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Community College of Rhode Island
College's first graduating class celebrates 40 years
Alumni Association invites Class of 1966 back for Commencement
Forty years ago, Baltimore beat the L.A. Dodgers in the World Series, Star Trek ran its first episode on television, the Food and Drug Administration approved the birth-control pill for human use and a first-class stamp cost a mere five cents.
Also in 1966, the first students to enroll in Rhode Island Junior College assembled in makeshift classrooms at the University of Rhode Island Extension Building on Promenade Street. For some of these students, RIJC represented an economically viable pathway to an education they could not otherwise have afforded. For others, the community college seemed a logical career step after they completed military service. Still others considered RIJC to be their second chance at academic achievement after a lackluster high-school career.
Whether they donned a Shielders’ jacket or a cheerleading outfit, played basketball on the court or tuba in the school band, the members of the Class of 1966 found ways to define themselves as college students and position themselves as future community leaders.
As a special way to mark their 40th reunion, the graduates of RIJC 1966 are invited to march together in the 2006 commencement procession as a living symbol of how well their education has served them and their community.
Following the ceremony, the graduates of 1966 may attend their own class reception, where they can reminisce about their favorite college memories, recall the best teachers they ever had, and reach out to old friends from years ago.
To find out more about special plans for the Class of 1966, please contact Alumni Affairs Director Marisa Albini at (401) 333-7101.
