Month: November 2018

$31.6 million gift will help fund performing arts center, strategic priorities for Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A $31.6 million gift from Diana Nelson and John Atwater will fund a central convening space in the cutting-edge performing arts center being planned at Brown and support other essential University priorities.

Of the couple’s total gift, $20 million will create the Diana Nelson and John Atwater Lobby in the performing arts center (PAC), a project envisioned as a hub for music, dance, theatre and multimedia arts scholarship at Brown. Among other strategic priorities, the additional $11.6 million will support the Brown Annual Fund and The Brown Promise, an initiative that has replaced loans with scholarship funds in all University financial aid packages.

The gift extends a long track record of volunteer and financial support for Brown by Nelson and Atwater. Atwater is a Brown Corporation member and Class of 1983 graduate who is founder and CEO of Prime Group, a leading real estate equity and investment firm. His wife, Nelson, is chair of the global hospitality and travel company Carlson and board president at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They have five children and live in San Francisco…

Place for performance Brown’s envisioned performing arts center will serve as an academic building used primarily by students and faculty for classes, rehearsals, productions and research — yet with flexible spaces that will welcome audiences from the greater community for theatre, music and dance performances.

Great jobs before winter break

Financial Services major Eric Mauricio ’19 aspires to one day become a financial planner and assist those who need help reaching their financial goals. Though still a senior in college, he’s recently accepted a job as a Financial Solutions Advisor for Merrill Edge that will bring him one step closer to that objective. And he’s not alone – Mauricio is just one of Bryant’s seniors who have secured a job in their chosen field.

Courses in personal financial planning and consumer behavior, taught by leading scholars and industry professionals, helped Mauricio prepare for an internship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Advisor Development Program. That experience ultimately yielded several job offers, including the one he accepted.

“David Beausejour, my personal financial planning professor, would talk about his experiences with his clients, which I really enjoyed because he brought that real-world touch to what he taught,” Mauricio says.

He also valued Bryant’s focus on developing well-rounded professionals.  “I like that Bryant allows me to take a variety of courses from all different disciplines,” says Mauricio. “My friends ask me, ‘Aren’t you a Financial Services major? Why are you taking marketing? Why are you taking actuarial science? Why do you take this, why do you take that?’ And I tell them, ‘Because I’m going to need it.’”…Click to read more

Eric Mauricio ’19, Amy Sullivan ’19, and Jacob Mingola ’19 are just a few of the Bryant students who have secured great jobs before winter break of their senior year.

JWU Graduate Designs Conversation Spaces on Wickenden Street

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — October 1, 2018 – The City of Providence has installed 15 conversation benches, designed by a Johnson & Wales University (JWU) graduate, along Wickenden Street in the Fox Point neighborhood.

In collaboration with Providence City Councilman Seth Yurdin, the Wickenden Area Merchants Association and the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, Jonathan Harris, associate professor in the JWU College of Engineering & Design, led a class project in which students submitted designs for benches and tree grates that serve as conversation spaces.

“This kind of project gives our College of Engineering & Design students an opportunity to showcase their talents and capabilities, all while making a positive impact in the community,” said Jonathan Harris, associate professor. “It also provides students a chance to help a neighborhood achieve its goals. I’m proud of this collaboration and look forward to finding other ways to partner with the community.”

“Great thanks to Johnson & Wales University, the Wickenden Area Merchants Association, and the Fox Point Neighborhood Association who worked together to make this project happen,” said Councilman Seth Yurdin, Ward One, who successfully advocated for Community Development Block Grant funding for the project. “This is great example of how our public and private sectors work together to make a better neighborhood for residents, strengthen Providence’s unique urban fabric, and support our local businesses. A special congratulations to JWU Alum, Ali Aljassas, whose design was chosen for this project.”…Click to read more

Rhode Island starts early to develop offshore wind workforce pipeline

On a mild afternoon last month, dozens of Rhode Island high school students shuffled aboard a two-level ferry, eager to see offshore wind turbines up close for the first time.

A new education program called Wind Win RI hopes to build a workforce pipeline for New England’s fast-emerging offshore wind industry by offering experiences like this field trip to the Block Island Wind Farm, a five-turbine wind farm about three miles off Rhode Island’s coast.

The offshore wind industry is expected to create 16,700 jobs in the Northeast by 2028. Rhode Island is already a leader in the nascent sector. The state’s second offshore wind farm, from Revolution Wind, is expected to start producing electricity by 2023…

Organizers also want to further develop and formalize relationships with post-secondary institutions like the New England Institute of Technology, the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island. Urbach will work with colleges to accept the high school certification and apply the credits to a degree program, while also building off or integrating some of their existing coursework.

The New England Institute of Technology, for example, is developing a career-mapping matrix for high school students. Henry Young, who oversees the school’s renewable energy program, said it will help students understand how their interests align with careers in wind energy projects. “We have to reach back to high school and middle schools to develop a pipeline of students,” he said…Click to read more 

The Block Island Wind Farm’s five turbines sit about three miles off Rhode Island’s coast.