The college announced the name change at Council on Postsecondary Education Board meeting on June 21, citing the need to more accurately reflect program offerings and recent growth
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island College announced it will change the name of its School of Management to the School of Business, effective immediately.
“Our economy can’t keep growing without a strong flow of talented graduates into the workforce,” Governor Gina M. Raimondo said. “I’m excited about Rhode Island College’s recent growth, and thrilled the School of Business will continue to evolve according to the needs of students and the 21st century economy.”
The name change follows a considerable period of growth for the School of Management over the last decade, with enrollment up over 38 percent to 1,222 students and business majors quickly becoming some of Rhode Island College’s most popular fields of study.
“Elevating our school to a School of Business is an important step in helping Rhode Island College meet the current and future needs of the 21st Century economy,” said Rhode Island College President Frank D. Sánchez. “It is our goal to make sure our graduates have the strongest possible credentials and degrees that reflect industry and professional standards.”
In 2016, RIC’s Finance program received University Recognition by the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, one of only 147 programs in the U.S. and only 275 worldwide that have achieved this distinction.
“As Rhode Island College aggressively pursues specialized business accreditation, it is the right time to change the name of our current School of Management to School of Business,” said School of Business Dean Jeff Mello. “This is a significant move on behalf of the college and will support many of the exciting initiatives we have underway and planned.”
The school currently offers undergraduate majors and minors in accounting, computer information systems, economics, finance, health care administration, management and marketing. New master’s degree programs in operations management and health care administration were launched this year, complementing the existing Master of Professional Accountancy program, with several new programs being proposed for the coming year.
About Rhode Island College
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
