Dr. Rosemary Costigan Named President of Community College of Rhode Island

Council on Postsecondary Education Names Dr. Rosemary Costigan as President of Community College of Rhode Island

Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education voted unanimously today to name Rosemary Costigan, Ph.D., R.N. as president of Community College of Rhode Island. The council’s vote caps a nationwide executive search that produced 44 candidates and two finalists. She is the first alumna to serve as the college’s president and the second woman to hold the seat. Now, she will oversee all operations of her alma mater, succeeding former CCRI President Meghan Hughes, Ph.D., who stepped down in 2023.

“Dr. Costigan’s long list of accomplishments during her career and her lifelong commitment to CCRI were powerful assets in the eyes of the search committee,” said David Caprio, chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education. “Dr. Costigan is a deeply experienced administrator with decades of teaching experience who as interim president has provided strong and visionary leadership through this difficult post-COVID era.  Throughout her career at CCRI, she has demonstrated excellence in teaching, administration, and academic leadership. Because she is utterly committed to student success, we are confident that she will always keep the evolving needs of CCRI students as her priority. The caliber of the candidates overall was impressive, but Dr. Costigan stood out as the best person suited to lead the college now.”

“This is a great day for higher education in our state,” said Governor Dan McKee. “I congratulate Dr. Costigan and look forward to continuing to build on the momentum we’ve created. Dr. Costigan is a graduate of CCRI, taught nursing students for years, led the nursing department, and rose to the highest level as interim president. She knows CCRI inside and out, and I’m confident she will continue to elevate CCRI, its faculty and its students.”

As interim president for 18 months, Dr. Costigan led CCRI through a time of great change and challenge. Throughout her tenure, she led CCRI through a successful 10-year institutional re-accreditation; implemented workforce alignment strategies that yielded strong bonds with the employer community; doubled the college’s three-year graduation rate from 15% to 30% and quadrupled the two-year graduation rate from 4% to 18%. She led the expansion of early college access for students in urban districts, resulting in an approximately 15% increase in participation. She launched the CCRI Advantage program that aims to close equity gaps in English and math; expanded online classes by nearly 30%, implemented guided pathways; and increased retention from fall semester to spring semester this academic year from 80% to 85%. New programming in hospitality, culinary, apprenticeship readiness, and expansion in work-based learning opportunities further support the college’s strategic efforts to attract and enroll students and reverse pandemic enrollment losses.

Dr. Costigan, herself a first-generation college student, noted during her candidacy that CCRI provided her with “the opportunity, access, and support to pursue a career in nursing,” an opportunity that changed her life. As president, she will deliver the same impact on thousands of students seeking the same life-changing opportunities that a college degree affords. For nearly eight years, she served as CCRI’s vice president for academic affairs, leading institution-wide efforts to improve equitable student outcomes, expand academic offerings, and reinforce the college’s mission.

“This search attracted a highly competitive pool of candidates for the presidency, and we are confident that Rosemary Costigan is — and remains to be — the best person to lead CCRI,” said Caprio.  “On behalf of the council, I’d like to thank the members of the search committee, who devoted a great deal of time of time to vetting candidates, and to the members of the college community who contributed to the success of the search process.”

Shannon Gilkey, Ed.D., Rhode Island’s Postsecondary Education Commissioner said, “Dr. Costigan has, in the last year and a half, provided continuity in CCRI’s institutional goals and mission of providing high-quality, affordable postsecondary education that prepares students to achieve their own academic success and career goals, including graduation and entry into the workforce and/or transfer to a four-year institution. Under her continued leadership, CCRI can continue to scale up its strengths, grow and evolve.”

Costigan was named as interim president of CCRI on May 3, 2023 after former CCRI President Meghan Hughes, Ph.D., stepped down. Prior to her appointment as interim president, Dr. Costigan, a nurse by education and training, worked in Rhode Island’s postsecondary education eco-system for decades at the nursing schools of CCRI and University of Rhode Island. She has progressively advanced from associate professor of nursing, to nursing department chairperson, to interim assistant dean of nursing, and as vice president of academic affairs. In addition to her postsecondary education experiences, she was a full-time nurse for 21 years at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. She earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in nursing from the University of Rhode Island, a B.S. in nursing from Rhode Island College, and an A.S. in nursing from Community College of Rhode Island.

In the weeks ahead, the council will work with President Costigan to negotiate the final terms of her contract, salary, and official start date.

The Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner supports the work of the Board of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education in providing an excellent, accessible, and affordable system of higher education designed to improve the overall educational attainment of the citizens of Rhode Island, support economic development, and enrich the civic, social, and cultural life of all living in the state of Rhode Island. Visit www.riopc.edu for additional information.