RIC Awarded More Than $400K to Renovate Chemistry Facilities This Grant is the Largest Champlin Foundation Grant in College’s History
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island College has been awarded a $455,550 grant from the
Champlin Foundation to renovate the Instrument Room and chemistry teaching labs in
the John Clarke Science Building. The grant is the largest Champlin grant in the
college’s history.
“In our commitment to maximizing impact in the community, we see great value in
supporting high achievement in STEM-related fields,” said Executive Director of the
Champlin Foundation Keith Lang. “This grant will enable Rhode Island College
students to develop and apply advanced chemistry skills and knowledge as an engine
to help drive the economy in the state and region.”
This ambitious project involves the renovation of more than 2,500 square feet: the
Instrument Room, which will be enlarged to include nearly $300,000 in
state-of-the-art scientific equipment; chemistry teaching labs and a computer lab,
which will be reconfigured into a wet lab for analytical, physical and environmental
chemistry and into a multifunctional chemistry teaching lab. In addition, a research
space will be constructed, and several class locations shifted to provide the
maximum learning space for students. These changes will benefit one thousand
students who take chemistry classes each year.
The total cost of the renovations is estimated to exceed $1.5 million. Champlin
Foundation funds will underwrite the cost of architectural and engineering services,
four scientific instruments, 24 laptop computers and a laptop storage/charging
station. The college will contribute the remaining costs.
“Chemistry is a core course for science, nursing and health science majors. State
labor projections indicate increasing employment opportunities for individuals with
these degrees,” said Rhode Island College President Frank D. Sánchez. “We believe
that the academic preparation we offer must be modern, rich in active learning,
responsive to economic and social needs and focused on the development of
21st-century skills.”
“The Champlin Foundation continues to honor the college with this latest grant,”
said Executive Director of the Rhode Island College Foundation Ed Pacheco. “These
state-of-the art facilities and innovative learning environments will forward the
legacy of Rhode Island College and ensure that our students continue to be
successful in the workforce.”
This is the ninth grant the Champlin Foundation has awarded Rhode Island College
since 2007, totalling more than $1.9 million.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate
and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,
the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the
School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. For more information, visit
www.ric.edu.