1998 Hall of Fame inductee - Janice S. Howard

“What a wonderful opportunity we had to work and grow as the college grew – from a few hundred to many thousands.”

Janice S. Howard was one of the Community College of Rhode Island’s pioneers. She joined the college when it was getting off the ground and remained on board for decades to assist and experience in its incredible growth. After 25 years of dedicated service to CCRI, she retired in 1990, but not before she had left an indelible mark as one of the college’s original staff members.

Howard’s tenure with CCRI began in 1965 when she was hired as an assistant professor of Mathematics. Before coming to the junior college, she taught at the Lincoln School for Girls, Roger Williams Junior High School in Providence and Lockwood Junior High School in Warwick. She also served as head of the mathematics department at Scituate High School from 1956-65.

Two years after joining CCRI, Howard assumed the role of registrar, a position that she held for 15 years. She served in this function under two presidents, and witnessed the college’s growth from enrollment of less than 500 students attending classes in a converted Providence factory building to a comprehensive multi-campus community college of enrollments of more 15,000 students.

In 1982, Howard left the Registrar’s Office to return to the classroom where she taught mathematics as a full professor for eight years. She received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Brown University, and a master’s degree in Education from Rhode Island College.