Open Books - Open Minds

Student Mentor Expectations

• lead a discussion in a course in which students are reading this year's book
• help advertise Open Books - Open Minds programs
• present at the spring student conference -- either an academic paper, a research presentation, or a creative project

Benefits of Being a Mentor

• one college course credit (you will be enrolled in COLL 202)
• great one-on-one experience with a talented Instructor
• active involvement in campus events as well as with other students, faculty, and staff
• great resume item for presenting at a conference

If you are interested in becoming a mentor email Dr. Janice Okoomian at jokoomian@ric.edu.

Who is a Faculty Host?

Any RIC Instructor who shall be teaching the common book in class and would like to have an upper-level student help with those discussions.

Benefits of Being a Faculty Host

• a chance to mentor bright undergraduates and also engage them as intellectual peers
• an opportunity to provide your students with an example of active student participation at work
• a chance to engage your students in OBOM events and the conference

Faculty Host Requirements

• teach the common book
• meet with the discussion leader to discuss his/her role in your class
• apprentice the discussion leader by modeling effective teaching strategies

If you are interested in becoming a mentor email Dr. Janice Okoomian at jokoomian@ric.edu.

The Open Books-Open Minds Committee Welcomes Your Suggestions for Future Books!

Guidelines for Selection of the OBOM Common Book

• The book must be selected for reasons of distinction (for example, excellent treatment of a particular theme, and the quality of the writing), but must also be accessible to entering freshmen, in terms of language, length, and availability (including price).
• The book must be one that is likely to interest many freshmen, possibly because of its theme (coming of age, for example), timeliness (in relation to local events or controversial issues, for example), or outside publicity related to it.
• It is desirable that the book be one that can easily be incorporated into at least one of the courses most students take freshman year.
• The topic of the book should offer interesting programming opportunities, including the potential for an author visit which should be considered early in the selection process.
• The book should not be one that many of our students read in high school.​

Please email OBOM with book suggestions. Include the title, author, and any other pertinent details.

Open Books - Open Minds is the Rhode Island College common book program. This college-wide program allows us to work towards fostering a caring community informed by serious inquiry, civic engagement, and open discourse where dedicated faculty strive to pass on the promise of a liberal arts education: an open and understanding mind.

This initiative brings together first-year students early in their first semester at RIC and links them with upper-level peers, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and the greater Rhode Island community through book discussions and participation in a rich array of programs and activities. A series of lectures, round-table discussions, and film screenings culminate in the annual Open Books – Open Minds Student Conference in the spring, where students showcase their writing, research, and creative projects on the book itself or issues inspired by the reading.

The Open Books-Open Minds project began as an outgrowth of Rhode Island College's active involvement in the American Democracy Project (ADP), a long-term endeavor involving 188 academic institutions, jointly coordinated by the New York Times and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) designed to foster informed civic engagement in the United States. Rhode Island College is proud to have been one of the first colleges in the nation to participate in this important initiative.