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University of Rhode Island history
University of Rhode Island company history timeline
In September 1892, the college opened with its courses of study in Agriculture and in Mechanics (or mechanical engineering) extended to four years.
Another highlight of 1894 was the appointment, of Captain William Wallace Wotherspoon, as the first Professor of Military Science and Tactics.
The year 1895 promised to be one of marked growth for the college.
After particularly intense fishkills in Point Judith Pond during the summer of 1895, fishermen and oyster farmers of the pond approached scientists at the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station to inquire if they could explore the reasons for the fishkill and somehow solve the problem.
In 1896, the National Land-Grant College Association (the forerunner of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges) adopted the report of its Committee on Entrance Requirements, Courses of Study and Degrees.
Also in 1896, the Agricultural Experiment Station established Rhode Island ‘s first marine laboratory at the end of Succotash Road in the village of Jerusalem.
Doctor Washburn, whose work had been so effective in organizing the State Agricultural School, and who served as president of the college for over ten years, resigned in August, 1902.
It was during the Edwards Presidency that the first master’s degree was awarded in 1907.
In addition to beginning graduate education, the Greek system and admission of women to RICA&M, President Edwards in 1908 was responsible for urging a study commission to assess the value of the college in contributing to the economic well-being of the state.
The first recommendation, immediately adopted in 1909, was the change in name to Rhode Island State College.
In 1909, the school's name was again changed to Rhode Island State College as the school's programs were expanded beyond its original agricultural education mandate.
Ballard called this new technology “telepresence.” To test the Argo, he searched for the Titanic, which had sunk in 1912 and remained undiscovered despite numerous attempts to locate it.
While at MAC he assisted in the drafting of the federal Smith-Lever Act of 1914 that established a Cooperative Extension Service at all Land Grant Colleges nationwide.
The faculty and staff of the College of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment Station were outgrowing their quarters in Taft Hall, so they moved in 1921 into Washburn Hall upon its completion.
The Early Years 1923: A Business Administration program is established at Rhode Island State College by President Howard Edwards, who hired Charles Lloyd Sweeting as Professor of Business Administration to carry out the program.
1926: The first business student, Alexander Paterson, graduates.
1928: The first woman, Elsa Gramelsbach, graduates.
A major building campaign led to the completion in 1928 of Bliss Hall (named after Zenias Bliss, a state legislator instrumental in securing funding) to house the Engineering classrooms and laboratories.
Additionally in 1928, East Farm, one mile south of campus on Kingstown Road, was acquired and became the site for orchard crop and poultry research.
Upon the death of President Edwards in April 1930, John Barlow, Dean of Science, was appointed as Acting President.
1931: Rhode Island State College is reorganized into three schools: the School of Engineering, the School of Science and Business Administration, and the School of Agriculture and Home Economics.
Fogarty Hall named for United States Congressman John E. Fogarty (1940-67), a noted champion of improved healthcare policies, was opened to house faculty and laboratories of the College of Pharmacy; and the ca.
Robert Ballard, in full Robert Duane Ballard, (born June 30, 1942, Wichita, Kansas, United States), American oceanographer and marine geologist whose pioneering use of deep-diving submersibles laid the foundations for deep-sea archaeology.
1942: The School of Science and Business is reorganized into separate schools: the School of Science and the School of Business Administration.
The Ballentine Years 1945: Graduate courses in business and economics are established, leading to the Master of Science degree.
1947: Departments are created in accounting, business law, industrial management, marketing, and economics.
In 1951 the school was given its current title through an act of the General Assembly following the addition of the College of Arts and Sciences and the offering of doctoral degrees.
1967: Ballentine Hall (named in honor of former dean, George Andrew Ballentine) opens to house the College of Business Administration.
Thomas M. Ryan, a 1975 pharmacy graduate and the former chairman, president and CEO of CVS Caremark, and his wife, Cathy, made the largest private donation in URI’s history to establish the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience.
1976: In cooperation with the Department of Textiles and Clothing, a new major in Marketing and Textiles is developed.
1984: The Executive M.B.A. program launches.
Working with the Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER; French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea), Ballard began the mission in August 1985 aboard the United States Navy research ship Knorr.
On September 1, 1985, the first images of the ocean liner were recorded as its giant boilers were discovered.
Ballard returned to the site in 1986, traveling to the underwater wreckage in the submersible Alvin.
In 1989 Ballard established the JASON project, an educational program that used video and audio satellite feeds and later the Internet to allow students to follow various expeditions.
1990: The Ph.D. program is established with a grant from Senator Claiborne Pell.
1991: Career Day launches.
The Transformative Years 1992: The Business Student Advisory Council is formed and College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council is created.
1995: The first Ph.D. student, Nancy L. McIntyre, graduates.
1996: Public fundraising for the Ballentine Hall renovation project is secured through two higher education bond referenda.
1997: The College begins the Evening M.B.A. program in Providence as well as a 22-month Executive M.B.A. program.
In 1997 Ballard, then a commander in the navy, left Woods Hole to head the Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut, a centre for deep-sea archaeology that he founded.
1998: The College celebrates its 75th Anniversary, and the Verrecchia-Hasbro Leadership Chair in Business is created from a $1 million donation.
In 2002 he joined the faculty of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.
2003: Ballentine Hall is renovated and expanded to better serve the College of Business Administration.
2004: The College creates a Business track within the Honors Program.
2006: The College is named a Chartered Financial Analysis Program Partner by the CFA Institute—one of only 13 universities with this partnership.
2007: The International Business Program is developed.
He later founded (2008) the Ocean Exploration Trust.
2013: The Green Business double degree program is launched.
In 2013 the faculty adopted an open-access policy to make its scholarship publicly accessible online.
In 2014, the University Libraries digitized the book, and enhanced it with high-quality digitized photos from the original yearbooks and other sources.
Rhode Island voters approved construction of the $70 million Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences, completion expected the fall of 2016.
The fall of 2016 was also the inaugural semester for URI’s College of Health Sciences on the Kingston campus, and the College of Education and Professional Studies on the Kingston and Providence campuses.
2019: The College receives its single largest gift: a $15 million gift from Alfred J. Verrecchia ’67, M.B.A. ’72, Hon. ’04 and Geraldine Verrecchia.
Bond Support: Rhode Island voters approve construction of the $125M Engineering complex, completion expected in 2019 for the 195,000 square foot facility.
2020: The College launches an Executive Doctorate of Business Administration and the College’s first two online masters degree programs – Supply Chain Management and Healthcare Management.
Into the Deep: A Memoir from the Man Who Found Titanic (written with Christopher Drew) was published in 2021.
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University of Rhode Island competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware | 1743 | $190.0M | 10,082 | 167 |
| Lehigh University | 1865 | $416.3M | 4,071 | 24 |
| Drexel University | 1891 | $985.3M | 7,879 | 42 |
| University at Albany | - | $480.0M | 3,076 | 79 |
| Temple University | 1884 | $2.7B | 13,420 | 71 |
| Clark University | 1887 | $114.1M | 1,879 | 2 |
| American University | 1893 | $608.1M | 5,825 | 98 |
| Bucknell University | 1846 | $23.0M | 2,472 | 2 |
| Elon University | 1889 | $289.4M | 2,872 | 41 |
| California State University, Bakersfield | 1970 | $54.9M | 5 | 15 |
University of Rhode Island history FAQs
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