FM Global pledges $1M to support URI engineering facility proposal

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – FM Global has pledged $1 million to support construction of the University of Rhode Island’s proposed College of Engineering facility, a plan for which funding is included on the Nov. 4 ballot.
The gift from the Johnston-based company, one of the world’s largest business property insurers, is contingent on passage of the $125 million higher education facilities bond referendum. The proposal will appear as Question 4 on the ballot on Election Day.
“I am tremendously grateful to FM Global and CEO Shivan Subramaniam for their generosity in support of this critical project,” URI President David M. Dooley said in prepared remarks. “This new building will elevate the already impressive record of teaching, learning and research that takes place at the College of Engineering, and provide extraordinary dividends to the economy and to a wide range of businesses throughout our state.”
The proposed 195,000-square foot building would replace five existing engineering buildings on URI’s Kingston campus, all of which opened in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Shivan S. Subramaniam, chairman and CEO of FM Global, said the investment will help increase the supply of well-trained engineers in Rhode Island.
“The future of Rhode Island is knowledge-based,” Subramaniam said. “Rhode Island must invest in higher education and encourage public/private partnerships with state schools to create the skilled workforce a knowledge-based economy demands.”
Other corporate contributions to the project include $2 million from Toray Plastics (America), $400,000 from the Taco White Family Foundation, and many smaller contributions, bringing the total of private contributions to the project to more than $8 million.
FM Global hires 10 to 15 URI interns per year in a variety of areas, many of who receive full-time job offers following their internships, and among those about four or five in engineering, Subramaniam said.
The firm also has collaborated on several research projects with the College of Engineering, including the development of new techniques to predict the strength of steel when subjected to heat from fire hazards. And it has contributed more than $125,000 to the university through the company’s matching gift program.
“FM Global has been a valuable partner with the College of Engineering for many years,” Raymond Wright, dean of the College of Engineering, said in a statement. “We appreciate their commitment to hiring our students and graduates and publicly supporting critical projects like this new building.”
For more information about Question 4 and the proposed engineering building, visit www.engineering4ri.com.

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  1. This is an excellent project for Rhode Island and its taxpayers. In addition to FM Global’s $1 million gift there are other private donations to this project which totals $8 million all of which disappears if the voters turn down this bond referendum.