Hundreds attended the Roger Williams University Community Engagement Celebration a recent Wednesday evening at the Bristol Maritime Center, where students, faculty and community groups displayed some of the many ways in which RWU is both transforming education and positively impacting local communities.

Highlights included a structural evaluation of Fort Taber, an urban reforestation project done in partnership with the Bristol Conservation Commission, and a design proposal to connect the East Bay Bike Path to the RWU campus, a senior project for civil engineering undergraduates.

"We've created this design to present to Bristol," said Mackenzie Bryan, of St. Croix, U.S.V.I. "We've mapped the route, confirmed that no parking would be affected, determined what we would need for appropriate signage and the loads for a pedestrian bridge that's along the route." The team of students has been wrapping up cost estimates this week, to complete the package. "I don't know if it will happen," Mr. Bryan said. "But it's an awesome goal."

Other projects taught students some important truths. For a web design lab, one group of students created a website for a new Anchor facility, a Rhode Island recovery center with several branches around the state. The new website for the donor-funded facility needed to be welcoming, and it needed to inspire people to give. Students, including Tyler Williams, a junior from Tolland, Conn. found that the word "support" (on a blue button) was significantly more effective than the word "donate." "The small details are important," Mr. Williams said. "One word can change a lot."

Arnold Robinson, the Director of Community Partnerships for RWU, noted that the event this year was smaller than in years past — not because RWU is doing less, but rather because they tightened the focus of the overall presentation. "Part of the process was selecting East Bay-focused projects with local business, design, and architecture," he said. "We are highlighting the projects that feature students interacting with the public, and business and community leaders."

The location of the event was significant, as the Bristol Maritime Center was one of the first Community Partnerships Center projects to be realized, in 2016. In its early history, the Marine Armory in Bristol was a meeting place for local militia, informal boating activities and a town recreation center, but it eventually fell into dormancy. RWU students and faculty met with the Bristol Harbor Commission and Harbor Master to craft a renovation plan and cost estimate. They determined the armory could be turned into a maritime center that would be a meeting place for local regattas or weekend boaters and a tourist information center.

Other ongoing projects that are currently striving towards realization include a handicapped-accessible fishing pier on the east side of Bristol (there are only 4 accessible stations in town, all at Colt State Park); and a project exploring the feasibility for a water system on Touisset Point, which was being presented to Warren officials at the same time as the Community Engagement event was ongoing.

The impact of the Community Partnerships Center at RWU is substantial and measurable. Since 2010, the University estimates that the value of the work performed is nearing $3.5 million, with the majority of the projects serving the East Bay and Providence metro area. More than 165,000 hours have been volunteered by nearly 2,900 students.

According to RWU President Donald J. Farish, “To be effective today, universities need to rely less on classroom teaching and more on project-based and community-based learning. With RWU’s commitment to experiential education, our students graduate ready to go to work and ready to become leaders in their communities. We are a private university serving the public good.”