Events
News
2024 Library of the Year and Alumni of the Year Awards - The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s awards for Library of the Year and Alumni of the Year. The Library of the Year for 2024 is the Rhode Island State Archives in Providence, Rhode Island. Each year, GSLIS honors two alumni: one who graduated 10 […]
Princeton scholar provides tools to analyze social impacts of technological advancement - 
The Layers of a Place - Modern technology connects communities to the cultural, historical, and ecological significance of a place.
Fall 2023 Faculty Publications, Conferences, and Grants - Harrington faculty members have continued to conduct cutting-edge research that they have published, presented, or received awards for this semester.
Looking Back at 2023 - This was an exciting year for us at the Harrington School, filled with events and exciting opportunities for our students, faculty, and community. Let's look back at 2023.
New URI poll gauges Rhode Island attitudes on education, politics - Newly launched Rhode Island Survey Initiative is an effort by URI researchers to establish ongoing opinion polling for the Ocean State
Boston Globe: URI poll finds low levels of trust in all levels of government - The new poll also finds 27 percent approve and 27 percent disapprove of Governor Daniel McKee’s job performance
Workplace Options Internship with Kerrigan Hurney ’24 - Kerrigan Hurney '24, a communication studies and public relations major, worked as a public relations specialist intern for Workplace Options (WPO) over the summer, gaining hands-on experience in the public relations industry.
A Trip to ONA23 with Casey Chan-Smutko ’26 - For Casey Chan-Smutko '26, a journalism major, attending the 2023 Online News Association (ONA) Conference was invaluable in her growth as a journalist. The trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was funded by the Harrington RhodyNow Fund. 
A Trip to SXSW EDU with Alexa Potamianos ’24 - Alexa Potamianos '24, a film/media and communication studies major, attended SXSW EDU with the Harrington School director in March. The professional development opportunity was funded by the Harrington RhodyNow Fund.
Reporting from the Front Lines Featuring Mstyslav Chernov - 2023 Christiane Amanpour Lecture featuring: Mstyslav Chernov October 20 at 7:00 PM ET in Edwards Auditorium [watch the video]
Digging for Truth Featuring Caitlin Dickerson - November 1 at 5 PM ET Swan Hall Auditorium & streamed live on Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, Twitter
Barbenheimer: A Hollywood comeback story - Professor Justin Wyatt discusses the success of summer blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer and what it means for Hollywood.
Student Filmmaker Cristóbal Bustos Shares Untold Stories - Last fall, junior Talent Development scholar and Harrington School student Cristóbal Bustos released his first documentary, “The BSLG- A Voice Was Heard!”.
Head of URI’s Harrington School selected for Scripps Leadership Academy - Ammina Kothari to attend Scripps Howard Leadership Academy in July
Scenes from Commencement 2023 - 
Celebrating Spring 2023 Award Winners - This year, the students and faculty from the Harrington School of Communication and Media have continued to think big and excel in the classroom. We are honored to recognize some of these members of our community and grateful for their contributions to the Harrington School. Congratulations to our students and faculty who were recognized for […]
Keith Brown Wins URIFAE Teaching Excellence Award - Keith Brown, teaching professor of film/media, has been awarded the 2023 URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Excellence Award for Teaching Excellence.
Spring 2023 Faculty Publications, Conferences, and Grants - Harrington faculty members have continued to conduct cutting-edge research that they have published, presented, or received awards for this semester. Here are some of the highlights from their work: Kelly Cecchini, part-time faculty in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, contributed a chapter to a collection of essays focusing on how deep reading pedagogies can […]
Senior Spotlights - Class of 2023 
URI film professor picks five essential American indie films - In anticipation of his upcoming book surveying the history of American independent film, Associate Professor Justin Wyatt told us his top five must-see films.
Student documentary depicts URI’s Taft Hall takeover in 1992 by Black Student Leadership Group - 
Tuskegee Airmen, remembered - 
Partnership between URI and MikeWorldWide provides student opportunities - 
Researchers explore the racial and gender politics of Barstool Sports -
Alumni Stories
Michele Edelman ’89 - Michele Edelman, journalism, looks back fondly on her time at the University of Rhode Island. Edelman has been instrumental in realizing Premiere Digital's vision and strategically positioning it for sustained success in the realm of digital distribution. 
Scott Levine ’90 - Scott Levine, communication studies, was an active student during his time at URI, being involved in the Student Alumni Association during the 1988 basketball season. Today he is the Director of Human Capital at Parthenon Capital.
Michael Benadon ’93 - Michael Benadon, communication studies and public relations, is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition for Capital One. At URI, Benadon took advantage of his courses at URI to become a proficient public speaker.
Jason Askew ’01 - Jason Askew, public relations and communication studies, discovered his passion for communication his sophomore year after learning about the opportunities for communication majors. Today, he is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Cvent.
David Goldman ’98 - David Goldman, journalism and Spanish, came to URI to pursue his love of surfing but developed a passion for photojournalism at the Good Five Cent Cigar. Today, Goldman is a photojournalist for the Associated Press.
Aniekan Okon ’23 - Aniekan Okon, journalism and sports media & communication, was part of the inaugural class of graduates from the sports media program. Today, he works as a Sports Anchor and Reporter at CBS19 News in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Nikki Noya ’00 - Nikki Noya, communication studies, was an A10-winning volleyball player and dedicated student during her time at URI. Today, she is a co-owner of On It Media and a co-host on “The Jet Set.”
Bill Loveless ’73 - Bill Loveless, journalism, has been a reporter and correspondent for more than 40 years. During his time at URI, Loveless was one of the founding members and the third editor of the Good Five Cent Cigar.
Aria Mia Loberti ’20 - “I’m an academic, so I have to use what I know to prepare. I did a lot of research into what makes a person behave the way they do and what life factors contribute to certain behaviors.”
Kate LeBlanc ’22 - “I always say that studying journalism was the best decision I could've made. It teaches you how to act on curiosity, how to talk with anyone, and how to distill information and communicate.”
Naleen Camara ’21 - “I really enjoyed the flexibility that I had within the Harrington School because I felt like I was always one interesting class away from changing my whole life.”
Valerie Shields ’06 - “Work hard, but also be a little patient... you're gonna work for a long time. It'll come. Enjoy the journey because you're gonna learn a lot on your way there.”
Ted Daniel ’96 - “I grew up watching ABC World News... I liked the idea of being able to share information with people and help them learn and understand what's going on in their world.”
Katie Siegle ’22 - “Harrington is great because a lot of the majors interact with one another. You can be any major, and you're doing similar things. It's all part of one school.”
Sherrie Session ’12 - “Think Big, We Do- is a motto I continue to live by today... I love the study of communications and hope to continue impacting the world through this lens.”
Theresa Brown ’21 - “If it were up to me, I would have majored in all the programs. Everything crosses over. You don't just use PR, journalism, writing, or film. It's one school for a reason.”
Kevin Lopes ’05 - “The more involved you are the better your lifelong friendships will be, the better your network will be, and more fun you’ll have during your time in Rhode Island.”
Isobel McCullough ’22 - For her undergraduate honors thesis, Isobel McCullough recorded the sonic profiles of seven Rhode Island beaches. The result is an artistic investigation inspired by science.
Alyssa Botelho ’21 - A film produced as part of a senior capstone project has earned a URI Film/Media alum two college Emmy awards from National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ New England Chapter.
Vianka Brito ’20 - Vianka Brito ’20 used her communications to show underrepresented and marginalized student in her community that they can succeed in college and make an impact through their careers.
Kim Smith ’15 - 
Rachel Mossberg ’10 - 
Arden Bastia ’20 - 
Alexa Tombs ’16 - A typical day for Alexa Tombs, class of URI ’16, is ever-changing. Alexa graduated from the University of Rhode Island only 3 short years ago with a Bachelor of Arts in public relations. Since that time, she has been working at Warner Bros Pictures in New York City. Recently appointed to the new position of […]
Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Cingari Christie ’08 - Working in sports was always in Jennifer Cingari Christie’s future. It was no surprise, therefore, that upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from URI, she quickly moved on to work at ESPN films.