Citing achievements, CCRI president announces he won’t seek contract renewal

John Howell
Posted 5/26/15

The Community College of Rhode Island’s graduation ceremony on May 15 marked the culmination of the college’s 50th anniversary celebration, the start of a new chapter in the lives of many …

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Citing achievements, CCRI president announces he won’t seek contract renewal

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The Community College of Rhode Island’s graduation ceremony on May 15 marked the culmination of the college’s 50th anniversary celebration, the start of a new chapter in the lives of many graduates.

While not common knowledge at that time, it was also the beginning of a new course for college President Ray Di Pasquale.

The following Wednesday, Di Pasquale released a letter to the Council on Postsecondary Education indicating he would not seek renewal of his contract, which expires June 30, 2016. He wrote that he plans to stay on until his successor is named.

“After nearly 10 years, it is most satisfying to have accomplished everything I was brought here to do. When I was hired, the directives from the board were clear: to restore morale, solve the million dollar-plus deficit, bring the enrollment back, and restore confidence in CCRI to the faculty, staff, students and community. NEASC [New England Association of Schools and Colleges] accreditation and a five-year review were also top priorities,” Di Pasquale writes.

Di Pasquale, 64, said he held off on the announcement until after commencement “so that the focus would be on our students.”

Di Pasquale, who was recruited in 2006 from the State University of New York’s (SUNY) College at Brockport by former commissioner of the Board of Governors for Higher Education Jack R. Warner, arrived at a tenuous point in CCRI’s history. The union had passed a vote of no confidence in the college’s former president.

Di Pasquale was a quick study in Rhode Island’s political, business and academic communities. He made connections with state, municipal and business leaders that proved valuable in designing programs to meet the state’s workforce needs, and pushed a capital campaign that raised approximately $7 million toward campus libraries, the art department and dental labs.

Under Di Pasquale’s tutelage, the college has witnessed some of its highest enrollments, with more than 18,000 students. He also assumed the dual role of interim commissioner of higher education from 2012 to 2013.

The first indication Di Pasquale was considering a change in his career path came last year when he emerged as one of three finalists for the role of commissioner of higher education in Louisiana, a job previously held by Jim Purcell. Purcell is now that state’s commissioner of postsecondary education. Di Pasquale withdrew from the running.

Di Pasquale could not be reached for comment last Friday.

In his letter, he writes he is pleased to have accomplished his goals, highlighting an “excellent” NEASC review with full accreditation until 2024.

“We have formed new business partnerships, entered into new articulation agreements, achieved record enrollments and raised a record number of dollars. Record numbers of graduates have crossed the stage. We have renovated our campus libraries, art studios, labs and Bobby Hackett Theater. We created new programs, never seeking or needing a supplemental budget to do so. Our budgets were balanced every year and there were no layoffs,” he said.

In a release issued by the Board of Education, board chair Barbara Cottam states Di Pasquale “has always understood CCRI’s important role in providing and opportunity for countless Rhode Islanders to earn a degree and enter the skilled workforce.”

In a statement, Gov. Gina Raimondo spoke of Di Pasquale’s “tireless optimism and energy” and said, “Ray always advocated for CCRI to be a part of the economic growth conversation.”

As of last week, the Council on Postsecondary Education had not disclosed how it would conduct a search for Di Pasquale’s successor.

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