Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

As Provost and Chief Academic Officer at the University of Rhode Island (URI), Dr. DeHayes is responsible for providing leadership, strategic financial management, planning, inspiration, and innovation for all academic programs and initiatives of the university as well as for the Offices of Admissions, Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, Institutional Research, and all university support programs. The URI is a vibrant learning-centered research university and community of about 16,750 undergraduate and graduate students, 820 full- and part-time faculty, and an academic enterprise consisting of 10 academic colleges, the Graduate School, University Libraries, and Information Technology Services. Dr. DeHayes has overall responsibility for the annual unrestricted Academic Affairs budget of approximately $160 million and the strategic allocation of an additional $61 million of financial aid critical to the university’s mission and vitality.

As an academic leader, Dr. DeHayes is interested in harnessing the intellectual capacity of the university and deploying our most innovative pedagogical and scholarly resources and deepest passions to promote learning, discovery, and innovation to advance the human and global prospects for the 21st century. He aspires to bring ecosystem thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and leadership to the forefront globally. At URI, Dr. DeHayes has engaged the community in an inclusive, transparent, and data-considerate process to generate a new Academic Vision and a detailed Academic Plan, which includes the goals, strategies, and actions necessary to implement that Plan and to transform learning and discovery in the university. The implementation of that plan, along with a new strategic and sustainable financial investment model is underway.

Dr. DeHayes received his Ph.D. in forest genetics from Michigan State University and has maintained an active teaching portfolio and research program focused on forest ecosystems’ health, productivity, and sustainability. He is the recipient of research and education grants exceeding $14 million. He is the author of about 100 published articles and book chapters and numerous invited presentations on recent research focused on the biological implications of anthropogenic stresses on forests and the genetics of forest ecosystems.