SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island has established a new Islamic and Mediterranean studies cluster. The school has also hired three new Islamic studies professors and a French professor to support the initiative. more

NEWPORT – The International Yacht Restoration School has expanded its scholarship opportunities for students applying to the school’s three full-time programs. more

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – University of Rhode Island professor of political science Nicolai Petro has received a Fulbright research grant to study the role of the Russian Orthodox Church, while living abroad in Ukraine. more

DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts has created the James J. Karam Scholarship Fund for SouthCoast students to attend any UMass campus, in honor of the UMass Dartmouth graduate. more

Brown University has named David Savitz, currently professor of epidemiology in the Brown School of Public Health and professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Warren Alpert School of Medicine, as its new vice president of research. more

The U.S. Naval War College Museum in Newport was one of six university museums in the United States to make college ranking website Best Colleges Online’s list of the “30 Most Amazing University Museums,” the publication said Wednesday. more

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has appointed Mohammad A. Karim, vice president for research at Old Dominion University in Virginia, as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, the school announced Tuesday. more

As an offering for master’s level students, Salve Regina University will run a certificate of advanced graduate studies in substance abuse and treatment program, the university announced Monday. more

Cybersecurity experts are increasingly concerned that the nation’s future leaders are unprepared to deal with the digital threats programmers and cryptographers are wrestling with. more

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Health has awarded the state’s Safe Place for Teens to Work Award to the Pawtucket Red Sox. more