Crystal Williams

Dear RISD Community,

Thank you again to those who attended the Community Input and Feedback sessions as part of the strategic planning process. Dozens of community members joined us across seven sessions, and we were grateful for the thoughtfulness, energy, and ideas you brought in service of RISD's future.

As a reminder, RISD is developing a three-to-five-year strategic plan through a consultative process that began in Fall 2025. To date, this process has drawn on input from nearly 800 community voices, including students, staff, full- and part-time faculty, deans and other academic leaders, alums, families, trustees, and industry stakeholders. The current set of ideas reflects a synthesis of more than 400 recommendations, alongside feedback gathered through recent institutional initiatives (including the Campus Climate Assessment, Holistic Student Wellness, Preparedness for Life After RISD, and Financial Optimization) and various other forms of community engagement such as focus groups, facilitated discussions, surveys, and the recent input and feedback sessions. This phase of the process calls on us to refine priorities by analyzing what we are hearing and making adjustments based on ongoing community input.

To ensure we hear from a broad cross-section of the community and give every contribution careful consideration, we have adjusted and extended the planning timeline. Over the summer, we will conduct additional data analysis and refinement. In the fall, we will host a session for students, staff, and faculty to engage with the emerging priorities before we bring a proposed plan to the Board of Trustees in October for consideration and ratification. 

We will continue to update the community via email and strategicplanning.risd.edu. 

Thank you again for your continued engagement and collective thinking as we plan for RISD’s future.
 

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)                       Touba Ghadessi (she/her)
President                                                       Provost

Dear RISD Community,

It is with great sadness that I write to share the news that Trustee Bob Glass passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

Bob was an enthusiastic champion of RISD. In 2012, a year after his daughter graduated from RISD, Bob joined the Board of Trustees. During his tenure, Bob served on numerous board committees, including the Museum, Finance, Academic and Student Affairs, Campus Facilities and Planning, and Education Mission and Strategy. In 2019, he joined the Museum Board of Governors, where he was a thoughtful and active participant who eagerly shared advice, suggestions, and connections in support of RISD. He also attended Fine Arts Committee meetings in an effort to be a more informed governor so he could offer his leadership in the most meaningful ways. His great love and appreciation for the arts were always apparent, and he was pivotal to the presidential search process and a widely respected and valued member of the Board of Trustees.

Bob’s wide-ranging expertise, insightfulness, generosity, and enthusiasm always enriched Board discussions and decisions, and greatly benefited RISD. His good humor, thoughtfulness, dedication, and whole-hearted support of our institution was boundless. He even rode with RISD’s cycling team! Bob is survived by his wife, Katy, and daughters, Grace 11 IL, and Melanie.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Bob’s family and friends. We will miss him greatly.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams (she/her)
President

On Friday, April 3, Met B will be reserved from Noon to 1:00 pm for any students, staff, or faculty who wish to be together at this time of loss. There will be no formal program or expectation to stay for the duration. Various staff members will be available to provide support and companionship, as well as a variety of support resources (information, therapy animals, creative activity supplies, refreshments, etc.). There will also be adjacent spaces for anyone who wishes to gather in smaller groups or for private one-on-one support.

Updated lists of available resources are attached to this message. Note, the second attachment is specifically for our community members currently in Florence. Please do seek support when you need it, and continue to take good care of yourselves and each other. 

RISD on-campus support resources

RISD support resources – Florence