YourCollegeProfile.com • Become a fan of YourCollegeProfile.com on Facebook

Access Security Profile!

Rhode Island School of Design Profile

Providence, Rhode Island

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Campus Profile

Rhode Island School of design was established in 1877 as a private fine arts & design institution. The school is composed of undergraduate art school programs within the City of Providence’s eastern community of College Hill. RISD’s network of private educational facilities offer comprehensive undergraduate programs in several different art fields including graphic design, architecture, and computer-aided design. RISD prepares students for careers in the above-mentioned undergraduate schools through educational, and student workshop programs. The school itself is located in hill top community of College Hill, which is approximately 2 blocks west to downtown Providence.

The school is unique because it’s located within the historic neighborhood of College Hill with it’s Colonial Style homes and modern buildings within a short walk to the downtown area of the city. The school is very spread out geographically for a city school with facilities starting on Memorial Blvd to the west and continuing along College, Waterman, and Thomas Streets up the hill to Prospect Street to the east. The southern point of the campus footprint lies on College Street on the bottom of Campus Hill, the northern most point of the facility can be found on Meeting Street.

As you can see, the school’s footprint is large for a private urban art school with 13 acres. RISD’s educational landscape offers students a professional education while still allowing students to enjoy a close-knit city community. The College Hill campus offers students a college town community without boundaries within the state’s largest city. The campus has approximately 42 buildings including lecture, residential, research, studio, resource centers, and dining facilities. The internal campus setting also provides students, employees, and alumni with several types of services including health, physical fitness, library, cultural meeting places, and several small green areas.

The issue of student housing on campus is a challenge for RISD because the school is located in an urban environment with a limited number of student housing resources. RISD guarantees housing for freshman only, upperclassman on-campus housing is available through a lottery system. RISD currently has approximately 1,200 students living on campus which, is about 52% of it’s students. The school actively competes for local real estate resources within the general area of the school to help students enjoy campus life. Local real estate brokers have purchased several local residence buildings within the hill top community over the years to convert into new residential facilities for students to enjoy.

The physical layout of RISD’s campus is unique for an urban school because the cityscape is situated on a big hill that overlooks the city. The school has no main entrance, and it’s facilities can be found on the bottom, and top of Waterman & Angell Streets with students being welcomed to RISD within Woods-Gerry House on prospect Street. The school uses natural waist high stonewalls as natural barriers for entrance to several of it’s buildings but it doesn’t have any formal gates or metal fencing as barriers to the city campus. Another interesting observation about this hill top community is the students themselves. RISD is a very mixed community with local residents, students, artists, tourists, and commercial facilities all within the city’s landscape. You will find students wearing very little of school apparel in the area, mostly you will find RISD & Brown students and local residents embracing the city culture by not relieving school colors.

RISD has developed 4 freshman resident facilities/ first year spaces within the campus landscape to provide housing that’s in close proximity to several campus life areas, main dining hall, lecture halls, and the student center for easy access to student facilities. RISD is a small sized urban art school that has links to Providence on a 24-hour basis including government buildings & services, music & theatre productions, sporting & cultural events, museums, nightlife, and restaurants. RISD’s College Hill location also allows students to enjoy additional nightlife on Thayer Street in close proximity to Brown University by walking, or taking the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) bus, and trolley within the student friendly community.

The internal campus setting provides students and employees with several types of student services including studio facilities, museums, library services, and cultural meeting places and dining halls. RISD’s observed focal points of reference during the campus tour were the row of academic buildings along North Main Street, and campus life buildings within Homer Terrace (Freshman Quad) along Waterman Street. Another busy area of the campus were the studio buildings on College Street including the Chace Center, and the College Building down the hill form the residence halls. Students use these multi-story facilities to work, socialize and talk about school and life. The external observed focal points for the school could be found along the Canal off Memorial Blvd, and Prospect Park on Congdon & Cushing Streets on top of the hill with students enjoying the small green areas along the perimeter of the school.

The published demographic information for the school describes a culturally diverse student population with students from all across the world. RISD has developed several different programs, within it’s educational network to offer students a Fine Arts and Architecture education format to enhance it’s commitment to different types of career endeavors. The school has also developed independent affiliates with several global art facilities to highlight it’s commitment to global learning. Below is a description of demographics for RISD’s campus in Providence Rhode Island.

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): The school is home to approximately 640 male, and 1,240 female full, and 155 male, and 225 female part time students enrolled. The average age of a freshman is 18 years old. 94% of students are from out of state, mostly the northeast States. Students on campus provide a diverse multi-cultural makeup including students from 50 states, 44 foreign countries, and Canada. 38% of RISD students are white, 2% are African American, 14% Asian Americans, and 4% are Hispanic, and 22% race unknown.

Published Academic Standards for Admission Programs

The Rhode Island School of Design offers a world class liberal arts program for undergraduate students within it’s hill top community. The school has a very unique way of evaluating student performance within it’s application process. RISD applicants take an SAT, and ACT exam; but the school puts more emphasis on art & design portfolios that demonstrate student potential and individual talent. Each student who applies to the school must provide examples of finished original work/designs during the application process. Below is a specific list of under graduate admission requirements.

Student Housing

The purpose of student housing is to provide safe and reasonable accommodations for students living away from home. The issue of housing and dormitory life is a critical element of overall campus life because students spend a large amount of time in their rooms. Student housing units historically come in 3 different styles including traditional corridor, suite, and apartment style units.

RISD only guarantees housing for freshman students who have filed their intent to attend the school by the stated deadline. Housing is available through a lottery system for upper classman who have continuously registered as full time students. RISD currently has 1,200 students living on campus, which is approximately 52% of it’s students. Housing resources for freshman students on campus are situated within several different villages including the Upper Campus Freshman Quad, and the campus apartments off Benefit Street. The school has developed new apartment style-housing units for upper classman within the campus off Memorial Blvd including the Mandle Center to keep more upperclassman on campus. Information about housing can be found on the quick links page of this document.

Off Campus Housing

College Hill has been described as a mini-city within a muti- cultural residential community. The reason I have mentioned the overall community of College Hill is to re-assert the point that RISD & Brown University’s network of facilities has encapsulated a large amount of real estate holdings within the area. These campus footprints allow almost every student to have housing within walking distance to the campus. The issue of off campus housing has a different feel to it compared to other university off campus housing demands. The demand for housing, especially off campus housing is usually a tough issue for institutions attempting to keep students within the general geographical area. RISD & Brown have addressed these issues by buying up residential buildings and developing housing networks. One such network is called The University Auxiliary Housing Assistance Program, which lists local rooms and apartments for students. The local streets of College Hill can also observe several local real estate companies buying up residential, and commercial properties and developing housing networks and student retail resources for students. Contact information for these housing services can be found on the quick links page.

Campus Life

RISD is a multi-cultural campus environment that provides students with an excellent social, and educational atmosphere. The admissions demographics paint a picture of a very diverse community with students from all over the world. The local community of College Hill/ Providence only adds to the school’s international status because the community has multi-cultural roots as well. RISD also addresses the issue of ecology in a positive way. The physical environment is reasonably clean and well maintained and the economic conditions are favorable to students and local residents due to the available services in walking distance to the school. The emotional climate and culture of the entire neighborhood is a combination of intellectual and social due to it’s close relationship with the hill top residential community. The school’s mature student population, educational, and intellectual resources makes RISD an attractive institution because it offers students real world professional experiences in Providence and nearby Boston, while providing social relationships with local organizations and community groups through student activities for everyone to enjoy throughout the year.

The college also thrives on it’s physical and intellectual relationships with several local colleges and universities including Brown University located in the College Hill section of Providence, and Providence College in western Providence with Smith Hill. These schools connect to each other on several RIPTA Bus Lines as part of Providence’s mass transit system. Students at RISD can also enjoy student life in Boston, which is 1 hour away by train. Students flock to Boston each year to enjoy the city campus lifestyle in regard to activities, socialization, theatre, sports, and history. The City of Boston can be considered one the nations main college cities because it has several distinguished institutions, and a mass transit system that can connects them to the Boston cityscape.

This issue of school culture is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community. RISD is first, and foremost a college that is linked physically and emotionally to the art world. RISD has done a great job developing positive social systems with it’s students by providing a series of coordinated programs including professional workshops and seminars for freshman students to advance these studies. This type of process provides a foundation for learning and personal growth providing over 60 academic clubs, student organizations, and over 14 intramural sports activities.

Campus life at RISD is more than academic excellence; it’s about building personal relationships with students and facility that continues throughout each student’s career. The school also offers students the ability to enjoy visual & performing arts, history, cultural events, restaurants, and local museums. RISD students can also enjoy school sports activities on College Hill within the massive brown campus with the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center (OMAC), and the Erickson complex. Students can also enjoy the City of Providence and nearby Boston which has hundreds of venues to enjoy the previously stated activities including the theatre district, Boston Garden, Fenway Park, Boston Commons, Faneul Hall Market place, the North End, and Harvard Square.

Public Transportation

RISD & Brown University has developed a student shuttle system that connects students with several areas of College Hill including Providence’s transit system through several different shuttle bus & trolley routes. In formation about this service can be found on the quick links page of this document. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) have several bus stops on Waterman Street & Atwells Ave for the # 92 Green Trolley Line for RISD & Brown and local residents of College Hill. This valuable service connects to all of Providence’s transit lines and regional train services for Amtrak and T.F. Green Airport.

Regional Public transportation resources can be found within Providence Station on Gaspee Street that link with trains to suburban Massachusetts, and lines to suburban Rhode Island (Newport) through (RIPTA & MBTA). Amtrak also uses Providence Station as a major hub within it’s Northeast Corridor. This complex train system also allows riders the ability to travel to downtown Boston, T.F. Green, and Logan Airport in approximately 45 minutes. People who live, work, and visit Providence usually travel by some type of mass transit. Students should be encouraged to purchase a metro card to get around. Mass transit information can be found at: www.RIPTA.com

Providence itself is located within close proximity to the 2 northeastern states of Massachusetts, and Connecticut, which make it convenient to several suburban communities and highway networks. The city itself also has several main roadways that connect the community to major state highways including the Rhode Island Turnpike (Route 95) that links Boston and suburban Connecticut, which is the main highway corridor on the eastern seaboard. Shopping, restaurants, and national hotel chains can be found within these major transportation networks after a short drive from the campus.

Community Profile

The College Hill area of Providence Rhode Island has been described in different ways, including a scholarly and intellectual community with it’s student population, and historical neighborhood architecture. The city also has a cosmopolitan feel to it because it’s houses the state capital, along with numerous historical restaurants, performing arts, museums, and finally sporting venues. Providence is also a coastal community situated within 45 minutes of Boston, and 45 minutes to the sailing capital of the world Newport RI. The footprint of the community also seems to be split into several different neighborhoods including the state capital area, the downtown business center, federal hill, and the historic buildings around the RISD & Brown campuses.

The neighborhood has a normal amount of restaurants, retail, and entertainment resources for a small campus community. The hill top area can also be considered a working class residential community with colonial style homes and apartment buildings lining several streets. The community also has several shopping areas on Thayer Street located in the heart of College Hill on the eastern edge of RISD’s campus. Student population and historical neighborhood architecture can be found within the entire neighborhood. The greatest number of residents in this area is in fact students, and employees of RISD and Brown University.

The community has a real welcoming type feel to it because a large number of people live, work, and study within the area. College Hill can also be considered a commuter town because large numbers of local residents travel to nearby downtown. The area also has an urban/ city type feel to it because people usually walk on Thayer Street for food and shopping because having a car is a luxury due to very limited parking resources. The issue of walking alone at night outside the perimeter of the campus buildings should also be curtailed in my opinion. The local streets in, and around the campus seem to be well patrolled by public safety but students should always exercise caution when walking around the community.

The following demographics for the City of Providence describe a multi-cultural community within a total population of 175,255 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. P.C. has a strong relationship with this diverse community. An example of this commitment can be observed through RISD’s community services handbook that describes educational programs, health care programs and services, legal programs and services to local residents who may require community help.

A Census Bureau community survey highlights several characteristics to describe the population including: 48% of residents are male, 52 are female. 54.5% of residents are white, 14.5% are African American, 25% are Hispanic or Latino, and 6% are Asian. The median age of population is 28 years old. 74% of residents are 18 years old or over and 10% of city residents is over the age of 65. The issue of housing in Providence is also interesting. 92% of all housing units within the city are occupied. 65% of housing units are renter-occupied, while 35% of units are owner-occupied. Only 8% of total available housing was vacant.

Rhode Island School of Design Quick Links

Providence Rhode Island Area Hotel Quick Links Page

Providence Biltmore Hotel
11 Dollance Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
32 Exchange Terrace
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
The Hotel Providence
139 Mathewson Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Radisson Hotel Providence Harbor
220 India Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Providence Marriott Downtown
1 Orms Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02904
Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown
58 Weybosset Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Providence Hilton
21 Atwells Avenue
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
The Westin Providence
1 W.Exchange Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903

Below is a list of accommodations approximately 20 minutes from Providence College within the T.F. Green Airport facility in Warwick Rhode Island.

Sheraton Providence Airport
1850 Post Road
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
Radisson Providence Airport
2081 Post Road
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
Best Western Providence Airport
2138 Post Road
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886

City of Providence Transportation Links

Providence Regional Train & Bus Services

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Regional train service to Boston via the Providence/Stoughton Line. Line originates at Providence Station, 100 Gaspee Street. Information about service can be found at: www.mbta.org

Organized Tours of Providence Rhode Island

Providence Museums & Galleries

Below is a sample list of Museums & Galleries in the City of Providence Rhode Island. A complete list can be found at: www.providenceri.com/ArtCultureTourism/museums.php

Culinary Archives & Museum at Johnson & Wales University (401) 598-2805 or www.culinary.org

Restaurants in Providence Rhode Island

Complete information about hotels, restaurants, shopping, museums, and general tourism activities in nearby Boston Massachusetts can be found in the document “ Everything in Boston” on the Your College Profile web site.

Comments!

Login to comment on this profile.


There are no comments to display.

Take action now!