URI Harrington School of Communication and Media

09/28/2026

The Harrington School of Communications and Media welcomes award-winning journalist Bob Woodruff as this year’s Christiane Amanpour Lecture speaker.

As an ABC News correspondent, Woodruff has spent nearly three decades reporting from more than 100 countries. From reporting for ABC News to hosting Hulu’s Last Lands, Woodruff has built a career telling stories from around the world. He has covered major international events, wars and humanitarian crises, and is also known for his remarkable recovery after being seriously injured by a roadside bomb while reporting in Iraq in 2006.

Join us for a conversation and audience Q&A on Tuesday October 6th at 4pm in the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center Hope Room, exploring his nearly three decades in journalism, experiences reporting around the world and insights for the next generation of journalists and storytellers.

Learn more and register through the event website here ➡️ https://web.uri.edu/harrington/amanpour/2026/08/28/2026-amanpour-bob-woodruff/

09/25/2026

09/23/2026

09/22/2026

“Helping women understand that strength training is not only safe but essential as we age is one of the most empowering messages of this program,” says Furong Xu, professor of health and physical education, of a new research study she is leading.

Working with an interdisciplinary team, Xu is recruiting Rhode Island participants for StrengthenHER, a multi-year national research study launching in October. The program is designed to help women ages 50 to 75 reduce their risk of sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass that can affect strength, mobility, and long-term independence.

The 16-week program, which begins October 15, includes:
- 8 weeks of on-demand resistance training videos
- Live weekly Zoom sessions focused on nutrition
- 8 weekly follow-up newsletters

Space is limited. Women ages 50 to 75 who are interested in participating in StrengthenHER can learn more and sign up by emailing [email protected]. For additional questions, contact Xu at [email protected].

📸: Xu, center back, with collaborators and the film crew from URI's Harrington School of Communication and Media that filmed the videos designed for this research program.

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years later, we remember.

Today, the University of Rhode Island honors all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, including five members of the URI community. We remember their lives, the courage of first responders, and the countless acts of service and compassion in the face of tragedy.

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09/09/2026

Round of applause for the first day of classes! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

08/27/2026

Sports, culture, and storytelling: URI students take on Ireland.

Nine URI Harrington School students took their sports media and storytelling skills overseas this summer, spending two weeks immersed in Ireland’s sports culture.

Led by Matthew Hodler, a sports media and communication associate professor, students traveled through Dublin, Howth, and Belfast. Along the way, they visited iconic venues including Croke Park, The Curragh and Windsor Park, attended rugby and soccer matches, and explored how sports shape communities across Ireland.

For students, the experience offered a new perspective on sports culture and the possibilities for their own careers.

“This trip solidified my goal to want to travel more and see the world and experience cultures,” said communication studies major Eliza Smith ’29. “It made me think broader that I don’t have to work in my own country, but wherever I can in the world.”

Students returned to URI with new reporting experience, new friendships and, for some, a new idea of where a career in sports media could take them.

Learn more about this inaugural program below.

Nine URI students, led by a sports media and communication associate professor, Matthew Hodler, spent two weeks in Ireland this summer exploring the country’s sports culture while putting their reporting and storytelling skills to work.

08/24/2026

Kirk Benttinen believes there is a demand for local stories that represent Rhode Island and the people who call this state home. The award-winning filmmaker created RI Docs to capture the people, …