Student Success: Elaine Sorto-Justiniano

Three Community College of Rhode Island professors earned 2023 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Awards, which recognize individuals doing extraordinary work on their campuses. This marks the second year in a row the college has had three different professors earn this distinction.

After fueling her passion for theater at the Community College of Rhode Island, Class of 2023 graduate Mireya Hoffens will continue to pursue her dream this year as one of three emerging artists to join the 2023–24 Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theater’s Gamm Fellowship Program.

The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) today joined Governor Dan McKee, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Majority Leader Christopher Blazejewski, and Bally’s Corporation Chairman Soo Kim to announce a $5 million donation to CCRI to develop and launch new programming in the gaming, hospitality, and security industries and to support student scholarships.

The college's Foundation Board and Alumni Association Board recently elected two new officers to key leadership positions on CCRI’s Alumni Association; Jeffrey C. Wright Jr. is the new Alumni Association President and Malida Khim is the Alumni Diversity Council Chair.

CCRI student Kat Taylor attended Opening Day last month at the Warwick Campus and shares her experience interacting with Interim President Rosemary Costigan from the best seat in the house – front row center in the Great Hall – as the college's new leader addressed faculty and staff for the first time.

Two Community College of Rhode Island theater students are wrapping up a four-month paid internship at the Spectrum Theater Ensemble, a Providence-based theatre company showcasing neurodiverse artists.

Elissa Parente, 19, of Cranston and Jalen Rodriguez, 22, of Woonsocket, who is blind, have handled a variety of roles with STE, including marketing, publicity, social media, and even performing on stage during STE’s 4th Annual Neurodiversity New Play Festival (NNPF) this weekend in Providence.

When she first stepped foot on campus of the then Rhode Island Junior College in 1976, Dr. Rosemary A. Costigan never envisioned she’d one day serve as president of her alma mater.

Nearly five decades later, Dr. Costigan begins her tenure Friday, September 1, as Interim President of the present-day Community College of Rhode Island, becoming the first alumnus to serve in that capacity.

With the start of the fall semester a few weeks away, the Community College of Rhode Island is taking appointments for an array of free dental hygiene services at its Dental Hygiene Clinic located at the Lincoln campus.

The Dental Hygiene Clinic is a learning environment for dental hygiene students during each academic year where patients can schedule appointments Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7:30 am – 5:30 pm, to receive free treatment from students under the supervision of a licensed dentist and dental hygienist. Patients are welcome for dental hygiene treatments every 12 months after initial completion.

The CCRI Players present Antony & Cleopatra, the epic love story that moved the events of ancient empire, as part of CCRI’s Summer Repertory program at the Bobby Hackett Theatre in Warwick on August 3 – 6.

CCRI welcomed Governor Dan McKee, Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, and Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green to its Newport Campus to learn more about the Newport Public Schools’ Cyber Camp to promote learning beyond the formal school day and beyond the traditional 180-day school year.

CCRI Business and Professional Studies Department Chair and Associate Professor Maria Coclin has been named a regional recipient of the 2023 Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Teaching Excellence Award.

The ACBSP recognizes individuals each year who exemplify teaching excellence in the classroom.

Community College of Rhode Island Computer Studies Assistant Professor and Cybersecurity Program Director Michael Kelly received a 2023 Center of Academic Excellence Community of Practice in Cyber Defense (CAE Cop-CD) Community Service Recognition Award at this year’s CAE in Cybersecurity Symposium for his outstanding contributions to the cybersecurity community.

Kelly – a 2019 recipient of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award – has led efforts to increase enrollment and add new programs to the college’s Computer Studies department, securing CCRI’s reputation as a national leader in Cybersecurity education.

CCRI students and employees no longer need to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of enrollment or employment, effective July 1, 2023. This means that students attending Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 semesters will not have a vaccination requirement.

Today we meet Carlin Weirick, one of the newest members of the CCRI community whose unexpected journey through the Human Resources field has led her to a rewarded career as a recruiter with a keen eye for talent.

With a diverse background in several fields, she has brought her exceptional people skills and passion for helping others to CCRI, beginning her latest journey in May as the college's new Talent Acquisition & Diversity Recruiting Manager for the Department of Institutional Equity & Human Resources.

The Community College of Rhode Island’s Division of Workforce Partnerships is currently accepting applicants for the second cohort of its Medication Aide/Tech training for licensed Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) offered at the Newport County Campus.

Classes begin Thursday, June 22. The duration of the program is 48 hours over the course of eight weeks, or two three-hour sessions per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays with participants given the option to choose 9 am–12 pm or 1–4 pm.