Annual Conference - Welcome to URI

Thanks to the University of Rhode Island for hosting the conference at the historic Kingston campus. President Robert L. Carrothers will greet us at the Opening Session.

The origins of the University of Rhode Island were both agricultural and educational. With federal funds available for land grant colleges and agricultural experiment stations, Rhode Island conducted a statewide search for a site. The South Kingstown Town Council matched private funds to secure the 140-acre Oliver Watson Farm in Kingston for $5000. The experiment station and agricultural school opened here in 1889, and the co-educational Rhode Island College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts held its first commencement in 1894. The institution expanded into its current role as the University of Rhode Island in 1951.

Besides the 18th-century farmhouse that was the core of the Oliver Watson Farm, the campus includes an array of collegiate buildings ranging in date from 1889 to the present. The quadrangle, laid out by Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot, is the heart of the university. Notable buildings include several designed by Rhode Island architects Stone, Carpenter and Willson; Clarke, Howe and Homer; and Albert Harkness. Recent projects included the rebuilding of Ballentine Hall and the renovation of Lippitt Hall (1897).

The Opening Session will be held in Edwards Auditorium. This granite, Classical Revival-style building was designed by the firm of Bigelow, Kent, Willard & Company in 1928. The building is named for President Howard Edwards (1854-1930).

On Campus
The 1796 Oliver Watson House – the old homestead of the farm that would become URI’s campus – will be open for drop-in tours from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

URI’s Textile Gallery at Quinn Hall is open to visitors from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Exhibits feature items from the Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection.

The URI Library has several exhibits on display, including “The Walk through Time”– a collection of photographs and yearbook pages that document the university’s 121-year history. This historical exhibit is located on the library’s third floor.