URI Office of Strategic Initiatives
The Office of Strategic Initiatives at URI builds partnerships that strengthen Rhode Island’s talent pipeline—from high school students to senior level leaders. Through entrepreneurial and collaborative approaches, we connect education and industry to meet critical workforce needs and create career-ready innovators at every stage of life.
The mission of the University of Rhode Island’s Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) is to foster organizational and economic growth and innovation by leveraging the university’s resources, brain trust of subject matter experts, and intellectual capital.
We are committed to empowering businesses, working professionals, and lifelong learners to harness their full potential through flexible, accessible, expert-led programs and services. We achieve this aim by:
1) investing in the skills and capabilities of the region’s workforce through
- Workforce Development Programming
- Comprehensive Grant and Program Evaluation Services
- Academic Programming, and
- Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Programs
2) optimizing talent through employee engagement, skill development, recruitment, retention, and career advancement, and
3) supporting industry leaders through strategic partnerships, and by delivering insights on hiring practices, leadership, capacity building, and workplace learning and development.
Our annual conferences bring together and serve corporate executives, people operations professionals, labor and employment lawyers, scholars, and representatives from federal and state agencies.