“Nobody wants the University to be more successful than the people who have spent much of their careers here,” notes Robert L. Carothers, explaining why he and Jayne Richmond decided to donate $100,000 to the University’s Making a Difference campaign.

Carothers became the University’s 10th president in 1991. Richmond joined the College Student Personnel graduate program faculty in 1986 and became dean of University College and Special Academic Programs in 2002.

The couple is directing their generous gift toward the creation of an International Center for Students and Scholars, a two-story building to be linked to the Multicultural Center by a glass corridor.

Both are committed to multiculturalism and see international education as another aspect of it. Therefore, it seems important to connect the two centers because of their shared agenda and their prominence in the heart of campus.

“We have been working for many years to integrate international education and intercultural exchange into a global perspective throughout our programs and campus life,” says Richmond.

“Today, the University is recognized for having some of the best language programs in the country,” the dean continued. “More and more of our students are studying or interning abroad in more and more locations.”

During this calendar year there are 525 international students on campus while 600 URI students are studying abroad in other countries.

“The center will provide a gathering place, a central location where the entire campus community—international and domestic students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars—can access information and resources and exchange ideas,” says Richmond. “Its physical presence will demonstrate that international education is a dynamic agenda on campus.”

“For many years, students from other countries have been coming to the United States for their education. This has served our country well,” says the president. “It builds professional relationships, but perhaps the biggest benefit is that it creates friendships.”

Anyone interested in the International Center for Students and Scholars and the Making a Difference Campaign can call 401-874-2145, email campaign@uri.edu, or go to uri.foundation.org.

By Jan Wenzel ’87

The International Center for Students and Scholars will house the myriad programs serving international interests, all directed by Dania Brandford-Calvo.

The Study Abroad and the National Student Exchange Office, which gives URI students a chance to study in more than 200 affiliated study abroad programs in 40 different countries. Students may also select from 190 domestic colleges and universities, including some located in U.S. territories and Canada.

The Office of International Students and Scholars, which provides required immigration documents and problem-solving assistance to all students, scholars, and their families.

An office for URI faculty-led summer programs in Belize, Cape Verde, China, the Dominican Republic, England, Greece, Italy, the Philippines, and Spain.