Roger Williams University
Encyclopedia
Roger Williams University, commonly abbreviated as RWU, is a private, coeducational American
liberal arts university located on 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) in Bristol
, Rhode Island
, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams
. The university has no religious affiliation.
The university’s operations date to 1919, when Northeastern University opened a branch campus in the YMCA
building in Providence, Rhode Island
. In 1940, the YMCA Board of Directors took over the school and the YMCA Institute granted its first associate’s degrees in 1948. In 1956, the Institute received a state charter to become a two-year, degree-granting institution under the name of Roger Williams Junior College. During the 1960s, Roger Williams College began granting bachelor’s degrees. Needing a larger campus, the College purchased 80 acres (32.4 ha) of waterfront
land and moved its main campus to Bristol in 1969. (RWU continues to operate a branch campus in Providence).
In 1989 new president Dr. Natale A. Sicuro initiated the Roger Williams Plan for the 90s,and became concurrently the president of the newly established Roger Williams School of Law and,in 1992,led the name change of Roger Williams College to Roger Williams University. RWU celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.http://www.rwu.edu/about/history/
The university enrolls approximately 3,800 undergraduate and 850 graduate students in 42 liberal arts majors and five professional schools. It is one of the few colleges in the United States to offer an undergraduate degree directly in Marine Biology
, has a well-regarded school of architecture
, and has the only law school
in Rhode Island
. Approximately 85% of students live on campus. The University is one of the few institutions offering online study in Digital Forensics and also has a program in Computer Networking and Security.
On Friday, July 2, 2010, Dr. Roy Nirschel resigned from his post as president of the university. The university announced on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 that Donald J. Farish
will become its tenth President.
The university has a weekly campus newspaper, The Hawks' Herald, which publishes approximately 20 issues per academic year, and an FM
radio station, WQRI 88.3. The radio station plays everything from college alternative to hip hop
. The college's 16 varsity athletic teams play at the Division III level as members of the Commonwealth Coast Conference
.
, First Minister and Nobel Prize
winner David Trimble
, Khaled Hosseini
, author of Kite Runner
, Bob Geldof
of Live Aid
, and others to campus. The university has established campuses in London and Florence; collaborates with sister institutions in France
, Brazil
, Vietnam
, and Hong Kong
; features a broad portfolio of study-abroad opportunities encompassing over 30 countries; and is home to an innovative Center for Macro Projects and Diplomacy, which brings together engineering, architecture, technology, economic development, and international relations for a common purpose. Furthermore, it was recently recognized as a non-governmental member of the United Nations.
Enrollment is currently at an all-time high. In addition, RWU was recently ranked for the first time as one of the top ten Comprehensive Colleges in the Northern U.S. by U.S. News & World Report
. It was ranked ninth in 2007, up one spot from the previous year.
In January 2009, a group of Communication majors worked to create a catalog of video vignettes on sustainability
issues; a portion of that work appeared on the PBS special "Planet Forward
". One of those students, Kyle Toomey, also appeared on the Planet Forward
special, which aired on April 15, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
liberal arts university located on 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) in Bristol
Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,954 at the 2010 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England....
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
. The university has no religious affiliation.
History, academics, and campus life
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
building in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. In 1940, the YMCA Board of Directors took over the school and the YMCA Institute granted its first associate’s degrees in 1948. In 1956, the Institute received a state charter to become a two-year, degree-granting institution under the name of Roger Williams Junior College. During the 1960s, Roger Williams College began granting bachelor’s degrees. Needing a larger campus, the College purchased 80 acres (32.4 ha) of waterfront
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
land and moved its main campus to Bristol in 1969. (RWU continues to operate a branch campus in Providence).
In 1989 new president Dr. Natale A. Sicuro initiated the Roger Williams Plan for the 90s,and became concurrently the president of the newly established Roger Williams School of Law and,in 1992,led the name change of Roger Williams College to Roger Williams University. RWU celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.http://www.rwu.edu/about/history/
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
, has a well-regarded school of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, and has the only law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Approximately 85% of students live on campus. The University is one of the few institutions offering online study in Digital Forensics and also has a program in Computer Networking and Security.
On Friday, July 2, 2010, Dr. Roy Nirschel resigned from his post as president of the university. The university announced on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 that Donald J. Farish
Donald J. Farish
Donald J. Farish , is a biologist and President of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. He was President of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey from 1998 to 2011.-Education:...
will become its tenth President.
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio station, WQRI 88.3. The radio station plays everything from college alternative to hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. The college's 16 varsity athletic teams play at the Division III level as members of the Commonwealth Coast Conference
Commonwealth Coast Conference
The Commonwealth Coast Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III. Member institutions are located in New England in the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island....
.
Reputation and campus culture
The university established a program in civil discourse, including the journal Reason and Respect, which brought in speakers such as Salman Rushdie, David GergenDavid Gergen
David Richmond Gergen is an American political consultant and former presidential advisor who served during the administrations of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School. Gergen is...
, First Minister and Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
, Khaled Hosseini
Khaled Hosseini
Khaled Hosseini , is an Afghan-born American novelist and physician of ethnic Tajik origin. He is a citizen of the United States where he has lived since he was fifteen years old. His 2003 debut novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide....
, author of Kite Runner
Kite runner
Kite runner may refer to:*A person whose hobby is Kite running*The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini*The Kite Runner , a 2007 film based on Khaled Hosseini's book...
, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
of Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
, and others to campus. The university has established campuses in London and Florence; collaborates with sister institutions in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; features a broad portfolio of study-abroad opportunities encompassing over 30 countries; and is home to an innovative Center for Macro Projects and Diplomacy, which brings together engineering, architecture, technology, economic development, and international relations for a common purpose. Furthermore, it was recently recognized as a non-governmental member of the United Nations.
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
. It was ranked ninth in 2007, up one spot from the previous year.
In January 2009, a group of Communication majors worked to create a catalog of video vignettes on sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
issues; a portion of that work appeared on the PBS special "Planet Forward
Planet Forward
Planet Forward is a and PBS television special that launched in March 2009 and had a broadcast premiere April 15, 2009. Created and hosted by Frank Sesno, the project focuses on creating an online public forum where people from across the globe can discuss topics involving energy solutions and the...
". One of those students, Kyle Toomey, also appeared on the Planet Forward
Planet Forward
Planet Forward is a and PBS television special that launched in March 2009 and had a broadcast premiere April 15, 2009. Created and hosted by Frank Sesno, the project focuses on creating an online public forum where people from across the globe can discuss topics involving energy solutions and the...
special, which aired on April 15, 2009.
Notable faculty members and alumni
- Adam BraverAdam BraverAdam Braver is an American author who has published four acclaimed novels, mostly of historical fiction.His first book was Mr. Lincoln's Wars , a novel told from thirteen different perspectives in order to illuminate Abraham Lincoln's inner life...
- Edward "Ted" Delaney
- Jerry RemyJerry RemyGerald Peter "Rem Dawg" Remy is a Major League Baseball broadcaster and former Major League Baseball second baseman. Remy grew up in Somerset, Massachusetts.-Playing career:...
- Jason MatteraJason MatteraJason Joseph Mattera is an American writer, activist, radio host, and editor of Human Events magazine. He entered conservative activism while attending Roger Williams University and has worked for Young America's Foundation....
External links
- Roger Williams University - official website