Bridging the Connection within the Community: URI’s Providence Campus and the Urban Surround
Monday, October 06, 2014
When the University of Rhode Island opened its Providence Campus in 1996 it was an opportunity for Rhode Island’s state research university to embrace and involve itself with the thriving urban scene of the capital city. Since then URI has aligned itself with offering programs for the surrounding community. Of these are the Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center which is a highly credited and recognized early learning program for the children of parents who live and work around Providence, the Urban Arts and Culture Program which presents a diverse spectrum of visual and performing arts to raise public awareness about topical issues and celebrate cultural diversity, and most recently the Urban Initiative which is the presentation of a research report filled with data- based insight toward improving the lives of citizens in the urban surround.
According to Dr. Kat Quina, Associate Dean of URI’s College of Continuing Education at the Feinstein Providence Campus, the initiative will, “take a serious look at urban Rhode Island with data, statistics and information that will be continuously updated as the year’s go by thus promoting the university’s mission of being of service to the State of Rhode Island.” In the past, the college has worked with URI faculty and funded several projects such as independent research and course development. It is the hope that the initiative will take this development a step further. The overall reports focus on seven areas of importance concerning the urban community. These are: population, public health, transportation, education, public safety, arts & culture, and sustainability. The Urban Initiative has many goals, one if which is to present reports on the seven areas of focus and compile a rolling set of data every couple of years that can be used, not only by present and future educators, but by city and state policy and decision makers, according to Dr. Quina.
The first, in a series of three reports, will be presented on Monday October 6th at the URI Providence Campus on Washington URI Street. It will focus on three areas of importance: population, transportation, and public health. Dr. Shana Pearson-Merkowitz, an Associate Professor in the Political Science department at URI will report on population through her research on immigration (co-authored with Dr. Alexandra Filindra from the University of Illinois at Chicago). Dr. Pearson-Merkowitz hopes the report, “lends itself to a better understanding of the status of immigrants in the urban core of Northern Rhode Island.” She believes, “understanding the challenges facing the immigrant community as well as the strengths that immigrants bring to the area are important to the city.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe second presentation by Dr. Norbert Mundorf focuses on transportation. The Professor of Communication Studies at URI, addresses key factors affecting the quality of life for all citizens of Providence. “Promoting and developing transportation alternatives other than Single Occupancy Vehicle transportation is a key ingredient to a vibrant city. It promotes physical activity as well as mobility,” according to Dr. Mundorf. The report focuses on how transportation contributes to the health and economic opportunities for urban residents.
Larry Warner who works for the Safer Institute in Providence focuses on the area of public health. Warner’s paper provides a mixed methods look at the health of urban Rhode Island, with insight as to how, as a state, to achieve gains and reduce disparities.
The new project entitled, State of Urban Rhode Island: Assets and Opportunities, is free and open to the public. The evening will also be streamed live and archived on the university’s website for future reference. “The biggest goal is to make urban Rhode Island aware that the university is engaged in urban problems and solutions, as well as make people within URI more aware of the urban surround,” say’s Dr. Quina. “We have been trying to make this happen on both ends: bringing the community in to the university and bringing the university out to the community.”
State of Urban Rhode Island: Assets and Opportunities. Monday, October 6, 2014 at 7:00pm. Paff Auditorium, University of Rhode Island Feinstein Providence Campus. 80 Washington St. Providence. For more information visit here.
