2023–24 Community Announcements

Dear RISD Community,

I am pleased to share that we welcomed two new Trustees to the board last month: Jill Hertz Blaustein and C. C. Melvin (“Mel”) Ike.

The role of the Board of Trustees is to help advance RISD’s mission, set policies and to provide organizational oversight. Therefore, we seek Trustees with a range of expertise, life and professional experiences.

Jill Blaustein worked for more than eight years as a commercial litigation attorney at Thacher Proffitt & Wood, a Wall Street Law firm, focusing on international contractual disputes and complex business lawsuits. She took the skills she built as a lawyer and transitioned to the public relations field, with clients involved in mergers, litigations, and reputation development, and served as a vice president at the public relations firm, Edelman. In 2018, Jill co-founded an advisory practice, The Strategic Muses, which works with businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop multi-tiered strategies designed to enhance profitability, public awareness, and to draw funding from a diverse range of sources. In addition to her service on RISD’s Board of Trustees, Jill currently serves on the board of Speak Up Africa (now called “the Access Challenge”).

C. C. Melvin (“Mel”) Ike is the founder and managing partner of The Visualize Group, a hybrid investment firm that makes concentrated investments in generationally enduring businesses. Prior to starting Visualize, Mel was a managing director at Blackstone, and an investor across public and private markets at Third Point and TPG Capital. He began his career in the Restructuring Group at Lazard. Mel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering with a Cellular and Bio-molecular concentration from the University of Texas, where he was also a student-athlete. He also earned a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he earned numerous Dean’s Scholar Prizes and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a George F. Baker Scholar, was the winner of the John L. Loeb Prize, graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was the highest ranked student in the Finance Department. Mel currently serves on the boards of several public and private companies and nonprofit organizations.

I am thrilled to welcome Jill and Mel to the Board of Trustees, and I look forward to working with them to advance RISD’s mission and vision.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)

President

Dear students, faculty and staff,

I am pleased to inform you that we have completed the search for our next chief marketing and communications officer. Sofiya Cabalquinto, currently the chief communications officer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, will join us on July 15.

During the interview process, I was impressed by the depth and relevance of Sofiya’s experience and her passion for both our mission and our commitment to making RISD more accessible. She has helped prestigious higher education institutions strengthen their reputation, connect with important audiences, amplify the voices and work of their community members and navigate complex situations. I was also struck by Sofiya’s warmth and the ease with which she connected with the many people she met at RISD during her visit.

Sofiya has more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience working with highly visible brands in the higher education and nonprofit sectors. For almost three years, she has led the communications and public affairs office at Harvard’s school of public policy and leadership, focused on unifying the Kennedy School’s brand, advancing the school’s reputation, amplifying faculty research and insights, and engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to gain support for the school's priorities. Previously, Sofiya served as Emerson College’s associate vice president of communications and marketing and Wellesley College’s senior director of communications, and she also held communications roles at the Museum of Science, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Corcoran Group. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from The New School.

The search for this position was expertly led by Jamie O’Hara. I would like to thank him, the members of the search committee listed below and the many members of our community who participated in interviews during the finalist stage of our search.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to Kerci Marcello Stroud who has continued to lead the Marketing and Communications team this spring while transitioning to her new role at The Perry Group, a strategic communications firm that specializes in building the brands of educational institutions and other nonprofits.

Please join me in welcoming Sofiya to the RISD community!

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Search Committee

Jamie O'Hara – chair; vice president, Enrollment Management    
David T. Carreon Bradley – vice president, Social Equity & Inclusion
John Caserta – dean, Architecture & Design     
Amanda Clark MacMullan – vice president, Institutional Advancement
Jaime Marland – senior director, Public Relations
John Murphy – interim executive director, Continuing Education & Expanded Education Operations
Julie Temple – marketing & public relations manager, RISD Museum

Dear RISD Community,

2024 marks a momentous occasion for many seniors who graduated high school in 2020: It may be their first in-person graduation ceremony!

For hundreds of graduates and their families, Commencement is a revered rite of passage and a time to celebrate not only our students’ accomplishments and achievements but also their incredible passion, dedication and hard work.

This year is especially meaningful because those achievements have been accomplished in the shadow of a dangerously polarized political landscape, habits in public discourse that define disagreement as “silencing” and malign those with whom we disagree as villains further eroding the social fabric, a global pandemic that continues to impact the lives of millions, a rapidly warming earth that results in ever-growing climate catastrophes, invasions, wars and war crimes, cruel and murderous attacks, famines and humanitarian crises of terrifying magnitude.

Amid all of that, RISD students learned material expression beyond their wildest conceptions. They’ve pushed past boundaries they did not know existed before enrolling at RISD. They’ve created new materials and ways of thinking, making and doing. They’ve sawn, glued, painted, hammered, drawn, danced, filmed, dyed, knitted, carved, animated and otherwise made. They have formed friendships when doing so amid such isolation and alienation was all the more difficult. They have learned the enduring principles of questioning and creating required of artists and designers. And they have excelled in so doing.

Let this weekend be an exaltation of all of that.

It is precisely this leaning into and celebrating hopefulness and talent and accomplishment that, for these few days, can only be experienced once in a lifetime. Graduation weekend, and specifically, this graduation weekend—despite our differences in language, nationality, gender, sexuality, ability, religion, ideology, race, and worldview—is a glorious call to our collective future. So, let us rejoice in all that these graduates have accomplished and all that they are capable of achieving. When so much ill is happening in the world, that we can gather and celebrate is not only an honor, it is a privilege.

Graduates, I urge you to find time alone in the next few days to reflect on all you have encountered and achieved here in Providence. Please trust me that such reflection is worth your time.

This weekend is also a special moment for the hundreds of alums who will return to campus to reconnect with classmates and relive fond memories of their time at RISD. We enthusiastically welcome them back and encourage their continued engagement with this magical place.

People across our community put tremendous thought and care into making Commencement and Reunion Weekend a memorable experience for graduates, alumni, families, and other attendees. To those of you who have endeavored to make this year’s Commencement and Reunion Weekend special, we see you. And I thank you.

Congratulations again, graduates and families. I look forward to seeing so many of you on Friday and Saturday! And, graduates, I wish you a summer of joy, contemplation, the company of beloveds, some making, and some rest.

Take good care,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear RISD Community,

This week, the Board of Trustees met for its Spring meeting. The board learned more about the new Preparedness for Life After RISD initiative, voted on two new members (announcements forthcoming), celebrated the departure of five Trustees whose terms have ended, heard a presentation from the Experimental and Foundation Studies department and heard about life as a working artist from an Illustration alum. In addition to tending to the routine business of the college, including approving new Bylaws, Trustees voted to approve the budget for the 2024–25 academic year.

As faculty and students leave campus for the summer, I want to provide an update about the institution’s financial state as we work toward balancing the budget and stabilizing our position. As you know, RISD faces a challenging fiscal situation due to a complex series of historic and contemporary factors, including staff transitions, outdated policies and necessary pandemic-era adjustments and contingencies. To begin addressing these issues, senior leaders held 14 open budget sessions with departments, divisions, faculty and staff to gather input and share additional context about the rationale for targeting specific areas for cost reduction.

Collective efforts across the institution, including an ongoing examination of institutional policies for travel, procurement and credit card use, reviving oversight committees, and continuing to identify opportunities for additional savings have led to the creation of a 2024–25 budget that includes an operating deficit of $0.4 million, or less than one half of one percent of the total budget. Reestablishing our financial discipline will require a collective tightening in which many new habits and practices will need to be learned and adopted. 2024–25 will not be an easy year, fiscally speaking. However, these actions, habits and practices, coupled with our plans for executing a multi-year financial model, support our goal of achieving a balanced budget by June 30, 2026 and stabilizing RISD’s financial position by the 2028–29 academic year.

Although we have had to adopt a number of cost-cutting measures to address the budget challenges, we continue to work to ensure that our creative, passionate and hard-working community—part of what makes RISD special—feels seen and appreciated. I am happy to share that the board approved a 2.5% pay increase for all non-bargaining unit employees, effective July 1, 2024.

Additional details of the 2024–25 budget are still being finalized, and we will continue to share updates. If you would like to stay informed, I encourage you to continue to check your email throughout the summer. 
Thank you for your continued efforts to engage our collective with openness, empathy, curiosity and care. Have a wonderful summer, everyone.  
 

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Preface to the RISD Community: While unusual, I have decided to share the three most recent exchanges between my office and members of RISD Students for Justice in Palestine. I will not continue to share email exchanges (on various subjects) this broadly in the future. However, given how information has travelled at RISD, I feel it may be useful for everyone to understand the fullness of these particular exchanges, especially in relation to this week’s culminating event. I have removed the names of the student authors but kept the date stamps. Below is my final communication with members of RSJP this year. If outcomes at Commencement suggest a pathway forward, we will proceed accordingly in the Fall.

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Read the full message (PDF format)

Dear RISD Community,

I am writing to clarify some details regarding the occupation of 20 Washington Place last week. First, as I shared in an email on Thursday, May 9, students who occupied the academic space on the second floor of Washington Place will not be expelled. They exited the second floor in a timely manner and agreed to participate in a process centered on the principles of restorative justice. They were also given the option to exit in a timely manner, opt out of the above process, and be referred to the student conduct process for adjudication as outlined in the College's code of conduct. That option remains a possibility for any who now decides against fully participating in the deliberative process noted above. Expulsion, as I wrote then and repeat now, is not an option because they exited the floor in a timely manner.

Actions have consequences. Some community members have called for the abdication of any consequence for the 22 students who interrupted RISD's central educational project. Here, we disagree.

The interventions I proposed were in direct and sole relation to the interruption of others' learning, their refusal to allow students access to their materials, the negative impact of the occupation on more than two hundred students, and the significant damage to college property caused by their vandalism. No matter how sincere your beliefs, these behaviors at RISD are unacceptable and are against the code of conduct.

The people peacefully assembling outside—not impeding the learning of others through various means, not vandalizing property, not breaking myriad codes of conduct—continued to undertake their activities without our intervention. And that will remain the case should they continue to rally, gather, and protest.

Please be assured that senior leadership has received RSJP's demands. I have also now received other exhortations from some faculty and staff in support of not addressing the breaches to the student code of conduct and repeating the demands to which I responded on Tuesday, May 7, 2024; my responses remain unchanged. I have linked to that community email for reference.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)

President

Dear Community,

20 Washington Place will be closed tomorrow, Friday, May 10. Mail Services, however, will remain open and accessible via Steeple Street during business hours.

All other business services and administrative offices will move online as possible. Classes will continue to be held at alternative locations.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)

President 

Dear RISD Community,

The students who were occupying the second floor have vacated the building.

Public Safety and Facilities staff members were in the building and ensured that everyone safely exited the building. Washington Place is now closed.

Our focus is now on enabling students with work in the building to retrieve it and then to conduct a restorative justice process to restore the space and address the harm that was done.

From the start of this situation, I have affirmed that peaceful protest, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression are the bedrock of our art and design community. We continue to respect and uphold these values.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)

President 

May 9, 2024

Dear RISD Community, 
I am writing briefly regarding the students on the second floor of 20 Washington Place. Facilities and maintenance staff have helped clear ingress and egress, and we thank the students for allowing us to ensure that we operate safely. Public Safety has been respectful and caring over the last several days, and we appreciate their dedication to students' well-being.

There are two distinct issues in play at the moment. One is the protest regarding Gaza. One is the occupation of the second floor of Washington Place. This update regards the latter.

As I wrote on Tuesday evening, denying access to student work at Rhode Island School of Design, especially after multiple requests by the artists themselves, faculty, and staff, is contrary to our institutional values. The student work on the second floor, some of which was intended to be showcased at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair next weekend, has been jeopardized. Grant applications have been missed because the work to support the application is in the space; Finals work is in the space; Crit spaces have been inaccessible, impacting other students' education, etc. Their occupation of the academic space and refusal to allow students and faculty to retrieve their work oppose our college's mission and code of conduct.

Now, we are notifying students on the second floor of the following:

1. They may vacate the space by 2:30 pm and undergo a restorative justice process. This process is designed to be fair and just, ensuring that all parties are heard and respected. Students will be responsible for returning the space—including all furniture, walls, projects, bathrooms, etc.—to its original state by tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, meet with students and faculty whom their actions have immediately negatively impacted, listen to the impact of their actions and engage in respectful dialog, and reimburse those who have spent personal funds on no longer viable projects as a result of the occupation.

a. If students vacate by 2:30 p.m. and the above restorative justice conditions are not met, students will be held accountable under the current conduct codes.

2. If students do not vacate the space by 2:30 pm, we will proceed with expulsion from Rhode Island School of Design.  

Lastly, I want to reiterate that peaceful protest, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression are not just important; they are the bedrock of our art and design community. We respect and uphold these values. As long as they are peaceful and do not break conduct or civic codes, the individuals outside of 20 Washington Place are free to remain there as they have been for the past few days.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear RISD students occupying the second floor of 20 Washington Place,

The barricades on the second floor of 20 Washington Place violate multiple Rhode Island Fire Codes. We need you to create a means of egress and ingress by 12:00 p.m.

We are sending RISD facilities and maintenance staff to help you create a means of ingress and egress that is in compliance with Rhode Island state law. I implore you to work with them to achieve this outcome. We will not use this moment to otherwise enter the space.

Let me reiterate, there is no circumstance where I want external law enforcement entities to engage with students who are peacefully protesting. However, we do need your cooperation. The safety of everyone in the building is at risk. (To that end, we have closed 20 Washington Place to all who do not work in this building and have encouraged most to work from home as an added precaution.)

This violation cannot continue. Fire Marshals are waiting to ensure that means of ingress and egress are in evidence. Please work with us to ensure that intervention by the Fire Marshals and their colleagues is unnecessary.

Thank you.

Crystal Williams
President (she/her)

Copied: 
RISD students, staff, and faculty
RISD members of SJP leadership

Dear RISD Community,

Unfortunately, students remain barricaded on the second floor of 20 Washington Place.

As happened yesterday, classes have been moved to alternate locations. Students will hear from their faculty directly. Any student who needs to pick up their mail should walk to the back of the building during mailroom hours, and Mail and Receiving Services will work with you to meet your needs.  Other business services have been moved online as possible.

As of now, faculty and staff continue to have access to the building.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)

President

Dear RISD Students, Staff, and Faculty,

Rhode Island School of Design is a wonderful institution full of passionate, talented, ambitious, and visionary people. We are driven by a powerful charge, which states: 

The mission of Rhode Island School of Design, through its college and museum, is to educate its students and the public in the creation and appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to make lasting contributions to a global society through critical thinking, scholarship and innovation.

The role artists and designers can and do play and have played historically in social movements—worldwide—is of profound importance. Our impact on national and global social movements cannot be underestimated. Can you envision an international movement in which artists and designers have not been pivotal in amplifying messages, changing hearts and minds, and impacting real and meaningful change in the wider world? Whether through film and video, writing, music, visually based images, fashion, painting, printmaking, or all, we are central to change-making. And change-making isn’t always comfortable. 

Currently, as is happening at many schools, an area on our campus is also embroiled in protest led by student group members. 

As you know from my previous email last week, senior team members met with RISD Students for Justice in Palestine (RSJP) leaders the day after receiving their demand document. We promised to convene this morning (Tuesday) to identify possible ways forward and respond by the end of the day. 

However, a subset of RSJP students preemptively decided to escalate and occupy an active academic space last night, impeding access to all students who use those classroom and studio spaces. The occupation negatively impacts many students and breaches trust, goodwill, and our collective commitment to education. Students are here to learn art and design. Artists and designers, as stated above, are imperative. Regardless of one's views or the fortitude of one's beliefs, to impede the right of another to study, learn, and pursue education at RISD is undefendable. 

And then again today, just after 3:30 pm, we received an email from the students occupying the second floor of 20 Washington Place preemptively rejecting any offer from us (We had not yet sent our response to them, which is now delivered via this campus-wide message). This follows the national playbook from Students for Justice in Palestine and is disappointing. We had hoped that RISD students would operate differently—in good faith, respectfully, and with the ideals of mutual compromise, collaboration, and resolution guiding them in the vein of the lauded activists they so frequently name. 

In previous letters to this community, I have continually affirmed individuals’ rights to peaceful protest, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression. Simultaneously, I have also urged students to make decisions that align with their values while being aware of the consequences of their actions. The students on the second floor of 20 Washington Place are breaking multiple codes of conduct by impeding the very thing our institution stands for—the value of art and design in the world, the right of all artists and designers to learn and make work, and to feel safe doing so. 

In a nearly six-hour meeting with students last night, Provost Ghadessi and I discussed many ideas concerning potential responses to their literal demands and the hopes and desires undergirding them. We also answered many other questions about Textron, our investment philosophy, how it is enacted, and how the institution's budget and finances work, among other things. We share with you now both the demands and, where possible, our responses to them and provide the community with salient information related to questions we fielded last night. 

The question of exploration of possible divestment decisions will be determined once we resolve whether students will meet with the Board of Trustees Investment Committee, which oversees RISD's investment portfolio. (See below under "Demands and Responses" for a fuller response and rationale.)

Following is information that we have heard would be helpful to members of this community. While long, it provides valuable and necessary context. The information is in the following categories:

• Demands and Responses
• History of Textron
• RISD's statement of divestment guidelines
• RISD's exposure to Aerospace & Defense sectors

Demands and Responses

Financial oversight, transparency, and engagement

1. Students have requested a student oversight committee concerning the institution's investments.
2. Students have asked for total fiscal transparency of RISD's investment portfolio to "ensure accountability for investments in institutions that profit" from their concerns.
3. Students have asked for: "…the establishment of a student oversight committee for future investments, ensuring meaningful input and approval of financial investments with support from members of the student body, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders. This Committee, in conjunction with administration, will be responsible for determining and overseeing the use of finances taken from the Rayon Foundation Trust."

While I have been in conversation with members of RISD's Board of Trustees regarding RSJP demands, until RSJP students vacate academic spaces, no longer impede the rights of others, and agree not to disrupt Commencement, I will not continue to advocate for them to gain an audience with the Board of Trustees investment committee. If RJSP students vacate academic spaces and agree to not disrupt Commencement, my discussions with the Board on their behalf will continue. I welcome them into a productive conversation about moving this potentiality forward.

The Board's role as fiduciaries of the institution is to protect our principal assets, ensure RISD is structurally and financially sound now, and ensure the institution exists in perpetuity.

Trustees with decades of experience and expertise in financial matters oversee RISD's complex $420 million endowment and how those funds are invested. We cannot cede oversight to students, nor would it be responsible to do so. 

However, there are several goals that we may be able to address which undergird student requests:

1. To provide greater transparency and promote more understanding, we propose to host an annual presentation and conversation with Senior Vice President David Rosati about RISD's finances and investments (much like the recent financial transparency presentations hosted for faculty and staff). We believe this will provide greater transparency into the institution's current budget, financial decisions, investment posture, and outcomes and provide students with an opportunity to discuss their concerns, questions, and interests with the senior leader who works most closely with the Board's Investment Committee and serves as the Committee's primary administrative conduit.
2. We are further open to exploring with students other means of engagement that would be helpful, meaningful, and actionable.

Students have asked us to suspend all funding from the Rayon Foundation Trust

• The Rayon Trust was created in 1944 before Textron was created, and when Royal Little's companies were focused on making textiles and parachutes. The monies that principally make up the Trust are not related to the current entity named Textron (we have provided an overview of the history of Royal Little’s initial gift to RISD below).
• Suspending all funding from the Rayon Foundation Trust would significantly negatively impact the academic program and student financial aid.

Students have asked us to disclose the extent of the institutional relationship with Airbnb and a "…complete severance of the university's ties to the corporation."

• The college is proud of RISD alums and Airbnb founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia.
• There are no business ties to sever with the company as none exist.
• Mr. Gebbia is scheduled to step down from the Board as his 12-year term ends this year. We are grateful for his service to RISD as a Trustee.  

Students have asked for a full academic divestment and "…refraining from initiating new partnerships with Israeli universities or study abroad programs in Israel and discontinuing any existing affiliations."

• Our affiliation with Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ended in 2018.  
• We will not promise to refrain from future partnerships or study abroad programs in any country. Preemptive promises ignore the fact that countries and situations change over time and many years. As Rhode Island School of Design approaches its 150th year, we must continue to take the long view in everything we do and promise. 
   

Students have asked that we refuse "…any future partnership with Textron."

• Again, in taking the long view, we cannot support this request.

Students have asked that I, as president, make a public condemnation of all activity in Gaza and issue a demand for a ceasefire

• While I understand the intense feelings of community members that the symbolism of a public institutional statement is powerful, I have foresworn making public statements. At some future point, I will write a letter detailing my decision and its underlying rationale.
• That said, I have charged two Cabinet members with developing a World Events toolkit because it is imperative that RISD more fully react with substantive action, from which community members can derive myriad forms of support and succor. I believe that symbolism can be important, but actions are more so. My future goal is that when world events happen, members of our community can proudly talk about how RISD showed up in to support students, staff, and faculty. Senior leaders have been working on that World Events toolkit for several months, and it is scheduled to be done by early summer. 
   

In conclusion, we see a pathway forward. We ask the RSJP students in 20 Washington Place to respect their peers' rights to learn, to finish their year-end studies affirmatively, and to enjoy their and their peers’ hard work. I hope RSJP students vacate the academic spaces they currently occupy and reengage in the spirit of productive conversation and identifying actionable possibilities. 

I am eager to find ways for our students to continue to express their agency without denying others theirs.

History of Textron (excerpted from the Textron website)

• In 1923, 27-year-old Royal Little founded the Special Yarns Corporation in Boston.
• In 1928, Royal Little, took over Franklin Rayon Dyeing Company.
• For the next several years, he operated both companies.
• In 1938, Little changed the company's name to Atlantic Rayon and soon after expanded the company's footprint and operations.
• Atlantic Rayon produced parachutes and textiles used during World War II.
• At the war's end, Little experienced “dwindling government contracts, declining revenue, and underutilized production capacity.”
• In response, he developed "…a vertically integrated company that controlled every operational aspect, from raw goods processing to distribution, and moved quickly from producing parachutes to making lingerie, blouses, bed linens, and other consumer goods."
• Little renamed his company Textron—a combination of "Tex" from textiles and "Tron" from synthetics, such as Lustron, which Atlantic Rayon produced.
• In the 50s, Little focused on building the business by moving into different industries, such as producing cushioning for automobiles.
• In the 1960s and 1970s, he began to enter the transportation industry, which included the production of golf carts and helicopters. It is at this point that Little began to build a conglomerate.

History of Gift to RISD | Textron Rayon Trust (from RISD’s financial records)

• In 1944, Royal Little established the Rayon Foundation Trust with a deposit of $100.
• On 6/28/2018, the Rayon Foundation Trust, established for the study of textiles at RISD, matured, becoming RISD's largest-ever contribution: $19.9 million.
• RISD allocated the gift for facilities and deferred maintenance ($17.3M) and scholarships ($2.1M).
• A private donor augmented the Trust, increasing the Trust's total value by $500K.
• RISD allocates $50K a year from the Trust in scholarships to students.
• In addition to the above funding, the Rayon Foundation Trust supported expendable scholarships for Textile Students ($7.3M) in quarterly annual installments totaling from $10.5K in Fiscal Year 1979 to $257K in Fiscal Year 2017. These contributions ended in 2017.
• This cumulative $27 million investment represents one of the most generous gifts an individual has made to an art and design school.

RISD's statement of divestment guidelines

May 28, 2015

In the exercise of its fiduciary duty to preserve and enhance the long-term viability of the institution, the Board of Trustees of Rhode Island School of Design seeks to achieve the maximum possible return on RISD’s endowment consistent with an appropriate level of risk.
Accordingly, decisions to invest and to divest are based on financial principles and are made by the Board of Trustees in its sole discretion. In rare circumstances, however, the Board of Trustees may also in its sole discretion take political and social considerations into account when a proposed investment or divestment implicates an issue of importance to RISD as an institution and to its constituents as a whole, and not solely to a segment of its constituents, and would be likely to have a meaningful impact on the resolution of that issue. When the Board of Trustees does so, it will strive to make the investment or divestment in a manner that minimizes any potential financial effect.

RISD's current investments

RISD’s Endowment, comprised of restricted and unrestricted funds, is approximately 420 million dollars. RISD has engaged GEM (Global Endowment Management) as the Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO) for the Endowment. The portfolio is a multi-asset, diversified portfolio invested in public and private managers and investments.

Using the Global Industrial Classification Standard (GICS) definition, GEM reported there are no direct investments to the Aerospace and Defense industry as of 3/31/2024. There is the following indirect exposure through third-party managers in pooled funds:

• RISD’s endowment has 1.2% invested indirectly in seven Aerospace and Defense companies as of 3/31/2024. Among those seven public companies, two companies receive over 50% of their revenue from defense, representing 0.3% of the total exposure.
• Applying a similar GICS definition to RISD’s private investments, GEM estimates that RISD’s endowment has 0.8% exposure indirectly to private companies that operate in the Aerospace and Defense industry as of 12/31/2023.
• Additionally, RISD’s endowment has a 1.2% indirect exposure to SpaceX, a private company focused on space transportation and exploration, as of 12/31/2023.  

RSJP’s Demands (Wednesday, May 1)

DISCLOSURE: We demand total fiscal transparency of RISD's investment portfolio and endowment to ensure accountability for investments in institutions that profit from the ongoing genocide and occupation of Palestine.

DIVESTMENT: We demand that RISD divest from companies, corporations, and institutions that are implicated in sustaining Israeli Apartheid, the occupation of Palestinian land, or contributing to and profiting off of the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This includes, but is not limited to, (1. The suspension of all funding from the Rayon Foundation Trust; (2. The refusal of any future partnership with Textron, Inc.; and (3. Upon disclosure of the extent of RISD's relationship to Airbnb, Inc., complete severance of the university's ties to the corporation. Alongside full financial divestment, RISD must commit to fully divesting academically. This entails refraining from initiating new partnerships with Israeli universities or study abroad programs in Israel, and discontinuing any existing affiliations. Specifically, it requires the university to cut all ties to Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.

STUDENT OVERSIGHT: We call for the establishment of a student oversight committee for future investments, ensuring meaningful input and approval of financial investments with support from members of the student body, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders. This Committee, in conjunction with administration, will be responsible for determining and overseeing the use of finances taken from the Rayon Foundation Trust.

PRESIDENTIAL CONDEMNATION: We demand that President Crystal Williams publicly condemn the Israeli Occupation's genocide in Gaza as well as the military and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and take a public stance for a permanent ceasefire.

---

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear RISD Community,

Last night, a group of students barricaded themselves on the second floor of 20 Washington Place, an actively used academic space.

Given this, students will not have access to 20 Washington Place until further notice. Classes have been moved to alternate locations. Students will hear from their faculty directly. Any student who needs to pick up their mail should walk to the back of the building, and Mail and Receiving Services will work with you to meet your needs.  

Provost Ghadessi and I spent over five hours last night with student leaders in 20 Washington Place discussing their demands. We are aware that students outside the building are again positioned to continue their protest today.

As of now, faculty and staff continue to have access to the building.

We will write more fully later today.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear RISD Community,

On Wednesday, we received an email from students representing RISD Students for Justice in Palestine (RSJP) that outlines concerns some students and community members have regarding RISD’s investment policy, investments, and stance on the war happening in Gaza.

First, please let me reaffirm my fundamental belief in the dignity of human life. What is happening is a humanitarian crisis, and I know that many people in our campus community continue to wrestle with the repercussions of these horrific events. Our focus continues to be on supporting members of our campus community as we carry out RISD’s educational mission.

Yesterday members of the senior leadership team met with student leaders of RSJP to discuss their concerns, to share information, and to engage in dialogue, which is an important part of the educational process.

One of the primary concerns of RSJP is RISD’s divestment processes and its future investments. About a decade ago, RISD adopted an ESG investment philosophy. ESG stands for “environmental, social, and governance” and is the result of activism from many years ago which sought to separate our investments from companies related to fossil fuels. As a result, our investment portfolio is overwhelmingly aligned with our stated values and the concerns shared with us by RSJP. RISD is simply in a very different investment position than many other institutions nationwide where students are protesting. As we look toward the future, we will continue to abide by the ESG policy.

That said, my senior leadership and I are discussing aspects of the other concerns we’ve heard, which is why it is important that we engage in dialogue. Only through constructive conversation can we come to better understand what motivates concerns, which requests are and are not actionable, and how we can find a feasible and respectful path forward. We will continue to update you on the conversations we have.

In addition to hearing directly from student leaders of RSJP, we have also heard from many other members of the RISD community. Most on this campus are thoughtful and caring. And, certainly all of us come from different lived experiences. Many of these experiences are activated and wellness can be harmed by the language we choose to use. We must recognize the layered and complex histories that inhabit rhetoric. I would ask everyone on this campus to please be mindful of your advocacy as the impact it has may not be your intent.

The senior leadership team has committed to the students with whom we spoke to confer early next week on next steps, and will provide an update to those students and the community soon thereafter.

Finally, as you know from our previous emails, we have consistently affirmed your right to freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and peaceful assembly. Please note that all of RISD’s policies remain intact.

As you move through the world, making informed decisions is essential and I encourage you to be as informed as possible. Above all, I encourage you to be safe and to treat one another with kindness and respect for each other’s dignity.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear Students,

I learned last night that a rally is scheduled today on the RISD Beach. As you know from our previous emails, we have consistently affirmed your right to freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and peaceful assembly. And I again do so now. Perhaps less evident but no less important is that over the past several months, we have worked quietly behind the scenes to assure that these freedoms remain yours to evince as students at Rhode Island School of Design. And we will continue to protect those rights.

We are in a moment of national and international import. Across the country, college campuses are alight with activist activity. But recently, a gestalt and series of actions have emerged on other campuses that are concerning. On many of those campuses, police forces have been called in to quell, disband, or otherwise engage students. We want to avoid what we’ve seen take place elsewhere. There is no moment when I, as your president, want to see police action taken against students who are peacefully protesting. So, I want to speak to the specifics here at RISD and solicit your help. But a little context first.

Because of the nature of our city-based campus and the proximity of our buildings and gathering spaces (e.g., RISD Beach, corner of Washington Place, and S. Main, etc.) to public streets, when there are large demonstrations, Providence Police show up, typically without our invitation. That was the case during last year’s labor strike. And it will be the case today. If you see Providence Police today, be assured that we did not request their presence. If they are present, their aim is to protect the peace.

That said, we have taken proactive steps to ensure a positive result to today’s rally. I have personally contacted Mayor Smiley to express our commitment to your safety and right to demonstrate. Other RISD leaders have also reached out to their counterparts in the Providence Police Department, expressing our desire to prevent the conflicts seen on other campuses from occurring here. Moreover, RISD Public Safety is fully dedicated to protecting our community.

But we need you to do your part. As you gather, please do so peacefully. Please do not impede traffic. The corner of Waterman and Benefit is a busy public intersection, as you know. Please stay on the beach and sidewalk. Further, I feel compelled to remind you to heed the public safety notice that was issued yesterday regarding external actors driving by and shooting soft munitions from pellet guns (a national trend.) Again, because of the public nature of our campus, the possibility of mal intended external entities engaging is always an unfortunate possibility.

Finally, please be aware and review the RISD Code of Student Conduct (which was shared yesterday in an email from Vice President Quirolgico). It’s important that as you move through the world, you are armed not only with ardor for the causes you deem just but also with information that helps you make informed decisions that impact your life now and into the future.

Take good care.

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

RISD graduates emerge into a complex, global, interconnected, transdisciplinary, competitive and costly landscape. It is vital that they have command of their chosen discipline; possess the habits of mind and action that characterize artists, designers and creative leaders of genuinely original and transformative practice; and are prepared to engage the world of work effectively upon graduation. I am pleased to announce a new initiative, Preparedness for Life After RISD, a multifaceted effort based on equity principles focused on further bolstering post-graduation success.

Composed of students, faculty, staff, alums and art and design professionals, this working group is charged with producing a comprehensive report and set of recommendations that envisions a strategic and comprehensive direction for post-graduation success that is sensitive to the differences between vocational and art and design education.

Indeed, good work is already happening across the institution focused on preparing students to lead productive lives as artists, designers and creative leaders. Offices like the RISD Career Center, faculty members who integrate students into a collective network of experienced working artists and designers, academic departments that incorporate post-college preparedness into their courses, visiting artist series, student-led clubs like E-Ship and programs featuring or capitalizing on alums reflect a strong and collective commitment to ensuring post-graduation success.

There are wonderful programs across campus. Integrating them more deeply and systemically across the student experience will further strengthen student outcomes. Further, through robust analysis, discernment and visioning, we have a vital opportunity to also address existing gaps and create a more cohesive and integrated approach to supporting students—one that capitalizes on and deepens existing good work and ambitiously and appropriately augments that work. To achieve this goal, we will be devoting greater focus in the months ahead to ensure that, coupled with the exceptional art and design education they receive, RISD students are also prepared for a successful professional life after RISD—no matter what field(s) or course of action they choose to pursue.

Among the scope of its charge, the working group for Preparedness for Life After RISD will focus on the following:

• Clear definitions of "prepared for life after RISD" and "post-graduation success" that are sensitive to the essential difference between vocational education and art and design education.
• Obtaining and analyzing relevant data (i.e., qualitative and quantitative, including longitudinal) regarding post-graduation success at RISD, among AICAD schools and art and design majors at research universities, etc., taking special care to understand disaggregated demographic data where possible (e.g., gender, race, nationality, first-generation-to-college status, etc.).
• Identifying ways alums might be effectively engaged on a larger, more strategic scale in promoting post-graduation success (e.g., scaling or expanding current programs, sunsetting existing programs to accommodate new ones, creating new technology-based interventions, etc.).
• Gathering information about how industry professionals are engaged across the college and assessing whether different, added or more systematic frameworks are needed.
• Gathering information about successful mentorship programs, including costs, administrative structures, etc., and, if mentorship is a key finding of the analysis, articulating such distinctive qualities at RISD, including staffing, structure, etc., in a mentorship program proposal.
• Suggesting specific ways RISD can create more robust, productive, systemic and strategic networks to benefit post-graduation success, paying particular attention to the global nature of our student body.

We aim to emerge from this project with an overarching and cohesive strategy and, potentially, a centralizing structure predicated on a deeply informed landscape analysis, data and consultations with key stakeholders on and off campus. The resulting exploration and recommendations will be ambitious and worthy of our students.  

I have asked Bill Foulkes, senior critic in Industrial Design, to chair this working group. The members of the group are listed below. Their report and recommendations are due in December 2024.

We realize that their efforts will be complex and involve many on this campus and beyond, including faculty, staff, students, alums, parents and employers. I thank all participants in advance for their time and energy in strengthening our work in this area.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President
 

Working Group for Preparedness for Life After RISD

Chair
Bill Foulkes - senior critic, Industrial Design

Members
Brooks Hagan - professor, Textiles; dean, Fine Arts
Kevin Jankowski - director, RISD Career Center
Bethany Jankunis - vice president of Strategy and Planning
Karma Johnson 26 SC - student
Tony Johnson - associate dean, Student Social Equity & Inclusion
Alex Posen P 27 - artist/entrepreneur
Dallas Pride - executive director, Alumni and Family Relations
Urvi Sharma 17 FD - co-founder, INDO
Antonia Steinberg 22 FD - president, Buck’s Rock Art Camp
Ayako Takase - associate professor & graduate program director, Industrial Design
Ray Quirolgico - vice president, Student Life
Mighty Wanitprapha 24 GD - co-president, E’ship Club

Dear RISD Community,

It is my sad duty to share with you that our student Everett Moore 25 AP passed away off campus today. This is a tragic loss for Everett’s family, friends, peers, and our entire community. We all mourn the loss of such promise.

At this time, plans for celebrating Everett’s life have not been confirmed. We will share information as it becomes available.

As we all process this tragic loss, please support each other and keep Everett and Everett's loved ones in your thoughts.

Below are support resources that are available to our community.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams  she/her
President
President's Office

Support resources

For students: Student Affairs and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff are here to support you. CAPS is available for any student wanting to access mental health support throughout the day, after hours, or on the weekend. Students can be connected with a counselor by calling 401 454-6637 to connect with CAPS during business hours (counseling@risd.edu) or ProtoCall after hours, which offers 24/7 therapeutic support.

For faculty or staff needing personal support: Please contact Coastline EAP, our Employee Assistance provider, for confidential counseling and referral/resource services 24 hours a day at 800 445-1195.

If you are immediately concerned about a RISD community member’s well-being, contact RISD Public Safety at 401 454-6666. To alert RISD professionals (including CAPS and Student Life) of a non-urgent concern, please submit a Concern Assessment Response Evaluation (CARE) referral.

Dear RISD Students,

Last month, the Board of Trustees met for its winter meeting. Continuing with the new, two-day format, the board participated in several opportunities to engage with and hear from RISD students, faculty, staff and alums. Trustees heard a presentation from student health and wellness ambassadors, had lunch with students participating in the Studio for Research in Sound and Technology, and attended a studio walk through via Zoom with an alum who shared about navigating life as a working artist. There was also an informative presentation about the Architecture and Design division and updates from Cabinet members on institutional priorities including fundraising.  

During the board’s winter meeting, financial matters constitute the primary focus of college business on the agenda, including the approval of tuition, fee, room and board rates for the next academic year. As always, we strive to keep RISD’s cost of attendance as low as feasible while simultaneously offering our students the strongest education experience possible. For the 2024–25 academic year, the board approved an increase for tuition, room and board and student fees of 4.9% (see rates below). This rate increase is necessary to meet the rising cost of goods and services and to continue to provide an excellent student experience. At the same time, we remain committed to equity. Therefore, we will also increase the financial aid budget by 11% next year. This allows us to

• continue to increase the number of students on financial aid and
• ensure current students on financial aid are not impacted by increasing their aid awards 4.9%, covering the additional tuition expense.

RISD remains in an enviable position in higher education. We continue to attract strong and large pools of prospective students, have an exceptionally low admissions rate, impact and transform the lives of emerging artists and designers and, as a result, are world renowned.

That said and as Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration David Rosati has shared recently, RISD faces a challenging fiscal situation due to a complex series of historic and contemporary contingencies. From COVID expenses geared toward preserving the most important part of RISD—its people—to adjustments in employee vacancy rates, we are now living through the consequences of these decisions. We remain confident that together—as one RISD—we can and will address these complexities.

Regarding our current fiscal realities: Our work over the past several months to achieve a balanced budget by the end of next fiscal year (June 30, 2025) continues. We began with a projected FY25 operating deficit of $4.9 million (approximately 3% of our overall annual operating budget) and, through collective efforts across our community, including cutting budgets, returning unfilled positions or by vastly diminishing hospitality expenses, we have reduced this deficit to less than $1 million. In doing so, we have continued to uphold the integrity of RISD’s mission and its delivery—and the people who make RISD such an extraordinary educational institution. But there is more work to do. By implementing additional fiscal discipline measures and together with savings, achieving additional revenues generated by small and intentional increases in undergraduate student enrollment over the next few years, expansion of our Continuing Education programs, and increased fundraising, we are assured that our plan to realize RISD’s fiscal sustainability will be achieved.

I remain steadfast in my commitment to RISD’s excellence and to the wellbeing of all who support and deliver it. I am certain that increased conversations and thoughtful problem solving will move us forward effectively, while we keep our purpose as our guiding light—to educate students in the creation and appreciation of works of art and design and to do so with passion and courage.

Sincerely,
Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Rhode Island School of Design Tuition and Fee Schedule
2024–2025 Academic Year
Effective Summer 2024

Full-time comprehensive tuition, fall, wintersession and spring semesters: $61,564

Room and board, fall, wintersession and spring: $16,626

Student activities fee, full-time: $284

Academic and technology fee: $840

Total cost of attendance: $79,314

Dear RISD Community,

I am writing to share an update on our continued work to address this year’s budget deficit and achieve financial sustainability in the near future.

As you may recall from my late August email to campus and our November town hall meeting, we will have a budget deficit this year. We initially forecasted the deficit to be $1.6 million but, thanks to the collective effort of many community members, we have reduced this number to $1.2 million.

We are confronting significant fiscal challenges. While addressing them will not be easy and will require tough decisions, I am confident that we can do it while continuing to provide our students with an exceptional experience. RISD’s place in the world is strong and we know we will uphold excellence for the years ahead.

Our intention is to balance the budget by the end of our next fiscal year on June 30, 2025. Our key next step, which is underway, is to create a multi-year budget model that will rely on robust reporting and data.

Additionally, we are eager for the recommendations of the Financial Optimization Committee and the Budget Priorities Committee to inform the work we will do. The members of these committees, who are listed below, will provide essential input to help move us toward financial sustainability. I thank these community members for their participation in this critical work.

At the end of the month, we will meet with the Board of Trustees. I will be back in touch in March to share the outcomes of those conversations and an update on our work to create a balanced budget by the end of next year.

Sincerely,

David Rosati (he/him)
Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration

Financial Optimization Committee
Alejandro Borsani – associate professor, Experimental and Foundation Studies
Jennifer Bose – deputy director, Museum Finance and Operations
David Carreon Bradley – vice president, Social Equity and Inclusion
John Caserta – dean, Architecture and Design
Sarah Cunningham – vice provost, Strategic Partnerships
Bob DiMuccio – Board of Trustees
Susan Doyle – professor, Illustration
Fabian Fondriest – Board of Trustees
Richard Gann – senior critic, Illustration
Touba Ghadessi – provost
Brooks Hagan – dean, Fine Arts
Brandon Ice – director of operations, Student Affairs
Bethany Jankunis – vice president, Strategy and Planning & senior advisor to the president
Leora Maltz-Leca – professor, Theory and History of Art and Design
Jorge Mejia – director, Auxiliary Business Affairs and Budget
Rick Mickool – chief information officer
David Rosati – senior vice president, Finance and Administration
Jack Silva - vice president, Campus Services
Nicholas Ventola - technical assistant III, Experimental and Foundation Studies
JOFF - associate professor, Apparel Design

Budget Priorities Committee*
John Caserta – dean, Architecture & Design
Janine Connelly – director, Academic Budgets, Planning, and Analysis/Strategy
James Dean – senior academic technologist, Architecture
Ginnie Dunleavy – executive director, Auxiliary Services
Touba Ghadessi – provost
JM Greenberg – finance manager, RISD Museum
Josh Jones – director, Residence Life
Anais Missakian – professor, Textiles
David Rosati – senior vice president, Finance and Administration
Hannah Tardif – assistant vice president, Financial Strategy and Planning
Jerlyn Vidal – director, Business Affairs & Budget
*one more faculty member to be added

Dear Members of the Brown and RISD Communities,

We are writing to address the terrible threats against the Brown-RISD Hillel Weiner Center that our campuses were notified about this morning. Employees there received deeply disturbing antisemitic emails that included threats of violence against them personally and Brown-RISD Hillel.

Our primary concern is for the safety and security of members of the Brown and RISD communities, including the Brown-RISD Hillel community. Threats of violence against anyone on our campuses are completely unacceptable, and we are committed to working with law enforcement to do everything possible to help identify and prosecute the perpetrator(s).

This comes at an especially difficult time of distress on our campuses. Our students, faculty and staff continue to grapple with the deaths of Israelis, Palestinians and others in the wake of the October 7 attacks, as well as a despicable act of violence against a member of the Brown community here in the United States last November, and increases in reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate targeting national origin and identity both nationally and on our campuses.

This is a time to reflect on who we are as educational communities that value human dignity and reject violence, racism, discrimination and intimidation. Our fervent hope is that, in this difficult time, each of us in the Brown and RISD communities renews our commitment to eschew all forms of hatred and work toward mutual understanding.

Our ongoing focus is making sure that members of our communities are protected and feel safe. As shared in campus safety alerts sent earlier today, the departments of public safety for both Brown and RISD continue to work with the Providence Police Department to investigate the source of the threats and ensure the ongoing safety and security of Brown-RISD Hillel. Part of their swift and immediate response was to reach out to federal, state and local law enforcement authorities, and to coordinate with the Rhode Island State Fusion Center, which gathers and shares information about threats between law enforcement agencies.

While we have been assured that, given the nature of the emailed threats, there is no evidence of ongoing concern for personal safety (and operations in the building can continue), robust security plans are in place to ensure the security of the building and the operations that take place there. Safety plans are also in place for the individuals who received the threats.

If at any time you learn about threats to yourself or others, please contact the Providence police, as well as public safety at your respective campus — 401-863-4111 for Brown community members and 401-454-6666 for RISD community members.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President, Brown University

Crystal Williams
President, Rhode Island School of Design

Dear RISD Community,

I am pleased to share that we concluded the search for our new vice president for Institutional Advancement. Amanda Clark MacMullan, currently senior vice president of programs & external affairs at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS), will join our community on February 1.

During the search process, I was struck by Amanda’s fundraising expertise as well as her enthusiasm for our mission. She has strong experience closing six- to eight-figure gifts, and supporting seniormost executive leaders, trustees and deans, as well as curatorial staff at museums. Her emphasis on team building and empowering smart, talented professionals to be proactive and autonomous, alongside her collaborative approach and broad familiarity with higher education and the arts gave community members who interviewed Amanda confidence that she will help RISD build and elevate a culture of philanthropy that strongly supports our advancement goals.

In addition to working to substantially increase philanthropic revenue at the MHS, Amanda oversees a broad portfolio that includes communications, education, research, programs and exhibitions. Prior to her work at the MHS, Amanda served as chief philanthropy officer for the Peabody Essex Museum where she completed a $650 million campaign, grew the value of the museum’s endowment and was responsible for securing some of the largest gifts to the institution. Before her tenure at the Peabody Essex Museum, Amanda worked with a number of institutions as a fundraiser and philanthropic strategist, including as chief development officer for New Profit, director of major and leadership gifts for Boston University, philanthropic advisor and regional director for Massachusetts Institute of Technology and associate director of major gifts for Harvard Law School.

I would like to thank the many members of our community who participated in this search process. In addition, I would like to extend my gratitude to Bethany Jankunis, vice president and senior advisor to the president and Penelepe Hunt, senior consultant & principal leader, higher education practice at Marts&Lundy for their leadership in the interim.

I look forward to supporting Amanda’s vision as she takes on this leadership role with the Institutional Advancement team. I am confident she will continue to amplify RISD’s role in preparing the next generation of artists, designers and thinkers to make an impact on the world.

Please join me in welcoming Amanda to the RISD community!

Sincerely,
Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear Colleagues,

As we approach the end of the semester, we write on behalf of the Financial Optimization committee to provide an update on the committee’s work to-date and path forward. The committee, which launched September 20th and will conclude its work in December 2024, is charged with: (1) reviewing RISD’s existing budget model; (2) identifying and quantifying complex and inefficient practices and structures; and (3) proposing pathways to greater revenue diversification, then making a set of recommendations that address these findings. The committee has met bi-weekly to develop a base-level understanding of the School’s finances and processes, and focused largely on the second item, which constitutes the committee’s central charge. (You can read more about the charge and membership of the committee here). We detail our approach to this second charge below.

Data collection. In order to most widely gather feedback, we circulated a form through which all faculty and staff could share their ideas and perspectives. We received 168 responses. In addition, we met individually with Division Deans and Department Heads to solicit their thoughts and observations and are planning additional individual and small group meetings with administrative leaders, staff and faculty. Presentations to the committee by senior staff have deepened the committee’s understanding of the School’s current and projected budget, as well as enrollment strategy, space usage and physical plant issues.

Preliminary analysis. We carefully reviewed all feedback received by the committee and categorized them into thematic areas. We then considered whether each item represented a “complex and inefficient practice or structure” and whether that practice or structure appears to result in sizable cost inefficiencies (defined as $500k+). The committee also preliminarily considered the ways in which shifts in operations might provide opportunities to decrease the time and effort of faculty, staff and students and improve students’ academic or wellness outcomes.

Next steps. The committee developed two paths for handling the main thematic items raised to-date:

Conduct preliminary analysis: Items that appear to reflect an inefficient practice or structure, resulting in potentially sizable cost inefficiencies, will undergo preliminary analysis. Over the next two months, with financial and other data that will be provided by RISD’s leadership team, the committee will conduct a high-level analysis of these topics. From this work, the committee will discern which items merit deeper exploration, including community discussions of the non-financial benefits and challenges of existing practices and structures. The items for preliminary analysis are:

Programmatic Areas

• Inefficient space and academic resource usage (which are impacted by a broad range of current practices including differences in course scheduling grids and duplication of academic equipment and shops)
• Consequences of, and challenges presented by, the current major declarations process

Operational Areas

• Obvious and indirect costs related to the size and turnover of staff
• Usage of external contractors, consultants and vendors
• Cost and frequency of space renovations

Refer for consideration and response: There are a number of thematic areas that did not meet the guidelines, but which the committee determined still merit consideration. These items will be referred to the RISD leadership team for consultation with academic leadership where applicable, then timely response to the committee. These items include:

Institutional Culture and Strategy

• Increase budget transparency through more information and presentations regarding the budget process, revenues and areas of spending
• Increase consistency in current spending policies and tighten oversight
• Better incentivize savings to curtail unnecessary end-of-year spending
• Enhance analysis and planning to improve decision-making institution-wide
• Develop a process for periodically reviewing programming and initiatives, exploring their efficacy and current need to assess whether we should keep, expand/shift or sunset each
• Explore coordination and collaboration across events for financial efficiency and to maximize audience and impact
   

Environmental Footprint and Efficiencies

• Increase the use of clean energy on campus
• Take additional action to decrease waste (paper, food) and increase re-use (furniture, materials)
   

While the committee will begin work in the above areas, we may shift to additional areas of inquiry as our work continues. We are grateful to those who have been part of this process to-date and hope to deepen engagement with all during the spring semester. If you have questions or thoughts to share, please do so via strategy@risd.edu.

Sincerely,

Susan Doyle and Bethany Jankunis
Financial Optimization Co-Chairs

Dear Community,
 
It is with deep and sincere regret that I write to inform you of an upcoming leadership transition. Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Kerci Marcello Stroud will be departing RISD this spring to join a strategic communications firm that specializes in building the brands of educational institutions and other nonprofits. Kerci will start part-time with the firm in February while continuing to lead her team at RISD, and then begin full-time there in April.

When faced with Kerci’s news, my unfiltered and immediate reaction was a dismayed exclamation. In my short tenure at RISD, Kerci has quickly become a highly-valued colleague and advisor, someone whose strategic thinking, positivity, commitment to collegiality and mentorship of her team and others, and extraordinary efficiency and effectiveness are truly exceptional. It has been my great honor to have worked with her over the last year and a half. The institution and the senior team have benefited from her presence at RISD. Her departure is an enormous loss to RISD but a gain for the wider education and non-profit industry, where she will be able to apply her ample and varied skills broadly and in deep service to the principles that guide her. Kerci’s excitement as she explained the opportunity to me was palpable, and so we can only wish her the greatest success and happiness as she embarks on a new professional adventure.  

Kerci’s accomplishments during her time at RISD, which are too numerous to list in full, have significantly advanced our communications and marketing outcomes. Since arriving here in 2013, she has led an outstanding team that is charged with articulating, stewarding and promoting RISD’s brand. The team's most recent achievements include creating our first-ever and award-winning brand identity and launching our new digital experience platform and, ongoing throughout Kerci’s tenure, advancing RISD’s reputation around the globe. Kerci has planned and led countless announcements, including my selection as president; overseen emergency communications, including during COVID when she also served as President Somerson’s interim chief of staff; and created the RISD Communicators Network, which connects 75+ colleagues across campus. In addition, Kerci has served as a communications adviser and trusted sounding board to colleagues across campus. 
 
I will be working with Kerci in the coming months on a transition plan and I will keep you informed as we put that in place. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Kerci for her dedicated service to our community. 
 
Sincerely,

Crystal Williams
she/her

Dear RISD Community,

RISD’s Board of Trustees convenes three times per year to help advance the institution’s mission, set policies and provide organizational insight. In the spirit of transparency and to keep you informed about RISD’s challenges and opportunities, going forward I will be sharing a summary of each board meeting.

In early October, we held the first Board of Trustees meeting for the academic year. In addition to conducting routine board business, such as making committee assignments and approving audited financial statements from the past year, the board introduced a new meeting format. Trustees will now meet for two full days on the same thrice-yearly schedule of October, February and May/June. The first day is focused on the business of the college, while day two provides trustees time to learn in more detail about what is happening on campus, and employ generative thinking to reflect on our mission and inform future strategies. This is a shift from the most recent model of meeting for a long, one-day session.

The October meeting included several opportunities for trustees to engage with and hear from RISD students, faculty, staff and alumni. In one session, two alums shared how their RISD education has influenced their current work and trajectory as global makers and artists. They also shared insight about some of the things they wish they had known about life after RISD before diving into it. We also had a wonderful presentation about the RISD First-Generation to College Pre-Orientation Program, as well as informative sessions about the Fine Arts division and the Movement Lab. A highlight for trustees was welcoming a group of Resident Assistants for lunch to talk about their experiences on campus and learn more about their perspectives on residence life.

We are fortunate to have such talented, generous and dedicated trustees. Given the dynamic environment and the realities we face related to culture, climate and finance, I look forward to continuing to partner with them, and you, to accomplish the goals and outcomes that will ensure RISD is an institution that supports artists, designers and thinkers in making lasting contributions to our global society.

Our next board meeting will take place in February and will coincide with the opening of the RISD Museum's exhibition Nancy Elizabeth Prophet: I Will Not Bend an Inch.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear RISD community,

As the tragic loss of Palestinian and Israeli lives increases, many in our campus community continue to wrestle with the repercussions of these horrific events. I understand how devastating this moment is and that we must come together to navigate its complexities. As I shared with you in my message earlier this month, I believe our primary obligation is to exhibit compassion for all of those grieving and offer gentleness as respite and salve. These practices require active and thoughtful actions that are rooted in a fundamental belief in and assertion for the dignity of human life. Our focus, therefore, is on supporting members of our campus community as we carry out RISD's educational mission.

To help with this, we have already augmented our campus resources, including expanding capacity in CAPS, and I encourage you to use all of the resources on campus as frequently as you need. We have also developed new resources, such as a workshop for faculty on negotiating challenging geopolitical moments in the classroom, hosted last week by our Teaching & Learning Lab. Additionally, we have been significantly engaged in deep, difficult and human-centered conversations within and across all of our constituencies: students, staff, faculty, parents and alumni. And yet, we continue to strive to do more; please see below for additional resources, actions and programming we are offering during this difficult time.

Reflection Rooms
Location: Homer Hall, Room 358 & 15 West, Room 238
Daily, 6 am–midnight

The Reflection Rooms are available to all RISD students, faculty and staff so that they may have a quiet space on campus for prayer, meditation or reflection. These rooms are open every day from 6 am–midnight, and they have been designed to instill a sense of calmness in the visitor. Additional information can be found here or contact ise@risd.edu 

Learning Opportunities via Brown's Watson Institute

Brown University has generously offered the opportunity for RISD students to attend the Watson Institute’s series of events addressing the current situation in Israel and Gaza. Please note that registration is required and limited; you can RSVP using the RISD-specific registration link included for each event. This evening’s event is sold out so registration is not available. 

Difficult Conversations Guide

RISD’s Intercultural Student Engagement and Student Affairs offices developed a guide that provides direction on how to have difficult conversations. We encourage you to use these guidelines as you engage with other members of the RISD community and to keep in mind RISD’s Code of Student Conduct, Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy and Respect in the Workplace Policy.

Drop-In Office Hours

Several administrative staff members are making the following times available over the next two weeks for drop-in office hours for RISD community members who would like to come and share what they are thinking, feeling and carrying right now. Additional hours will be shared with students as schedules are finalized.

Provost Touba Ghadessi
20 Washington Place, Room 406
Friday, Nov 3, 4–5 pm
Monday, Nov 6, 12–1 pm
Tuesday, Nov 7, 12–1 pm
Thursday, Nov 16, 8:15–9:15 am
Friday, Nov 17, 2:30–3:30 pm

Vice President for Social Equity & Inclusion David T. Carreon Bradley
20 Washington Place, Room 343
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2–3 pm
Friday, Nov 10, 1–3 pm
Monday, Nov 13, 11 am–12:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov 15, 9:30–10:30 am

Associate Dean of Students Sara Rothenberger
Carr House, Room 301
Wednesday, Nov 1, 4:30–6 pm
Monday, Nov 6, 12–1 pm
Wednesday, Nov 8, 4:30–5:30 pm
Tuesday, Nov 14, 11:30 am–12:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov 15, 4:30–6 pm
Friday, Nov 17, 11 am–12:30 pm

Director of Intercultural Student Engagement Richard Song
Ewing Multicultural Center, Room 109
Monday, Nov 6, 11 am–1 pm
Tuesday, Nov 7, 11 am–1 pm
Thursday, Nov 9, 8:30–11 am
Monday, Nov 13, 10 am–12 pm
Tuesday, Nov 14, 1–3 pm

Beyond these resources, I remain committed to working to ensure that educational systems and structures are in place at RISD to support all members of our community. As new conflicts and tragedies emerge, we will maintain spaces for learning and exchange, processing grief, social connection and fellowship.  

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear colleagues,

Thank you for the many thoughtful responses submitted to the Financial Optimization committee's request for input, detailed below. We hope that those who have not had a chance to share their ideas and perspectives via this one-question form, will do so by 4 pm this Friday, when we will close the input form.

With gratitude,
Susan Doyle
Bethany Jankunis

--
Faculty and Staff colleagues,

The Financial Optimization committee has begun its work, which is focused in three areas: (1) assessing risks to, and sustainability of, RISD’s current business organizational and functional model; (2) identifying ways of operating that appear to be inefficient or represent a poor use of limited funds; and (3) exploring pathways to greater revenue diversification.

In order to inform the committee's work on item 2, we are inviting faculty and staff to recommend topics, areas or opportunities the committee might explore. Submissions may be made through a simple submission form via the link below through November 3.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

Submissions are collected anonymously and all are welcome to make multiple submissions. The committee will use these submissions, along with other information and input, to shape a menu of potential focus areas. Later this semester, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to register their opinion about the prioritization of these areas to inform the committee's recommendations.

For more information about the Financial Optimization Initiative and the committee's work, visit the initiative's webpage.
 

Sincerely,

Susan Doyle, Professor of Illustration
Bethany Jankunis, Vice President of Strategy and Planning
Financial Optimization Co-Chairs

Dear RISD Community,

Last year, when I arrived at RISD, I was very intentional about learning what is important to you. I listened, observed and asked you questions to determine what I and senior leaders could do to make RISD a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Some of you shared how policies, systems and structures could support students in their learning and life at the college better, resulting in the Holistic Student Wellness Initiative. Others told me that we could find ways to use our limited financial resources more effectively, prompting the Financial Optimization Initiative.

Because I am a firm believer in the value of gathering data, both qualitative and quantitative, to inform strategy and action, we launched the Community and Culture Assessment. Small group conversations last spring helped us shape the Community and Culture Survey, which allows you to share your personal experiences, adding richness to the stories I’ve heard and information I have received informally and in passing.

The survey is open until Sunday, and I hope you will take the time to complete it. I understand that some of you may feel skeptical about the impact this assessment will have on RISD culture, but I hope the actions we have taken so far demonstrate a commitment to addressing our challenges, even when it is uncomfortable or difficult.

I am eager for us to co-create a culture at RISD of which we all are all proud to be a part.

Please take the survey by October 29 so that we can determine our next steps toward a thriving RISD together.

Sincerely,  Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

On behalf of the Community & Culture Assessment Working Group, we thank you for hosting our info presentations, interacting with our snack promotional tables and helping spread the word about this initiative. Likewise, thank you to those who have completed the Community & Culture survey.

Our survey completion rates as of October 13 are:

• Students: 7.2%
• Full-time faculty: 28.7%
• Part-time faculty: 7.3%
• Staff: 55.4%

At the request of and in partnership with RISD undergraduate student leadership, we are delighted to extend the survey for one additional week; it will be open until midnight on Sunday, October 29.
For the survey results to most accurately reflect our collective experiences and opinions, we continue to encourage everyone in the community to participate. Offering your perspective is critical to RISD’s ability to make meaningful change, and to know what is going well and should continue to be supported. We hope to hear from everyone and get your feedback on the issues you care about most.  
We realize how busy everyone is but we ask you, if you haven’t already, to find 20-30 minutes to make your voice heard.  And please encourage others to do the same.   
This moment holds a valuable window to make every voice count. For more information about this initiative, please visit risd.edu.

Thank you,
Tony Johnson and Jennifer Roberts, Co-chairs

Community & Culture Assessment Working Group

Tila Adams -  Director, RISD Store
David T. Carreon Bradley -  Vice President for Social Equity & Inclusion
Becky Ebeling - Special Assistant to the President
Touba Ghadessi -  Provost
Brandon Ice -  Director of Operations, Student Affairs
Bethany Jankunis -  Vice President, Strategy & Planning and Senior Advisor to the President
Tony Johnson - Associate Dean for Student Social Equity & Inclusion
Deborah Levans -  Director, Counseling & Psychological Services
Alicia Luzón - Social Equity & Inclusion Partner, Human Resources
Kerci Marcello Stroud -  Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Jeremy Radtke -  Director of Digital Initiatives, RISD Museum
Jennifer Roberts - Executive Director, Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness
Sylvia Rodriguez MAT 24 -  Graduate Student
Dinh Truong BArch 24 - Undergraduate Student

Dear Community,

In the world I want to live in, no child mourns the murder of their parent, no beloved is kidnapped and presumed dead, no persons or people are attacked for their race, religion, culture, or belief system, and no terror is wrought upon an entire people. The events in Israel and Gaza are horrific. More than two thousand human beings have died. The magnitude and scale of the violence is immeasurable. Our grief is immeasurable. And what is within our control may seem minute in the larger, global context.
 
But it is precisely what is within our control that we must especially tend. As members of a global community, our ability and obligation to exhibit respect for human dignity, compassion for those grieving, and gentleness offered as respite and salve can and should be a distinguishing factor of our campus.
 
In the world I want to live in, no individual at RISD feels silenced or otherwise diminished, no RISD student stands fearful and alone. And you are not. I implore members of this community to actively uphold the tenets of our campus, among which are to decry antisemitism, to condemn violence, to eschew injustices, to work towards social equity and inclusion, to support each other in so doing. The events in the world require these actions of us more now than ever.
 
Students, I am especially concerned about your levels of stress and distress, and for your emotional health and safety. To that end, I encourage you to seek the support services we have standing by. In addition to finding solace among the multiple communities here at RISD, at Brown, and in Providence, please use the resources on campus as frequently as you need. Please note:
 
    •    Through Counseling and Psychological Services, you can access mental health support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To schedule an appointment, call 401-454-6637.
 
    •    If you are concerned about a RISD peer’s well-being, contact RISD Public Safety at 401-454-6666 if the emergency is urgent or submit a Concern Assessment Response Evaluation (CARE) referral, and a member of the CARE network will reach out to offer support.
 
Faculty and staff, as with students, I encourage you to use the resources available to you, including finding succor among local community gatherings and seeking counseling referrals. Please contact Coastline EAP at 800 445-1195 or visit coastlineeap.com to pursue the latter.
 
In grief and with hope for peace,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear Community,

Upon Tsugumi Maki assuming the role of director of the RISD Museum on Tuesday, October 10, Dr. Sarah Ganz Blythe will return to her role as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs. Sarah has served as interim Museum Director since January 1, 2021. 
 
Under her exceptional leadership, the museum has thrived, implemented numerous improvements, presented more than 29 special exhibitions and completed extensive gallery renovations, including the re-presentation of the Modern and Contemporary collection: Art and Design from 1900 to Now.
 
Moreover, advancing the institution’s SEI goals, Sarah oversaw the museum’s acquisitions of important works for the collection by: Emma Amos, Katsushika Hokusai, Kang Seung Lee, Courtney Leonard, Yoonmi Nam, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Rose B. Simpson and Gee’s Bend quilters Ruth Pettway Mosley and Sally Bennett Jones. In addition to major video installations by Sky Hopinka and Arthur Jafa, the museum also acquired significant works on paper by Georgette de Montenay, Mari Katayama, Cara Romero, Michelle Stuart, Dorothea Tanning and Pavel Tchelitchew; decorative art by Paul Briggs, Sharon Church and Aaron Decker; and costume and textiles works by Beau McCall and Elizabeth Talford Scott, among others. 
 
Further, Sarah stewarded the return of the Benin Head of a King (Oba) in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution and the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). 
 
Sarah’s exceptional stewardship of the RISD Museum during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the transition to online programming and, later, to our ability to deftly pivot back to a phased return to in-person programs and events.
 
Her vision, exceptional leadership, collegiality and dedication have prepared the RISD Museum for a seamless transition to our new director. Please join me again in thanking Sarah for her outstanding service and leadership at the museum.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Faculty and Staff colleagues,

The Financial Optimization committee has begun its work, which is focused in three areas: (1) assessing risks to, and sustainability of, RISD’s current business organizational and functional model; (2) identifying ways of operating that appear to be inefficient or represent a poor use of limited funds; and (3) exploring pathways to greater revenue diversification.

In order to inform the committee's work on item 2, we are inviting faculty and staff to recommend topics, areas or opportunities the committee might explore. Submissions may be made through a simple submission form via the link below through November 3.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

Submissions are collected anonymously and all are welcome to make multiple submissions. The committee will use these submissions, along with other information and input, to shape a menu of potential focus areas. Later this semester, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to register their opinion about the prioritization of these areas to inform the committee's recommendations.

For more information about the Financial Optimization Initiative and the committee's work, visit the initiative's webpage.
 

Sincerely,

Susan Doyle, Professor of Illustration
Bethany Jankunis, Vice President of Strategy and Planning
Financial Optimization Co-Chairs

Dear Community,

In June I informed you that Vice President for Institutional Advancement O’Neil Outar would be leaving RISD to pursue new opportunities. Today I am pleased to share that he has been appointed executive vice president of advancement for the Greater Boston Food Bank, where he will oversee communications, fundraising, government relations and marketing. O’Neil’s last day at RISD will now be November 1 so that he can step into this exciting new role.

Upon O'Neil's departure and until we hire a new vice president, Penelepe Hunt, leader of the higher education practice at Marts&Lundy, an agency that helps mission-driven organizations develop philanthropic strategies, and Bethany Jankunis, our vice president of strategy & planning and senior advisor to the president, will provide oversight and partnership to the unit. Penelepe, who has more than three decades of fundraising experience, will lead on fundraising strategy development and execution, and Bethany, who has provided interim leadership to IA teams at previous institutions, will focus on operations, administration and internal relations. We are lucky to have these two exceptional leaders stepping in to ensure a smooth transition.

We have retained Isaacson, Miller to conduct a national search for our next IA vice president. The position is now posted and the firm is sourcing candidates.

On Tuesday, October 17 at 3:30 pm we will hold a gathering to celebrate O’Neil and wish him well. Please be on the lookout for the invitation. I hope to see you there.

In the meantime, please join me in congratulating O’Neil on his new role and thanking him for his dedicated and highly impactful service to RISD.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams
President
she/her

Dear RISD Community,


I am pleased to announce that RISD has joined the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Design Lab to embolden student and alum-led, high-impact solutions to the climate crisis.

His Majesty King Charles III, in his former role as the Prince of Wales, and Sir Jony Ive HD 09 launched the Terra Carta Design Lab in 2021, in partnership with the Royal College of Art. This year’s Design Lab has expanded its search to partner with four design schools from across the world, including the Royal College of Art. RISD joins as the first and only US school to participate in this endeavor, along with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (UAE) and the National Institute of Design (India).

The Sustainable Markets Initiative is inviting students and recent alums (who graduated in the last five years) from these four schools to address the damage being done to the planet and create breakthrough solutions for “Nature, People, and Planet,” inspired by a guiding mandate, epitomized in its charter, the Terra Carta.

In the press release announcing the 2023 initiative, President Williams noted: “We are pleased to join The Sustainable Markets Initiative for its second Terra Carta Design Lab. Art and design are essential to realizing a sustainable future. This global effort is an incredible opportunity for RISD students and alumni to apply the question-based inquiry approach they learn at RISD. This is also an important opportunity to help elevate and include voices and people who have been historically underrepresented in conversations about sustainability and the climate crisis. Including a range of perspectives and experiences—particularly from those most immediately affected by these challenges—catalyzes new insights, new discoveries, and new solutions that benefit us all. I look forward to seeing the results from the RISD community and our global counterparts.”

I share President Williams’ enthusiasm and I look forward to learning from RISD students and recent alums’ engagement with this call. In particular, I am eager to see how they will center their answers and their solutions on the amplification of silenced histories and the mending of global inequities.

To this end, RISD will seek proposals that represent and uplift narratives from typically marginalized populations, especially as they devise how practices of art and design can and will confront climate change.


RISD Strategic Partnerships is supporting this effort. In mid-October, they will share details about application guidelines, eligibility, and deadlines, as well as the incredible opportunities this endeavor holds for students and alums.

We look forward to receiving the outstanding proposals you will conceive.

Take care,

Touba Ghadessi

Dear Community,

I am pleased to announce that we have completed the search for RISD’s vice president of student life and engagement. Ray Quirolgico, EdD, currently ArtCenter College of Design’s associate provost for student affairs and dean of students, will join our community on November 1. In this newly created role, Ray will oversee our Student Affairs division and be charged with leading a vibrant student life program.

With this role established, Student Affairs now reports to Provost Touba Ghadessi, and the Registrar’s Office reports to Vice President of Enrollment Management Jamie O’Hara. This change in reporting structures, which went into effect on September 1, intends to provide a more holistic approach to our students’ learning experience, ensuring that their personal well-being and academic career inform each other effectively.

It became immediately clear throughout the interview process that Ray’s leadership is grounded in a student-centered approach that makes his decision making process both collaborative and proactive. His vast knowledge of the current higher education landscape will bring additional perspective to RISD, and I am delighted to witness how he will encourage an ethic of care to address the layered complexities that define our students’ varied experiences.

Ray has served as the associate provost for student affairs and dean of students at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA since 2014 and previously held administrative roles at seven other US colleges and universities. He has experience in student housing and residence life, multicultural affairs, community service and civic engagement, orientation programs, student judicial affairs and campus health. He is responsible for supporting the co-curricular life of the institution by overseeing the college’s student affairs functions in the Center for the Student Experience, which includes such responsibilities as overseeing student conduct, services for students with disabilities, student health insurance, international student services, mental health counseling, student clubs and campus activities, new student orientation and student government.
 
In addition to his work with ArtCenter, Ray has held adjunct faculty appointments at four universities, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, organizational development, research methods, education, student development theory and applied ethics. He has presented his work at over 50 national and international conferences and published in multiple academic journals. Ray earned undergraduate degrees in biology and psychology from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs administration from the University of Vermont and an EdD in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco.

Until Ray’s arrival on November 1, we are lucky to have strong leaders in place to oversee our Student Affairs division. Dave Milstone, our current interim associate vice president of student affairs, will be with us through the end of the month. I would like to extend my deep appreciation to Dave for his dedicated leadership over this past year. From October 1 until October 31, Sara Rothenberger, our associate dean of students, will lead the division, and I thank her for stepping into this important role. I would also like to thank the below listed search committee members and members of our community who participated in interviews during our search.

Please join me in welcoming Ray to RISD!

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Search Committee Members

Touba Ghadessi – Co-Chair; Provost
James O’Hara – Co-Chair; Vice President, Enrollment Management
David T. Carreon Bradley – Vice President, Social Equity and Inclusion
John Caserta – Dean, Architecture & Design
Brandon Ice – Director of Operations, Student Affairs
Bethany Jankunis – Vice President, Strategy and Planning and Senior Advisor to the President
Linda Muller – Senior Academic Specialist, Ceramics, Glass and Jewelry + Metalsmithing
Suzanne Scanlan – Assistant Professor, Theory and History of Art and Design
Joanne Stryker – Dean of Experimental and Foundation Studies
Nelly Torres – Office Assistant, Student Affairs

Dear RISD community member,

Last winter we launched our campus-wide climate assessment to enable us to assess how all members of our community experience the current campus climate. Today we are launching the most critical input into this initiative: the Community and Culture survey.  

Through this 20-30 minute survey, you can help us assess what aspects of living, working and learning at RISD are going well and the areas in which we can improve. Consider this a chance to share your personal experiences and observations, and to offer suggestions for meaningful changes that can make RISD a place where everyone can thrive. In addition, after you complete the survey, you will have an opportunity to enter to win over 70 prizes, including gift cards, RISD Bucks, and experiences like a movie night at Providence Place for you and friends or a one-hour video chat with noted RISD alumni trustees, including Ilene Chaiken, Joe Gebbia, David Lee and Nicole Miller, among other incentives.

Please know that your survey responses will remain confidential, and the results will be reported in group form only. You will not be identifiable as an individual, and your participation in this project is voluntary. More information about this research, which has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board, an administrative committee that provides ethical and regulatory oversight of research that involves human subjects and protects the rights, safety and welfare of the people involved in such projects, is available on risd.edu.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this vital project.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear Community,

RISD’s 146th academic year is upon us, and I am excited to welcome the class of 2027, our returning community members, and RISD’s new staff, faculty, and senior leaders to our community!

Over the past few weeks, campus has been a cacophony of back-to-school activity—Resident Assistants zipping around campus preparing for returning students, residence hall move-ins, studio set-ups, supply shopping, Providence exploring—and hopefully some friend-making, too. It is exciting to witness the joy, passion and enthusiasm displayed by RISD students, staff and faculty as we prepare for classes and studios to begin.

Our community members hail from 60 countries across the globe and represent an extraordinary range of diversity of identities, backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. As I’ve said before, I believe that our differences stimulate deeper and more complex thinking, learning, and creativity. Embracing our differences and willingly engaging each other with grace and empathy—even when it is difficult or uncomfortable—supports our ongoing work of building the kind of institution of which we are proud to be a part. Through our collective efforts, I hope we can begin to manifest a reality where RISD is a place where all of us feel we have the opportunity to thrive.

Toward that end, I look forward to making progress this semester on several key community and culture initiatives:

• The Community and Culture Survey will launch later this month. I hope you will candidly share your experiences and suggestions to improve our campus culture.
• The Holistic Student Wellness Initiative will commence in earnest as we nominate two student leaders to serve on the committee. This work will center RISD’s students’ whole-person experience and make recommendations to ensure that our work and institution is optimally designed and focused on ensuring that all students can thrive.  
• The Financial Optimization Initiative will continue identifying inefficiencies and opportunities to strengthen our institution’s long-term sustainability by making recommendations for maximizing our limited resources.

To stay informed of these initiatives and other campus news and updates, I encourage you to read monthly newsletters from my office (News & Notes) and others. Stay connected by following our social media channels (such as @risd1877 on Instagram) and my Instagram, where I have a lot of fun sharing some of my adventures around campus and out in the world, especially when I’m meeting and visiting with RISD alumni, parents, and friends!

I wish you a joy-filled and purposeful start to the year. I look forward to running into you around campus.

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Dear students, faculty and staff,

I am pleased to update you today on plans RISD and other area colleges and universities have been making with Mayor Brett Smiley for how we will continue to support the City of Providence in the years ahead.

In 2003 RISD, Brown University, Johnson & Wales University and Providence College created a 20-year agreement to collectively support the city through voluntary payments in addition to many other financial and in-kind ways our institutions contribute to Providence. To learn about RISD’s specific contributions, please see our 2022 economic impact fact sheet.

With the 2003 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) expiring this year, we have worked collaboratively with the Mayor’s Office and our neighboring institutions of higher education to create a new 20-year agreement that includes voluntary financial payments and other contributions to the city. This proposal will be introduced at the Providence City Council’s meeting this week, and we are hopeful that it will be quickly approved.

In the proposed agreement, RISD will make annual payments to the city, which start at $600,000 in FY24 and increase by a small percentage (which is in the process of being determined) over the course of the agreement. While our 2003 agreement directed our contributions to a general fund, the payments in our new agreement go to five specific areas that we feel are important priorities to support:

• Pre-K–12 education
• Equity, diversity and inclusion
• Community safety and well-being
• Promotion of the city of Providence as a safe, vibrant and inviting place to live, work and learn
• Climate change and resiliency and adaptation infrastructure and policy

Our annual payments in this new MOU are an increase from our 2003 MOU. Given RISD’s current financial challenges, this is not an easy commitment for us to make, but we believe it is the right thing to do to support Providence. We have accounted for it in our current budget projection, which I outlined in my email last week.

The MOU also recognizes the broad range of ways RISD has contributed and will continue to contribute to Providence in addition to annual payments. This includes, for example, paying taxes on RISD properties we lease to other tenants, generating jobs as one of Providence’s top 20 employers, attracting residents and visitors to Providence who contribute to the local economy, maintaining the city-owned riverwalk area at RISD’s expense, providing Public Safety detail during select city event, hosting thousands of K-12 students at the RISD Museum for free education programs and providing art education and mentoring for hundreds of Providence teens through Project Open Door.

As a place-based institution, we believe these are important commitments for RISD to make. RISD and its many faculty, staff, students and alumni who live in Providence help foster the city’s creative ecosystem and anchor the local economy, playing a critical role in the city’s continued growth, success and financial sustainability. When Providence thrives, we all do.

Sincerely, 
David Rosati (he/ him)  Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration

Dear RISD Community,

It has been a pleasure learning about RISD and meeting many of you since I joined the institution in May. I’m looking forward to more opportunities to do so as the academic year gets underway.

Today, as a follow-up to President Williams’ June 20 campus communication that in part addressed our forecasted budget deficit, I am writing to provide additional information regarding the FY24 budget, which began on July 1.

As President Williams shared in June, we have a smaller enrollment this year than last (due largely—but not solely—to the end of the COVID-related enrollment spike and not hitting our graduate and transfer student enrollment goals). In addition, we are a tuition-dependent school facing the same inflationary pressures as other institutions. Due to the combination of these factors, we are currently projecting an operating deficit of approximately $1.6 million for FY24. This is an improvement from the original deficit projection of $3.9 million and was primarily achieved through the discretionary budget cuts outlined in President Williams' February 28 communication. While we have made significant progress in reducing the deficit, we will need to continue working to address it.

I will be back in touch with more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, I will continue to work closely with campus leaders to identify additional ways to reduce our operating costs while retaining RISD’s uniqueness and continuing to provide an exceptional education.

One of the pathways towards better fiscal health is consultation and education. So, in the coming months we will be asking colleagues who hold expertise in various areas of our institution’s operations to participate in discussions and provide input on our efforts. In addition, throughout the year ahead I plan to meet with various groups to communicate about our budget process and provide opportunities for discussion. I am looking forward to connecting with as many members of our community as I can, and I hope you will share your ideas and feedback with me.

Looking ahead at how we strengthen our long-term financial sustainability, this year our Financial Optimization Initiative will examine how we can best maximize our limited resources, decrease expenses and identify ways to increase revenues in support of our mission. As always, our focus remains on providing an exceptional experience for our students while keeping tuition rates as low as possible and increasing financial aid as much as possible.

Thank you for your help as we collectively continue to address our financial realities. I wish you a wonderful start to the semester.

Sincerely,


David Rosati (he/him)


Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration

Dear RISD Community,  

Across the institution, we are working to create a living, learning and working environment that supports the success of everyone at RISD. Feedback from members of the community is an integral part of this work. Recently, we had two important opportunities to receive this feedback through recommendations made by the Community Advisory Group and by the focus groups convened through the Community & Culture Assessment Initiative. We have carefully reviewed these recommendations to identify common themes and ways that we can take immediate action to be responsive to this feedback. The themes we heard from these groups included:  

• Find ways to alleviate the pressure on students and make RISD easier for students to navigate and find support.
• Increase understanding of the resources offered to members of our community.
• Organize town halls and other opportunities for the community to be in dialogue with one another and provide feedback, along with multi-constituent social events to bring together our full community.
• Continue with an evolution of the Community Advisory Group or other group structure for bringing together students, faculty and staff to recommend ways to strengthen our campus community.

We have recently launched or are in the process of initiating several concrete actions that address the above themes:

• Student Hub: launched this week, this new digital destination helps RISD students find what they need to succeed and thrive at RISD, including key information and pathways to essential transactions, and houses digital “front desks” for many student-facing campus services.
• Holistic Student Wellness Initiative: starting in September, a committee of students, faculty and staff will lead a comprehensive examination of student wellness, including the degree to which the living, learning and working environments we provide for students are consistent with our stated values concerning their physical, emotional and mental well-being.
• Onboarding Pilot Initiative: Human Resources and Social Equity & Inclusion are currently partnering to pilot a new onboarding and orientation program for all RISD employees, which will focus on building an inclusive community, engaging with the institution and accessing RISD resources and support services.
• We will create additional opportunities for the campus community to learn more about the institution, voice concerns and participate in dialogues; town halls are currently scheduled for November 14, 2023 and April 9, 2024.
• We will host more multi-constituency social events focused on building community, such as the RISD Summer Gathering held last week for staff, faculty and families at Tillinghast Place.
• We will launch a new group comprised of faculty, staff and student representatives from existing campus groups to gather, assess and follow through on community-building recommendations.

Building the community we desire will take time and dedication. To help with this, we will also continue to review feedback and recommendations to determine additional ways that we can be responsive to the needs of the campus community. Additionally, we will launch the RISD Community & Culture Assessment survey on September 19, which will provide a critical opportunity for everyone in the RISD campus community to share feedback on our living, learning and working environment. We hope that you will lend your voice to this important effort, which will in turn inform future work across campus. 
 
In Solidarity,

Crystal Williams, President
Renee Byas, General Counsel 
David T. Carreon Bradley, Vice President for Social Equity & Inclusion 
Sarah Ganz Blythe, Interim Director of the RISD Museum 
Touba Ghadessi, Provost 
Bethany Jankunis, Vice President of Strategy & Planning and Senior Advisor to the President 
Rick Mickool, Chief Information Officer
David Milstone, Interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs 
James O’Hara, Vice President of Enrollment Management 
O’Neil Outar, Vice President of Institutional Advancement 
Liz Rainone, Interim Vice President of Human Resources 
David Rosati, Senior Vice President of Finance & Administration 
Jack Silva, Vice President of Campus Services 
Kerci Marcello Stroud, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer

Dear RISD Community,

I am saddened to share that our student, Brittany Colasanto 25 PH, recently passed away. We were informed of Brittany’s passing by her family. Their lovely remembrance of her can be found in the obituary. Brittany was a talented artist and passionate photographer who treasured being part of the RISD community. We extend our deepest sympathies to Brittany’s beloved family and friends.

A memorial service, which is open for all, will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at 10:00 am at Hope Church in Cranston, RI. Additionally, we will hold a gathering to honor Brittany’s life and memory in the fall. We will share details once they are finalized.

We have personally notified her departmental faculty and as many of her friends as possible. In addition to being heartbreaking, the death of someone so young, vibrant and talented can be particularly difficult to understand and grapple with. Student Affairs and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff are here to support you. CAPS is available for any student who would like to access mental health support throughout the day, after hours, or on the weekend. Students can connect with CAPS to speak with a counselor by calling 401 454-6637 or emailing counseling@risd.edu.

Dear Community,

I am pleased to inform you that we concluded the search for the next director of the RISD Museum. Tsugumi Maki, currently chief exhibitions and collections officer at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), will join our community on October 10.

As we conducted the search, I was impressed with Tsugumi’s expertise, her inclusive and collaborative leadership style, and her enthusiasm about capitalizing on the unique aspects of the school and museum. She has 25 years of experience at institutions with which RISD has relationships, and her MFA in photography and deep appreciation for makers allows her to bring an artist’s eye to the work ahead. I am eager to support Tsugumi’s vision as she takes on this leadership role and continues to amplify the RISD Museum’s importance as a cultural hub for our region and the nation.

As the chief exhibitions and collections officer at SFMOMA, Tsugumi oversees exhibitions, collection and design programs contributing to the museum’s continued status as a global leader in the art world. Prior to joining SFMOMA, she served as chief operating officer at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, as associate director of operations and collections management at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, and in several roles at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, including head of gallery planning. You can read more about Tsugumi here.  

The international search for this role was led by myself; Bob DiMuccio, chair of the RISD Museum Board of Governors; and Anais Missakian, Pevaroff-Cohn Family Endowed Chair in Textiles. I would like to thank Bob and Anais, and the members of the search committee listed below, for the care and attention they devoted to this search, and I would also like to thank the many members of our community who participated in interviews during the finalist stage.

In addition, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Sarah Ganz Blythe who has led the museum as our interim director since December 2020. Under Sarah’s exceptional leadership, the museum has had rebounding attendance post-COVID, opened critically recognized new galleries devoted to modern and contemporary art and made acquisitions and created exhibitions, publications and programming rooted in an open and responsive approach. Upon Tsugumi’s arrival, Sarah will return to her role as deputy director for exhibitions, education and programs, which she has served in while also leading the museum.

I look forward to Tsugumi helping us build on and amplify the tremendous work underway at the museum in partnership with our wonderful museum team.

Please join me in welcoming Tsugumi to the RISD community!

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

Museum Director Search Committee
Bob DiMuccio – co-chair; chair, Museum Board of Governors
Anais Missakian – co-chair; interim provost 22–23, Pevaroff-Cohn Family Endowed Chair in Textiles
Crystal Williams – co-chair; president
Jameka Hartley –  Schiller Family Assistant Professorship in Race in Art and Design, assistant professor of History, Philosophy, Social Science
Dennis Congdon – professor, Painting
Robert Mitchell – member, RISD Museum Board of Governors
Kate Irvin – curator and head, costume & textiles 
Kajette Solomon – museum SEI program specialist
Todd Waterbury – member, RISD Board of Trustees
Toots Zynsky – member, RISD Museum Board of Governors