been named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSida District II All-Academic First Team. Rae is among 25 players named to the team, which is comprised of NCAA Division I players at both the FCS and FBS subdivision. The York, Pa., native is majoring in biological sciences and has a cumulative grade point average of 3.80. On the field in 2009, Rae has played in eight games and has recorded 22 tackles. Rae will now advance to the national ballot where he will be under consideration for national Academic All-American honors.

Senior wide receiver Shawn Leonard received the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Gold Helmet Award on Nov. 11 in a ceremony held at Harvard University. Leonard received the weekly honor following his performance against nationally-ranked New Hampshire on Nov. 7 when he hauled in 10 catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were career-high totals for a single game. Leonard’s 275 receiving yards ranked as the third-best single-game total in school history and are the fifth-highest receiving total in CAA Football history. Additionally, Leonard was selected as the Co-CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 9.

Ashley Evangelista

Shawn Leonard

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Soccer

Kaylen Shimoda

Two members of the women’s soccer team were honored by the Atlantic 10 for their outstanding play during the 2009 season. Junior Kaylen Shimoda was named to the 2009 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team. The midfielder from Oakville, Ontario, led the Rams in scoring with 14 points. Shimoda tallied six goals and two assists this past season.

Freshman Ashley Evangelista was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team. The newcomer from Methuen, Mass., tallied eight points on two goals and four assists in her first collegiate season. Evangelista was also named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Oct. 9, 2009.

Five Rhode Island men’s soccer players received Atlantic 10 AllConference honors in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches.

Dwayne Williams was one of three defenders selected to the First Team, while midfielders Gary Crooks and Andres Ruiz both earned Second Team honors. Crooks also landed a spot on the All-Academic squad while forwards Erkko Puranen and Thomas Lindroos were honorable mention and All-Rookie selections, respectively.

Dwayne Williams

Andres Ruiz Gary Crooks

Erkko Puranen

Thomas Lindroos

GoRhody.com Fans of URI’s athletic programs know that GoRhody.com is the place to go for the most updated stats, stories, photos, and video content for their favorite Rams’ teams.

During the 2008-09 academic year, GoRhody.com had close to four million page views.

As traditional media coverage shifts toward less coverage, GoRhody.com has picked up the slack. URI’s official athletics Web site has evolved into a multi-faceted information source complete with editorial, video, and historical content.

There is also tremendous synergy between GoRhody.com and the popular social media Web sites Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Teams that maintain blogs on GoRhody.com include women’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, and volleyball while both Rhody the Ram and the Athletics Department maintain Facebook pages.

Fans can also follow Rhody the Ram and Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn on Twitter, while viewing daily video updates on the official URI Athletic YouTube page.

SHAWN LEONARD PHOTO BY JOE GIBLIN; ALL OTHERS COURTESY OF THE URI ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 9

A New World of Community: Living and Learning It’s all about enhancing academic success. Having students living together according to their major gives them a common thread to interact, and the living arrangement makes it easier for them to study together.

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n the day in September when freshmen were moving into their residence halls, Nancy Fey-Yensan, interim dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, stood outside Browning Hall to welcome them and their parents.

She and 14 members of the CELS faculty helped unload cars, directed students to their rooms, and reassured parents that even the dean had a personal interest in their kids. It was the first instance of what has become regular contact between the college faculty and freshmen who are residents in what is known as a Living and Learning Community (LLC).

This is not your father’s dorm (as they were once known), or your mother’s. It’s probably not a freshman’s older sibling’s residence hall either. It’s a new world of community living and learning, an effort to smooth the way academically and socially for students who have often been intimidated by the sheer size of their new environment.

“The demand is greater than we can meet currently,” says Jayne Richmond, dean of University College and a leader in the effort to establish LLCs six years ago.

“All the research shows that this has a positive impact on social adjustment and academic success.”

CELS was the first to adopt an LLC approach, but it was followed soon after by the Colleges of Human Science and Services, Nursing, and Engineering.

Within each college there are dozens of major disciplines, and freshmen are exposed to all of them through the LLC. The University has even established an LLC for students who are undecided about a major so they can learn about majors in every college.

“I think each college in the University could have this within the next couple of years,” says Lester “Chip” Yensan, Nancy’s husband and the assistant vice president for student affairs, who is also director of Housing and Residential Life.

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The impetus for the program came from the convergence of newly renovated residence halls with the formation of Learning Community course clusters for freshmen in 2000. The Learning Communities had a positive academic and social effect, so the idea of extending that into residence hall life seemed logical, especially since the University had already done that with special housing units for the International Engineering Program and for other students with special interests such as social justice issues.

As Yensan and Richmond both note, the concept partners the University’s academic community and its residential life staff.

Housing and Residential Life funds a liaison, Deborah Bergner, who directs educational programs, and HRL also provides free housing for several upper class students who serve as mentors in the various LLC residence halls.

“It’s one more element of community on a large campus,” Yensan says. “College Video | uri.edu/quadangles

JOE GIBLIN

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 17

“I was invigorated by the experience.

One girl came up to me afterwards and said she was surprised that she could actually ask the dean a question in person.

Contact with the faculty is so important. It’s like we’re visiting their homes.”

Nancy Fey-Yensan, interim dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences

can seem overwhelming when you are surrounded by so many people. This living structure makes the social adjustment much easier because students are meeting others with similar interests, and they are often living with students who are taking the same classes.”

Richmond points out that the communities couldn’t have happened “without a commitment from the colleges,” which meant faculty had to buy into it.

Dean Raymond Wright of the College of Engineering was also outside Tucker and Merrow halls on move-in day, as were several engineering faculty. Wright, Fey-Yensan, and other deans held “Meet the Dean” nights in their respective LLC residence halls during first semester, and faculty from various departments within the colleges have visited the dorms for special programs, academic advising, and casual conversation.

“I was invigorated by the experience,” Fey-Yensan says of her early meetings with freshmen at Browning. “One girl came up to me afterwards and said she was sur-

prised that she could actually ask the dean a question in person. Contact with the faculty is so important. It’s like we’re visiting their homes.”

Annemarie Vaccaro, assistant professor of human development and family studies, one of the majors offered in the College of Human Science and Services, coordinated LLCs at the University of Denver for several years before coming to URI. As her college’s liaison with its LLC, she has arranged a number of programs addressing both academic and social concerns for students, but she said that getting to know a faculty member as “someone who has a life outside the classroom” can be an important part of the equation. For example, Disa Hatfield, assistant professor of kinesiology, made a presentation last October on power weightlifting for HSS students at Butterfield.

Resident Academic Mentor Other colleges have arranged activities from pizza parties to career information meetings, and while faculty involvement is significant, much of the program is driven by stu-

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dents themselves. Each LLC residence hall has an upper class resident academic mentor (RAM) who organizes activities, provides plenty of information about majors, and offers tutoring and advice to the freshmen.

The RAMs receive free housing as part of their job and put in five hours of office time each week in addition to their other duties.

“It’s all about enhancing academic success,” says Deborah Bergner, coordinator of educational programs in the office of Housing and Residential Life. “We identify high risk courses and provide tutoring. The RAMs encourage students to form study groups for their common classes.”

That has been one of the immediate results of clustering students according to major college. Many of them take classes together, and the living arrangement makes it easier for them to study together. “Having students living together who are taking the same classes gives them a common thread to interact,” says Kristina Shvets, a fourth year pharmacy major and a RAM for undeclared freshmen. “They’re all in the same boat.”

Jennifer Sixsmith, a senior nursing

major who is the RAM at Peck Hall, says, “It really manages freshmen anxiety over difficult classes. They know others are there to help and many are in the same situation. It also gives them a quick, easy way to meet others in their major.”

For Matt Hooks, a sophomore in computer engineering in the International Engineering Program, his LLC experience last year led him to form close enough friendships with several dorm mates that the 10 of them arranged to live in a suite in Eddy Hall this year. “I was a little apprehensive about doing it because I was thinking I didn’t want to live only with engineers, but I decided to try it,” Hooks said. “I realized that we had similar interests and all got along. The first night in the dorm we talked until 2 a.m.”

As Chip Yensan notes, administering and organizing LLCs is an ongoing process.

He says HRL is gathering more and more information about students’ lifestyles in efforts to match roommates. Staff have remained flexible enough to honor roommate requests for freshmen who want to PHOTOS BY JOE GIBLIN

room with a friend who isn’t majoring in their discipline. As staff discover glitches in the system, they make such adjustments as including nursing majors in a residence hall with engineering majors for a better male/female mix.

“This has made a more complicated operating situation for us, but it’s worth the effort in the success of the students,” Yensan says.

Another engineering major, Kyle Rafferty, recalls his freshmen year experience as positive, adding that he didn’t feel that he was meeting only students in his field. “Most of my friends are engineers, but I have met other students through clubs and activities,” said Rafferty, now a junior and the RAM for engineering.

“The activities that we organize for the freshmen—like a tinfoil boat design contest that we did in September—really facilitates people getting to know one another.”

Dean Wright says it makes a big difference for freshmen to interact with upper class majors like Rafferty because they’ve taken courses in physics and chemistry that

the freshmen are struggling with: “Our goal is to get them excited about engineering even if they don’t know specifically what they want to do. We’re introducing them to all the different areas of engineering that they could pursue. This adds a layer of mentoring and contact with the college.

We can help them through tough courses by supporting them with tutoring, and we’re showing all the different career paths they have in front of them.”

Ultimately, says Kristina Shvets, “We help the freshmen realize that school is their job. They learn to learn together.”

Richmond points out that research done on similar programs elsewhere shows positive results from improved campus safety bred by closer familiarity among students to greater academic success. The research has also indicated lower levels of binge drinking and higher levels of positive social adjustment among freshmen. “We don’t know yet what the impact will be on student retention, but everything is telling us that this will definitely help,” she said.

By John Pantalone ’71 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 13

Yana Reshetnyak and Oleg Andreev have demonstrated that pHLIP can find a tumor in a mouse and deliver imaging or therapeutic agents specifically to cancer cells.

B URI Researchers Target Cancerous Tumors

iophysicists Yana Reshetnyak and Oleg Andreev have discovered a technology that can detect and treat cancerous tumors without harming the healthy cells surrounding them, thereby significantly reducing patients’ side effects.

The husband and wife collaborators, both associate professors, have attracted more than $6 million in grants in four years. In addition, a number of health care and pharmaceutical companies have expressed interest in their work.

It is possible, says Andreev, that one day their detection method could be used as a universal procedure, similar to mammograms or colonoscopies. Their harmless imaging test could locate a problem before the patient ever feels ill.

The key lies in the acidity level of cells.

While normal cells maintain a pH of 7.4 with little variation, cancer cells expend a great deal of energy as they rapidly proliferate, pumping protons outside and creating an extracellular pH level of 5.5 to 6.5 (the lower the number, the higher the acidity).

While scientists have known about tumor acidity for years, they had not devised a way to target it. Donald Engelman in the molecular biophysics and biochemistry lab at Yale University discovered the peptide that targets acidity, but he had not employed it until Reshetnyak joined his lab as a postdoctoral student in 2003. She and Andreev, then a senior scientist at an anticancer drug delivery company, suggested an investigation into the peptide’s potential as a cancer targeting agent.

Reshetnyak and Andreev joined URI’s Physics Department in 2004 and established a biological and medical physics laboratory. They continued their collaboration with Engleman and their investigation of

the properties of the peptide, now called the pHLIP peptide. After making some modifications, they demonstrated that pHLIP could find a tumor in a mouse and deliver imaging or therapeutic agents specifically to cancer cells.

The Yale/URI targeting system has a patent pending in the U.S. and Europe.

The researchers suggest their discovery method could be used to monitor other disease development and treatment. It also could play an important role in the study of arthritis, inflammation, infection, infarction, and stroke since those conditions also produce high acidity.

DELIVERY METHOD In addition to targeting cancerous tumors, the couple has discovered a novel delivery agent, a molecular nanosyringe, which can deliver and inject diagnostic or therapeutic agents specifically to cancer cells.

“Since we know the mechanism of delivery and translocation, we believe that we are able to tune the nanosyringe properties and engineer a novel class of therapeutic and diagnostic agents,” says Reshetnyak.

In a project with the Cancer Center at Rhode Island Hospital, the URI researchers have successfully shown that the peptide can deliver nanogold particles into the cancerous tumor. Once in place, the tiny gold particles can absorb more radiation, providing a more lethal dose to the tumor but not to surrounding healthy cells.

“Drs. Reshetnyak’s and Andreev’s research offers a potential for a new and more effective approach to the treatment of cancer with radiation, making it highly intriguing and important,” said Edward S. Sternick, medical physicist-in-chief, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital, and professor and vice chair radiation oncology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

JOE GIBLIN; MICHAEL SALERNO

“About 1.6 million new cancer patients are diagnosed annually in the U.S.” says Sternick, noting that the number is expected to grow significantly, reaching 2 million cases per year in the next 10 years, a direct reflection of our aging population.

Approximately 50 percent of these cancer patients will receive radiation therapy during the course of their disease.

The URI researchers are collaborating on a $1.5 million National Institutes of Heath/National Cancer Institute grant with Jason S. Lewis, chief of radiochemistry ser-

vice at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, New York. “Their research is innovative and exciting,” said Lewis. “It is also timely; the understanding of the tumor microenvironment, and in particular the pH of a tumor, is believed to be important in the metastatic spread of cancer. The technology that the couple has developed could non-invasively predict the metastatic potential of cancer as well as monitoring the effectiveness of potential therapies. Their technology may allow for patient personalized therapies in the future.”

Through URI’s Department of Physics, Reshetnyak and Andreev are collaborating with Rhode Island Hospital on a proposed 5-year degree program that combines medicine and physics. Students would spend four years in college classes and one year at the hospital.

“The proposed URI/RIH medical physics program now under consideration by URI is the first in New England specifically designed to closely integrate academic and clinical preparation,” said Sternick, noting that a residency is required before someone is eligible to take the American Board of Radiology national certification examinations.

“Because our post-graduate two-year medical physics residency training program will run parallel with the URI medical physics program, URI students will have the opportunity to gain valuable experiential insights about career opportunities and the responsibilities of physicists working in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Nationwide demand for well-trained clinical medical physicists far exceeds the available supply.”

One of Andreev’s graduate students, James Segala, has already been accepted into the hospital’s competitive residency program.

Once certified, graduates of the program could easily find work and high salaries at hospitals where they would calculate radiation prescriptions for radiologists. They could also earn a doctorate and conduct research and teach at the university level. Or they could go to private industry where their expertise is needed in the development of medical devices.

URI recruited Reshetnyak in 2004 as an ADVANCE Faculty Fellow, which is a National Science Foundation effort to increase the number of women faculty in the science, technology, and engineering fields.

Andreev soon joined his wife in Kingston.

Born and educated in Russia, the couple met at a physics conference in New Orleans. They live in West Kingston with their 6-year-old daughter Stefania who entered first grade this fall.

By Jan Wenzel ’87 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 15

Kansas State University broke ground in November on the Kansas Bioscience Research Park, a $28-million facility meant to support research and commercialization in animal health and food safety.

A RESEARCH PARK FOR URI? A month earlier, Louisiana Tech University broke ground on a technology research park, which state officials hope will create 1,000 jobs in its first decade. In August, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg dedicated a new business incubator in lower Manhattan being run by New York University’s Polytechnic Institute. It is meant to help launch new firms in such signature Gotham industries as fashion, media, and finance.

Maybe.

Definitions vary, but the Association of University Research Parks estimates that there are more than 170 of the facilities in North America, employing more than 300,000. They range from sprawling, multi-university networks like North Carolina’s 50-year-old, 7,000-acre Research Triangle Park, to sites barely the size of a suburban home lot.

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The University of Rhode Island “got started The ensuing recession has been harder on relatively late” with plans for a research Rhode Island than on almost any other park of its own, David M. Dooley, the Unistate. The consultants’ report barely menversity’s new president, noted in a recent tioned external economic factors; it spoke interview. Dooley aims to make sure that instead of rising rents and falling vacancy when URI gets in the game, it is fully rates for regional office space, reflecting a equipped to succeed. sunny economic climate that has since People who haven’t closely followed the gone dark. evolution of URI’s research park idea may Former URI President Robert L. only be aware of the proposal because of Carothers, though a strong supporter of a a controversy that arose last spring over research park, decided that it would be consultants’ selection of a Flagg Road site, unfair for a departing president to greenacross from the north side of campus, as the best location for the park.

A group of URI faculty members protested the selection, saying that putting a park there would conflict with the continued use of a wooded area known as the Century Forest for its 100-year-old trees.

The issue hasn’t been resolved, but in Dooley’s mind the key question isn’t where but when—perhaps even whether.

“The conversation on campus had advanced to a discussion about size, the number of acres, a precise location, but I thought there were some fundamental questions to be answered before we got down to those details,” Dooley said. “When I came here and looked, I noticed that a “As a state entity, we can’t own a company, but we can take some equity.” – Peter Alfonso, URI Research Foundation lot of the analysis that had been done about this was done in a very different economic context and climate. I’m not comlight so significant a project, since it would fortable that it’s still applicable and accube his successor, Dooley, who would have rate.” to live with the consequences. Thus, the Part of the analysis to which Dooley decision landed in the new president’s lap. referred was a 128-page report by a WashDooley has opted to go back to the drawington, D.C.-area consulting firm evaluating ing board. He appointed a task force that URI’s strengths in terms of faculty includes Peter Alfonso, Robert A. Weyresearch, location, political and “leadergand, and Donald H. DeHayes, URI’s vice ship” factors and other criteria; assessing presidents for research, administration, the growth potential of a URI research park and academic affairs, respectively. The task based on the performance of four compara- force’s charge is to reassess the feasibility ble “benchmark” parks around the country; of the research park in light of both the exploring possible financing avenues, and changed economic circumstances and the ultimately recommending that the Univerfact that Providence’s jewelry district, sity go forward. renamed the Knowledge District, is trying The report was dated August 2007, about to attract investment and brainpower in the when the first serious cracks were appearbiosciences. Dooley wants to explore the ing in the historic U.S. housing bubble, the possibility of URI’s getting involved in that collapse of which would lead to the worst project or in a multi-site solution. He said financial crisis since the Great Depression. he was seeking specifics on potential

JOE GIBLIN; NORA LEWIS

co-investors and sources of revenue as well as a more refined definition of what such a park is meant to achieve and how best to get there. The task force has been asked to report back to Dooley by the end of the fiscal year in June.

Said Dooley: “We want to have a solid enough foundation so that success is, if not assured, then at least likely.”

Alfonso came to URI two years ago from the University of North Dakota, where he had helped launch an ambitious research park. He spoke in an interview about the possible goals of a research park for URI. Alfonso has estimated that about one-quarter of URI’s faculty works on research with real commercial potential. As things stand now, a URI researcher could create a new technology and license it to a big company in, say, California. A trickle of licensing revenue would flow to the researcher, URI, and the Rhode Island economy, true, but most of the economic benefits in terms of job creation and spin-off businesses would stream to California, where the technology was being developed. A logical next step beyond obtaining licensing revenue from locally-generated technology is for URI researchers to launch their own companies and let their ideas grow up right here—a process that Alfonso said would be facilitated by a research park, as has been amply demonstrated around the country.

The Benefits Go Beyond Opportunities for URI Faculty “As a state entity, we can’t own a company, but we can take some equity,” which would generate revenue for the University, said Alfonso, who also heads the URI Research Foundation, created by state law in 2007, shortly after he arrived from North Dakota.

Another advantage of a research park is that it can attract existing companies looking for less risky and less expensive means of conducting research and development. Partnering with a university means the company can make its R&D budget go farther because it doesn’t have to create costly facilities of its own—they’re already

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 17

in place at the university’s biochemistry lab URI Has the Perfect Location locate its forensic medical lab there. or oceanography institute, for example. It Rudnic’s three degrees from URI are all For graduates who want to pursue the also means access to graduate students as in pharmacy. He sounded frustrated in a research they did at the university level but a source of relatively cheap labor in the recent interview that Rhode Island has in a commercial setting, a research park short term and potential future employees been slow to embrace the idea of a can encourage them to stick around, Rudnic in the long term. research park. The economic-development said. He’s seeing it happen at the UMB Peter W. Rothberg, a lawyer with Duane benefits of putting an entrepreneurial BioPark, which he advises.

Morris LLP in New York who works with enclave in close proximity to an academic Lacking similar opportunities at URI, venture capital firms, “angel investors” center “have been proven in 49 of the 50 Rudnic said, “most people just move away. and the fledgling companies they nurture, states,” Rudnic said.

You’re talking to one.” said that the other side of the same coin is “North Dakota is ahead of Rhode Island, Rudnic said he understood Dooley’s to the benefit of students. and there’s something wrong with that,” he caution about getting the plan right, but all “Given the nature of student bodthe same, “You can’t break ies these days, they no longer see out of an economic slump by not working for a large corporation as spending money.” the golden ticket,” he said. “They At Montana State University at don’t all want to work for UBS or B Bozeman, where Dooley was provost of A anymore.” and vice president for academic A research park or business affairs for eight years before coming incubator can help the University to URI, the Center for Entrepreneurcompete for the highly-motivated ship for the New West is trying to students who might be starting comhelp stem persistent brain drain in panies of their own one day, Rothberg a place where good-paying jobs are said. It can thereby create a circle of scarce. MSU students have been fully local firms prospering by hiring local involved, providing 10,000 hours of students whose experience enables consulting advice to 40 local compathem to seed new local companies nies, since the center opened in 2001, that provide opportunities for the according to Entrepreneur magazine. next wave of top-notch students.

Aided by the center, MSU has With 170-plus university-affiliated had great success fostering startresearch parks up and running, is ups, Dooley said, with “dozens and there a danger that URI is too late, dozens” of little companies launched “URI’s location in the Northeast Corridor and its proximity to that the U.S. is already “over-parked”? the biotech hub of Boston should be natural advantages for in engineering and biotech. a research park.” – Edward M. Rudnic ’78, M.S. ’82, Ph.D. ’83 “Are you kidding?” said Rothberg.

“A lot of those companies are not “There’s a huge surge of entreprelocated within the [MSU research] neurialism because you can’t find jobs. If went on. “Wyoming is ahead. Iowa has tons park,” Dooley said, adding that a physical your business needs anything more than a of research parks that are thriving.” facility is not the sole determinant of a succomputer terminal, you can’t work at home.

Rudnic said that URI’s location in the cessful academic-commercial partnership.

You can’t bring clients to Starbucks. Young Northeast Corridor and its proximity to the Success, however URI achieves it, will companies are desperate for help. If you biotech hub of Boston should be natural be defined by hard numbers, including can give them space and all they have to do advantages for a research park. Another “increases in patent applications, awarded is move to Kingston, no question they’ll enticement to potential partners would be patents, licenses and license revenue, move.” the just-completed $70-million Center for companies created, and the net worth of Edward M. Rudnic ’78, M.S. ’82, Biotechnology and Life Sciences. And the those companies,” Dooley said.

Ph.D. ’83, is founder and former chairman Health and Life Sciences complex will soon “The state certainly desires a big and CEO of MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals, be enhanced by the new College of Pharsuccess,” he said. “We need desperately Inc., in Germantown, Md., and a member macy, for which a groundbreaking cereto lay the foundation for a new kind of of the Technology Council of Maryland. mony was held in October. economy in Rhode Island.”

He is co-inventor of Adderall XR, a Research parks can succeed without — By Thomas S. Mulligan, M.B.A. ’88 multi-billion-dollar drug used to treat significant government backing, but the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. right kind of support can make a huge Mulligan, a New York-based executive in the The Washington Post has described Rudnic difference. The University of Maryland strategic communications firm of Sitrick and as “the face and voice of the region’s Baltimore’s BioPark research complex got Company, is a former senior business and biotech industry.” a major boost when the state decided to economics writer for the Los Angeles Times.

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COURTESY EDWARD RUDNIC

Introducing the Presidential Collection

A

n oil painting with subtle blue and yellow streaks highlighting a deep gray landscape hangs over the living room fireplace against a Keaney blue wall. The unique abstract is one of 40 pieces of art created by URI students, faculty, and alumni that are displayed throughout President David M. Dooley’s and the Rev. Lynn Baker-Dooley’s home on Upper College Road.

“When we first walked around the house, the dining room space immediately looked like a gallery to us,” said Baker-Dooley. The Dooleys spoke with the chair of URI’s Art and Art History Department Bob Dilworth, who made the idea a reality by putting out a call for entries last summer.

“The presidential collection is the first of its kind at URI. I think it sends a powerful message to the state and the region, “ Dilworth said. “It’s a strong show highlighting only a fraction of the best work of our faculty, students, and alumni.

Samson, Lilla, lito w/ chine colle, Cascade Brook series #9, $2000 It could very well add much to the already rich culture that exists in the state.

Being a leader means setting standards. I think the Dooleys and the University are well ahead of other institutions with this initiative.”

The exhibit will be bi-annual with a rotation of the artwork to allow new work to be showcased. However, the student works will be up for at least a year. Of the 40 pieces in the exhibit, 28 were created by URI students and alumni.

“It was funny seeing my work hanging. As I went through the process, the idea that my work would be a vital piece of art in the University president’s house astonished me, “ said student artist Erik Giorgi of Riverside.

The Dooleys have always had an appreciation for the arts. “I think we have both had a longstanding interest in the stories that are told through art, in how artists express themselves and comment on the state of the world when they create their work. All of that is fascinating,” said the URI president.

Artists struggle to get work viewed by the public. The Dooleys hope to help by hosting this exhibit, which can be viewed in an online gallery as well. Most pieces are for sale and prices are available for anyone who is interested by contacting the artist directly. The online gallery functions as a high-traffic area for students to display their current work to entice prospective employers, help with graduate school applications and internships, or to gain artist residencies. Giorgi , Eric, print, Waves, 8x12, $40 “Any opportunity to showcase my artwork is very much appreciated,” said student artist Katie Picard of Warwick, who has two of her portraits hanging in the president’s house. “The online gallery is beneficial to me as a prospective student for graduate schools.”

The Art Department is creating a tabletop photography book containing the art on exhibit at the president’s house with the biographies on each artist, including other students. The proceeds from the book will go toward several scholarships for URI art students.

A series of historical photographs from the University Library’s Department of Special Collections will also hang throughout the president’s house. Baker-Dooley’s favorite shows Robert Frost speaking with students in the Memorial Union, while a photo of an old chemistry lab caught the eye of the president, a biochemist.

“It was very educational for us,” said Baker-Dooley of the archival collection. “We hope it will really get people to appreciate how far the University has come since its founding,” remarked the president, “how much it’s changed, how the University has grown and expanded its reach.”

“The exhibition is a very visible symbol of a new beginning,” Dilworth said. “Visual arts, and by extension, film, the performing arts, music, and other creative forms will play a much more Picard, Katie, pastel, Muslim Lady, $600 vital role in defining URI’s place in the world.”

The Dooleys continue to look for other opportunities for the URI community to be a part of the house. “We want this to be a home that is open to the community, that involves them, that Visit the Art Department’s welcomes them and welcomes guests to the University,” Dooley said. “We want everyone to have online gallery page to view an opportunity to be in the home at some point.” the president’s collection, The couple hope to get a piano for the house, as they both love music and want their home to and more. uriaah.org/gallery be a place where students feel comfortable playing and practicing. n

By Elise Fitzgerald ’10 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 19

DeMelim, David, photography/ultrachrome print, Faculty Art Show, 34x6, $1200 Anderson, Ben, red earthenware, In the woods, 21x17x3, $800

Attention Alumni Artists The URI Art and Art History Department invites you to submit your work for consideration for its online gallery. A selection committee will review submissions. The gallery can be a great professional resource and can serve as a way to network and show your art to future employers, graduate schools, art residencies, internships, galleries, or museums. Interested? Contact Bob Dilworth at 401.874.5821 or bobman2@mail.uri.edu.

Kenny, Brian, 35mm photo, Vintage Road, 17x22, $200 Richman, Gary, collage/ptg, Toxitrope#13, 30x48, $650

Caraccia, Michelle, Stone Lithography, Blow, 11x14, $50

Pagh, Barbara, photolithograph on handmade paper, Woodland series II, 22x30, $600

Kitchin, Valerie, archival inkjet photograph, Submergence, $350

Matthew, Annu, archival digital print, An Indian from India- Warpaint 2003, 12x16, $800

O’Malley, Brian, oil on canvas, For Eternity, 10 x 14, $500

Picard, Katie, charcoal, Young at Heart, $400

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Lockard, Victoria, Kelp Dance,

Samson, Lilla, digital photo, Fire Adrift in a Drop of Sea, $2000

Artists featured in the collection:

Kenny, Brian, canvas, photo, resin, Grape vines, 36x56, $1600

O’Malley, Brian, oil on canvas, 33 advocates, 60 x 40, $2500

DeMelim, David, photography/ultrachrome print, Solitary Journey, 14.125x8.25, $475

Ben Anderson, Barrington R.I., Faculty Jeffrey Bertell, Wakefield R.I., Faculty Michelle Caraccia, Narragansett R.I., Student David DeMelim ’09, Charlestown R.I., Alumnus Robert Dilworth, Providence R.I., Faculty Erik Giorgi, Riverside R.I., Student Ron Hutt, N. Providence R.I., Faculty Brian Kenny, Exeter R.I., Student Valerie Kitchin ’08, N. Smithfield, Alumna William Klenk, Wakefield R.I., Faculty Victoria Lockard ’07, Providence R.I., Alumna Annu Matthew, Providence R.I., Faculty Ian Mohon, Providence R.I., Student Brian O’Malley, Greenville R.I., Faculty Titiloa Oyegunle, Providence R.I., Student Barbara Pagh, Wakefield R.I., Faculty Katie Picard, Warwick R.I., Student Gary Richman, Exeter R.I., Faculty Lilla Samson, Wakefield R.I., Faculty Brendan Sullivan ’09, Holden, Mass., Alumnus

Mohon, Ian, , A Race to the Summit of Knowledge, $200

Dilworth, Bob, Untitled,

Kenny, Brian, digital photo, Blue Bay, 13x19, $200

Oyegunle, Titilola, oil on canvas, Untitled, 10x12

Klenk, William, acrylic/collage, Footloose, 17.5x7.5, $2500

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 21

“The night celebrated the achievements of many alumni from all across the University. I could not help but be amazed at their commitment to excellence, their dedication to making a difference in our world, and what they have accomplished.”

—URI President David M. Dooley

The Fourth Annual Distinguished Achievement Awards Video | uri.edu/quadangles

From left to right: Richard A. Kerr, Ph.D. ‘77, James V. Diller ‘57, President David M. Dooley, Patricia Miller Anton ‘79, Edward M. Rudnic ‘78, M.S. ‘82, Ph.D. ‘83 URI President David Dooley called it, “one of the most enjoyable and inspiring events that I have participated in since coming to Rhode Island.”

The president was referring to the fourth annual Distinguished Achievement Awards celebration, which took place at the Providence Westin Hotel on Saturday evening, October 17.

It was indeed an impressive and memorable evening that was capped by President Dooley’s announcement that the University’s Making a Difference capital campaign has achieved its $100 million goal a full 15 months ahead of schedule. (The campaign will officially close on December 31, 2010).

“Reaching the $100 million mark for the University’s campaign is remarkable progress, and the willingness of so many of our alumni and friends to support the University is inspiring,” said President Dooley. “We need to continue our

22 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

President’s Award Recipients course to reach the heights that the University is capable of achieving. Together, we can make amazing things happen.”

“This is a major milestone for the University,” said Robert Beagle, vice president for University Advancement, whose division launched and led the Leadership Gift Phase of the campaign, generating more than half of the total goal.

“Funds raised throughout this campaign are truly making a critical difference to the vitality of the University. We are enormously grateful. Over the years, many new prospects and friends were developed, and it is rewarding to see them step up to participate in this campaign.”

So far nearly 34,000 alumni and friends have made donations to the University during this campaign, representing participation from about one-third of the alumni base. Almost 10,000 of those donors were first-time contributors.

TOP LEFT PHOTO BY JOE GIBLIN; ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS

Dean’s List Recipients

Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education

College of Arts and Sciences

From left to right: John A. Flaherty ‘87, Barbara A. Roberts ‘83, Dean John H. McCray Jr., Mary Ann Shallcross Smith ‘85

College of Business Administration

From left to right: Carol J. Makovich '75, Anthony E. Perrotti '62, Phillip Kydd '81, Dean Winifred Brownell

From left to right: David B. Lea Jr. ‘59, Michael M. Morrow ‘77, Dean Mark Higgins, Margo L. Cook ‘86

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 23

Dean’s List Recipients

College of Engineering

College of the Environment and Life Sciences

From left to right: Barry Gertz ‘76, Krishnan Balasubramanian ‘70, Dean Ray Wright, Anthony Zuena ‘74

College of Human Science and Services From left to right: Peggy Boyd Sharpe, friend, Professor Emeritus Wayne King Durfee ‘50, M.S. ’53, Dean Nancy Fey-Yensan

From left to right: Marie Campopiano DiBiasio ‘61, Michael A. Nula ‘96, Dean W. Lynn McKinney, Linda D’Amario Rossi ‘68 24 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS

College of Nursing Graduate School of Oceanography

From left to right: Deborah K. Zastocki ‘74, Holly W. Kennedy ‘99, Dean Dayle H. Joseph, M.S. ’75, Elaine Doherty Sullivan ‘75 From left to right: Dean David Farmer, Jerry L. Miller, M.S. ‘83, Michael P. Sissenwine, Ph.D. ‘75, Christopher Langdon, Ph.D. ‘88

College of Pharmacy

From left to right: Paul J. Desjardins ‘72, Eleanor M. Perfetto ‘80, Edward M. Rudnic ‘78, M.S. 82, Ph.D. ‘83, Scott A. Campbell ‘77, Dean Ronald P. Jordan ’76

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 25

The Road to

RADIO AND BEYOND

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, a former Rhody linebacker, has a regular spot as sports correspondent on WNYC’s The Takeaway, a national morning news radio program developed by Public Radio International in partnership with the BBC World News Service, the New York Times, and WGBH Boston. The program reaches a national audience of millions.

More | uri.edu/quadangles

26 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

PHOTO BY SARAH PULLMAN

As a child Ibrahim Abdul-Matin ’99 often rode the New York subway with his father and siblings. On these rides his father taught the kids to be aware of their surroundings. He wanted them to understand the people around them and to appreciate the world in which they were growing up.

That ability to step back and observe eventually led Abdul-Matin to a regular spot on WNYC’s The Takeaway, a national morning news radio program developed

by Public Radio International in partnership with the BBC World News Service, the New York Times, and WGBH Boston.

The program reaches a national audience of millions.

Abdul-Matin—a former Rhody linebacker—is The Takeaway’s sports correspondent. Each weekday he chats with hosts John Hockenberry and Celeste Headlee, about the world of sports: “The principal goal of my segment is to talk about sports as if I were talking to my mother. Sports are dramatic, but that drama is only relevant if your audience understands why it is dramatic.”

Abdul-Matin provides a perspective for everybody, not just sports fans.

Whether discussing race as it relates to the Serena Williams controversy at the U.S. Open or using his own experience to talk about the key role parental support plays in youth sports, he breaks stories down so they can be appreciated by all listeners: “It’s not just about sports; it’s about the relevancy of sports for everyday people.”

Several years ago, while living in California, Abdul-Matin was occasionally a guest on his friend Weyland Southon’s Hard Knock Radio, but that was the extent of his broadcasting experience.

Now he’s getting more comfortable behind the microphone each day: “The natural rapport with Celeste and John has helped me find a groove. It’s not easy. This is live radio, so you don’t get do-overs.”

Though he works in the media, Abdul-Matin does not own a television; he follows sports mostly via radio and the Internet. However, he often watches events with a group of friends or with

total strangers at a local watering hole: “I want to see how people react to what they are seeing. I’m not sitting there just obsessing over a game. I want to find the human element that the audience brings to sports.”

Before his radio days, Abdul-Matin worked for several years in the nonprofit sector as a social activist and youth mentor. He was unemployed once for a 10-month period and took odd jobs to make ends meet.

During this time, he attended all the seminars, talks, and conferences he could find. One of those conferences was a community engagement seminar hosted by WNYC. Just about everyone else there was either the head of an organization or a community leader.

When asked why he was there, AbdulMatin replied, “because I am a listener.”

His response caught the ear of a WNYC producer who asked him what he liked about the station programming.

Abdul-Matin said he was drawn to the conversational nature of the programming, particularly The Brian Lehrer Show.

When asked what he didn’t like, AbdulMatin noted the lack of sports on WNYC’s airways.

His comment eventually led him to the broadcasting studio for a few trial runs. His segments became more frequent until eventually the station asked him to become a weekday presence starting in September 2009.

Abdul-Matin has managed to bring URI into his segment. In October, he returned to campus for Homecoming weekend, a visit that he developed into a piece for the show.

During his time as a student at URI, Abdul-Matin explored a wide array of interests. In addition to being a starting linebacker on the football team, he served as Student Senate vice president; he was also an orientation leader, a columnist for the Good 5-Cent Cigar, and a participant in poetry slams.

“I was able to design how I learned at URI,” Abdul-Matin remarked. “In a way that you may not find at other places, there was an academic creativity and freedom there that I have since taken

with me to other walks of life.”

That variety of interests still holds true. Since his college days, the political science major has maintained a wellread blog, Brooklyn Bedoiun (rude_write. blogs.com/), which blends his musings on politics, the Muslim faith, and sports.

He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College in 2008, and he can discuss topics that range from health care to the economic impact of the auto industry. He has also appeared as a panel member on Fox’s Hannity & Colmes.

An established writer, he has been published in ColorLines, WireTap magazine, and Left Turn. He also has a book, Green Deen: How Muslims Go Green, slated for publication in July 2010. The book combines his passion for green living with his Muslim faith.

While working with the organization Green For All, Abdul-Matin helped coordinate a national awareness campaign during the presidential race that brought green living to the national forefront. He also worked with political activist Billy Wimsatt to develop Future5000.com, a national directory for youth activism, and he connected with Van Jones (Green For All) to further the cause for the green campaign.

While working on the campaign, Abdul-Matin traveled the country visiting mosques and meeting members of the Muslim community: “Part of my goal is to share what I know is the core of my community. I don’t want to just pump out a book; it has to come with something.

Right now, there is no environmentalist Muslim voice.”

While many environmentalists come from an academic background, AbdulMatin is using an anecdotal approach with Green Deen, which will target an American Muslim audience: “The goal is to provide insight into how American Muslims are going green.”

“I realize that I do have a nontraditional trajectory in life,” AbdulMatin remarked. “I feel blessed to have been given a voice, and I want to put that to good use.”

By Shane Donaldson ‘99

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 27

ALUMNIchapters

advance.uri.edu/alumni/events/chapters

FUN WITH ALUMS Chapter events are open to all alumni, family, and friends of the University. Contact your local chapter rep and join the fun!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Upcoming events January 2 Join the Athletics Department and the Connecticut Chapter as the men’s basketball team takes on Oklahoma State at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Pregame reception at noon, game tipoff at 2 p.m. The cost of $17 includes lunch and a chance to win great URI gear! For game tickets call the URI Box Office at 401.874.RAMS. For details, contact Jess Raffaele at jraffaele@advance.uri.edu or 401.874.4604.

January 5 Join the Athletics Department and the Ohio Chapter as the men’s basketball team takes on Akron at Rhodes Arena. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Game tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling the URI Box Office at 401.874.RAMS. For details, contact Jess Raffaele at jraffaele@advance.uri.edu or 401-874-4604.

January 9 & January 16 Join the Rhode Island Chapter and Habitat for Humanity in Providence for Build Day from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Lunch will be provided by the Alumni Association. Come either day or both! For more information, contact Kelley Warner ’02 at kwisdom@cox.net.

January 16 Join the New York Chapter and the Athletics Department at Fordham’s Rose Hill Commons at noon for a pregame reception before the URI vs. Fordham men's basketball game at 2 p.m. To purchase game tickets, call the Fordham Box Office at 718.817.4300.

A $79 bus trip to the game from Kingston includes game tickets and registration for the pre-game reception. To sign up, go to ems.resrunner.com/urihoops or contact Owen Salvestrini at 401.874.2389. For more information, contact Michelle Fontes-Barros at 401.874.4854 or mfontes-barros@advance.uri.edu.

January 21 Join the Albany Chapter for their first official event from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at Buca di Beppo restaurant. Cost of $10 includes appetizers and a chance to win URI raffle prizes. To register, contact Cindy Ladd-Anderson ‘80 at rhodymom3@gmail.com.

January 23 Join the Department of Athletics and the Ohio Chapter as the men’s basketball team takes on Xavier at the Cintas Center.

Pregame reception includes appetizers, a cash bar, and a chance to win great Rhody gear. Cost is $10; tipoff is 6 p.m. Game tickets can be purchased for $26 by calling the URI Box Office at 401.874.RAMS before January 15. For more information, contact Jess Raffaele at jraffaele@advance.uri.edu or 401.874.4604.

January 30 The Southwest Florida Gators’ January in Florida event will be held at the Royale Palm Yacht Club at 11:30 a.m. The cost of $27 includes lunch and a chance to win great URI gear. To register, contact Richard Boldt at 239.417.0375 or rboldt854@aol.com.

February 13 Join the Alumni Association and fellow alumni in the Philadelphia area to cheer on the Rams at the URI–Temple men's basketball game at the Liacouras Center; tipoff at 4 p.m. Game tickets are available for $15 by calling the URI Box Office at 401.874.RAMS before February 5. For more information, contact Kate Serafini at kserafini@advance.uri.edu or 401.874.4679.

28 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

February 25-28 For the 20th consecutive year, the Phi Sigma Kappa Chapter will gather for their annual ski trip at the Fairbrother Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y. The trip will benefit the E. Doris Carney Phi Sigma Kappa Scholarship Fund. The cost of $210 includes dinner each night.

To register, contact Ken Gambone at kgambone@barcap.com or 212.526.2093.

March 27 The Southwest Florida Gators will hold their Annual Steak Out at the Port Charlotte Beach Complex at 11 a.m. The cost of $27 includes lunch and a chance to win great URI gear. To register, contact Richard Boldt at 239.417.0375 or rboldt854@aol.com.

Events Gone By September 12: The Massachusetts Chapter headed to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox take on Tampa Bay. September 19: The Beta Phi Kappa Psi Chapter held its annual Pop Top golf tournament at Beaver River (R.I.) Country Club.

September 24: The Rhode Island Chapter welcomed 2009 grads at The Post Office Café in East Greenwich.

September 26: The Connecticut Chapter gathered at Rentschler Field to watch the URI football team take on UCONN, and the Northern California Chapter held its Annual Clambake in San Mateo.

October 2: The Arizona Rhode Runners held a networking rush hour in North Scottsdale.

October 17: The ROTC Chapter hosted a Hall of Fame induction breakfast at URI’s University Club, and the Los Angeles Chapter held a debut event at the Bodega Wine Bar in Santa Monica.

October 24: The Ohio Chapter hosted a wine tasting and dinner at the Winery at Wolf Creek in Norton, and the Beta Theta Pi Chapter celebrated their fraternity’s 20th anniversary at Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina.

November 11: The Villages Chapter gathered at the Nancy Lopez Legacy Restaurant in The Villages, Fla. November 12: The Chicago-Illinois Chapter held a Rhody Rush Hour at Maxum Bar & Grill in Willowbrook.

November 19: The Connecticut Chapter hosted a Welcome to Your City event at the Thomas Hooker Brewery in Bloomfield.

December 3: The Italian Chapter hosted a reunion and open house at the URI Alumni Center.

December 5: The RIDOT Chapter hosted a pregame reception at the Ryan Center before the men’s basketball game against PC, and the Southwest Florida Gators celebrated Christmas in Florida at the Boca Royale Country Club in Englewood.

December 13: The Massachusetts Chapter and URI’s Athletics Department hosted a pregame reception prior to the men’s basketball game against Boston College.

AT THE POST OFFICE Rhode Island Chapter members held a reception for 2009 graduates at the Post Office Café in East Greenwich on September 24.

GO RHODY! President Dooley joins Connecticut Chapter members in cheering on the Rams as they took on UCONN on September 26.

WINE TASTING October 24 was a great evening to sample wines and enjoy dinner at the Winery at Wolf Creek with fellow Ohio Chapter members.

NETWORKING North Scottsdale was the place to be for the Arizona Rhode Runners networking rush hour.

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 29

BROTHERS UNITED Members of the Theta Chi Chapter gather for their annual dinner.

REGIONAL CHAPTERS Arizona Rhode Runners Julie Griffin ’99 Scottsdale, AZ Phone: 480.634.1950 (h) 480.754.6147 (w) Email: Julez99@aol.com

California LA Rams Craig Weiss ‘89, Valley Glen, CA Phone: 661.713.2492 Email: diego.studiocity@gmail.com

Northern Pat Ludes ’79 & Greg Passant ’78, Pleasanton, CA Phone: 925.227.1878

Southern Jeff Bolognese ’02, Phone: 760.945.4560 Email: jeff@richmondfinancial.net

Colorado Mile High Rams We are seeking chapter leadership in this area. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Gina Simonelli at 401.874.5808.

Michael P. Sams ’90, Westborough, MA Phone: 508.665.4299 (w) Email: mpsams@kandSlegal.com

Michigan David Diana ’84, Warren, MI Phone: 586.268.0048 Email: dianad@flash.net

Minnesota John ’92 & Kristen Turcotte ’95, Saint Louis Park, MN Phone: 952.285.1148 Email: jfturcotte@mindspring.com keturcotte@mindspring.com

New Hampshire White Mountain Rams Clarissa M. Uhley ’04, M.S. ’06, Ph.D. ’08, Rumney, NH Phone: 603.786.5035 (h) 603.535.2915 (w) Email: cmuutley@plymouth.edu

New Jersey Lauri Pietruszka ’84, West Paterson, NJ Phone: 973.890.1623 (h) Email: lauriann_p@yahoo.com

New York: Metro

Connecticut

Janet Irlander ’78, New York, NY

Tara Blumenstock ’96, Wallingford, CT Phone: 203.294.0246 Email: tarabarbara@hotmail.com Janet Sisson ’87, Middletown, CT Phone: 860.214.7998 sissonj@independentdayschool.org

North Carolina

Florida Southeast Riki Greenbaum ’01, Homestead, FL Phone: 305.978.2023 Email: rhgreenbaum@yahoo.com

Southwest Gators Richard Boldt ’64, Naples, FL Phone: 239.417.0375 Email: rboldt854@aol.com

The Villages Al Bateman ’59, The Villages, FL Email: acbnaples@aol.com

Illinois: Chicago

Phone: 917.612.7276 Email: jirlander@paramount.group.com Ed Doughty ’93, Charlotte, NC Phone: 704.995.9300 (h)

704.552.5200 (w) Email: eddoughty@gmail.com

Ohio Tom Noyes ’67, Wooster,OH Phone: 330.345.6516 (h) 330.264.8722 (w) Email: noyes.1@osu.edu Danielle Pray ’88, Walton, KY Phone: 859.485.6790 Email: d@prayzpaws.com Bill ’74 & Betty ’74 Sepe, Hudson, OH Phone: 330.650.6715 Email: OHRhody@hotmail.com

Rhode Island

Jimmy De La Zerda ’04, Orland Park Email: jimmydlz401@gmail.com

Allison Field ’95, Providence, RI Phone: 401.808.9463 Email: allison@conderi.com

Louisiana/Mississippi

Kelley Warner ’02, Scituate, RI Phone: 401.528.2622 Email: Kwisdom3@cox.net

Dee Canada ’62, Slidell, LA Phone: 985.643.8801 (h) Email: delinac@charter.net Phyllis DelFiore ’68, Slidell, LA Phone: 985.847.1609 (h) Email: feliciadf@hotmail.com

Massachusetts

Nicholas G. Chigas ’03, Waltham, MA Phone: 978.505.7161 (h) 781.672.5170 (w) nicholas.g.chigas@smithBarney.com

Texas Dallas.Ft. Worth

Cortney ’01 and David Nicolato ‘98, Dallas, TX Phone: 214.341.6369 Email: rhodygrad@gmail.com

Texas Rhode Horns Jeffrey A. Ross ’75, Houston Phone: 713.668.3746 (h) 713.791.9521 (w) Email: jross67785@aol.com

30 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009-2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

Washington, D.C./ Baltimore

Lambda Delta Phi

Hank Nardone ’90, Laytonsville, MD Phone: 301.803.2910 (w) 301.482.1062 (h) Email: henryjn@us.ibm.com Brooke Bondur ’93, Baltimore, MD Phone: 443.756.3977 (h)

410.527.9328 (w) Email: bbondur@aol.com

Linda F. Desmond ’68, North Andover, MA Phone: 978.687.7443 (h) 978.794.3896 (w) Email: lfdesmond@comcast.net Martha Smith Patnoad ’68, Wyoming, RI Phone: 401.539.2180 Email: mpatnoad@uri.edu

INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS If you attended URI as an international student, please contact the Alumni Office and let us know your current address. If you're traveling abroad,feel free to contact one of our alumni to say hello.

FRANCE (PARIS AREA) Alexandra De Matos Nunes '79 1A Rue Jules Vincent 95410 Groslay, France Phone: 011.33.1.39.83.0627 (h) 011.33.1.45.24.92.17 (w)

GREECE

Phi Gamma Delta Richard Kingsley ‘71, Jamestown, RI 401.874.6693 (w) Email: kingsley@gso.uri.edu

Phi Kappa Psi Joe Hart ’85, Kingston, RI Phone: 401.783.4852 Email: pkpribeta@cox.net Web site: www.ribeta.com

Phi Mu Delta Jim DeNuccio ‘75, East Greenwich, RI Phone: 401.884.2993 (w) Fax: 401.885.2228 (w)

Irene Kesse Theodoropoulou '69

Phi Sigma Kappa

44 Achileos Pal Faleron 17562, Athens, Greece Phone: 011.30.1.981.3559 (h)

Kenneth Gambone ‘88, New York, NY Phone: 917.701.4631 Email: Kenneth.gambone@ barclayscapital.com

AFFINITY CHAPTERS

Political Science

Alpha Phi

Al Killilea, Kingston, RI Phone: 401.874.2183 (w)

Laura McMahon Kovacs ’01, Waxhaw, NC Phone: 704.843.6977 Email: lauralaylin@gmail.com

Alumni of Color Ray Watson ’02, M.C.P. ’05, Providence, RI Phone: 401.521.8830 (w) Email: rlwatson06@yahoo.com

RIDOT Christos Xenophontos ’84, Exeter, RI Email: xenophon@dot.ri.gov Charles St. Martin ’92, Coventry, RI Email: cstm@cox.net; cstmartin@dot.ri.gov

ROTC

Douglas Bennet ’77, Providence, RI Phone: 401.351.3522 (h) Email: dbennet@aol.com

John Breguet ‘70, Smithfield, RI Phone: 401.232.2097 (h) Email: jbreguet@cox.net Military Instructor Group, Kingston, RI Email: urirotcalumni@cox.net Web site: www.uri.rotc.alum.org

Community Planning

Schmidt Labor Research Center

Chi Phi

Mike DeLuca ’80, M.C.P. ’88, Narragansett, RI Phone: 401.789.6888 (h) 401.461.1000, ext. 3137 (w)

Continuing Education Joyce Dolbec ’95, Slatersville, RI Phone: 401.766.2209 (h)

Delta Zeta Nancy Lundgren ’54, Tiverton, RI Phone: 401.624.6364 (h)

J. Richard Rose M.S. ’06 Phone: 401.461.2786 (h) Email: rrose@mail.uri.edu

Sigma Chi Mark Trovato ’89, Wakefield, RI Phone: 401.782.0064 (h) Email: mtrovato@riag.state.ri.us Web site: www.rhodysig.com

Theta Chi

E. Gale Eaton ’74, Kingston, RI Phone: 401.874.4651

John Eastman ’62, North Kingstown, RI Phone: 401.295.1956 (h) Email: joneastman@aol.com Mike Testa ‘63, Jamestown, RI Phone: 401.423.8918 Email: jtown@cox.net

Hasbro

Theta Delta Chi

Graduate School of Library and Information Studies

We are seeking chapter leadership in this area. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Gina Simonelli at 401.874.5808.

Italian Alfred Crudale ’91, West Kingston, RI Phone: 401.783.3081 Email: acwvmhs@rinet35.org Remo Trivelli, Kingston, RI Phone: 401.874.2383 Lucia Vescera ’96, Lincoln, RI Email: lvescera@hotmail.com

Lambda Chi Alpha Jeffrey Hill ‘00, Shippensburg, PA Phone: 717.530.0188 Email: firemarshal70@hotmail.com

Eric Lalime ’95 Phone: 201.962.2001 (h) 347.739.7345 (cell) Email: eric_lalime@ml.com

URI Difference Equations Association Michael A. Radin ‘01, Rochester, NY Phone: 585.461.4002 (h) 585.475.7681 (w) Email: michael.radin@rit.edu

CLASSacts

Read Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/quadangles/classnotes Submit Class Notes Online at advance.uri.edu/eservices

Henry C. French, of Boxborough, Mass., writes: “Not much new at age 97. I have a son, Stephen ’63, who, after ROTC, spent 25 years in the Army, retiring as a full colonel.

A former daughter-in-law, Elaine Carrten ’65, and a brother-in-law, Howard Droitcour, now deceased, are fellow URI grads. Best wishes to URI.”

`59 Arthur H. Boulet, HS&S, of Jamestown, R.I., has been inducted into the Woonsocket High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

`60

Wielding shovels at the October 5 groundbreaking ceremony for the new $70 million College of Pharmacy building are, left to right, Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts; Frank Caprio, chair of the Board of Governors for Higher Education; President David M. Dooley; Tom Ryan ’75, Hon. ’99, chair, president and CEO of CVS Caremark; Gov. Donald Carcieri; and College of Pharmacy Dean Ronald Jordan. To see a video of the event, go to advance.uri.edu/programming/video/2009pharmacy

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31 QUADYour ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES online resource for ­information exchange.

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Richard Herrick York, HS&S, of Fall River, Mass., is a semi-retired psychologist in private practice in New Bedford. After being marginalized in seeking the priesthood, he found healing by becoming a psychologist and writing Christian Spritualilty and Psychotherapy.

`65 Sonia Ladrido Barrato, HS&S, of Randolph, Mass., writes: “I recently got my certificate in American Sign Language I and will continue to ASL II this fall. I will also retrain as a SHINE (SHIP) counselor; there is much to learn with Obama trying to reform medical care. We are far behind other countries despite the megabucks we spend on health care. My studies are ongoing at SLB Adult School, run by the Franciscans in Boston. The Catholic Church has a lot to teach (learn) after Vatican II in the ’60s, which was when I came here from the Phillippines.”

`67 Suzanne Young, A&S, of Arvada, Colo., writes: ”My first murder mystery is being published by Connecticut-based Mainly Murder Press.

Murder by Yew, a cozy mystery set in South County, mentions URI, particularly in opening chapters. Visit me at SuzanneYoungBooks.com.”

`70 Richard W. Wise, A&S, of Pittsfield, Mass., is the author of Secrets of the Trade, which sold over 35,000

copies. Now, in The French Blue, Richard writes about the gem trade in an illustrated novel to be published in 2010.

`71 Allen A. Hale, ENG, writes from Thailand: “I retired last year from Bechtel Corporation after 28 years of involvement in international heavy construction projects. I now focus on photography and writing a blog about my experiences living here with my Lao Loum wife in the Isaan region of Thailand.”

`74 David H. Kesler, A&S, of Memphis, Tenn., a professor of biology at Rhodes College, is the 2009 recipient of the Jameson M. Jones Award for Outstanding Faculty Service.

`75 Mark Cameron, HS&S, of Middletown, R.I., was elected chairman of the board for USA Weightlifting, the national governing body of the U.S. Olympic Committee. A member of Phi Mu Delta, he was named to the URI Hall of Fame in 1999.

`76 Deborah O’Brien Hill, A&S, of Centerville, Mass., was named chief operating officer of the Providence Center.

`77 Paul M. Miele, A&S, of Cranston, R.I., was appointed to the Rhode Island Health Department Chiropractic Board of Medicine in February 2009.

`78 Roy L. Streit, A&S, of Portsmouth, R.I., was recently elected to a three year term on the board of directors of the International Society on Information Fusion.

`79 Robert A. Anderson, ENG, of Cumberland, R.I., writes: “I am presently serving as deputy program manager of a city-wide water system improvements project within the City of Providence for Bryant Associates, a civil and environmental engineering company located in Lincoln. My son

PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS, RENDERING COURTESY OF COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

Eric Anderson, Class of 2010, is majoring in accounting at URI with a minor in digital forensics.”

Mitchell D. Schepps, CBA, of West Palm Beach, Fla., joined Gunster, Attorneys at Law as a shareholder. He concentrates on taxation, complex trust and estate planning, and probate and trust administration for affluent individuals and families. With more than 27 years experience, he is admitted to practice in Florida and New York and is a member of the American Bar Association, Florida Bar Association, Palm Beach County Tax Institute, the Palm Beach/Martin County Estate Planning Council, and the Benjamin Schools capital campaign committee.

`80 Romany By, ENG, of Katy, Texas, writes: “I am director of technology at Goodman HVAC. My wife, Panya, and I live in Houston. My son Bobby is a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering at Georgia Tech. Samantha, my daughter, is a junior in bio med. at Northwestern.

Veronica, the youngest, is a senior in high school. I can be reached at robertby2425@yahoo.com.”

Donna Russo Morin, A&S, of Saunderstown, R.I., announces the upcoming release of her second historical novel, The Secret of the Glass (Kensington, April 2010), which is set in Venice in the 17th century. Amidst political and religious intrigue, the scientific furor ignited by Galileo, and even murder, Sophia Fiolario must protect herself and her family–and the secret of the glass.

`81 Wayne D. Pelland, ENG, of Forestdale, R.I., has been named senior vice president of operations at the Providence Journal Company.

`83

`87

Lee A. Silvestre, A&S, of Portsmouth, R.I., the vice president heading mission innovation for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, is leading a fresh approach to leveraging Raytheon’s technology.

She plans to explore new ways to solve world problems through an innitiative she began at the company five years ago.

John C. Hopkins, A&S, of Tuba City, Ariz., writes: “I may soon be signing a contract with a new publishing company. I received a message from one of the owners/founders, and she mentioned how much the editors love my work. Not sure what we’ll do first; either re-publish Carlogmagno nationwide, do a collection of my newspaper columns, or publish the manuscript I am currently finishing.”

`85 Kevin S. Salisbury, A&S, of North Smithfield, R.I., writes: “The article in QUAD ANGLES about URI couples brought back many great memories. I met my wife, Lisa Billings ’85, at URI. We were both varsity swimmers, we both received the Most Improved award our junior year, and we were both named captain of our respective teams in our senior year. We just celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary on August 14. Lisa is head teacher at Tiny Treasures Preschool in North Providence, and I am associate director of athletics at CCRI. We have three daughters: Kaitlyn (18), Jessica (16), and Rachel (15).

Thanks for the wonderful article on ’Couples of URI.’”

`86 August B. Cordeiro, CCE, of Middletown, R.I., became president and CEO of Newport Hospital on September 8, 2009. He formally served as vice president and chief administrative officer of Rhode Island Hospital. Both hospitals belong to Lifespan health system.

Brian R. Ratte, CBA, of Davidson, N.C., recently founded YogaVibes. com. The site, launched in August ’09, offers viewers the ancient practice of yoga in the most modern of ways on demand on their computers. YogaVibes.com users can stream a high-definition yoga video for 14 days.

`88 Douglas C. Ciullo, A&S, of Cumberland, R.I., a police officer for the Town of Cumberland since July 1996, was sworn in as sergeant in July 2009.

Steven W. Stone, CBA, of Southlake, Texas, is CEO of Avanade, a business technology service provider.

`89 Mark D. Baker, A&S, of Wood River Junction, R.I., teaches in the Chariho school district. His research paper on Bobby Hackett, the Rhode Island trumpet player, was published in Rhode Island’s Musical Heritage: An Exploration.

Mark performs with the Bakers Brothers Jazz Trio, which has completed its fourth CD.

`90 Thomas S. Garrick, A&S, is the women’s head basketball coach at Vanderbilt University.

`91 Kristen L. DiSanto, A&S, of Wakefield, R.I., was named one of the “40 under 40” by Providence Business News. This award is in recognition of her success as senior vice president of human resources at Washington Trust and her committed role in the community.

Reunite with Your Friends and Classmates When was the last time you made plans to get together with your URI friends?

Has it been too long? NOW is the time to start planning for a 2010 class or affinity reunion.

You will need volunteers from your class or group who are willing to help plan, promote, and attend the reunion gathering.

The Alumni Relations Office will help you plan and promote your event with a listing on the Alumni Web site and in QUAD ANGLES, with electronic notices, and with the printing and mailing of your reunion invitations.

If you are interested in working on an event for your class or affinity group and would like to find out more about getting started, please visit the Alumni Web site at advance.uri.edu/alumni/reunions or call the Alumni Relations Office at 401.874.2242.

32 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

Nancy H. Hulme, A&S, of San Francisco, Calif., is celebrating her 17th year of loving life in San Francisco.

She is a freelance graphic designer by day and a cast member of the hit musical Pearls Over Shanghai by night.

Ann R. Maggs, A&S, of Amherst, Mass., writes: “There was an article in the recent Preview magazine about my new play,Modjeska’s Voice:The Actress Returns to the Academy of Music, which was performed on September 20, 2009, at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Mass. It was the premiere of my play about the famous Polish Shakespearean acress Helena Modjeska, who performed at the Academy in 1894, 1899, and 1900. This year is the 100th anniversary of her death.

The play is sponsored by the Kosciuszko Foundation and was given a grant by the Northampton Cultural Council. My archival management training with David Maslyn at URI helped me to work in the archives of locally famous people and write plays about them, which I perform regularly. I portray Belle Skinner at Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke and Mabel Loomis Todd, the first editor of Emily Dickison’s poetry, in Amherst. I am a professional singer, adjunct voice faculty, and music library specialist at Amherst College.”

Joy L. Souza, A&S, of Hope, R.I., is teaching and mentoring new teachers at the Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley, a mayoral school. She acts as the “lead teacher” within the new school.

`92 Christopher C. Giamo, A&S, of Huntington, N.Y., is metro president for TD Bank’s Surburban New York/ Connecticut market. In 2005 and 2006, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential Long Islanders by Long Island Business News.

He is a founding board member of Veteran’s Rock and serves on the board of United Way of Long Island.

Stephen D. Perry, A&S, of Middletown, Conn., has written two books and is principal of a charter school in Hartford. He will be in an upcoming TV special.

Carl James Uchytil, ENG, of Juneau, Alaska, writes: “25+ years in the Coast Guard. Transferred to Juneau last summer after serving two years as commanding officer aboard Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea in Seattle. Married to Maria with four children.”

`93 Jeffrey M. Flanagan, A&S, of Coral Gables, Fla., has opened the law firm of Flanagan & Williard, P.A. where he is managing partner. He

Michael Tamer ’80 & Heather Tamer Rowley ’84

A Labor of Love

When Christine, the daughter of Michael Tamer and Annette Zotti LaHoda ’80, announced her engagement, her entrepreneurial dad decided to throw the wedding of his daughter’s dreams—and to fulfill one of his own.

“People tell me that business is not personal, and I tell them that great business is always personal,” Michael said. “Here was an opportunity to give the coolest gift you could ever give to your daughter, and it turned into a great business opportunity as well.”

Michael is alluding to the construction of the Piazza in the Village, a family-owned-and-run wedding facility in Colleyville, Texas, that opened in January 2009. Christine Tamer and Jonathan Bassham were the first couple to be married there in a wedding that was featured on WE television network’s Platinum Weddings.

Michael runs the facility with his sister Heather Tamer Rowley ’84. ­Michael, owner of Tamer Partners Corp., is the sales and financial person; Heather takes care of wedding coordination, billing, and marketing. Their spouses also play critical business roles.

The Piazza’s uniqueness lies in its inclusiveness, Heather said. This 15,000-square-foot facility boasts a 300-person chapel, a 4,000-squarefoot ballroom, a bell tower with bells timed to ring when vows are taken, a bride’s room outfitted with a big-screen television to watch guests arriving, and a groom’s room stocked with an X-Box 360 and an I-Pod docking station.

The Piazza also offers live Web broadcasts of weddings.

“It’s a very upscale venue,” said Heather. “We’ve already booked over 200 events.”

In fact, the brother/sister duo booked 30 weddings before the $4 million facility was even finished.

Heather is now booking weddings well into 2011. Their success has prompted the pair to consider opening a second facility.

“It was a monstrous risk in a down time economically,” Michael said. “We’re really pleased so far.

It was a well thought out entrepreneurial venture wrapped in the purest of intentions. It was a labor of love.”

For more information, go to www.piazzainthevillage.com.

—Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

Sheila Gately Gerbarg ’77

Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic For most people, two blown knees would bring life to a halt. Not so for Dr. Sheila Gerbarg. An inveterate volunteer, her injury—sustained three years ago while wrangling sheep for Heifer International—just put her on a different path.

“I was overzealous, tripped and tore both knees; I needed surgery,” Gerbarg recalled. “And I thought, what am I going to do that’s interesting and fun while on crutches?”

Gerbarg learned of an organization, Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), whose volunteers read and record textbooks for students of all ages. This national organization had a recording studio specializing in science and medical textbooks just five minutes from her home in Paradise Valley, Ariz. A perfect fit for the obstetrician/gynecologist.

“I volunteer for one half day, once a week,” she said. “I recently finished an eighth grade science textbook for a student, and I’m currently recording a college anatomy text.”

What’s unique about RFB&D is that its volunteers often read textbooks for individual students.

Although, Gerbarg noted, volunteers did work long hours to ensure that its younger members could listen to the last Harry Potter novel at the same time it was released in bookstores.

An elementary textbook like the one Gerbarg just finished takes a volunteer about 40 hours to read. A college text may take as many as 120 hours. RFB&D members can take on as many as 30 books a year. And membership is free.

Gerbarg, whose volunteerism began in her Girl Scouting days, has honed her reading abilities at her own expense, taking voice-over lessons to improve her delivery: “I get so much out of it; I learn as I’m reading. My wish is that every student who is eligible should know about RFB&D. ”Because most of the books I record are college-level science and medical texts, I hope our URI students with reading disabilities know about RFB&D and take advantage of its services!”

Maurice Mayben ‘79

Avenging Storm

Imagine a cure for cancer has been found—and governments and big business are conspiring to keep it secret.

Such is the plot of author Maurice Mayben’s first novel, Avenging Storm.

Mayben, a retired American Airlines captain and former U.S. Air Force jet fighter pilot, holds a B.S. in finance and management from URI. In his action/adventure novel, Mayben’s protagonist Derek Storm risks his life to bring to light an ancient Chinese cure for cancer.

Mayben hopes this is the first in a series of Storm novels.

The author and his wife, Marcia, came up with the idea while discussing their fathers’ terminal cancers: “We were having cocktails and my wife said, ‘I wish there was a real cure,’ and I said, ‘yeah, right, like they’d let us know if they had it.’ And we inked out the plot on cocktail napkins.”

Those cocktail napkins became pages, and pages became a novel. Now Mayben spends his days on the road, promoting his book at military bases and bookstores. “I particularly like visiting the bases,” he says. “It’s refreshing to be among my peers.”

Mayben, a self-taught fiction writer, subscribes to a simple writing principle: “What makes for really interesting fiction is when there’s truth to it.”

Mayben wrote Avenging Storm in seven months.

That was the easy part. It was the five years searching for a publisher that was arduous, Mayben says.

Fortunately, Mayben is resilient: “Persistence —I can’t overstate the importance of that. If you get 157 no’s, you have to look at it as 157 no’s closer to getting that yes.”

Faith is another of his virtues. The former military man quotes Psalm 118 when asked what motivates him: “I prefer to put trust in a Higher Authority and I’m thankful every day for every blessing, large and small.”

Avenging Storm may be purchased at major bookstores’ Web sites or at mauricemayben.com.

—Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

—Marybeth Reilly-McGreen

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHAEL TAMER, MAURICE MAYBEN, AND SHEILA GATELY GERBARG

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 33

Please Send Us Your Seasonal Address Are you part of the annual fall migration to warmer climates? Or do you fly away to some place cooler for the summer months?

ruary 2009, she visited URI to talk to students about graduate school and the future for careers in music.

In either case, please send us your seasonal address so that we can stay in touch. The Alumni Association sponsors events all over the country that are open to you wherever you go.

This is your chance to join a regional Alumni Chapter and meet fellow URI graduates who either live near your second home or travel there for the season as you do.

Please send us your seasonal address and the dates that you are in residence there. It’s simple—just call 401.874.2242 or email mamazzone@advance.uri.edu. continues his practice in the areas of zoning and land use, real estate, and government relations. Jeff was also recently re-appointed to the City of Coral Gables Planning & Zoning Board.

Joshua D. Giuliano, CBA, of Saunderstown, R.I., is assistant vice president and financial consultant for the CCO Investment Sales division at Citizen’s Bank.

Augusto Rojas, A&S, of Barrington, R.I., general sales manager for the Pawtucket Red Sox, has joined the adjunct faculty at Johnson & Wales University.

`94 Wilma C. Johnson, A&S, of Pawtucket, R.I., has retired from the East Providence School Department where she taught vocal music, art, and English. She is a

soloist and alto section leader at Second Congregational Church in Attleboro, Mass.

`95 Michael C. Formica, A&S, of Mclean, Va., is chief environmental counsel for the National Pork Producers Council and the voice in Washington, D.C., of America’s 67,000 pork producers.

Tracy A. Hali, A&S, of Cliffside Park, N.J., writes: “I have been married to Todd since August 2001.

We have two children: Emma, 7, and Sean, 4. I have been working for Global Crossing for 14 years, and my current position is director of customer support.”

Tabitha W. Heavner, A&S, of Bloomfield, Conn., has finished her Ph.D. in music history at the University of Connecticut. In Feb-

`96 Brian P. Gormly, CBA, of Charlestown, R.I., is a partner in the CPA firm of Golden, Gormly & Co., Ltd., located in Wakefield.

`97 Eleanor Lenher, CELS, of Powhatan, Va., writes: “I graduated from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in May 2002 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. I’m employed at Deer Creek Equine Clinic in Powhatan, Va. Murn Nippo and Rick Rhodes were two of my professors at URI; I would not be where I am today without them.”

Ian J. Lodovice, A&S, of Pawcatuck, Conn., an associate at Cantor Colburn, LLP, in Hartford, has been elected program chair of the Connecticut Intellectual Property Law Association.

`98 Michael A. Iadevaia, A&S, of West Warwick, R.I., teaches at Wickford Middle School and is a percussionist with the Cape Cod Symphony. He recently performed as one of the soloists in Tan Dun’s ’Concerto for Water Percussion.’

`99 August J. Zilincar, ENG, of Long Branch, N.J., is vice-president of Metaline Displays With a Twist, a leading point-of-purchase display manufacturer. Metaline produces in-store displays for a wide variety of products from jelly beans to motor oil. With August’s guidance, Metaline has gone beyond displays, creating its own line of storage products called MOBOS, an ecofriendly modular storage system made from recycled steel.

`00 Tonya M. Mc Bride, ENG, of Wyoming, R.I., is national sales manager for Toray Plastics (America), Inc. Shalom J. Milani, CELS, of East Greenwich, R.I., writes: “I received my B.S. in Animal and Veterinary Science and Technology. Most of my classmates and I dreamed of going to vet school, but that didn’t happen for most of us. I chose a different path, veterinary nursing, and have obtained two specialty certifications that are internationally recognized: VTS (ECC) Care ’Veterinary Technician Specialist (Emergency and Critical Care)’ and VTS (SAIM) ’Veterinary Technician Specialist (Small Animal Internal Medicine).’ There are about a dozen technicians in the world with this double certification. I have been employed at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in East Greenwich

URI Alumni Association ­ Membership Application Form

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34 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

David Brennan, M.B.A. ’01 Stanislav “Stas” Antons ’97

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Think of buying a new camera. The process likely involves reading photography blogs and visiting Web sites to gather details about specific models. Armed with this information, the consumer exits the online environment and heads to a bricks-and-mortar store to purchase a camera.

According to Internet Retailer, sales conversion rates, though varied by site type (e.g., chain retailers, Web-only merchants), are low. While catalog/call center operators fare best with conversion rates as high as 27%, many e-tailers convert less than 1% of all shoppers.

Stas Antons, a management information systems major, aims to improve those statistics through Smart Symbols™ Interactive Technologies. Antons’ start-up firm uses visual labeling technology to enhance the online shopping experience with 50 x 100 pixel pictures that organize essential product information and external buzz on one page. Customers mouse over the icons for information.

Using the camera example, a consumer may see icons depicting a flag (for Made in America), a newspaper (for print media reviews), and people (for social media network information). “In online space, there is no interaction between the buyer and seller,” says Antons. “Our intent is to make visual labeling technology a core part of customer engagement.”

Research shows that consumers buy more when they spend more time at a site. By offering key facts about products, these icons encourage consumers to linger and purchase.

Smart Symbols™ also offers e-tailers detailed insights regarding the technology’s traffic and marketing effectiveness. Top 3 Smart Symbols™ icons identify which product qualities customers are drawn to at specific sites.

During testing, consumers gravitated toward social networking icons. “Smart Symbols captures analytics no one else has,” says Antons.

The technology has been tested against 30,000 products, and while it can be applied to any product or service, Antons focuses on consumer goods. To learn more about Smart Symbols, visit smartsymbols.com.

—Maria V. Caliri ’86, M.B.A. ’92

Annemarie George Mullaney ’81, ’08

Fundraising for the Dodgers Dream Foundation Like many American boys, David Brennan collected baseball cards when he was growing up in Portland, Conn. How many students would use that as inspiration for a senior thesis, which Brennan did at Bates College, where he graduated in 1996?

He wrote about “racial stacking” in baseball from the 1950s through the 1980s, where white players were given opportunities to play any position, particularly catcher and pitcher (decision making positions), but blacks were confined to outfield positions (athletic David Brennan, left, with James positions).

In 2005 Brennan won a front office with Loney, starting first baseman for the LA Dodgers, at the Dodgers the Los Angeles Dodgers in a serendipiDream Foundation Bowling tous union of his baseball interest and Extravaganza. his skills in fundraising and community relations. He developed those skills at URI working at the affiliated Institute for International Sport, a non-profit that promotes athletic and academic achievement along with international understanding among youths.

Now director of fundraising for the Dodgers Dream Foundation, Brennan works closely with current and former players and Dodger legends like former manager Tommy Lasorda to build community programs through the foundation. Founded in 1998, the foundation provides educational, athletic, and recreational opportunities for the youth of greater Los Angeles, placing special emphasis on underserved children.

“It helped that I had experience in community affairs, which I started developing when I was at the Institute working with Dan Doyle,” Brennan said recently from his Dodger Stadium office in Los Angeles. “That helped me get the first job that landed me in LA as community affairs coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers.”

While working at the Institute, Brennan also earned an M.B.A. at URI’s College of Business Administration. “That has helped me a great deal in my career,” he said. “It definitely helped me get where I am now.”

“I have fond memories of my time in Kingston,” Brennan added. “I met a lot of great people at URI. I miss New England, but a few years of no snow shoveling or ice scraping has helped me adjust to LA.” —John Pantalone ’71

A Long and Winding Road

She earned a degree in political science from URI in 1981, but Annemarie Mullaney says she always knew she’d work in health care. Having completed a second round of education that included a B.S. in Nursing from URI in 2008, Mullaney works as an oncology nurse at Providence’s Miriam Hospital.

“I tell students, ‘If it’s something you really want to do, you’ll do it,’” she says. “I’m so happy I finally did it.”

The Providence resident has participated in a program at Miriam where nurses mentor senior URI nursing majors. “We’re really preparing them for their professional careers,” Mullaney says. “They get a real sense of what it is to be a nurse. It’s not always easy, and they need to know that now.”

Praising the students she has mentored, Mullaney explains that they learn valuable lessons from the real life situations at the hospital in addition to doing patient assessments and handling admissions and discharges. “They are seeing people who are very

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS, AND COURTESY OF DAVID BRENNAN

sick, and it can be overwhelming,” she says. “They see things they would not see in classrooms. They learn it’s not just a 12-hour shift and then you go home, especially on an oncology floor. You take a lot of these patients’ situations home with you.”

Mullaney has lived in other parts of the country and put in three years of substitute teaching in high schools. Unable to find a full time job, she obtained certification as a lab technician at CCRI and spent almost 20 years doing that before returning to CCRI again to study nursing. She did all that and completed her bachelor’s degree through a special URI satellite program at Miriam, taking classes there every Tuesday for several years, all the while helping her husband, who is confined to a wheelchair, raise their two children.

“It’s been hard, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she says. “I love what I do.”

—John Pantalone ’71

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 35

for the past seven years. I am vice president of the R.I. Veterinary Technicians Association and am on the executive board of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. I’ve listed the Web info for the associations that I am involved in. I’d love to educate current students about my alternate career path that I have found so rewarding!” RIVTA.org; NAVTA.net; AIMVT.com;AVECCT.org.

`01 Katherine H. Scott, A&S, of Warwick, R.I., has been the chorus teacher at Gorton Junior High in Warwick for the past five years.

She’s served on Rhode Island Music Educators Association board for seven years, the first six years at The RIMER editor.

`02 Constance E. Giblin, A&S, of North Providence, R.I., is teaching at Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley, a mayoral academy. This new school provides an alternative model to public schools: more class time, uniforms, a new kind of teaching, and the expectation that every student will attend college.

`03 Joshua S. Blumenthal, A&S, of Framingham, Mass., is the new assistant coach for the Babson College men’s lacrosse program.

`04 Jihan G. Davis, CELS, of Hampton, Va., writes: “I got married in April.

The ceremony and reception were held in New Brunswick, N.J.” Aubrey L. Maxwell, CBA, of North Providence, R.I., is director of progress at North Star Marketing.

She previously worked at General Atomics in San Diego, Calif. Aubrey returns to North Star after interning with the firm in 2003-2004.

`05 Andrew P. Howell, A&S, of Bradford, R.I., is organist for the Anglican Singers, organist and choral director at St. James Episcopal Church in New London, and (during the summer) at the Watch Hill Chapel. He directs the Stonington Choral Society, is a harpsichord technician for Zuckerman Harpsichords, and serves on the Chorus of Westerly board of directors. He recently joined the URI faculty as conductor of the University Chorus.

Robert M. Vaccaro, ENG, of Kingston, R.I., was named Citizen of the Year by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 1899, South Kingstown. The former Army lieutenant received this award in honor of his bravery, sacrifice, and

duty to his country and for being an exemplary community member.

Michele A. Izzo ’77 to Matthew A. Marchetti, on May 17, 2009.

`07

Brian M. Sullivan ’82 to Caryn M. Tobiasz, on November 28, 2008.

John C. Diomede, A&S, of Park Ridge, N.J., has completed his master’s thesis, an opera based on the Book of Esther from the Bible, at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. James L. Macartney, A&S, of Wakefield, R.I., has continued playing and teaching guitar privately while teaching in the public schools of Needham and Mendon, Mass. At Mendon, he established an afterschool guitar ensemble/class in which middle school students learned fundamental musicianship and basic guitar technique leading to successful public performances at his school’s Festival of Related Arts.

`08

Frank A. Maiorana ’89 to Rhonda A. Demarais, on May 30, 2009.

Robert W. Baker ’94 to Lisa J. Flaherty, on April 22, 2006.

Jonathan Mendelsohn ’96 to Robin Mathis, on November 24, 2008.

Eleanor Lenher ’97 to Gary R. Soderstrom, on August 6, 2005.

Jared Paul Sauve ’97 to Erin J. Kelly, on March 21, 2009.

Sara L. Bendoraitis ’00 to Patrick Paschall, on June 27, 2009.

Shalom J. Eagan ’00 to Robert Milani ’00, on May 4, 2008.

Lauren Fontaine ’00 to David Feehrer, on June 27, 2009.

Nicholas H. Cooper, A&S, of North Kingstown, R.I., is teaching 30 guitar students at Main Street Music in East Greenwich. He is busy writing and recording for two bands in the area.

Lydia M. Lis, A&S, of Jamestown, R.I., plays violin in the Rhode Island Philharmonic Community Orchestra and teaches several private students.

Mark V. Maguire, A&S, is substitute teaching in North Kingstown and Narragansett. Last summer he once again taught the Jersey Surf, Drum and Bugle Corps.

Michelle J. Niestepski, A&S, of Wilmington, Mass., is the newest assistant professor of English at Lasell College in Newton, Mass.

She has taught at several New England colleges and universities, including Northeastern University and Boston College.

Jason K. Monterecy ’00 to Courtney L. Catullo, on September 27, 2008.

`09

Nicole B. Graham ’03 to Kirk Levesque ’07, on May 9, 2009.

Colin K. Millar, CELS, is a research assistant at the world-renowned Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass. He is spending a lot of time in salt marshes, especially in the Plum Island Sound area outside of Newburyport where there are refuges, including a longterm ecological research site.

Jessica E. Potvin, CELS, of Pepperell, Mass., is a microbiology associate for Bristol-Myers Squibb in Fort Devens, Mass.

Eric E. Wojtowicz, HS&S, of Westfield, Mass., is assistant coordinator of intramural sports at the University of Vermont.

Christopher R. Cardillo ’01 to Jennifer Marie Hess, on December 6, 2008.

Erik R. Elsdoerfer ’02 to Erin P. Woulfe, on January 17, 2009.

Joseph R. Ferrando ’02 to Faith S. Silberberg, on May 2, 2009.

Jonathan M. Leaver ’02 to Jessica C. Tormey, on May 2, 2009.

Giulio Lugini ’02 to Jennifer E. Shorrock ’04, on August 8, 2009.

Sherri L. Cardarelli ’04 to Kenneth M. Poirier ’02, on June 27, 2009.

Nicole B. Graham ’03 to Kirk J. Levesque ’07, on May 9, 2009.

Kathleen S. Houlihan ’03 to Paul Gaeta, on October 11, 2008.

Hanh T. Nguyen ’03 to Michael James H. Crawford ’03, on April 11, 2009.

Stephanie C. Paquette ’03 to Russell B. Holt, on August 30, 2008.

Paul A. Brayman ’04 to Chelsea M. Whelan ’06, on August 2, 2008.

Kristen L. Levesque ’04 to Charles Fletcher, on June 27, 2009.

Sarah B. De Costa ’05 to Adam Marsland, on September 13, 2009.

Kyle J. Wilson ’05 to Kaitlin Buckley, on October 25, 2008.

WEDDINGS

Lauren M. Brown ’07 to Alex W. Bush, on July 22, 2009.

Allen A. Hale ’71 to Duangchan Veeboonkul, on December 29, 2008.

Nicole D. Ferrante ’08 to Ryan J. Holzinger, on May 9, 2009.

36 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

BIRTHS Joseph M. and Stacey E. Souza ’92, twins, Jackson James and Jordan Gerard, on July 29, 2009.

Lisa and Robert W. Baker ’94, a son, Jason, on July 15, 2009.

Daniel F. and Wendy Greene Sterner ’95, a son, Trent Daniel, on October 20, 2005; and a daughter, Elena Paton, on March 9, 2009.

Wayne ’95 and Julie Weiner Elpus ’95, a daughter, Samantha Jordan, on January 7, 2009.

Heidi and Daniel Aber ’96, a daughter, Winton (Winnie) Luci, on July 16, 2009.

Brian P. ’96 and Kelly Goggin Gormly ’98, a son, Nathan James, on June 22, 2009.

Thomas E. ’00 and Christy Travers Tamayo ’02, a daughter, Eden Leigh, on September 6, 2009.

Kyle and Kerrie Nyman Broughton ’02, a son, Nicholas, on November 27, 2008.

Gregory B. ’02 and Jessica A. Weber Ruhle ’03, a daughter, Gabrielle Victoria, on April 16, 2009.

IN MEMORIAM Kathleen Ince Schlenker ’32 of Klamath Falls, Ore., o September 11, 2009.

Frank Szelag ’32 of North Scituate, R.I., on September 13, 2009.

John Pearson ’35 of Canton, Conn., on June 30, 2009.

Edward McHugh ’38 of Naples, Fla., on September 9, 2009.

Eileen Miller Scott ’38 of Storrs, Conn., on August 6, 2009.

Esther Masterson McCabe ’39 of Mansfield, Conn., on July 5, 2009.

Vito D’Ambra ’40 of North Kingstown, R.I., on July 23, 2009.

John Creech ’41 of Columbus, N.C., on August 7, 2009.

Joseph Ronzio ’42 of North Providence, R.I., on April 27, 2009.

Richard Sayles ’42 of East Greenwich, R.I., on October 3, 2009.

John Melvin ’47 of Warwick, R.I., on September 21, 2009.

Lois Kyle Guise ’48 of Wakefield, R.I., on July 15, 2009.

J. Patricia O’Brien Lovett ’48 of Newville, Pa., on September 12, 2009.

Barbara Hawley Murray ’48 of Inverness, Fla., on August 26, 2009.

Roger Anderson ’49 of Topsham, Maine, on July 13, 2009.

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS

HOMECOMING 2009 Watch a video clip of the pre-game rally and see a photo album of the fun! uri.edu/quadangles

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 37

Are you an alum searching for a job or looking to change your career path?

Contact Karen Rubano at URI Alumni Career Services.

My name is Karen Rubano and I’m delighted to join the Alumni Association and Career Services as an alumni career services advisor.

I’m already busy with alumni seeking career advice, résumé reviews, and interest assessments!

I graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in finance and received my M.S. in human resource management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I worked at Aetna Financial Services and ING for 18 years. At both companies I learned about product development, sales, operations, IT, compliance, and human resources. For the last 10 years I have consulted in such fields as pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, higher education, financial services, insurance, and communications.

My vision for Alumni Career Services is to simplify a daunting process. Whether you are in a job search, career transition, or simply need advice, we are your primary resource. Because we stay linked to industries, we have all the current information about today’s work environment.

I welcome your input to the Alumni Career Services offerings. Thank you for being our partner!

The following is a basic career framework for you: Current Career Goals • Examine your career goals annually.

• Define your career goals to shape your ongoing development activities.

• The body of the letter details how well qualified you are for the position.

• Use the closing paragraph to explain how you intend to follow up on the application.

Self-Assessment • Acknowledge that interests and skills change over time.

• Proactively explore your personality, occupational interests, skills, and values.

• Use this information to determine what is important to you and to create a career fit.

Interview Preparation • Research the company and the position that you are applying for.

• Identify your direct and transferable skills.

• Prepare questions to demonstrate your knowledge of and interest in the position.

Networking • Never stop networking!

• Relations with co-workers, mentors, friends, relatives, and industry organizations all count.

• Use networking triggers such as the phone, email, in-person visits, Linked-In, Facebook, and classmates; we live in a dynamic communication world!

Résumé • Update your résumé annually.

• Create a focused summary of your significant work experiences, your academic background, and your professional certifications.

• Customize your résumé for each job you are ­seeking.

Cover Letter • Maintain a generic cover letter and customize it for each job application.

• The first paragraph should always identify the job you are seeking.

38 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

URI Rhody Net and Career Services Site • Join RhodyNet to view jobs available, to apply for jobs, and to search alumni mentors. To access RhodyNet visit career.uri.edu and select Alumni or choose career.uri.edu/alumni.shtml.

• Career Services Web site offers comprehensive career information, resource links, handouts, and presentations at career.uri.edu.

• If you graduated within the last year, call Career Services at 401.874.2311 and press 0.

• All other alumni should contact Karen Rubano directly.

Karen Rubano Alumni Career Services 228 Roosevelt Hall 90 Lower College Road Kingston, RI 02881 p. 401.874.9404 f. 401.874.5525 e. krubano@uri.edu

Selna Kaplan ’49 of Orlando, Fla., on August 20, 2009.

Domenic Campanella ’50 of West Harwich, Mass., on September 4, 2009.

Dorothy Turner Clarke ’50 of Jamestown, R.I., on October 4, 2009.

Anna Tortolano Nappi ’50 of North Providence, R.I., on October 03, 2009.

Armand Poitras ’50 of Danielson, Conn., on July 16, 2009.

Judith Piliero Douville ’71 of Middletown, Conn., on September 22, 2009.

Carol Mary Morrison ’71 of Providence, R.I., on July 16, 2009.

Elizabeth Quinn ’71 of New Bedford, Mass., on July 1, 2009.

Virginia Palmer Savage ’71 of North Kingstown, R.I., on July 11, 2009.

Robert Cottom ’72 of Saint Cloud, Fla., on September 13, 2009.

Walter Waitkun ’50 of West Palm Beach, Fla., on July 30, 2009.

Vincent DiNapoli ’72 of South Kingstown, R.I., on September 14, 2009.

Marion Moriarty Easbey ’51 of Johnston, R.I., on August 17, 2009.

Mark Schleeweis ’72 of Amherst, Mass., on September 17, 2009.

Aaron M. Fox ’51 of Providence, R.I., on April 24, 2009.

Frederick Ferrandi ’73 of Cranston, R.I., on August 24, 2009.

Robert Gilmore ’51 of Harwich Port, Mass., on December 15, 2008.

Nancy Franklin ’74 of Pascoag, R.I., on August 26, 2009.

Milton Barad ’52 of Mission Viejo, Calif., on August 10, 2009.

Rox-Ellene LaPlante Greenlaw ’74 of Riverside, R.I., on July 22, 2009.

Edward Gray ’52 of Lexington, Mass., on August 10, 2009.

Richard Lovett ’74 of Warwick, R.I., on August 1, 2009.

Francis Higham ’52 of Saint Petersburg, Fla., on August 16, 2009.

Ellen Caswell Brady ’75 of Newport, R.I., on August 13, 2009.

William Mulvey ’52 of Houston, Texas, on August 10, 2009.

Joseph Babiec ’54 of Cumberland, R.I., on July 22, 2009.

Claire Meloccaro Sarni ’54 of West Palm Beach, Fla., on October 19, 2008.

Tony Simonetti ’54 of Cranston, R.I., on August 1, 2009.

Thomas Brady ’56 of Tiverton, R.I., on September 3, 2009.

Thomas Matheson ’56 of Saunderstown, R.I., on August 16, 2009.

Rudolph Lux ’57 of Delray Beach, Fla., on September 29, 2009.

Robert Skinder ’76 of Hopkins, S.C., on September 5, 2009.

David Gorgone ’78 of Greenville, R.I., on October 3, 2009.

Stephen Smith ’78 of Scituate, Mass., on July 6, 2009.

Maureen Hall Callahan ’79 of Warwick, R.I., on September 5, 2009.

Nicholas Ferrigno ’82 of Fort Mitchell, Ky., on September 28, 2009.

Kathy Pagliuco Ingham ’82 of Pawcatuck, Conn., on August 5, 2009.

IN MEMORIAM FACULTY Bancroft W. Henderson Jr., M.S. ’50, professor emeritus of animal and veterinary science, died on October 10, 2009 (the day after his 92nd birthday) in Vero Beach, Fla. He had a distinguished 35-year career in the Department of Animal Science, which he also chaired.

Henderson and his wife, Lesley, were avid New England boaters aboard their Hatteras Lamb Chop and were successful breeders of Shropshire sheep, winning top honors with the champion flock throughout the U.S. and at the Chicago International Livestock Show.

He was a member of the American Jersey Cattle Club, a past president of the American Shropshire Registry Association, and served as president of the Southern Rhode Island Animal Rescue League.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his sons Bancroft W. Henderson III, Roderick Henderson ’69, Frank Crook Long, Robert A. Long, and a daughter, Mary Jane Long; nine grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Vero Beach, P.O. Box 644, Vero Beach, FL 32961.

CLASSnote

line at: Enter your class note on services/classnotes u/e www.advance.uri.ed

___ Class ______

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William Deroin ’60 of Warwick, R.I., on July 22, 2009.

Name_________________

Marguerite Murphy Granata ’60 of Warwick, R.I., on July 17, 2009.

Brenda L. Cooper ’83 of Stamford, Conn., on July 17, 2009.

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Michael Kroian ’61 of Warwick, R.I., on September 18, 2009.

John Judge ’83 of Middlefield, Mass., on August 5, 2009.

Ansel Cleinman ’64 of Providence, R.I., on October 9, 2009.

B. Sarah Nye Rossi ’83 of Westerly, R.I., on July 22, 2009.

Joseph Loesch ’65 of Gloucester Point, Va., on June 28, 2009.

Joseph Convey ’84 of Warwick, R.I., on August 29, 2009.

Lorraine Beaudoin ’67 of West Warwick, R.I., on June 11, 2009.

Dede Demetroula McIntosh ’85 of Nashua, N.H., on July 19, 2009.

George Kalangis ’67 of New Hyde Park, N.Y., on July 15, 2009.

Michael Occhi ’85 of Little Compton, R.I., on July 30, 2009.

Moorad Mooradian ’68 of Providence Forge, Va., on September 30, 2009.

Lisa Aronson ’86 of Rehoboth, Mass., on July 31, 2009.

Robert Shear ’68 of Smithfield, R.I., on July 30, 2009.

Rosemarie Lothrop Robichaud ’92 of Tiverton, R.I., on August 24, 2009.

READ & WRITE CLASS NOTES ONLINE!

note to: your life. Send your class Let us know what’s new in Center, i mn mni Association, Alu Class Acts Editor, URI Alu 11 Kingston, RI 02881-200 73 Upper College Road, u classacts@advance.uri.ed ail: Fax: 401.874.5957, Em

Thomas Quinn ’82 of North Providence, R.I., on September 17, 2009.

Frank Gualtieri ’86 on August 23, 2009.

Alan Willoughby, 81, professor emeritus of psychology, died on October 2, 2009, in East Greenwich, R.I. An Army veteran of the Korean War, he worked as a clinical psychologist in veterans hospitals and clinics in New England and founded and directed the first alcohol treatment unit for the Veterans Hospital in Providence. He was a past president of the R.I. Mental Health Association and a former chair of the Governor’s Council on Mental Health. He was the founder and CEO of the Good Hope Center in West Greenwich, the first private residential substance abuse treatment facility in Rhode Island. He was the author of The Alcohol Troubled Person, Known and Unknown.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Willoughby ’45; two daughters, Eve Calise ’81 and Nancy Willoughby; a son, David Willoughby, and a grandson. Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association of Rhode Island, 260 West Exchange Street, Suite 102B, Providence, RI 02903-1000.

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UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 39

BACKpage

East Hall Turns 100

Budget constraints and arguments with the architects delayed construction, slated for completion in 1908. Finally the contract for construction of a granite dormitory of late Georgian style to complement the three existing buildings on the Quad was awarded to R.A. Sherman of Westerly. His winning bid was $36,877. The original plans were modified when students complained about the smallness of the rooms, which were intended to hold two or three residents. The changes increased the cost of construction by $2000 and decreased the number of students the building could house— in much larger rooms—to 63.

The last minute changes meant that the building, now named East Hall for its location on the northeast corner of the Quad, was not completed when students moved in for the start of the fall semester on September 14, 1909: “When the students reported only one stairway was ready for use, and the plumbing was not operating,” Herman Eschenbacher wrote in his book, The University of Rhode Island: A History of Land-grant Education in Rhode Island. “Students performed their ­ablutions in a rain-barrel strategically placed on the lawn outside the building.”

The 100th anniversary of the official opening of East Hall on October 15, 1909, was celebrated on October 15, 2009, when members of the Physics Department, now housed in the building, gathered on the steps of the main door for a photo op. Much has changed over the last 100 years, but East Hall, the rain-barrel long gone, remains an attractive part of the URI Quad.

Professors from the Physics Department pose for the 100th anniversary of East Hall.

40 QUAD ANGLES WINTER 2009–2010 | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES

PHOTOS BY NORA LEWIS AND COURTESY OF THE URI LIBRARY, DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

The Go-to Guy John J. Palumbo Jr. ’76 isn’t one to do things halfway. When he was asked to be honorary chair of the URI Alumni Association’s Big Chill Weekend last year, he declined. At the time he was in his seventh and final year as chairman of the board of trustees for the Rhode Island Zoological Society, the administrators of the gem we call Roger Williams Park Zoo. He was also in the midst of what he calls the “long, arduous process” of buying Rhode Island Monthly, the magazine he has been publisher of since 1997. Life was more than busy, and Palumbo doesn’t believe in taking on any responsibility he can’t put his all into.

As Rhode Island Monthly’s new owner, he’s not exactly sitting around eating bon bons these days, but Palumbo is a man who believes strongly in community engagement. So when the URI Alumni Association came calling again, inviting John and his wife, Gail, to chair the 2010 Big Chill (slated for January 29–31), he was ready to sign on.

His title includes the word honorary, but Palumbo is very much a working chairman, using his standing as a prominent local grad to raise funds for the event, whose proceeds go to scholarships. “Now more than ever, this event is important,” he says.

“If there was ever a time when scholarship money is needed, this is it.”

Palumbo has a well-deserved reputation for being the go-to guy when it’s time to get things done. As chairman of the zoological society, he helped Roger Williams Park Zoo devise its $35 million master plan and spearheaded a capital campaign that has thus far raised $25 million for the zoo. The Plains of Africa exhibit has already been revamped and upgraded, and new plans include a North American Trail and a Children’s Zoo and Wetlands Trail.

And in 2010, the new John J. Palumbo Veterinary Hospital will open on the zoo’s grounds. Palumbo confesses to being overwhelmed when he found out the new hospital would bear his name, “I just happened to be chairman when things needed to be done,” he says modestly.

Over the years, Palumbo has been active as a URI alumnus. “I’ve never been far from URI,” he says.

“Anytime anyone calls from there, I’m more than willing to help.”

If his past accomplishments are any indication, the 2010 Big Chill Weekend should be a roaring ­success.

—Paula M. Bodah ’80

John Palumbo ’76 PHOTO BY NORA LEWIS

Big Chill Weekend Honorary Chair

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 00

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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

On April 8, 2010 the University of Rhode Island will inaugurate its eleventh president, David M. Dooley.

Save the Date Come to Kingston or watch live on the Web uri.edu/president/inauguration