Rhode Island College will use $5.9 million in state aid to revamp its mission

PROVIDENCE – It was a rough year for Rhode Island College, but the House Finance Committee recognized the college’s financial need and gave it an additional $ 5.9 million to reinstate the faculty and strengthen its academic core.

The year began with a scandal over a $ 76,000-a-week no-bid contract that was severely reprimanded by several lawmakers, including new House Speaker K. Joseph Sherkarchi. The contract was quickly terminated.

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In January, RIC faced a budget deficit of $ 10 million, partly due to an estimated 10% drop in enrollments related to the coronavirus pandemic. Stephen Nedder, Vice President of Administration at RIC, said at the time: “This is one of the most important crises [ever] faced with higher education. ”

“Our applications have failed,” said Sanchez. “The deposits have decreased. We believe we can make progress. Last July we were 13 percent in the red, but we only started 5.6 percent in the fall. ”

In an interview on Monday, RIC President Frank Sanchez said the increase in state aid will help the institution regain its financial footing.

“We will no doubt be able to restore some positions and continue to make meaningful investments in the future,” he said, although he does not have an exact figure on how many faculty members will be hired. ”

There is no doubt that the RIC was in poor financial shape this winter. The college laid off 58 employees and the faculty union agreed to postpone a 2.5% raise.

House Finance approved increases of 2.5 percent for the University of Rhode Island, 5.9 percent for RIC, and 3.6 percent for the Community College of Rhode Island.

To regain its financial footing, Rhode Island College is developing a new mission: enrolling adult students, many of whom graduated from college but never finished, and recruiting students who want to develop new skills. The aim is to greatly expand the range of courses at the university in the evening, on the weekend and online.

“We need to serve the Rhode Islanders better,” said Sanchez. “Really, a great many faculty members have learned how to do distance learning. We have to look at the data: where are the jobs growing? And we have to be affordable. ”

The demographics of universities are changing. As the birth rate declines, fewer traditional high school graduates are enrolling. But the number of adult learners is growing.

Sanchez said 120,000 Rhode Island residents have some college credits but no clear path to a degree.

In his message to college this winter, Sanchez wrote: “The pandemic has taught us all that it is no longer possible to require all of our future students to come to us.

“We have to go to our future students. I believe that this strategy will not only serve Rhode Islanders better, but will also help the college stabilize future enrollments by improving access for Rhode Islanders who cannot attend the standard 8pm to 5pm course schedule. ”

Linda Borg reports on education for the journal.

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/rhode-island-college-will-use-5-9-million-in-state-aid-to-revamp-its-mission/