R 057

2017 -- H 5463 Enacted 02/14/2017

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHARTER OF PROVIDENCE COLLEGE

Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Shanley, Fogarty, and Amore

Date Introduced: February 14, 2017

WHEREAS, The bold vision of the Right Rev. Matthew Harkins, D.D., Bishop of

Providence, to build a Catholic college in the diocese began in 1915, with a series of meetings

between the Bishop and Father Meagher in Providence, and eventually resulted in a petition to the

Dominican Master General "…to grant permission to the Fathers of the Province of St. Joseph to

undertake the burden of a college of higher learning in our episcopal city"; and

WHEREAS, Included with the petition was Bishop Harkins' offer of an eleven acre tract

of land situated within ten minutes of the civic center of Providence and scholarships representing

$10,000 in capital. On October 11, 1915, the Chapter voted to accept the Bishop's offer, however,

unfortunate world events delayed the institution of Providence College until January 29, 1916,

when Father Meagher and Bishop Harkins finally received permission to erect the college; and

WHEREAS, On February 14, 1917, Rhode Island Governor Robert Livingston Beekman

signed the Act to Incorporate Providence College into law. On February 24, 1917, Pope Benedict

XV's papal permission was granted, and on February 28, Master General Theissling gave his

formal permission to the papal document; and

WHEREAS, On March 10, 1917, the first Providence College Corporation meeting was

held at the Bishop's House and by May 23, 1918, ground was broken for the College's first

building – Harkins Hall. On September 18, 1919, with seventy-one students and nine Dominican

faculty, Providence College opened its doors; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Harkins' dream was legally and canonically founded in February of

1917, thus making the beginning of the fall semester of the 2016-17 academic year, the 100th

anniversary of the founding of Providence College; and,

WHEREAS, Providence College is a Catholic, Liberal Arts College and is the only

college or university in the United States that is administered by the Dominican Friars. It is

currently comprised of an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,900 students, and offers

degrees in forty-nine academic majors; and

WHEREAS, Milestones both big and small have marked Providence College's first

century. Through obstacles raised by World War I, the Great Depression and plummeting

enrollment caused by World War II, the College has persevered and adapted. In the fall of 1971,

approval for Providence College's undergraduate day school to admit women students was

received, and in 1948, the College joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

March of 1961, marked Providence College's first National Invitational Tournament men's

basketball team win, but to the delight of generations of students and alumni, many more titles

have followed in the ensuing years; and

WHEREAS, With strong leadership, academic excellence, and a community built on

faith, since 1997, Providence College has consistently been ranked among the top five regional

universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Reports' "America's Best Colleges";

and

WHEREAS, In the words of former Senator John O. Pastore, "Providence College has

wrought a social and intellectual revolution in the State of Rhode Island"; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the founding of Providence

College. We moreover wish the faculty, staff, alumni and students of Providence College many

more years of community enrichment and continued educational and spiritual success; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Rev. Brian Shanley, O.P., President of

Providence College.

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