CVS’ Ryan to lead search for URI president

PROVIDENCE, R.I. CVS Caremark chairman, president and chief executive officer, Tom Ryan, will lead the search for the next president of the University of Rhode Island.

According to local news reports, Robert Carothers, president of URI, announced on Monday that he will step down at the end of the current school year after 18 years of service.

Ryan, a URI alumnus, will head the search committee to select the next URI president. An initial list of candidates is expected to be handed to the search committee at the beginning of 2009, with a final decision expected from the Board of Governors at its meeting in May or June.

According to reports, the search committee includes, besides Ryan, R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education members Thomas Rockett, Brenda Dann-Messier and Daniel J. Ryan; Frank Annunziato, executive director of the URI chapter of the American Association of University Professors; Wendy Roworth, art professor; Celest Martin, associate professor in the writing program and chairwoman of the URI Faculty Senate; and Jim Miller, an ocean engineering professor. Also sitting on the committee are Brandon Brown, a student representative; Winifred Brownell, URI dean of arts and sciences; Thorr Bjorn, athletic director; Domingo Morel, academic adviser for URI’s talent development program; Michael Fascitelli, a URI alumnus; and Saul Kaplan, executive director of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation (EDC).