Sanchez looks to chart ‘brilliant’ RIC future

By John Howell
Posted 2/21/17

Frank D. Sanchez had a question for the audience Friday as he was inaugurated as the tenth president of Rhode Island College.

“How will we pioneer the future?”

And, of course, he had an …

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Sanchez looks to chart ‘brilliant’ RIC future

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Frank D. Sanchez had a question for the audience Friday as he was inaugurated as the tenth president of Rhode Island College.

“How will we pioneer the future?”

And, of course, he had an answer – not just one answer, either.

“Rhode Island College has a legacy and inspiration that has positioned us with unlimited potential and an extraordinary opportunity. Looking forward, we must prepare the Ocean State’s first public college for a brilliant, and perhaps unimagined, future,” he said.

Sanchez was named to the post in July 2016. He succeed Nancy Carriuolo, who resigned in May. He’s already made an impact at the institution that was founded in 1854 by the General Assembly.

Staff and faculty waiting for the inaugural procession called him approachable and a good listener. A member of the staff noted that, traditionally, the president rallies the faculty but that Sanchez also made a point of conducting an event during inaugural week for the staff.

Sanchez also offered a glimpse of his style as he and robed dignitaries and faculty waited to be led into Roberts Hall Auditorium by bagpiper Robert Terlisner. Sanchez stepped out of line more than once to shake hands with someone he recognized or simply say hello to a stranger.

Perhaps, even more revealing was the hard copy of his inaugural speech, which was made available after it had been delivered. Sanchez’s remarks were broken down into “legacy, inspiration and future,” with points in each category alphabetically labeled and related points defined with Roman numerals.

In the space of almost a half hour, Sanchez covered a lot of topics.

In the prelude to his address, a cross section of officials offered their congratulations as well as their love for the institution.

“Rhode Island College is a part of who I am. I’m so proud to call it my alma mater,” said Congressman James Langevin to a shower of applause. He said solving problems and offering innovative solutions takes a community and is “not a one-person job.”

Barbara Cottam, chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education, and William Foulkes, chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education, spoke of RIC’s legacy of providing opportunities. The theme was echoed by Jose Rosario, president of the Student Community Government, who spoke of his personal experience of “breaking out of my shell” and discovering all that the college had to offer. Speaking of Sanchez, Rosario said he could feel the energy when he first met the president.

“The room was so bright,” he said.

Rosario said Sanchez treats students as equals.

Sanchez came to Rhode Island from City University of New York, where he served as vice chancellor for student affairs. He is a native of Cheyenne, Wyoming and holds a Ph.D in higher education administration with a concentration in learning, cognition and instruction from Indiana University-Bloomington. He also holds degrees from Colorado State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“It is clear to me, we do not need to reinvent ourselves by grasping for the latest educational fad. Instead, our strategy for becoming the regional leader among public colleges will be to direct resources in the pioneering philosophies that have shaped our legacy. Now, they will be a catalyst for our evolution.”

Sanchez said the college will finalize its 2017-2020 strategic plan in June that offers five “pillars” to guide “investments going forward”: learning innovation, student success, community partnerships, inclusive excellence and institutional effectiveness.

Among the points Sanchez highlighted are: “a bold new design and delivery” of student services, programs and resources, leveraging the digital-mindset of today and tomorrow’s students. This coming fall RIC will launch a new Division of Student Success to lead this effort; a President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence that was announced last week to help the college become a national leader in building stronger, more inclusive campus communities; the creation of a First in Family Fund to recognize those who are first in their family to attend college (43 percent of freshmen entering the college last fall were first generation college students) and a Decade of Technology initiative.

“The digital landscape continues to barrel forward, and we must be ready to meet new educational demands while not compromising RIC’s high quality instruction and student interactions in the classroom,” he said.

He said the initiative would “require us to marshal resources toward enhancing our exceptional faculty-student interactions while advancing high-tech, high touch classroom instruction and student services in a traditional college setting.”

“I want to convey that the future of Rhode Island College is not just bright, it’s brilliant,” he said. “RIC has always been a pioneer. We are the brave ones. The ones willing to step forward when others shy away. ‘The ones who are first.’”

MAKING THE ROUNDS: RIC President Frank Sanchez greets bagpiper Robert Terlisner as the procession lines up for Friday’s inaugural ceremonies at Roberts Hall. (Warwick Beacon photos)

A FULL HALL: Faculty, students, dignitaries and friends packed the Roberts Hall auditorium Friday at RIC.

HIS SCHOOL: Congressman James Langevin, who graduated from RIC, was given a thunderous applause Friday when called to the podium to welcome the new RIC president.

A PLACE OF OPPORTUNITIES: Jose Rosario, president of the Student Community Government, talked about how he found his calling at RIC.

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  • bendover

    Good luck Dr. Sanchez, you'll need it. By the way, if you are a free thinker, have character and backbone and have integrity, you better keep that resume handy. Nancy Carriuolo had all of that and because she took great exception to The Queen of Raimondo using the RIC Foundation for a private piggy-bank to pay Stefan Pryor, she was fired by the Queen. In short, Carriuolo could not be bought. So as the sound of the clapping stooges fades, keep this in the back of your mind as you govern the campus. Grow eyes in the back of your head...You are surrounded by too many minions and boot lickers, who will sell you out in a New York minute....Good luck sir.

    Wednesday, February 22, 2017 Report this