Rhode Island
State senators had hard questions. URI, RIC and CCRI presidents had no easy answers. – Rhode Island Current
The Rhode Island Senate Committee on Education holds an annual meeting to check in on the state’s three public higher education institutions: Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), Rhode Island College (RIC), and University of Rhode Island (URI).
The Senate’s special attention makes sense, given the three schools’ colossal share of the state budget. In fiscal year 2025, Gov. Dan McKee is proposing nearly $1.5 billion, debt service included, for public higher education. Of that allotment, $584 million comes from unrestricted sources like tuition and fees.
So yes, there are big bucks involved in state schools. Is the money being well spent?
More Rhode Islanders are earning four-year college degrees
Shannon Gilkey had some answers. The state’s postsecondary education commissioner since 2021, Gilkey presented first at this year’s Senate Committee on Education hearing on Feb. 7, followed by the presidents of the three schools. He helped paint a landscape — albeit a somewhat abstract one — of higher education in the Ocean State.
“The state doesn’t have a current strategic plan for education, kind of globally speaking,” Gilkey testified.
But Gilkey’s office does have strategic goals. One is increasing statewide completion rates for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which determines students’ eligibility for federal financial aid. Another is strengthening the state’s workforce development options, so that adults of all ages can have the training employers want and need. Earlier in the day, Gilkey, McKee and other officials cut the ribbon at the opening of a visitor center for RI Reconnect in Providence’s Shepard Building. RI Reconnect is intended to help adult learners finish their degrees.
Another goal is to spotlight Black, Indigenous and other students of color (BIPOC), with Gilkey’s office hoping to facilitate BIPOC learners’ access to early college opportunities. The council is also eyeing BIPOC degree and credential attainment rates. While the state as a whole acquired more bachelor’s degrees than any other state in 2022, Black Rhode Islanders saw a 3% dip in their degree and credential attainment.
Whether Rhode Island is sufficiently addressing specific populations in higher ed was a theme of the night’s discussions — not only in terms of access, but outcomes, too.
“Folks are also trying to keep up with the rising costs and weighing whether or not educational outcomes are going to match a salary that will provide them a life of stability,” said Sen. Tiara Mack, a Providence Democrat. “What type of work are you all doing to make sure that your industry partners are paying quality high paid jobs that are providing a living wage?”
“Yeah, that’s the level of sophistication — do our talent credentials actually align to what I would call a good paying job, what the U.S. Commerce Department defines as a good paying job — that we don’t have when we look at our postsecondary credential data against our workforce data. We don’t have that alignment,” Gilkey testified.
What Gilkey did have was a broader argument for education issues predicting workforce readiness. With fewer students entering college from Rhode Island high schools, and a workforce laden with aging baby boomers, Gilkey said a “key challenge” is matching the state’s talent pool of graduates to the local economy’s “talent demand.”
That means upskilling adults for disciplines of current and future importance, like life science and renewable energies.
“There’s some social development issues that are a result of students just being out of the classroom in high school and how those play out in the postsecondary world, which become workforce and economic equity issues for our economy,” Gilkey said.
Gilkey said removing “non-academic barriers,” like child care or access to mental health treatment, can improve adult learners’ outcomes and ease their entry into the workforce.
“We know after serving about 3,000 Rhode Islanders over the past several years, when we spend up to between $1,500 to $2,000 to remove a barrier, 87% of the time that Rhode Islander finishes that credential,” Gilkey said.
Senators and committee members Ana B. Quezada and Thomas J. Paolino did not attend the meeting.
Promise and Hope are making URI feel left out
McKee inked the Promise Scholarship into permanence in 2021. His fiscal 2025 budget remains keen on the program — which allows Rhode Islanders fresh out of high school to attend CCRI tuition-free — with $7.9 million devoted from the general fund for its upkeep.
McKee also recommended $3.4 million for the Hope Scholarship, a similar program at RIC which went into effect on July 1, 2023. It’s essentially a buy two, get two deal, allowing Rhode Island students who commit to RIC to attend tuition-free for their junior and senior years. Hope is still in a pilot phase and support is set to end on July 1, 2028, but the results have been positive so far, said Jack Warner, president of RIC. For the 2023-2024 academic year, 344 RIC students were eligible.
“One of the biggest barriers these days for students to go on to graduate school is the debt that they incur in the undergraduate years,” Warner said. “So we want to do something about that. We think Hope is a tremendous way to help address that.”
But in Marc Parlange’s presentation, the URI president said the state-funded scholarships “unintentionally limit access to specialized programs and high wage fields the state needs to reach increased income goals.”
Without an equivalent scholarship program of its own, students might be less encouraged to attend URI — the state’s land grant institution and sole public research university. A total of 404 accepted students, of whom 54% were from “underrepresented groups,” ended up attending CCRI or RIC instead of URI.
Another slide declared “URI is Rhode Island’s University!” — and yet, in 2023, only 49% of its student population was from the Ocean State. While many of URI’s students arrive from out of state, Parlange suggested they end up Rhode Islanders.
“Our students do stay in the state of Rhode Island,” Parlange said. “If you go to Electric Boat, you will see that half of the engineers there are URI graduates. You go to Amgen, they will also tell you that URI graduates are great and that they stick in the state.”
When asked by Sen. Hanna Gallo if enrollees in CCRI’s early college programs stayed in state, CCRI President Rosemary Costigan didn’t want to rely on anecdotes.
“A large number of them do stay in Rhode Island,” Costigan said. “I would be giving you an anecdotal response if I answered, so we’ll get you that data.”
Contractual language
Last month, CCRI’s full-time faculty union picketed on the first day of classes.
“By statute we’re given shared governance for the college, but it hasn’t been enacted,” said Daniel O’Neill, an assistant professor of art and design at the Jan. 22 picket. “And so that’s what we’re looking for, to have a bigger role in decisions about how classes are taught and the curriculum.”
Against this backdrop of disagreement, Costigan is actually looking for more full-time faculty at CCRI. She testified that the national average for community colleges is about 40% full-time faculty — slightly higher than CCRI’s 35% full-time faculty.
Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, said he didn’t want to “disparage” tenured professors but couldn’t help extolling the value of an impressive adjunct with “one foot in the real world…Some of my best teachers in both college and law school were the adjuncts.”
Costigan didn’t downplay or disagree: “We would be lost without our adjuncts. They are precious,” she said.
But the precious spend less time in the classroom: Full-time professors, despite being a minority of teaching personnel, are responsible for 67% of the classes taught at CCRI.
“It’s a percent differential that means they’re teaching a lot. So I would certainly welcome a few more,” Costigan said.
At URI, meanwhile, faculty contracts, which include costs of living adjustments, comprise the lion’s share of the school’s budget ask for fiscal 2025: $11.7 million of $27.7 million requested overall. McKee’s proposed budget provided nothing to address these operating shortfalls.
“We’re contracted to pay this $11.7 million,” Parlange testified. “So I do need help.”
But not as much as other public universities in New England: “If you look at the University of New Hampshire, they’re also in serious financial trouble. You may have seen that 75 faculty are going to lose their positions up there. University of Maine is in serious financial trouble. The public’s universities in New England are in trouble,” Parlange said.
“We manage our budget extremely carefully. We have squeezed all areas of the university. That’s why I need your help. I am seriously asking for your help.”
And even with a proposed tuition increase that could see approval at Friday’s board of trustees meeting, Parlange reminded the senators that URI is a bargain: “We are the least expensive in New England.”
We manage our budget extremely carefully. We have squeezed all areas of the university. That’s why I need your help. I am seriously asking for your help.
– University of Rhode Island President Marc Parlange
People, not buildings
In 2022, RIC gained the label of “Hispanic Serving Institution,” a designation that requires at least 25% of a college’s undergraduate students to be Hispanic or Latinx. The designation allows for certain federal funding, and it’s a distinction CCRI also acquired in 2023.
But the student body might not be reflected in the faculty: “We have a predominantly white campus when it comes to our faculty and staff,” said Warner. “And we have an increasingly diverse student body. So there’s a bit of a disconnect there…We recognize that sometimes students of color, looking at the lack of diversity among employees and for other reasons, may not feel as welcome.”
Sen. Sandra Cano, the committee chair and a Pawtucket Democrat, followed up every president’s presentation with questions about their commitment to diversity in their institutions’ structure and leadership.
Cano asked Warner: “What are you planning to do and how intentionally are you to make sure that your organizational chart really reflects diversity, equity and inclusion?” Cano asked.
“This is a slower thing to do, because it relies on some staff turnover, because we’re not growing rapidly…We don’t have a lot of investment capital right now,” Warner said. “So any investment we’re making in one area relies on not investing in an existing area.”
“I’m gonna push back a little bit,” Cano said, and referenced the $55 million potential investment, via bond initiative, in RIC’s new cybersecurity program: “We are not doing any good when we don’t prioritize students and only prioritize buildings…We have to have room for both…I would love to see investment into this population that you’re serving, because without them there’s no future for Rhode Island College.”
Parlange, who presented last, said he “appreciated” Cano’s comments overall and pointed out the Talent Development program at URI. Since its inception in 1968, Parlange noted Talent Development has “never been funded by the State of Rhode Island.” But the special admission program for students of color has served over 4,000 students — including Cano’s brother, who she said was able to complete his engineering degree because of it.
Then, in the spirit of fairness, Cano asked Parlange what URI is doing for diversity. Parlange mentioned two new hires in the university’s commitment to inclusion, as well as numerous centers on campus for a diversity of identities.
Parlange, who was absent at that morning’s inauguration for the Reconnect Center, segued smoothly into his earlier whereabouts: “Today, the reason why I wasn’t joining you is that we were actually having a Martin Luther King celebration lunch and we’re really proud that one of our alums from 2015 was there to speak,” Parlange said. “We’re in shifting political times, but the University of Rhode Island is very clear where they stand.”
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from May 8 drawing
Midday: 9-8-9-7
Evening: 7-9-8-9
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 8 drawing
10-13-15-16-30, Extra: 09
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The tectonic plates of Rhode Island politics keep shifting, but does the state really change? Thanks for stopping by. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go.
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1. STORY OF THE WEEK
Fifteen years after starting his first term in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, Chris Blazejewski has ascended to the pinnacle of power, winning an overwhelming 65-10 vote Thursday to become the new House speaker. Blazejewski’s path was paved when he teamed up with Joe Shekarchi on the leadership team after Nicholas Mattiello lost his state rep seat in 2020. Over time, a few things stand out about the 46-year-old lawyer variously known as Chris, Blaz, and Blaze. He has impressive academic credentials, including two degrees from Harvard. Blazejewski is known for his devotion to his wife, Ami Gada, and their two young children, Aria and Liam. Blazejewski represents a safely Democratic seat based in Fox Point. He was a loyal ally to Shekarchi, patiently biding his time. At his essence, Blazejewski has an appreciation for progressive politics, but he’s also an institutionalist steeped in the culture of the House of Representatives and grounded by the fiscal challenges of Rhode Island’s budgetary outlook. A fanciful skit for the bygone Providence Newspaper Guild Follies could feature Blazejewski pursuing a utopian scheme – perhaps nationalizing Rhode Island’s strategic reserve of coffee milk. Back in the real world, though, a number of factors – including the array of Democratic views in the House and the state’s structural deficit – seem likely to temper the new speaker’s progressive impulse. In the first question he took after his win, Blazejewski told me his core values as a Democrat include helping working people, improving healthcare and public education, protecting the environment and guarding against federal overreach. The devil is in the details, of course, and the proof of how Blazejewski influences state policy will be in the pudding. He’ll have his initial test next month when the House rolls out its version of the budget, with a big potential impact from President Trump’s spending bill.
2. WINDS OF CHANGE
Speaker Blazejewski is 17 years younger than his predecessor and he’s one of just six state representatives left from the incoming class of 2010. (The others are Reps. David Bennett of Warwick, Teresa Tanzi of South Kingstown, Ray Hull of Providence, Robert Phillips of Woonsocket and GOP House Leader Michael Chippendale of Foster). His ascent reflects generational change and how progressives have nudged the House in a more progressive direction over the last 15 years. Blazejewski’s predecessor in District 2, David Segal – once dubbed the hippest guy in state government – was among those who came to the House chamber to congratulate him. Segal was part of an early boomlet of progressive wins in the House, along with Chris Fierro and the late Ray Sullivan. But none of them stayed long. Instead, the growing proportion of women lawmakers over time has fueled a move away from the socially conservative/pro-2A Democratic center of gravity that formerly typified the House. That also explains how former House Majority Whip Katherine Kazarian of East Providence made history this week, beaming in her new role as the first female majority leader in the House. “I have a feeling, Katie,” Blazejewski said in his speech from the rostrum, “that this is not the last of your firsts.”
3. REALITY CHECK
The passing of the torch from Joe Shekarchi to Chris Blazejewski mixed celebration and bittersweetness in the House chamber. For Blazejewski, it’s the culmination of a long journey. It’s also the end of an era for Shekarchi, whose voice broke with emotion as he gave a parting speech reflecting on more than five years in what is sometimes called Rhode Island’s most powerful political post. He took credit for changing the House culture “into a more positive member-driven body where all perspectives are heard, respected and valued.” Speaking to what he sees as his legacy, Shekarchi cited progress on housing, healthcare, education funding, pay equity and other issues. There was a buzz of goodwill in the House chamber for the departing speaker and the new team rising in power. But Rhode Island’s thorniest challenges – the housing crisis, insufficient drivers of economic growth, under-performing public schools, and lower insurance reimbursement than in neighboring states – never remain far away.
4. NEXT STEP
Roger Williams University School of Law professor Michael J. Yelnosky is the most outspoken critic of former Speaker Joe Shekarchi’s application to move directly to the Rhode Island Supreme Court from the General Assembly. Shekarchi said he has studied the revolving door law and is convinced it doesn’t apply to the Supreme Court. A complaint filed by Yelnosky with the state Ethics Commission may be taken up during the commission’s next meeting, on June 2. A number of prominent people, including Gov. Dan McKee and candidate Helena Foulkes, have said they don’t see a problem with Shekarchi’s application. Speaking from the rostrum Thursday, Speaker Blazejewski said he believes Shekarchi will make a great justice.
5. THE MILITARY
The Pentagon’s recent $25 billion estimate for the cost of the war in Iran doesn’t come close to resembling the true amount, according to Stephanie Savell, director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University. “That is just the very smallest tip of the iceberg,” Savell said during a One on One interview with me this week. The bigger point is the huge amount of economic cost being accumulated by the U.S., she said, with no end in sight. Savell said the U.S. now owes $31 trillion in debt, largely from post-9/11 wars and a series of tax cuts, and she said 15% of the federal budget goes for that each year. “I have to get in front of my college students and tell them ‘Our leaders have made a decision to saddle you with a tremendous amount of debt that’s gonna affect all of the things that you care about,’” Savell said. We also talked about drones, Rhode Island’s defense sector, whether other forms of spending are more efficient and more.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo joined CNN to talk about the cost of gas.
Stephanie Savell, director of the Costs of War project at Brown University, says much of the United States’ massive defense budget could be better spent on education, health care and green energy
6. CITY HAUL
Providence City Councilor Ana Vargas pulled in the biggest campaign fundraising of her career – more than $16,000 – as the council was approaching a vote on rent stabilization. Landlords flooded her campaign account, as my colleague Ben Berke reports, and she took their side in two votes. As Ben reports, “Prior to the rent control debate, Vargas had been one of the city council’s least prolific fundraisers, raising an average of $873 per quarter. She began 2026 with just $426 in her campaign account, and received only two campaign contributions all of last year.” Vargas declined an interview request and she did not respond to additional requests for comment.
Providence City Councilor Ana Vargas supported rent control during her election campaign. As she prepared to vote on it, she received the largest political donations of her career
7. BARGAIN HUNT
Democrat Wil Gregersen got in touch after going unmentioned in last week’s column in an item on first-quarter fundraising by candidates for governor. As Gregersen noted, he has more in his campaign account ($473.60) than some of those who were mentioned. “I’m serious about my candidacy,” he wrote. “Money is corrupting, and I’m purposely staying off the usual path candidates take to get elected.” Gregersen, a librarian in Warwick, proposes single-payer healthcare, a publicly owned energy utility and more – without explaining how he would pay to do this. Candidates like Gregersen and independent candidate for governor Paul Rianna Jr. run in every statewide election cycle, attracting a small amount of votes. Like it or not, campaign fundraising is a big part of our politics – a situation intensified by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010. The only counter-example in recent Rhode Island history is the late Robert “Cool Moose” Healey, who won 21% of the vote for governor in 2014 while barely spending any money. But that was after a half-dozen or so runs for statewide office and Healey understood how to use schtick to gain wider recognition. Something he told me in 2002 about the challenge facing third-party candidates seems apt for those hoping to run a statewide campaign without significant fundraising: “It’s about being outside the mainstream, being able to challenge the status quo. As one person said to me, `You can’t beat City Hall, but you can piss on the steps.’”
8. THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT
The latest data from Rhode Island KIDS COUNT shows that more Rhode Island children (16.3%) live in poverty than the national average. The rate in Newport, a city known more for tourism and Gilded Age mansions, is 32%. “We see kids with mental health challenges, challenges in school, difficulty in school, mental behavioral health,” KIDS COUNT Executive Director Paige Parks told Luis Hernandez in an interview. “It all stems from poverty.” She urges state lawmakers to continue to invest in early childhood programs and Rhode Island Works, a workforce development program for low-income families.
9. RI POLI-MEDIA PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
State Rep. Julie Casimiro (D-North Kingstown) is not seeking re-election, and former Sen. James Sheehan – motivated by the controversial sludge proposal – may run for the seat. Casimiro had been considered a top target for the League of Rhode Island Businesses …. Nick Fede, who spoke with me for a previous story about the challenge facing small brewers in RI, has won election as president of American Beverage Licensees, a leading national trade association …. Haley Gervino is the new executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence. A graduate of Providence College and Brandeis University, she serves as VP of operations for Sisters in Public Health …. Will this be the year when Drinking Liberally seeds new statewide leaders? Speaker Blazejewski hosted the bygone beer-and-chat series at the Wild Colonial back in the day. Another host was Kim Ahern, one of four Democrats running for AG …. Danica Iacoi, who served as chief legal counsel for former Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, is back in that role with Blazejewski.
10. OLD SCHOOL
Eighty percent of Americans think there should be age caps on serving in Congress, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. As NPR’s Elena Moore reports, “The current Congress is now the third-oldest in U.S. history, and has seen five members die since last March. Each was 65 or older. For some voters, the widening age difference between them and members of Congress is contributing to an already growing disconnect that they feel with leaders.”
11. KICKER
Betting has become inextricably intertwined with professional sports, with predictable results. Now, as NPR’s Luke Garrett reports, campaign staffers are getting in on the action, making thousands by betting on their own candidates. What could possibly go wrong, eh? U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner said his office has implemented a prohibition on participating in prediction markets or wagering on political, legislative, regulatory, geopolitical or other outcomes.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Numbers numbers from May 7 drawing
Midday: 9-3-7-1
Evening: 1-8-1-8
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 7 drawing
12-13-19-22-29, Extra: 02
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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