Spring Break
V.P. Weygand eyes university presidency
Tyler Will
Issue date: 9/26/08 Section: News
09/26/08 - Despite a troublesome financial situation and waning support from the R.I. Statehouse, University of Rhode Island Vice President of Administration Robert Weygand has declared his interest in the presidency of URI.
"I would like to be considered and I hope people would view my candidacy in an objective way," Weygand said. "And most importantly, I hope I could add to the quality of the institution and move it faster in the direction that [URI President Robert L.] Carothers has moved it."
His announcement comes only days after Carothers said he would retire - June 30 of 2009 - after a historic term at URI spanning almost 18 years.
Despite the fiscal situation of the university, which will undoubtedly cause headaches for the next president, Weygand said he hopes to be appointed for the office for a number of reasons. These include attracting more research dollars, working with public and private partnerships and finding new "strategies for revenue."
"I think that's our future because our old paradigm ... has changed dramatically," Weygand said.
He has a unique background that the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education, the organization in charge of choosing the next president, will examine. He served as President and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education before he was chosen as vice president of administration at URI. Weygand also served as a congressman from 1997 to 2001, representing Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, and he is a former lieutenant governor and state representative.
Through his political positions, he has netted somewhere in the range of $15 million for the university.
"I think my background can contribute to what the university needs," Weygand said. "But I'm not the person who'll judge, that'll be the Board of Governors for Higher Education."
Weygand also has personal connections to the university as an alumnus. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater in 1971 and a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering in 1976.
"I would like to be considered and I hope people would view my candidacy in an objective way," Weygand said. "And most importantly, I hope I could add to the quality of the institution and move it faster in the direction that [URI President Robert L.] Carothers has moved it."
His announcement comes only days after Carothers said he would retire - June 30 of 2009 - after a historic term at URI spanning almost 18 years.
Despite the fiscal situation of the university, which will undoubtedly cause headaches for the next president, Weygand said he hopes to be appointed for the office for a number of reasons. These include attracting more research dollars, working with public and private partnerships and finding new "strategies for revenue."
"I think that's our future because our old paradigm ... has changed dramatically," Weygand said.
He has a unique background that the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education, the organization in charge of choosing the next president, will examine. He served as President and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education before he was chosen as vice president of administration at URI. Weygand also served as a congressman from 1997 to 2001, representing Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, and he is a former lieutenant governor and state representative.
Through his political positions, he has netted somewhere in the range of $15 million for the university.
"I think my background can contribute to what the university needs," Weygand said. "But I'm not the person who'll judge, that'll be the Board of Governors for Higher Education."
Weygand also has personal connections to the university as an alumnus. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater in 1971 and a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering in 1976.
