Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Hellenic Studies Center Paideia at the University of Rhode Island were held June 30. The complex will be comprised of the Rodos Educational Building, the Ayios Loukas Greek Orthodox Chapel and a Classical theater. The Rodos educational building will showcase Byzantine architecture, art and history and will contain classrooms, a small lecture hall, offices, a library, archival storage, the chapel and exhibit space. The facility will also serve as home to the URI Humanities Center.

The amphitheater will be patterned after the ancient theaters of Greece and will showcase educational and cultural events and will also be an outdoor Socratic corner for gatherings. Construction for the project is expected to be completed within two years.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for pharmacy technicians are expected to be good, especially for those with certification or previous work experience.

The Community College of Rhode Island will hold orientation sessions for those interested in the college’s Comprehensive Pharmacy Technician program Wednesday from 1 to 3 and 5 to 7 p.m. in Room 4080 at the college’s Knight Campus in Warwick.

CCRI’s Center for Workforce and Community Education will offer the 155-hour introductory program in the fall. Classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Sept. 1 to Dec. 17. For more information, call Sue Caressimo at (401) 825-2399.

The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority has partnered with the Preparatory Enrollment Program at Rhode Island College to offer a financial literacy course for a select number of high school seniors enrolled in its pre-college academic program for students who do not meet the criteria for regular admission.

There are 19 students enrolled this year. The first phase began in the spring when they attended classes in developmental writing and met with a student support services counselor. The second phase of the program consists of seven weeks of intensive academic study while living in residence halls on the RIC campus during the summer.

A positive recommendation from the director of the program and the successful completion of both phases allows the student to enroll as a full-time student at RIC in the fall.

The cost of the spring and summer sessions is paid for by Rhode Island College. The financial need of those students enrolled in the, as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid, will be met 100 percent for the first two years of study. Every effort will be made to continue that commitment for junior and senior years.

Preference in selection for the Preparatory Enrollment Program is given to low-income students who are first-generation college students and to those with disabilities evidencing academic need. For more information, call Julia Nesbitt, acting director of RIC’s Student Support Services, at (401) 456-8738 or William Bianchi, Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, at (401) 468-1755.