| R 173 |
| 2026 -- S 3101 Enacted 03/19/2026 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CELEBRATING MARCH 19, 2026, AS "RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Senators Lawson, Ciccone, Tikoian, Gallo, Raptakis, Vargas, Appollonio, Murray, DiPalma, and McKenney |
| Date Introduced: March 16, 2026 |
| WHEREAS, Established by the General Assembly in 1854, and originally named the |
| "Rhode Island State Normal School", Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college located in |
| the City of Providence and is the second oldest institution of higher education – and the oldest |
| public institution of higher education – in Rhode Island; and |
| WHEREAS, Comprised of a 180-acre campus, RIC has 282 full-time faculty members, |
| and a student body of more than 6,500 undergraduate and graduate students. The college offers |
| more than 50 undergraduate and over 25 graduate degree programs, and a doctoral program in |
| nursing practice; and |
| WHEREAS, In addition, RIC offers programs and classes in professional and workforce |
| development, continuing and adult education, and community programs and initiatives that |
| "empower our citizens and strengthen our communities"; and |
| WHEREAS, RIC also offers a panoply of athletic opportunities as a member of the |
| National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III with 21 varsity sports, including 9 |
| men's sports teams and 12 women's sports teams; and |
| WHEREAS, Earning recognition throughout the Northeast for its excellence, RIC is |
| among the top 10 regional public colleges/universities in New England and the top 10 |
| college/universities in New England for social mobility in a 2026 U.S. News and World Report |
| article; and its Zvart Onanian School of Nursing was named “one of the best nursing master’s |
| programs for your money” in 2025, according to Money Magazine’s annual rankings; and |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island's motto "Hope", became reality for Rhode Island residents in |
| the fall of 2023, as the college initiated the Hope Scholarship, which will benefit its students |
| seeking a 4-year degree; and since its inception in 2023, 568 Rhode Island students have |
| benefited from the scholarship; and |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island College is now on the cutting edge of programs in healthcare, |
| cybersecurity, biotechnology, data science and artificial intelligence, allowing its students |
| opportunities to find meaningful and lucrative work in these critical fields. The programs will |
| also ensure that our State, as well as our nation, will have the needed expertise in these emerging |
| technological fields; and |
| WHEREAS, The people of Rhode Island have chosen to invest in the State’s high-tech |
| future at Rhode Island College, approving funding in two successive bond referenda to |
| completely modernize the College’s physical sciences facility, Clark Science, which opened in |
| the Fall of 2025, and to transform Whipple Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, into a |
| state-of-the-art Institute for Cybersecurity & Emerging Technologies with a cyber range and |
| security operations center; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby celebrates March 19, |
| 2026, as "Rhode Island College Day" and thanks the College and staff for the significant |
| contributions they provide to the citizens of our State; 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 Dr. Jack R. Warner, President of Rhode Island |
| College. |
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| LC006114 |
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