Three CCRI faculty members earn prestigious NISOD awards for teaching excellence
June 21, 2022
Three Community College of Rhode Island professors each won 2022 National Institute
for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Awards, which recognize
individuals doing extraordinary work on their campuses.
Computer Studies Department Chair and Technical Professor Kevin Crawford of West Warwick,
RI; Nursing Professor Dr. Elaine J. Amato-Vealey of Warwick, RI; and English Professor
Beth Anish of Auburn, MA, were honored at this year's International Conference on
Teaching and Leadership Excellence in Texas.
NISOD is an organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching,
learning and leadership at community and technical colleges. The NISOD Excellence
Awards were established in 1991. Since then, more than 30,000 recipients have been
honored with the award by their colleges.
“I am incredibly proud of our faculty members who earned NISOD awards in 2022,” said
CCRI Vice President of Academic Affairs Rosemary Costigan. “Each year, we nominate
faculty who have demonstrate outstanding teaching excellence and have supported our
students in the classroom every day.
“This year’s winners have worked year-round to serve our students and these awards
are a testament to their commitment. Their work benefits our students in immeasurable
ways.”
A CCRI alumna from the class of 1972, Dr. Amato-Vealey has been teaching at CCRI since
2004, specializing in Critical Care Nursing. She served as the college's lead Nursing
professor from 2006–2014 and has also published several nursing articles in Critical Care Nurse and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). After graduating CCRI, she earned her bachelor's degree from Rhode Island College,
her master's from Boston University, and her PhD from the University of Rhode Island
in 1992.
Anish teaches College Writing, Composition I, Introduction to Literature, and Readings
in the Short Story and recently published Irish American Fiction from World War II to JFK: Anxiety, Assimilation, and Activism, a book addressing the concerns of Irish America in the post-war era by studying
its fiction and the authors who brought the communities of their youth to life on
the page. The book is part of publisher Palgrave-Macmillan's “New Directions in Irish
and Irish American Literature” series.
In addition to her most recent publication, Anish also wrote a dissertation on Irish
ethnic identity formation in the United States and the creation of the Irish-American
narrative titled, Writing Irish America: Communal Memory and the Narrative of Nation in Diaspora. She has been published in the New Hibernia Review and is an active member of the American Conference for Irish Studies.
Also a CCRI alumnus, Crawford began working at the college as a part-time paraprofessional
in the Math Lab in 1989 before earning a role as an adjunct faculty member in the
Engineering Department. In September of 2001, Crawford became a full-time Technical
Professor I for the Engineering Department teaching Computer Repair and Networking
and was the New England Verizon Next Step Coordinator for the Electronics and Computer
area, which consist of 13 colleges from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
and Rhode Island. Since 2020, Crawford has served as the Computer Studies Department
Chair; in that role, he helped launch the department's Cybersecurity Night in April,
which touted the benefits of CCRI's Cybersecurity associate degree and its new Cyber
Defense Path Certificate.
Share this story
Latest News
CCRI Dental Hygiene Clinic to Host Free Sealant and Fluoride Community Day for Children & Teens
March 31, 2025
The CCRI Dental Hygiene Clinic’s upcoming Sealant and Fluoride Community Day on Friday, April 25, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Lincoln Campus will provide free dental sealants and fluoride treatments for children and teens ages 6 to 17. The event will be led by CCRI’s dental hygiene students, who will provide preventative care under the supervision of licensed professionals.
Read More
Lucas Johnson Named Rhode Island's 2025 New Century Transfer Scholar
March 17, 2025
Warwick, RI- Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) student and Warwick resident, Lucas Johnson, has been named a 2025 New Century Transfer Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.
Read More
Governor McKee, CCRI Announces Launch of Associate Degree in Culinary Craftsmanship
March 07, 2025
NEWPORT, RI – Governor Dan McKee and the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) today announced the launch of an associate in arts degree in Culinary Craftsmanship on CCRI’s Newport Campus in fall 2025. To support this initiative, Governor McKee is proposing $850,000 to create a Culinary and Hospitality hub at CCRI’s Newport Campus. The hub will serve as a state-of-the-art learning environment designed to meet the growing demand for skilled culinary professionals in Rhode Island’s workforce.
Read More
CCRI Metallica Scholars: Forging Paths to Success in Healthcare
March 05, 2025
For students like Esther Duran, of Providence, Wanda Wrobleski, of Cumberland, and Richard Garcia, of Providence, the journey to a fulfilling career in healthcare has been transformed thanks to the Community College of Rhode Island and the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI). Funded by a $75,000 grant from the legendary rock band’s foundation, All Within My Hands, this initiative provides financial support to students enrolled in CCRI’s Medical Assistant and Patient Support Specialist workforce training programs—helping to alleviate financial burdens and empower students to focus on their education and career goals.
Read More
CCRI Women's Basketball Team Punches Ticket to National Tournament
March 05, 2025
Warwick, RI- The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Women’s Basketball teamshowcased their dominance once again in the NJCAA Region XXI Conference, securing the regional title for the fourth year in a row and, punching their ticket to the National Tournament.
Read More
CCRI Players Present Stephen Sondheim's Assassins
March 04, 2025
WARWICK, RI – The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Players continue their 2024–25 season with a bold and thought-provoking production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins, running March 6–9 at the Bobby Hackett Theatre on CCRI's Knight Campus.
Read More
CCRI Players Celebrate 50 Years of Excellence
February 14, 2025
The Community College of Rhode Island's (CCRI) student-run theatre group, the CCRI Players, proudly marks half a century of participation in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 1, held this year at Central Connecticut State University. Over the five-day event, the Players distinguished themselves by securing 10 awards across various disciplines, including acting and properties design.
Read More
Black History Month
February 10, 2025
February marks Black History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans in this country; a time to acknowledge the lasting achievements of the people of the African diaspora who have shaped American history; and a time to walk alongside today’s Black leaders as they lead the work to create a truly anti-racist, inclusive community for all.
Read More
Fall 2024 Dean's List
January 08, 2025
The Community College of Rhode Island announces its Fall 2024 Dean's List. Students enrolled in a degree program who have completed 12 credits with a grade point average of 3.25 or higher this semester with no grade lower than “C” are eligible for this scholastic honor.
Read More
World Languages student and Rhode Island native wins fifth Emmy Award for film-editing technology
December 13, 2024
Cranston, RI, native Thomas Ohanian, a World Languages & Cultures student completing his independent study, recently won his fifth Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for co-inventing the Avid Multicamera System, a technology that has revolutionized the film-making and editing industry.
Read More
College's Division of Workforce Partnerships earns 2024 PACE-RI Academic Partnership Award
December 12, 2024
The Community College of Rhode Island’s Division of Workforce Partnerships has won the 2024 PACE-RI Academic Partnership Award for its work in developing free training programs to help upskill more than 50 employees through online trainings and in-person courses at PACE’s East Providence, RI, headquarters and CCRI’s Providence Campus.
Read More
CCRI Players tackle themes of doubt and uncertainty with final production of fall semester
December 12, 2024
Beginning today, the CCRI Players launch a four-day run of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable, produced by CCRI Performing Arts Professor Luke Sutherland and scheduled for five performances at the college’s Providence Campus Auditorium. Showtimes are 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday with 2 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
Read More
Employee Spotlight: Michael Marrapodi
November 27, 2024
Michael Marrapodi has joined CCRI as the new Executive Director of Online Learning. He has been involved with education since teaching music at a private school during his senior year of college in 1976 and is now an innovative leader in the online learning sector.
Read More
Second-year Biology student, PTK scholar helps feed the homeless one sandwich at a time
November 26, 2024
Eighteen-year-old Rhode Island Promise scholar and Warwick, RI, resident Lucas Johnson revived an old family tradition this past summer with Sandwich Party Sundays – a unique opportunity to spread joy and good cheer to Providence's homeless population each weekend at Kennedy Plaza.
Read More
Alumni Spotlight: Flavia A. Albert, M.A.
November 25, 2024
A Providence, RI, native, and Community College of Rhode Island Class of 2011 alumna, Flavia A. Albert, M.A., is on the verge of releasing her first children's book next month to combine her passion for behavioral health and early childhood development with her love for storytelling.
Read More
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Westerly Education Center (WEC)
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Liston Campus
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Liston Campus
Jan.
1
January 1, 2025 All Day
Flanagan Campus