Supporting the Home Team
Christopher Yun '88 played tennis in high school. Lisa Rodier '87 was on her track team. At URI, they discovered the rowing club—and each other.
Married since 1993, their URI degrees set them on career paths that took them to Boston, Atlanta, and then back to Rhode Island in 2015, where they became more engaged with their alma mater.
"In 2016, we worked with URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement to plan the 50th reunion of URI Crew. Over 100 people attended that event," said Rodier. The next year, URIFAE helped them set up regular alumni events.
Since then, Rodier has advised first-year students and helps in the URI Athletics compliance office. Yun has provided mentoring for the College of Pharmacy, and currently serves as chair of the College of Health Services Dean's Advisory Council and as a member of the URIFAE campaign committee. He has also rekindled his interest in Rhody basketball, and the pair can often be seen cheering at home games.
These URI connections are why, when the two of them sat down to write their will, the idea of including a gift to the University was appealing.
"URI made the process easy," said Yun. "They have resources that can help. Letting URI know that you are making a commitment helps them with their planning—and then, because you become members of the Oliver Watson Society, you are invited to events, so you stay more connected to the University."
"We made the commitment and yet we still have flexibility," said Rodier. "Whatever you can do can make a difference. We don't have children so we thought about who could benefit from our money and where we could make a difference."
Yun and Rodier also provide annual support through RhodyNow for URI Crew, the College of Health Sciences, and the basketball teams.
"We are so proud to see all the improvements at URI—the academic reputation, the expanded program offerings, the quality of the faculty, and the new infrastructure," said Yun. "We love coming to campus."
"The caliber of the people at URI is amazing," said Rodier. "They are so friendly and focused on making the students successful."
Chris and Lisa know pulling together enables URI to pull ahead. To join them in creating your own URI legacy, contact Office of Gift Planning at 401.874.7900 or plannedgiving@uri.edu.
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