Scenes from Commencement 2023

Nearly 700 College of Arts and Sciences graduates representing 24 academic departments and over 40 majors and minors gathered in the Ryan Center on Saturday, May 20 to receive their hard-earned degrees. Enjoy some of the sights from Saturday’s festivities as captured by Arts and Sciences student photographer Dylan Ruggieri.

See a full recap of URI’s 137th commencement at Rhody Today. Read more about just a few of our extraordinary Arts and Sciences graduates:

Senior brings sensory-aware theater to URI

A senior project by Melie Hayes aims to make theater more welcoming to all--including those with sensory processing challenges.

Senior wins prestigious NSF graduate fellowship

Chemistry major Hailey Hendricks won a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which will pay for three years of her Ph.D. study at Princeton.

Student advisors help to revamp Africana Studies

A student team, including seniors Joe Amaral and Mia Foley, helped to revamp the African studies major for future generations of students.

A voice for the students

Senior communication studies and political science major Christopher Bove served in the student senate and looks ahead to a career in government.

Senior composer explores art and emotion

Milana Cepeda created a project to better understand how music and images translate into an emotional experience for an audience.

Ph.D. graduate explores emerging water treatment technique

Newly minted Ph.D. Cali Antolini’s work could broaden applications for an emerging water treatment method

Movie night features Harrington student films

The student-made shorts films, which debuted in May, included a documentary on injustices faced by the Narragansett Tribal Nation, the story of a man caught in a twisted game show, and a spoof on a Rhode Island-based reality show.

Senior art students exhibit their work

In an exhibit held in Wakefield’s Hera Gallery, senior arts students celebrate their work--and their forward momentum--with wide-ranging works including ceramics, digital art, photography, and traditional charcoal drawings.