Next URI Honors Colloquium lecture to ask, ‘What Can We Afford?’
KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 7, 2025 – In today’s political environment, it’s critical to understand how public policy intersects with United States colleges and universities.
Higher education policy expert Dominique J. Baker will discuss how education policy shapes access, equity, and success for minoritized students in higher education, as the University of Rhode Island continues its 2025 URI Honors Colloquium Tuesday, Oct. 14; her talk will ask, “What Can We Afford?”
Hosted by the Honors Program, URI’s premier lecture series is examining the evolving landscape of public education. Baker will speak at 5:30 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus as part of the fall colloquium series, “Education, Behind the Curtains,” which will also be livestreamed (links available on the colloquium website).
Baker is an associate professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on the way that education policy affects and shapes the access and success of minoritized students in higher education. In her talk, Baker will provide commentary on the latest higher education news, including state and federal funding of institutions, college affordability, and the mission of U.S. higher education.
Baker has testified before Congress on student loans, and her expertise has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed. In recognition of her scholarly career, she was selected as one of the Top 40 Women in Higher Education in 2025 by Diverse: Issues in Higher Ed.
Baker’s lecture will be followed on Oct. 21 by Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education, and former director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. For the full roster of colloquium speakers and sponsors, visit the Honors Colloquium site.
Students and guests attending this year’s Honors Colloquium are also invited to visit the Hera Gallery in Wakefield for the gallery’s annual Banned Book Showcase and a national juried exhibition, “Curiosity Under Fire,” reflecting on creativity in the age of censorship, on display through Nov. 15.
This year’s URI Honors Colloquium is led by URI’s Feinstein College of Education. The series concludes in December with a panel on the state of education in Rhode Island.
Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, the annual URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. To see recordings of last year’s speakers, or past colloquiums, visit the Honors Colloquium Archives. Sign up here for more information and reminders for colloquium events or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.
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