Golden Grad Weekend

Alumni Center
73 Upper College Road, Kingston

$15 per person

Choose one:

Lifestyle Factors and Your Aging Brain Presentation
Research is showing that we can do a lot to prevent and even reverse the effects of brain aging. There is a growing list of these potentially modifiable lifestyle practices that impact brain health, such as changes in diet and exercise. Neuroscientist Dr. John Robinson will introduce these factors and explain how modifiable lifestyle factors can slow or accelerate brain aging and affect your risk of dementia. We will then discuss some real-world examples of behavior change strategies and how you can “customize” a health-promoting lifestyle that is sustainable and fits your unique interests and situation.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Labs Tour (90-minutes)
Keith Ranaldi, director of innovation and entrepreneurship will share URI’s developing Launch Labs, housed within the Robert Carothers Library. Serving as public-facing incubators for fostering creativity and allowing students to bring their ideas to light, the spaces are designed as mixed media laboratories that enhance creative, academic, and research investigations. The lab’s newest acquisition, the 3D Knit/Wear Manufacturing Machine, is a joint venture between the Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design department (College of Business), the College of Engineering, and the University libraries. Also part of this tour will be the Maker Space and the Virtual Reality Labs, currently working with customized virtual reality simulations. Join the group to see how creativity is ignited to help students make a difference in the world.

Athletics Facilities Tour
Amy Simonini, Assistant Athletic Director, Development, will lead a tour of URI’s athletic facilities. Learn how these facilities have changed over the years, what familiar buildings are used for today and what is in store for our valued athletic facilities in years to come.

Fine Arts Building Tour
Opened in 1968, the Fine Arts Center is home to URI’s theatre, music, and art departments, which serve more than 5,000 students each year. In March 2021, Rhode Islanders approved a $57.3 million bond to continue upgrades to URI’s Fine Arts Center. Renovations have started for a new three-story, 60,000-square-foot building, which will include a new art gallery, a new lobby in front of Will Theatre, and new practice rooms and technical areas for digital art and media. Join us for a bird’s eye view of the project and hear about the plans in place to revitalize this space.

Choose one:

Campus Bus Tour
Tour campus from the comfort of one of our own Rhody shuttles. URI student tour guides will give the ins and outs of campus and show you why URI has become such a dynamic place to live and learn. See the new buildings and catch a glimpse of one of URI’s newest residence halls.

Funny Business! Music & Humor with Professor Lloyd Kaplan and Dr. Tom Shaker
Music and humor have always gone hand-in-hand. Sly lyrics about life, love, sex, death, and politics have been entertaining us, it seems, forever. Musical humor transcends genres, from jazz to the blues, pop to rock and folk to country, we can always find a song that tickles our funny bone. Join us for an interactive look at the relationship between humor and music. Be prepared to laugh, sing along, and maybe even dance!

Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory Tour
The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory (RISCL), part of the College of Pharmacy, examines and evaluates physical evidence collected at the scene of a crime or related to a crime in accordance with the State of Rhode Island General Laws. Dennis Hilliard became Director of the RISCL in 1995 and currently the RISCL employs nine scientists and support staff. These dedicated professionals perform scientific testing and services on several thousand exhibits each year.

Harrington School of Communication and Media Tour
The Harrington School is a community of students and educators exploring the multifaceted, increasingly globalized and rapidly evolving world of communication and media. Students can choose from eight undergraduate and graduate programs, each of which provides them with hands-on learning opportunities along with rigorous classroom learning. Join Harrington School staff for tours of Ranger Hall and the Broadcast Center in Chafee Hall.

For those participating in afternoon activities at the Bay Campus, complimentary transportation will be provided to and from the Bay Campus. Cars may be left at the Welcome Center.

Nautilus Galley Café
Narragansett Bay Campus
230 South Ferry Rd., Narragansett

$25 per person

Choose one:

Inner Space Center Tour (limited to 25 people)
The Inner Space Center is an international hub for ocean science exploration and education, home to some of the largest ocean science education and outreach initiatives in the country. Staff will show us the dynamics of the center and how communication between ships at sea and the center take place.

Economics Presentation: Professor Leonard Lardaro ’73
Leonard Lardaro, Professor of Economics at URI since 1981, is well known for his analyzing and forecasting of the Rhode Island economy on the radio and in the news. His discussions primarily focus on labor and housing markets, demographic factors, and the income created by the state’s economy.

Nursing Presentation: College of Nursing Dean Danny Willis
Danny Willis, DNS, RN, FAAN will share the success of URI’s nursing program and explain the multitude of modalities and new approaches to teaching within the department. Using methods of simulation, role playing and active learning strategies, URI’s nursing students are graduating with a strong foundation of support and current thinking that allow them to be suited to survive the challenges of everyday nursing, COVID and other contemporary issues.

Choose one:

Inner Space Center Tour (limited to 25 people)
The Inner Space Center is an international hub for ocean science exploration and education, home to some of the largest ocean science education and outreach initiatives in the country. Staff will show us the dynamics of the center and how communication between ships at sea and the center take place.

Bay Campus Aquarium and Pier Tour
Join Ed Baker, URI Marine Science Research Facility Manager for the Ann Gall Durbin Aquarium, right on our very own Bay Campus. This phenomenal resource is able to create small replicas of the natural world. It can emulate almost any condition on the planet allowing scientists to conduct research on topics such as the health of fisheries and how climate change might impact the base of the food chain. It also provides hands-on ocean science experience for students of all ages. Following the aquarium tour, Ed will escort the group down to the new pier and showcase this newest addition to the Bay Campus.

Education Talk: Feinstein College of Education Associate Dean Amy Broemmel
Associate Dean Amy Broemmel will share the plan for the future of the college and how its students are shaping Rhode Island’s future. Dean Danielle Dennis is leading a new student teaching program centered around giving students double the in-class experience compared to other universities’ requirements. Additionally, you will learn how the college is impacting Rhode Island outside the classroom by providing its services and advice to organizations across the state.

Those using the shuttle service can board the buses for the return trip to Kingston in time for the evening cocktail reception.

Alumni Center
73 Upper College Road, Kingston

$40 per person

End the day with heavy appetizers and an assortment of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages on the Alumni Center patio.

The Dunes Club
137 Boston Neck Road, Narragansett

$43 per person

Join us for the annual Dunes Club celebration. Milestone reunion classes (classes of 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, and 1969) are invited to pose for group class photos. The Golden Grad reunion class gift will be presented to President Marc Parlange during brunch.

Brunch entrée selections:

• Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Sausage with Seasonal Fruit
• Johnny Cakes, Bacon, and Sausage with Seasonal Fruit
• Roast Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus
• New England Style Baked Haddock with Ritz Cracker Stuffing

Additional offerings include assorted muffins and pastries, haricot verts, twice-baked potatoes, dinner rolls, and rainbow sherbet. Beverages to include soft drinks, coffee, and tea as well as a celebratory mimosa, bloody mary, or glass of wine.

3009 Tower Hill Road
Saunderstown, Rhode Island
401.789.1051

The Holiday Inn South Kingstown has reserved a block of rooms at a special rate of $189 per night plus tax for the nights of Thursday, May 30–Saturday, June 1. Book online using this link or call 401.789.1051 and mention block code GGR when booking.

4115 Old Post Road
Charlestown, Rhode Island
401.364.8888

The General Stanton Inn offers a discounted rate for URI alumni of $199 per night from October 1 through June 1. Book using code URI199.

Listings of area hotels and other accommodations are available on these tourism websites:

South County Tourism Council
Discover Newport
Rhode Island Tourism Division

You may make reservations to stay in one of our residence halls, Garrahy Hall, from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2. Rates will be $43.50 per person per night. Contact James Kenney at 401.874.2783 to make a reservation. Reservations must be made no later than May 10, 2024.

1 Preserve Blvd.
Richmond, Rhode Island
855.593.8473

The Preserve Resort & Spa offers luxury rooms, town homes, and tiny homes at a promotional rate for URI guests. Visit thepreserveri.com and use promotion code UNIVERSITYRI when booking.