Community College of Rhode Island
 The front side of the Knight Campus in Warwick, designed in Brutalist style. | |
| Type | Public community college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1964 |
Academic affiliations | Space-grant |
| President | Rosemary Costigan (interim) |
Academic staff | 300 |
| Students | 17,000 |
| Location | Warwick (Knight Campus), Lincoln (Flanagan Campus), Providence (Liston and Downcity Campuses), Newport (Newport County Campus), Westerly (Satellite Campus) , , |
| Colors | Green and Grey |
| Mascot | CCRI Knight |
| Website | www.ccri.edu |
 | |
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with additional college buildings throughout the state.
History
It was founded as Rhode Island Junior College, "RIJC", in 1964 with 325 students studying at the Henry Barnard School in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1965, a portion of the nearby former Brown & Sharpe manufacturing facility was converted into classroom space and served as the college's primary facility until 1972. The Knight campus in Warwick, RI built on the donated Knight Estate, opened in 1972 as the school's first permanent building and flagship campus. It was followed by three additional campus and 2 satellite locations.
The Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory, located on the Knight Campus grounds, was opened in 1978. The school was renamed the Community College of Rhode Island in June 1980.
Campuses
The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with additional college buildings throughout the state.
- Knight Campus (Warwick, opened in 1972)
- Flanagan Campus (Lincoln, opened in 1976)
- Liston Campus (Providence, opened in 1990)
- Newport County Campus (Newport, opened in 2006)
- Satellite Campus, Westerly Education Center (Westerly)
- Satellite Campus, Woonsocket Education Center (Woonsocket)[1]
Architecture
The college's flagship Knight building in Warwick was designed by the Chicago and New York architecture firm of Perkins & Will, in conjunction with Providence firms Harkness & Geddes and Robinson Green Beretta.[2] The campus was designed to house all academic, social, and recreational functions in a single building.[2] The building itself is an enormous concrete structure which terminates in a semicircle, and ranges in height from four to six stories.[2] The design is a notable example of Brutalist architecture, and was heavily influenced by the philosophy of Le Corbusier.[2] The building was hailed by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission as "one of the most striking and innovative contemporary structures in the state" when it opened in 1972.[2]
Over time, the Brutalist style generally lost its appeal and became seen as "drab," "hulking," and "bureaucratic," associated with large-scale mass-planning.[3] In 2019, the Knight campus building made local news after being named "eighth ugliest college campus in the United States" by a lifestyle blog.[4]
Academic profile
The college offers the following degrees:
- Associate in Arts (A.A.)
- Associate in Science (A.S.)
- Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
- Associate in Applied Science in Technical Studies (A.A.S.-T.S.)
- Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A.)
Several one-year certificates are also awarded.
Student life
The school's student newspaper is The Unfiltered Lens, which began publication in 2007. It replaced the Knightly News, which had been active in the 1980s, but had become defunct several years prior to the Lens' founding.
Sport
The college athletics teams are nicknamed the Knights.
Notable alumni
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2013) |
- Rhéal Cormier - professional baseball player[5]
- Rebecca Haynes - professional basketball player[6]
- Jvke - singer-songwriter and producer[7]
- Ken McDonald - college basketball coach[8]
- Cynthia Mendes - member of the Rhode Island State Senate[9]
- Alex Owumi - professional basketball player[10]
- Joe Polisena - member of the Rhode Island State Senate
- Tiny the Terrible, professional wrestler and politician[11]
- Agostinho Silva - Rhode Island state representative
See also
References
- ^ "Governor McKee, Elected Officials Cut Ribbon on Woonsocket Education Center, Adding Workforce Training and Education Options for Northern Rhode Island". Office of the Governor, State of Rhode Island. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "CCRI moves to the Knight Estate in Warwick". Warwick Digital History Project. Town of Warwick. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Hill, John (9 January 2016). "Brutal Beauty: Post-war architects broke with pre-war past". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "CCRI-Warwick Named 8th Ugliest College Campus in America". 18 September 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "Rheal Cormier Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Rebecca Haynes". WNBL. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ^ Jackson (2022-10-29). "Rhode Island TikTok Star JVKE Has Viral Hit in 'Golden Hour'". FUN 107. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
- ^ "Class of 1999". ccri.edu. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Senator Cynthia Mendes". State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
- ^ "Alex Owumi". njcaa.org. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Hadden, Douglas (May 2, 2006). "Former pro wrestler throws hat in ring for Pawtucket mayor". The Pawtucket Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
External links
- Official website
41°52′05″N 71°23′13″W / 41.868087°N 71.386899°W / 41.868087; -71.386899