Steven Maurano has been named Rhode Island’s associate commissioner of higher education for external affairs. He is currently a partner at Duffy & Shanley, which he’ll be leaving after 22 years with the firm. A Rhode Island native, Maurano is a Providence College graduate and has a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. He will be developing and implementing public relations strategies and serving as a liaison between the R.I. Office of Higher Education and the state’s legislative and executive branches.
PBN: What are the challenges facing higher education today?
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MAURANO: The challenges that I believe are going to command most of my attention involve working to ensure that public higher education in Rhode Island is both accessible and affordable to Rhode Island students. … It is a major challenge for public institutions to balance all of this so that the needs of the students and their families are met in a high-quality manner and the taxpayers feel well-served at the same time.
PBN: Do you have a plan?
MAURANO: One component of access is getting the word out about the importance of a college education, how to fund it, etc. That’s especially true for families who have never had a member attend college. Beyond that, I need to do a lot of listening before I am ready to propose any definitive action plan.
PBN: How can Rhode Island help meet the financial challenges the colleges face?
MAURANO: Well, for starters, I certainly plan to vote “Yes” on Question 4 (the higher education bonds) on Nov. 7, and I urge all Rhode Islanders to do the same. The University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy is one of the biggest higher education success stories we have … and a new facility is sorely needed to help keep that program moving forward. The renovation of the former DCYF buildings on the Rhode Island College campus makes excellent sense. … On the student end, I will work very hard to help ensure that the increased money for grants and scholarships that the governor announced will be part of the fiscal ’08 budget makes it through the budget process at the General Assembly.
