SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island has established a new Islamic and Mediterranean studies cluster. The school has also hired three new Islamic studies professors and a French professor to support the initiative. more

PROVIDENCE – Brown University is partnering with KIPP, a national network of open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools, to increase completion rates for underserved students from those schools nationwide. more

It isn’t a new thought that something must be done within Rhode Island’s higher education system to provide easier, more-affordable access to post-secondary education to create a workforce matched to the state’s available jobs. more

Brown University will continue to study the issue of divesting its holdings in at least 15 companies that mine or burn coal for the production of power, according to a May 24 statement from university President Christina Paxson. more

NORTON, Mass. – Wheaton College will host Thought Leaders: An Ongoing Conversation on the Future of the Liberal Arts, beginning March 22. The series of workshops and public lectures are designed to “explore the continuing relevance of the liberal arts” and challenges those colleges face. more

PROVIDENCE – Thirteen Providence College professors are taking part this semester in a trial program to incorporate Apple iPads into classrooms to allow them to move about freely while lecturing and to let students access recordings or notes after class. more

Bryant University freshman Ashley Cardona, front, blue T-shirt, joins students and other members of the university community for a one-mile run on campus April 16, in support of those affected by the Boston Marathon attack. Cardona, an international business major, suggested the run to university officials as a unified show of support against violence and for the families affected by the tragedy. Bryant also observed one minute of silence in memory of those lost or injured in the April 15 bombing near the race’s finish line. more

PROVIDENCE – The Corporation of Brown University last month approved more than $38 million in donations to the university, while taking no action on a proposal to end the school’s investments in coal companies. more

DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts has created the James J. Karam Scholarship Fund for SouthCoast students to attend any UMass campus, in honor of the UMass Dartmouth graduate. more

NEWPORT – Salve Regina University has announced a new, 36-credit master’s degree in applied behavioral analysis, the first program of its kind in Rhode Island. more