FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Roger Mandle, President, Rhode Island School of Design
Declares Intention Not To Renew Contract in August 2008
Ann Hudner, spokesperson: 401.413.1237 ahudner@risd.edu
Liz O’Neil, Vice-President, Communications + Design: 401.413.0806 eoneil@risd.edu
February 2, 2007, Providence, RI — Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), today announced that Roger Mandle, the longest serving president in the history of the institution, will not seek renewal of his contract when it expires in July of 2008.
Mandle’s extraordinary tenure as the president of the Rhode Island School of Design has been one of expansive growth and visionary achievement; a period in which his accomplishments since 1994 have positioned this school for continued success in the decades ahead.
According to Chairman of the Board and RISD alumna Clara Dale, “President Mandle’s 2008 departure from RISD will mark the close of an historic chapter, and the Board is very, very grateful for his passion and commitment. Through his intellect, dedication, and creativity he has propelled RISD into the highest academic realm of international standing.”
In a letter to the RISD community, President Mandle announced his desire to explore new avenues of professional opportunities to serve education, the arts and public policy. “It has been my delight to participate with so many wonderful people in our creative community around the world, as I have come to recognize that the sun never sets on RISD’s empire of creativity!” states Mandle.
He continues, “we’ve transformed RISD into the most exceptional institution that has affected the lives of legions of students and graduates, museum visitors and members of the public. Our programs and facilities are the envy of all other art schools, and soon will be among art museums of our size. Our capital campaign has brought us many more resources and supporters, and we are poised for the future in many new ways.”
“The Mandle legacy,” states Chairman Dale, “is one that future presidents will strive to emulate. The initiatives he began now drive the academic strength, financial stability and campus life that will shape RISD’s future generations. Because of President Mandle’s leadership and accomplishments RISD is now firmly established as a member of an elite community of internationally renowned academic institutions.”
President Mandle chose to announce his decision at this time to allow RISD, the institution he is so passionate about, sufficient time for a smooth and successful transition. The eighteen months in between now and then will permit the college to complete the strategic planning currently in progress, and to prepare appropriately to attract the best possible successor as president.
Both he and RISD’s Board of Trustees are moving forward together on the important task of finding a new president. According to Chairman Dale, “Our next president will benefit from Roger Mandle’s achievements but will be challenged to be his successor. He has built a powerful foundation on which to build RISD’s future.”
The accomplishments of President Mandle include:
• An endowment that has grown from 67 to 340 million, forming the basis of support for the school’s plans and programs as well as its aspirations.
• A faculty that has increased by more than 50% during President Mandle’s tenure, allowing RISD to provide broader and deeper academic programming for a wider range of students than ever before.
• Sponsored design research has increased through the creation of the Center for Design & Business and the RISD Research Foundation.
• The success of RISD’s first comprehensive capital campaign, raising $105 million, more than $20 million over the $85 million goal, for scholarships, facilities, technology, and academic and museum programs.
• An undergraduate student body that has grown measurably, allowing more people to fulfill their potential and have an impact on the art and design worlds; the graduate student population has grown by nearly 60%.
• Institutional resources devoted to student aid have more than doubled with a 109% increase to 10.7 million.
• A significant expansion of the RISD physical footprint that has benefited the RISD community as well as the broader Providence community that includes:
1. An award-winning, innovative library representing a dynamic example of adaptive reuse: a contemporary arts library housed within a classical, 1917 historic landmark.
2. New residential space for 500 students, boosting the percentage of students living on campus from 38 to 55 percent.
3. Revitalized buildings along the Providence waterfront, giving the RISD campus a front door second to none in an urban academic environment.
4. Growth of net square footage dedicated to academic facilities increased from 264,816 in 1993 to its present level of 398,068.
5. Establishment of the Center for Integrative Technologies and the adjacent Fletcher Building, creating a unified complex that has facilitated the recent expansion of RISD’s graduate programs.
• The RISD Museum of Art established its Department of Contemporary Art, the seventh of the Museum’s curatorial areas, along with a new acquisition fund for contemporary work and the first endowed curatorship in RISD’s history, the Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art.
• The creation and funding of the Happy and Malcolm Chace Center project, designed by Rafael Moneo which will create an architectural gem of a building that embodies all of what RISD is — the creation of art and design, its study, and its display in a public setting.
• Led an innovative approach to support the City of Providence through contributions in lieu of property taxes.
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