FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Hart, 401-456-8977/401-623-1101, lhart@ric.edu,
or Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
RIC’s School of Social Work building is dedicated in honor of Carol Jean Guardo, Rhode Island public higher education’s first female college president.
RIC’s high-rise residence hall is dedicated in honor of retired Vice President for Student Affairs Gary Penfield, an administrator at the college for nearly 40 years.
On Friday, Oct. 16, Rhode Island College held back-to-back dedication ceremonies in honor of two former leaders from the RIC community.
The School of Social Work building will be dedicated as Guardo Hall in honor of Carol J. Guardo, Rhode Island College’s first female president, who served from 1986-89. In addition to being RIC’s first female president, Guardo was the first female president of any public institution of higher education in Rhode Island.
RIC President Nancy Carriuolo said, “Rhode Island College is indebted to Carol Guardo for the work she accomplished in expanding both the academic programming and the physical footprint of the RIC campus. I am very grateful to the women leaders who came before me in higher education, as they have helped pave the way for a new generation of female college presidents.”
While president of RIC, Guardo expanded and improved the college’s East Campus by building the Recreation Center. She also converted the former Whipple Gym into the home of the newly established Center for Industrial Technology. A psychologist, Guardo was educated at St. Joseph College, the University of Detroit and the University of Denver. Following her presidency at RIC, Guardo served as president of the Great Lakes College Association in Michigan, president of the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota and interim president of St. Joseph College in Connecticut.
In reflecting on her time at Rhode Island College, Guardo said, “What initially drew me to Rhode Island College were its people, its programs and its prospects. I’m very pleased by the many ways the college has continued to fulfill those prospects since my tenure there. I’m both proud and humbled to have one of its buildings, especially the School of Social Work, carry my name into RIC’s future.”
The Rhode Island College School of Social Work is the only publicly funded social work program in Rhode Island and the sole program offering the M.S.W. degree.
Also on Friday, the college dedicated Penfield Hall, a 366-bed high-rise residence hall that offers apartment and suite-style living spaces for RIC students. Former RIC Vice President for Student Affairs Gary Penfield, who retired in 2014 after 38 years of service, oversaw Residential Life and Housing, the Office of Student Life/Dean of Students, the Campus Store, the Counseling Center, Donovan Dining Center, Health Services, Upward Bound and Intercollegiate Athletics. Among the key initiatives he spearheaded during his time at RIC were the founding of Disability Services and the establishment of the Unity Center.
Penfield reflected, “I had the wonderful opportunity to work from the beginning on this residence hall, including working with groups of students and student leaders, involving professional staff, selecting the architect and choosing the construction company so that we could determine the right style of living for our students.”
Penfield earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the State University of New York at Albany and his doctorate at the University of Cincinnati.
President Carriuolo remarked, “It is not surprising that Gary Penfield, whose 40-year career has been devoted to student success, continues to support RIC students in his retirement. We are honored today to name the residence hall in his honor.”
The events marked the start of RIC Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, which includes several alumni events and a campus-wide parade on Saturday.
