WEST GREENWICH – Five years after it was shut down to the public due to financial issues and such problems being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Rhode Island will reopen the W. Alton Jones Campus.
The university announced Friday that its board of trustees approved a new 10-year agreement with the R.I. Department of Environmental Management to open the 2,300-acre campus back up. The agreement states that RIDEM will invest in “critical infrastructure and natural resource protection” for the campus, including forest and dam management, and will manage day-to-day campus maintenance.
In turn, URI says it will use the campus for education and research needs, and “may expand” those uses down the line. The agreement provides RIDEM use of the property for administrative functions, educational programming, programs and camps, agricultural activities, veterinary care and animal rehabilitation, wildlife and ecological research, and expanded public access, the university says.
“The W. Alton Jones Campus is a vital natural resource that holds significant value not just for URI, but for our state and for communities across Rhode Island,” URI President Marc B. Parlange said in a statement. “This partnership reflects our dedication to revitalizing the campus, while preserving its ecological and educational value for all Rhode Islanders. Restoring public access to this natural treasure is a demonstration of our commitment to our land-grant mission and to our important role as the state’s flagship university.”
URI says the partnership with RIDEM came to fruition after a request for information initiated in November 2024 to explore future uses of the Alton Jones Campus. The university says the RFI stipulated that proposals should allow for continued research and education activities; adhere to sustainability principles; avoid industrial, commercial, or residential developments; and minimize environmental impact.
"The property has major ecological and environmental value, and we are very proud to be able to partner with URI for the future use of the campus,” RIDEM Director Terrance Gray said in a statement. “As we look forward, we are excited about working with URI to establish a vibrant DEM presence at the site, actively manage the natural resources on the property, expanding public access, and establishing the campus as a hub for environmental education in the state.”
In June 2020, URI
shuttered the Whispering Pines Conference Center and the Environmental Education Center on the Alton Jones Campus. At the time, the university said the two facilities had been “struggling financially for several years” and the decision to close them came “after many efforts by the university to improve the financial situation.” Plus, the closing came at the height of the worldwide health crisis, which made the campus’s financial woes much more significant, URI said then.
Even though the campus is reopening to the public, URI says the Whispering Pines Conference Center is excluded from the agreement. The center is reserved for use by the university or a third party, URI says.
The agreement allows for an additional 10-year renewal option at URI’s discretion, the university says.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
