URI launches $5.3 million plan to hire 55 new faculty over four years

TO REMEDY A SHORTFALL of teachers to handle its growing student population, the University of Rhode Island has committed $5.3 million over the next four years to add 55 faculty, including 40 tenure-track positions and 15 lecturer posts.
TO REMEDY A SHORTFALL of teachers to handle its growing student population, the University of Rhode Island has committed $5.3 million over the next four years to add 55 faculty, including 40 tenure-track positions and 15 lecturer posts.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Citing more than a decade of continual enrollment increases, the University of Rhode Island said Thursday it plans to spend $5.3 million to hire 55 new faculty over the next four years.

“Our goal is to substantially increase our faculty in meaningful ways to support and fulfill our standing as a premier learning-centered research university,” said President David M. Dooley. “The future health, vitality and productivity of the university, and the learning experiences of our students depend upon a very productive, talented and engaged faculty.”

Provost Donald H. DeHayes developed the plan to invest about $1.5 million annually for fiscal years 2016 through 2019 from the university’s general operating budget to establish these positions. He requested the investment through URI’s Strategic Budget and Planning Council, Dooley said.

Enrollment at URI grew by approximately 4,000 students between the late 1990s and 2010 and stabilized at the highest levels in university history, according to Dooley and DeHayes. Yet, during that period, the number of full-time faculty has remained steady. In addition, this past fall, URI’s freshman class and total enrollment constituted the largest in university history, they said.

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“While there has been some growth in the number of lecturers, the majority of the faculty expansion to accommodate the increased enrollment has been part-time instructors, who have played an important role in teaching introductory and general education courses,” said DeHayes.

About 40 new tenure-track positions and 15 lecturer posts will be created across colleges and disciplines based on market demand and opportunities, Dooley added.

Making this investment will not change the URI student to faculty ratio of 16.5:1, but the university would have a larger proportion of full-time faculty contributing to student learning and engagement, Dooley said. The capacity to expand research and teaching at the graduate level also would be enhanced, he said.

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