Harringtons donate $3M to URI School of Communications and Media

Updated at 4:10 p.m.

URI ANNOUNCED THURSDAY a $3 million gift by Richard J. Harrington '73 and his wife Jean to the URI Harrington School of Communication and Media. The Harringtons are pictured here in 2016 at the Harrington HUB opening. / COURTESY URI/JOE GIBLIN
URI ANNOUNCED a $3 million gift by Richard J. Harrington '73 and his wife Jean to the URI Harrington School of Communication and Media. The Harringtons are pictured here in 2016 at the Harrington HUB opening. / COURTESY URI/JOE GIBLIN

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The 9-year-old Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island is the recipient of a $3 million gift from Richard J. Harrington ’73 and his wife Jean, the university announced Thursday.

“We are honored to support the next generation of communication and media professionals in an environment of innovation and leading-edge research,” said Harrington in a statement, adding the couple has “tremendous confidence” in the school’s academic leadership within the industry.

Chairman emeritus of Boston-based venture capital firm Cue Ball, Harrington was the former president and CEO of Thomson Reuters Corporation.

He holds two degrees from URI, both a bachelor’s degree from the College of Business Administration as well as an honorary Doctorate of Laws.

- Advertisement -

Per an announcement by the state’s flagship research institution on Thursday, the money will fund second-phase renovations of the South Kingstown campus Ranger Hall. The hall is home to the Harrington Hub for Global Leadership in Communication and Media and a “complete renovation,” per the announcement, of the second floor will allow for the creation of a social media laboratory and new media production facilities.

A “significant expansion” of academic programming will also be afforded through the gift. Established in 2009, the Harrington School teaches programs in digital media, communication studies, film/media, journalism, library and information studies, public relations, and writing and rhetoric.

Come the fall, a sports media and communication minor will be launched.

The Harringtons have made a series of donations to URI stretching back a decade which include a $5 million gift in 2009 to launch the Harrington Hub, operating support for various facilities as well as endowment funding.

Commenting on the gift, URI President David M. Dooley said in prepared remarks, “With their visionary leadership, Dick and Jean Harrington have created a hub for innovation in an academic area with global implications that will only become more critical in the years ahead.”

Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.

No posts to display