Bryant University

Earthquake relief fund: Bryant University’s U.S.-China Institute has launched the USCI China Earthquake Relief Fund, focusing especially on the needs of students and schools devastated by the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province.

One hundred percent of all donations will go to educational needs in Sichuan province. The U.S.-China Institute hopes to deliver all contributions directly to the province’s Education Department in the fall and will be working with the government of Sichuan to monitor how the money is spent.

In addition, the institute has joined the China Earthquake Relief Committee of Rhode Island’s efforts to raise money that will be distributed through the China Red Cross.

Tax-deductible contributions to the USCI China Earthquake Relief Fund, payable to Bryant University, can be sent to Bryant University, 1150 Douglas Pike, Box 40, Smithfield, RI 02917, or can be made online by going to http://china.bryant.edu and clicking on “online giving.”

The U.S.-China Institute at Bryant University, established in 2005, forges academic, business, and cultural partnerships between Bryant University and institutions of higher learning, businesses and government offices in China. It also works to enhance business programs and cultural exchanges between New England and China, and houses one of the nation’s Confucius Institutes.

History honor society: Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, a national organization with more than 800 chapters and 275,000 members, has granted a campus charter to the university’s history program, which includes a bachelor of arts in history and a history minor. Bryant’s charter members include five students and seven faculty members. Phi Alpha Theta promotes the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians.

Community College of Rhode Island

Professor honored: The New England Region of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Emanuel Terezakis, a chemistry professor who has served as the college’s chemical safety coordinator, the Environmental Merit Award for his work on the Rhode Island Chemical Safe Schools Committee. Formed by state agencies, colleges and nonprofit organizations after chemical hazards were found throughout Rhode Island schools, the committee trained school employees, built systems of oversight and helped create the resources needed to remove hazardous chemicals. The group’s efforts led to training workshops, new manuals, regulations banning storage of hundreds of chemicals, a review of school inventories and the development of a Web site enabling educators to exchange information. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals deemed dangerous were removed from the schools, drastically reducing the risks for staff and students. The program’s success will be featured in a video that will demonstrate to other states Rhode Island’s system for reducing chemical risks in schools. The EPA awards were presented on April 22 in Boston.

Johnson & Wales University

Toastmasters New Officers: The 2008-2009 officers of The Voice of Leadership Club of Toastmasters International, Johnson & Wales began their term on June 1. New officers are: J. Jack Andrade of Smithfield, president; Louise Rosa of North Providence, vice president of education and public relations; Lori Golda of Pawtucket, vice president of membership; Kate Bakueva of Stavropol, Russia, club secretary; Gary Williams of Providence, reelected treasurer; and Gesine Lenz of Bremen, Germany, elected sergeant-at-arms. The new officers will undergo leadership training from District 31 Toastmaster International officers in various locations throughout Southern New England. Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization based in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Through club activities and conferences, Toastmasters helps its members improve their communication and leadership skills while fostering self-confidence and personal growth.

Green Leaders: George McKerrow Jr., president and chief executive officer of Ted’s Montana Grill, will present “Growing Green Leaders” on Thursday. The presentation is not open to the public. McKerrow will discuss the positive force the hospitality and food-service industry can have in protecting the environment and how students can do their part to become green leaders. Ted’s Montana Grill, including one in Cranston, serves made-from-scratch dishes in an eco-friendly environment. McKerrow is a 30-year veteran of the restaurant business with a history of success in both fine dining and casual concepts. Nation’s Restaurant News has called him a “dinner-house legend” who pays careful attention to the financial aspects of the business and credits him with giving “birth to an entire casual-dining segment” 20 years ago when he founded Long Horn Steakhouse Inc.

Association of Student Judicial Affairs meeting: The University recently hosted the Association of Student Judicial Affairs’ (ASJA) Board of Directors annual meeting at the Downcity Campus. The ASJA sets standards related to student discipline and conflict resolution for its member colleges. JWU Associate Dean of Students Bill Fischer, past president of the board, was the host for 14 participants from around the country.

Providence College

Awarded: Tony Gabriele, manager of the college’s power plant, recently received the Patriot Award for his support of the Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG).

The Patriot Award program is sponsored by the Rhode Island Committee of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), which is a United States Department of Defense organization.

The program is designed to recognize employers for policies and practices that are supportive of their employees’ participation in the National Guard and Reserves. All members of the National Guard and Reserves are eligible to nominate their employers for the award.

Gabriele, who has been with the college for four years, was presented the award in a private ceremony by Rhode Island Army National Guard Maj. Michael P. Manning, ’97. Manning was the commencement speaker and an honorary degree recipient at the college’s recent 90th commencement exercises.

Rhode Island School of Design

Appointed: Following a national search, Rhode Island School of Design has announced the appointment of Elizabeth A. Garvin as vice president for institutional engagement, effective Aug. 4.

As part of the search process, the Division of Institutional Advancement at RISD was renamed Institutional Engagement by incoming RISD President John Maeda, underscoring Maeda’s efforts to activate open communication, collaboration and engagement among all of RISD’s constituents. Garvin will oversee development functions for the college and all alumni-relations activities.

Garvin comes to RISD after more than 20 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was most recently the executive vice president and CEO of the MIT Alumni Association. She began her career at MIT as a research analyst in Resource Development, and subsequently held a number of key positions for the Alumni Association, including director of reunion giving, director of class programs, alumni fund director, and managing director.

As CEO of the MIT Alumni Association, Garvin restructured the organization to enhance alumni activities, communications, and fundraising and to maximize association resources, while remaining dedicated to its original mission “to further the well-being of the institute and its graduates by increasing the interest of members in the school and in each other.” In 2002, the MIT Alumni Board recognized Garvin as an honorary member of the Alumni Association, the highest award given to non-alumni at MIT.

Garvin holds a master’s degree in education from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Cincinnati. An active member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Garvin served as the program chair for the CASE District 1 annual conference in February 2003. She is a member of the Council of Alumni Association Executives.

University of Rhode Island

Appreciation Award: Cranston resident John O’Leary, director of special programs at the university’s Feinstein Providence Campus, received the 2008 Professional Appreciation Award from the Central New England Chapter of the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science. The award is presented to an individual outside the biotechnology community who has provided significant support to the industry. O’Leary received the award at the group’s annual convention on May 6 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

O’Leary was recognized for heading the reaccreditation effort for URI’s graduate program in cytotechnology, working to grow the university’s master’s degree program in clinical laboratory science and biotechnology, and expand the bachelor’s degree program in biotechnology manufacturing.

Gardening school: Amateur gardeners interested in learning more about their hobby are invited to participate in the fourth annual Summer Gardening School sponsored by URI. This informal series of six outdoor sessions will be held Tuesday evenings, June 10 and 17, July 15 and 29, and August 5 and 19. All sessions will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

This year’s school is designed to provide gardeners with useful gardening tips and a thorough understanding of a wide range of gardening topics — from perennial garden management to the basics of composting — so that both new and experienced gardeners can get more out of their time in the garden. In addition to perennials and composting, participants may attend sessions covering rose gardening, shade gardens, growing healthy vegetables and detecting invasive plants. The informal classes will be lead by URI master gardeners, Outreach Center staff and other experts. Participants may attend as many sessions as they wish. It is not necessary to take the entire series. Most sessions will be held in the URI Botanical Gardens, 3 East Alumni Ave., on the Kingston campus. The program on vegetables will be held at URI’s East Farm Research Facility on Route 108 in Kingston. The fee is $15 for each session. No university academic credits are earned through this series. For more information or to register, call 1-800-448-1011 or e-mail gardener@etal.uri.edu. To download a registration form, visit www.uri.edu/cels/ceoc and click on the Summer Gardening School link.

Conference: The Confucius Institute at URI, in partnership with China’s Social Development Academy at Zhejiang University and the Hangzhou City Development Research Center hosted a conference titled “Enhancing Multiculturalism: Chinese Cultural Immersion for Global Leaders and Partners in Higher Education” last month in Hangzhou, China. The conference provided a platform to discuss the issues and experiences of multiculturalism in different institutions in different countries. URI presenters were Bernard LaFayette, distinguished scholar-in-residence and director of URI’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies; Lynn Pasquerella, immediate past vice provost of academic affairs; Yan Ma, director of the Confucius Institute at URI; Harold Bibb, associate dean of the Graduate School; and Melvin Wade, director of URI’s Multicultural Center. The delegation donated $1,150, which was sent to the China Red Cross to aid victims devastated by the recent earthquake.

Speaker: Skyrocketing food prices are sending thousands of Americans back to their gardens to grow their own vegetables and fruit. But for many of today’s gardeners, growing fruit has become a lost art.

Roger Swain, the beloved “man in the red suspenders” and former host of the popular public television program The Victory Garden, will share his insights about growing berries and other small fruits in a lecture at URI on Saturday, June 28, at 10 a.m.

Sponsored by the URI Master Gardener Association, the event will be held in Weaver Auditorium in the Coastal Institute building on the Kingston campus. Tickets for the lecture are $25 for the general public and $20 for Master Gardeners.

Swain is a native of Massachusetts who earned degrees from Harvard and is science editor of Horticulture magazine. He is also the cohost of the HGTV program People, Places and Plants, which celebrates New England gardens and gardeners, and the author of five books: Earthly Pleasures, Field Days, The Practical Gardener, Saving Graces and Groundwork.

Swain received the American Horticultural Society Award for Writing in 1992, and in 1996 he was awarded the Massachusetts Horticultural Society Gold Medal for his “power to inspire others.” Space is limited at the lecture, so registration is required. For more information or to register, call the URI Outreach Center at (401) 874-2900.

mjones@projo.com