NEWPORT, R.I., April 10, 2013 – Nearly 200 advocates, activists and supporters united in Newport this week to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and the forging of a new partnership between Roger Williams University, the Roger Williams University School of Law and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. RWU Law is just the second law school to join the National Fair Housing Collegiate Partnership, and RWU is the only university in Rhode Island to join HUD’s campaign to cultivate a new generation of fair housing experts.
“Our work today defines our tomorrow, and I can think of no better way to show that commitment than to work with Roger Williams University in identifying the fair housing leaders of tomorrow,” said HUD General Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryan Greene.
BRISTOL, R.I., – The Community Partnerships Center at Roger Williams University starts the spring semester with 28 projects, serving nearly a dozen Rhode Island communities, including community development and Main Street revitalization initiatives in Providence, Woonsocket and Central Falls.
A key component of the University’s Affordable Excellence initiative, the CPC pairs students and faculty with local nonprofits, municipalities and other organizations to tackle community projects that often require specialized expertise or additional resources. Students apply classroom learning and gain real-world experience by engaging in community projects such as economic development research and planning, public policy formulation, architectural design and urban planning.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee today announced a formal partnership between the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and Roger Williams University to provide business support and other community revitalization efforts within the state’s core urban communities. The partnership was celebrated at a State House event today attended by Gov. Chafee, University President Donald J. Farish, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine and Paul McGreevy, special assistant to the governor at RIEDC.
“A key economic development priority of my administration is the revitalization of Rhode Island’s urban communities, especially our main streets in Providence, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, Central Falls and West Warwick,” Governor Chafee said. “By engaging our educational institutions, we can begin to more actively utilize the skills and expertise of the excellent educational institutions within Rhode Island and also tap into the bright minds of our students for the good of the state’s economy.”
No tornados, tropical storms or thunder and lightning to dampen spirits this year.
One year after Hurricane Irene forced a change of plans to the daylong intro to service for the first time in its history, Community Connections is again a major presence across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts today, with more than 1,200 volunteers working at sites stretching from Little Compton to Charlestown to 50-plus spots along the way.
In what’s become one of the largest service programs in the region – and the only of its kind among colleges in Rhode Island – incoming Roger Williams students are partnering with more than 50 community organizations to do everything from cleaning beaches to running bingo at senior centers to doing art projects with developmentally disabled adults.
Launched in 2005, Community Connections is part of RWU’s orientation program for new students. It is designed to introduce them to the Roger Williams core value of commitment to community through service and encourage them to become engaged members of what will be their new home for the next four years.
Since last fall, students from the Community Partnerships Center at Roger Williams University have solicited public input and worked with Town officials to create a plan for arts- and education-focused reuse of the currently vacant Walley School on High Street.
On Wednesday, April 11, members of the Bristol community are invited to a final workshop on the future of Walley School that will include the presentation of a draft plan for reuse. The meeting will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Reynolds School at 235 High Street.
The presentation will include details on proposed uses and programs along with design/space allocations, a business plan and cost estimates for rehabilitation. Attendees will have the opportunity to offer input on the draft plan.
Following the April 11 workshop, the CPC students will incorporate the community’s input as they work toward finalizing the Walley School plan for presentation to the project steering committee, and ultimately, the Bristol Town Council later this spring.
Members of the community are invited to share their input at an open vision and planning meeting focused on the arts in Bristol on Wednesday, Feb. 8, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Reynolds School at 235 High Street.
The meeting is the most recent development in a project initiated by the Community Partnerships Center at Roger Williams University that began last fall with students working with Town officials to explore ways in which the Walley School might be reused, with a focus on expanding the arts in Bristol and the East Bay. The students completed that work in December and the project steering committee is reviewing results and working to identify potential new uses for the Walley School as well as the nearby Reynolds and Byfield schools.
And while the Walley School was the initial focus, students working through the Community Partnerships Center recognized that the arts play a larger role in the cultural and economic life of the local community and that decisions about Town-owned buildings and the coordination of arts development are critical to the community’s future.
BRISTOL, R.I. – After an extensive undertaking by eight Roger Williams University graduate students that culminated in an updated Historic Preservation Plan for the Town of Warren, the American Planning Association’s Rhode Island chapter honored the Town and the University with the 2011 Current Topic Award for Historic Preservation at the organization’s annual awards and holiday party held in Newport, R.I., last night.
“In addition to being an all-around well-developed plan, the Historic Preservation Plan for the Town of Warren is noted for its significant public input process and involvement as well as its consideration of the study area both as a district and for the individual structures within that district,” said Meredith E. Brady of APA Rhode Island, who chairs the organization’s awards committee.
