Community College of Rhode Island

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, Rhode Island, 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 two 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.

Presidents

Presidents of the college have included:

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)

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. The campus was designed to house all academic, social, and recreational functions in a single building. The building itself is an enormous concrete structure which terminates in a semicircle, and ranges in height from four to six stories. The design is a notable example of Brutalist architecture, and was heavily influenced by the philosophy of Le Corbusier. 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.

Over time, the Brutalist style generally lost its appeal and became seen as "drab," "hulking," and "bureaucratic," associated with large-scale mass-planning. In 2019, the Knight campus building made local news after being named "eighth ugliest college campus in the United States" by a lifestyle blog.

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.

Athletics

The college athletics teams are nicknamed the Knights.

Notable alumni

Main article: :Category:Community College of Rhode Island alumni

• Rhéal Cormier - professional baseball player
• Rebecca Haynes - professional basketball player
• Jvke - singer-songwriter and producer
• Ken McDonald - college basketball coach
• Cynthia Mendes - member of the Rhode Island State Senate
• Alex Owumi - professional basketball player
• Joe Polisena - member of the Rhode Island State Senate
• Tiny the Terrible - professional wrestler and politician
• Rosemary Costigan - 6th President of CCRI

References

References

1. (September 24, 2024). "The Community College of Rhode Island celebrates 60 years". Providence Now.
2. Castro, Alexander. (June 20, 2025). "Postsecondary education council makes Costigan permanent president of CCRI". Rhode Island Current.
3. "Annual Unduplicated Headcount".
4. "Community College of Rhode Island — Graphic Style Guide". Marketing and Communications Department.
5. "Our History".
6. Morgan, Thomas J.. (August 1, 2013). "Former CCRI President Edward J. Liston dies at 82". The Providence Journal.
7. Davis, Marion. (December 3, 2005). "CCRI's Sepe replaced as supporters ponder future". Providence Business News.
8. Anderson, Patrick. (April 6, 2024). "Former CCRI president and RI education commissioner Raymond Di Pasquale dies". The Providence Journal.
9. Arditi, Lynn. (May 20, 2015). "CCRI president to resign". The Providence Journal.
10. Andrade, Kevin G.. (March 17, 2023). "CCRI President Meghan Hughes announces plan to step down". Rhode Island Current.
11. (March 23, 2023). "After serving 7 years, CCRI President Hughes to step down Aug. 31". Cranston Herald.
12. (June 20, 2025). "Postsecondary education council makes Costigan permanent president of CCRI". Rhode Island Current.
13. "Governor McKee, Elected Officials Cut Ribbon on Woonsocket Education Center, Adding Workforce Training and Education Options for Northern Rhode Island".
14. "CCRI moves to the Knight Estate in Warwick". Town of Warwick.
15. (January 9, 2016). "Brutal Beauty: Post-war architects broke with pre-war past". The Providence Journal.
16. (September 18, 2019). "CCRI-Warwick Named 8th Ugliest College Campus in America".
17. "Rheal Cormier Stats". Sports Reference LLC.
18. "Rebecca Haynes". WNBL.
19. Jackson. (October 29, 2022). "Rhode Island TikTok Star JVKE Has Viral Hit in 'Golden Hour'".
20. "Class of 1999".
21. "Senator Cynthia Mendes".
22. "Alex Owumi".
23. "CCRI Foundation and the Alumni Association - 2011 Annual report".
24. Hadden, Douglas. (May 2, 2006). "Former pro wrestler throws hat in ring for Pawtucket mayor". [[The Pawtucket Times]].
25. "Council on Postsecondary Education Names Dr. Rosemary Costigan as President of Community College of Rhode Island – RI OPC".