Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Journal photo / John Freidah
URI presidential candidate Robert Newman, center, of the University of Utah visits the school's Kingston campus, where he takes questions from faculty in the Memorial Union.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- He is only a candidate for the presidency of the University of Rhode Island, but Robert D. Newman, a dean at the University of Utah, spoke Thursday with convincing authority about the issues facing URI in challenging economic times.

He spelled out the direction he would take the university -- but said he would lead in collaboration with students, faculty, administrators and alumnae.

During a public forum at Memorial Union during a daylong visit to the Kingston campus, Newman, 57, revealed a sense of humor and a passion for poetry and animals, including the two dogs and parrot he and his wife, Vicky, own.

He candidly addressed controversy, notably a lawsuit brought by a Utah professor he demoted after, Newman said, the man made repeated derogatory comments about women.

And he gave a bit of his life's story. The child of a government clerk and a man who did not finish high school, Newman grew up in Philadelphia and went on to earn a doctoral degree in English before becoming an administrator. He is currently dean of the University of Utah's College of Humanities.

"I enjoy the challenge of making a real difference in the lives of students, faculty and the people of the wider university community," said Newman, who drew applause after the hour-long forum. "As a first-generation college student myself, I believe passionately in the social contract between public higher education and our state and national citizens."

 Tags  University of Rhode Island

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