The University of Rhode Island recently held grand opening ceremonies for its new Gender and Sexuality Center on campus. The 4,300-square-foot building has been under construction for the past year at a cost of $2.1 million.
David M. Dooley, president of the University of Rhode Island, stated that “our new Gender and Sexuality Center firmly states that we value and support every member of our community. This new facility is a tangible way for current and new students, faculty and staff to know that our transformational goals are far more than words on paper. We encourage, welcome and celebrate the growing diversity that’s part of our community.”
Annie Russell, the interim director of the Gender and Women’s Studies program at the University of Rhode Island, has been named director of the new center. Dr. Russell said that “our new center will allow us to enhance and grow our programs and services by leaps and bounds. We will be able to host classes, workshops, and campus and community programs for the first time in our center’s history. We will also become a standard bearer for institutions across the country, to showcase the future possibilities for centers like ours. This truly allows us to fulfill our vision of becoming the top institution in the country for gender and sexuality related issues.”
Dr. Russell is a graduate of Adrian College in Michigan. She holds a master’s degree in education from Ohio State University and a doctorate in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.