University of Rhode Island Bicentennial Committee (Rec. Gr. 116A)

Historical note

The American Bicentennial Celebration struck a responsive chord throughout the nation in 1975 and 1976. The University of Rhode Island was an early and active participant in this event. In April 1975 a group of interested faculty and staff met informally to plan a series of events and projects to celebrate the Bicentennial at URI and to apply to the federal American Revolution Bicentennial Administration for official designation of the University as a National Bicentennial College.

In May an eighteen-member URI Bicentennial Committee was appointed by University President Frank Newman. Neil Ross of the Marine Advisory Service was elected Chairman of the Committee and David Maslyn of Special Collections, Secretary. In July the University received official notice of its designation as a National Bicentennial College.

With that added impetus, the URI Bicentennial Committee over the next year and a half sponsored and coordinated a wide variety of projects and events, ranging from an archaeological dig at the Watson House, to the publication of a "Cruising Guide" for boating visitors to Rhode Island, to a project to retrieve and display artifacts from British warships scuttled off Newport in 1778. These and other projects received the enthusiastic support of the University community.

The URI Bicentennial Committee was dissolved in March 1977 and its records transferred to the University Archives in the fall of 1982.