Center for Innovation and Interdisciplinary Studies
Center for Innovation and Interdisciplinary Studies
The Providence College Center for Innovation and Interdisciplinary Studies (CIIS) advances interdisciplinary teaching, research, and collaboration and builds on the college’s longstanding commitment to integrative learning and interdisciplinary scholarship. Emerging from the college’s strategic plan (PC200), the CIIS serves as a coordinating hub for academic innovation and cross-disciplinary engagement.
The CIIS strengthens the college’s liberal arts mission by supporting new models of teaching, research, and partnership that respond to evolving intellectual and societal needs. Through faculty development, program coordination, and inter-institutional collaboration, the CIIS helps ensure that Providence College’s academic portfolio remains current and forward-looking.
Vision and Impact
The CIIS recognizes that addressing complex challenges requires multiple disciplines and perspectives working together.
To advance this work, CIIS:
- Supports student recruitment, retention, and academic flexibility through meaningful pathways of study
- Promotes the liberal arts mission by facilitating interdisciplinary programs, courses, and scholarly initiatives
- Strengthens the college’s position within a higher education landscape defined by collaboration and applied research
- Enhances faculty engagement, student learning, and institutional visibility through innovative academic structures and partnerships
External Partnerships and Funding
The CIIS is supported in part through Providence College’s participation in the National Science Foundation–funded Rhode Island Research Administration Collaborative (RIRAC). This NSF grant strengthens operations and expands the college’s capacity for interdisciplinary research, faculty development, and collaborative programming.
Through RIRAC, the CIIS:
- Connects Providence College faculty with regional collaborators, resources, and research expertise
- Advances research collaboration among Rhode Island’s colleges and universities
- Contributes to statewide efforts to strengthen research administration and faculty research capacity
CIIS News
CIIS Contacts
Dr. Joan Branham
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
Faculty Profile
401.865.1789
jbranham@providence.edu
Irene Inouye
CIIS Project Coordinator
401.865.1790
iinouye@providence.edu
Sean Maloney
CIIS Graduate Assistant
smalone5.ga@providence.edu
