CCRI File Photo
House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio Friday introduced legislation to make the Rhode Island Promise program permanent the provides up to two years of free tuition for eligible Rhode Islanders at Community College of Rhode Island.
The program is currently set to expire with the class entering CCRI in September 2021. Ruggerio and Shekarchi’s bill would remove the sunset provision, making the program permanent. “The Promise program is an excellent example of how we can prioritize affordable college options for all Rhode Islanders. The best investment we can make to help individuals achieve their goals is to give them the access to a college education, which is the pathway to a brighter future,” said Speaker Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick).
HALIFAX With gathering limits in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout Atlantic Canada, the 2020 holiday season was a quiet one for Maritimers, with New Year s Eve expected to be much the same. Despite the lack of family functions and get-togethers with friends and loved ones, many people say the sacrifice is worth it. Nova Scotia resident Bruce Stuart is accustomed to large family gatherings over the holidays; however, his tradition has been halted in 2020 and featured a much smaller assembly. It was quiet, says Stuart. But quiet is not a bad thing in a busy world. Stuart says adhering to Public Health guidelines is the right thing to do and adds he s proud that people have been following the rules.
Meghan Hughes. Photo: GoLocal
The union representing education support professionals at the Community College of Rhode Island has voted no confidence in President Meghan Hughes and Vice President Alix Ogden, citing recent layoffs.
“While 16% of our members jobs have been eliminated, high-level administrator positions have ballooned on your watch,” wrote Michael McNally, President of the CCRI Educational Support Professionals Associaton (EPSA) in a letter to Hughes and Ogden.
“Our members are the lowers paid employees at CCRI, yet we have been the most severely impacted from your administration’s poor institutional management,” McNally continued.
NEARI Executive Director Bob Walsh acknowledged that some of the workers eliminated have been shifted to the Department of Health but he questioned the moves.
PROVIDENCE The state s three public colleges are asking for tuition increases as a drop in enrollment during the coronavirus pandemic has hurt their revenues.
Rhode Island College is asking for a 5 percent increase in tuition for next fall, the second significant increase in three years.
That translates into $442 more per student. In-state tuition is currently $10,260.
During a meeting of the Council on Post-Secondary Education Wednesday night, RIC President Frank Sanchez said that the college has the second-lowest tuition of all of the four-year state colleges in New England.
Rhode Island College:
“This is the only four-year college that is accessible to most Rhode Islanders,” he told the council, which met remotely.