Strategic Plan 2023-2033
Enhance student achievement by cultivating an engaged and inclusive learning environment
By fostering an active and engaged learning environment, the University of Rhode Island will be a community where students are empowered to lead their own academic journey with access to resources and support that places value on inclusion, well-being, and holistic development.
URI is a place for students to learn; to explore career passions and prospects; and to examine real-world challenges that deepen their understanding and appreciation of their communities and the human condition. Our entire community thrives when our students succeed.
Our goal is to ensure a URI education is always within reach for students across the Ocean State. Through initiatives that offer wraparound services, like the Talent Development Program and our Center for Military and Veteran Education, we strive to give historically underserved populations the opportunities and the tools to succeed at URI and in life. And our growing investment in institutional financial aid for students and families will provide continuing support for, and investment in, URI students and student success.
Integral to the URI experience is the knowledge that the health and wellbeing of our community is central to our decision making. We are, as we emerge from a global pandemic, at an exigent moment that requires of us the need to foster wellness and encourage healthy behaviors in what we do and how we support and serve our community.
Goal 1
Continuously invigorate the learning environment to reflect active learning; student agency; and contemporary, high-impact learning pedagogies.
- Action 1: Create and ensure flexible academic pathways, curricula, global and experiential learning opportunities, and career advising that meets student interests and career trends.
- Action 2: Grow URI Online to increase access for all students at every life stage.
- Action 3: Foster lifelong relationships that more strongly connect faculty with alumni, friends, and industry, government, and non-profit partners.
Goal 2
Increase graduate student enrollment and degree completion.
- Action 1: Develop new professional master’s degree programs that respond to labor market trends, as well as student interests and needs.
- Action 2: Enhance flexibility in Ph.D. programs, as well as course and credit requirements, allowing graduate students to take full advantage of the breadth of programs and services.
- Action 3: Grow Ph.D. student populations in areas of emerging and key strengths and strengthen interdisciplinary faculty and student collaboration.
Goal 3
Create a diverse learning community and ensure that a URI education is within reasonable reach for all students.
- Action 1: Articulate an enrollment strategy that champions diversity, a culture of belonging, and access for all students.
- Action 2: Increase and allocate financial aid to support enrollment and persistence goals.
- Action 3: Develop strategies and programs that cultivate a sense of belonging and ensure student success, retention, and timely degree completion.
Goal 4
Make community well-being a priority, reflected in partnerships, as well as academic, recreational, and co-curricular programs and services.
- Action 1: Create and offer new facilities and spaces that foster a more collaborative approach to community wellness.
- Action 2: Develop new and expand existing evidence-based programming, courses, and interventions so that faculty, staff, and students consistently engage in healthy behaviors and attain their highest level of mental health and well-being.
- Action 3: Assess and increase access to state-of-the-art recreational facilities that meet the needs of all students.
Goal 5
Develop and advance championship-caliber athletic programs.
- Action 1: Strategically identify intercollegiate programs with the potential for maximum institutional and reputational impact.
- Action 2: Provide a rewarding student-athlete experience by investing in high-quality athletic facilities and leading coaches and support personnel.
- Action 3: Be on the forefront of trends in college athletics and issues of NCAA governance.