University of Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The Oliver Watson farm was purchased as a site for the school, and the old farmhouse, now restored, still stands on the campus. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892, and the first class of 17 members was graduated two years later.

Today, the University of Rhode Island (URI) is the principal public research university in the State of Rhode Island, with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, and three other campuses located throughout the state, including Providence's Feinstein Campus, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich. There are many well recognized areas of study at the university including the Colleges of Pharmacy and Nursing, and the Graduate School of Oceanography. In 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked it in its list of best colleges and gave it a selective rating.

Mark Higgins, Dean and Alfred J Verrecchia Hasbro Inc. Leadership Chair in Business, was looking to create a sculpture or artist’s sketch of the renovated Ballentine Hall home of the Business school. While attending a recent business dinner, he was intrigued by the custom ornaments that were presented to the speakers as gifts to commemorate the event. A former Executive MBA student in attendance at the dinner, Joseph Beck, told Higgins his company was responsible for the design and creation of the ornaments and that he worked for ChemArt. Higgins thought something with the quality and detail, but with an eye toward a more year-round keepsake would be an excellent gift for his dedication ceremony.

“The idea of a 3D keepsake would provide a great gift that connects with donors, friends, and graduates alike,” says Higgins. “This design can serve as an ornament for a tree or reside on the donor’s desktop.”

Higgins sent ChemArt a series of photographs to begin the design phase of the project. It was important that the keepsake be a 3D representation, while avoiding a Christmas feeling. Details of the piece included the use of University colors as well as the new University branding. Higgins also worked with ChemArt to create two distinct messages: one for alumni and one for graduating students. This allowed the piece to be used for two purposes: to be given as gifts to donors and friends of the College of Business and to sell to the graduating class.

Additionally, there were two packages created for the finished piece – one for donors and one for graduating students. Each included a unique booklet with the messaging customized to that group. Because of the unique size and design of the piece, a custom box insert was created. A hot stamp with the year of the dedication was put on 250 of the 1250 boxes for this project. This allows for a new hot stamp to be created for subsequent graduating classes, with their year of graduation.

The result: a miniature replica of Ballentine Hall, resplendent in a silver colored metal (Rhodium). “At first, I was skeptical of the project,” admits Higgins. “But the finished product is absolutely spectacular. The level of detail was more than I had ever imagined.  Everyone who has seen the piece is very impressed.”

 Download a PDF of the University of Rhode Island customer success story.