Records of the Office of Vice-President for Academic Affairs, William Ferrante Papers (Rec. Gr. 2)

Historical note

In 1986, President Edward Eddy initiated an evaluation of the organization and management of the University. With permission from the state Board of Governors for Higher Education, he hired Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. to study the administration. The consulting firm met with more than 70 people in the administration and college community over the course of 5 months and compared URI's organizational structure with that of similar schools.

The consulting firm's report, which was released in March 1987, found that there were 24 different people reporting to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This is one of the reasons why the firm recommended switching to a "cabinet model" of management. The cabinet model would replace the five Vice-President positions with a Provost and three Vice-Presidents: one for Student Development, one for Business and Finance, and one for University Relations.

The new Provost position would have some of the same responsibilities as the Vice-President for Academic Affairs. However, the Provost would delegate more authority to deans and staff so that he or she could take on responsibility for strategic planning and management.

In September 1987, President Eddy presented a report to the Board of Governors for Higher Education recommending that the University adopt the cabinet model. On July 1, 1988, Dr. William Ferrante stepped down as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dr. Beverly Swan began to serve as Acting Provost while a search was conducted to fill the position permanently.