Name: Winifred E. Brownell
Age: 54
Position: Dean, University of Rhode Island College of Arts and Sciences
Backround: Interim dean of College of Arts and Sciences for the last three years. Named dean this summer. The college has 300 full-time employees, 22 departments and more than 60 undergraduate and graduate programs. Arrived at URI in 1971 as an instructor, then assistant professor. Has served as professor of communication studies since 1988.
Education: State University of New York at Buffalo; Bachelor of Arts (1967); Master of Arts (1970); Ph.D. (1973)
Family: Married, two children
Residence: North Kingstown
PBN: We don’t always equate a liberal arts education with the world of business or high finance. What is the market for today’s liberal arts graduate?
BROWNELL: It’s interesting, but I hear from bankers and accountants. One banker, a vice president at Fleet, said; Send more of those liberal arts grads. They think critically. They are good at critical reading. They don’t just read the material and try to remember it, they go into the text and understand it. They see patterns. They communicate effectively in writing and give effective presentations. They have interpersonal skills. He said: We can teach them banking.
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What are some jobs that people may not connect to a liberal arts graduate?
We have some obvious connections. Our computer science area, for example. It’s actually making me nervous. They are hiring our students before they get their bachelor’s degree. There are firms hungry for people with computer programming and computer science and software expertise. They turn to our computer software engineers in the College of Engineering and our computer scientists in Arts & Sciences. I would rather they got their degree first before that leap.
So it’s not just the NBA that is reaching into the colleges for young talent?
No, in fact I thought of that when I watched what was going on with Lamar Odom. There are amazing stories regarding the recruitment of top students.
The computer science program is under the College of Arts & Sciences?
Yes. People don’t realize that. We have a Bachelor of Science, and we’re trying to develop a Bachelor of Arts, because there are jobs where you do not have to focus as much on certain aspects of computer software engineering.
How about other links between liberal arts and business?
We have associations with firms that use chemistry as part of their manufacturing processes. Everyone from Pfizer to Teknor Apex. Wherever the chemical processes are an integral part of making whatever product comes out at the end. These companies have shown interest in establishing partnerships with higher education – to make sure our graduates are as prepared as possible. In some fields, like computer science and chemistry, we have more connections than ever with the private sector. Obviously, physics has connections. The Naval Underwater Warfare Center has close connections with our physicists and mathematicians. GTECH has invested in our computer science program. They see an advantage. One gentlemen told me they like to hire URI graduates, because the MIT graduates they only rent for a short period of time. They put all this money into training. And then they’re out of here to Texas or California. More Rhode Island students want to invest in the state. They want to see business succeed in Rhode Island.
Are there other connections to the business arena?
Our philosophers have been contacted by health care organizations. They have been heavily involved in ethical review panels. There are important ethical considerations that the public wants considered.
How are students different today than 20 years ago?
They are more pragmatic. They are far more willing to accept change. I mean pragmatic, not in a pejorative sense. They want to pursue their dreams, but they also want to be prepared for a variety of possibilities. Students today see connections. They see them across not only department lines, but college lines. They are more creative. They’re brave. They are courageous because they are looking at a world we didn’t look at. In the world I looked at, it was likely a person would get a job with a company and stay there for the rest of their lives. The company is no longer showing loyalty. Even if they are, they could be taken over by somebody else. That’s why these young people are preparing for change, are realizing that even if they are willing to make a commitment, that commitment may not be returned.
People are quick to criticize today’s youth. What is your take on this generation?
They’re wonderful. They are dealing with a lot more tragedy. Today, you hear about things the instant they happen. And these are the children who have been born into the world of AIDS. They are aware of how precious life is. But they are also aware of the need to prepare themselves, not just for one future, but a variety of them. The area where they have shown the wisest focus is in technology. If you talk to a student with an interest in the visual arts, that student is learning to use the computer in different ways. And those students are discovering that they have something to give to companies that want to present themselves on the Internet.
Does the state need to make more of a financial commitment to higher education?
Yes. I just came back from a meeting of Land Grant deans I was envious of the commitment being made to higher education in Connecticut and Massachusetts. What a difference those states have made, not only in preparing for the future, but in jump-starting economic development through the universities. We do basic research here, but companies can’t afford to invest in that. They have to invest in the applied. Our basic research is what drives the applied research engine. It’s not only training and educating citizens, but the process that we use to accomplish that goal also discovers knowledge and disseminates it in areas where it can make a difference in the community.
Why is it a tough sell to the public – increasing a financial commitment to learning?
The one thing I get is the sense that the state is overwhelmed with other needs. It’s not that they don’t value higher education, but that there are issues with poverty, for example, that people believe should be addressed first. Ironically, higher education is the route out of poverty. Perhaps we need to improve our efforts to reach the voters. We need some kind of focus shift. We are under-funded. I see it every day. When I see the needs that exist and what such an investment would do for the state, I am bewildered that we are not getting more. Every dollar invested in us returns money. And we do a lot of outreach. When I look at the volunteer services, from pre-school to the elderly When I look at our students and faculty giving their time and talents back to the community, I am amazed that people don’t appreciate at least that end. I think they do. But we need to figure out a way this is supposedly a good economy. Right now I don’t see evidence of a strong commitment.
How are you handling the change from classroom work to administration?
I have kept involved with students through an undergraduate advisory council. They operate as a think tank. They advise us on new majors to develop and they have been 100 percent on target. They are my futurists. They have been so on target it’s scary. That gives me an interaction. I’ve also kept active with graduate students either through mentoring or independent studies. If I didn’t keep up some kind of contact than I shouldn’t be here.
Born in Ohio, raised in upstate New York. What has kept you in Rhode Island?
It’s obviously not the beach, though I think the ocean is gorgeous. I have skin that needs sun protector 45. It’s the people. I fell in love with the place. I remember one of my mentors from graduate school saying; You’re going where? He kept telling me about opportunities elsewhere. He was stunned I came here. But Rhode Island is a wonderful place. URI is a jewel in the crown. It’s a great place to be. You can make a difference in the quality of people’s lives. I’ve got the greatest job in the world. People are pursuing dreams — and we’re working to help them.
Is the fact that the state is so small a plus in terms of your ability to foster change – to better a corner of the world?
It can be very exciting. You can look at a discovery and see how it might work In no time at all you watch as ideas are tested not just in a lab, but out in the community. There is a shorter journey from idea to positive change in Rhode Island.
