Estate Gift Establishes Two Endowed Scholarships

The late Alfred Boaro built a successful career in pet products that started with his B.S. in animal nutrition from URI. Through his estate, he leaves two endowed scholarships, the Alfred V. Boaro Scholarship in Nutrition and Dietetics and the Boaro Family Scholarship in Ocean Engineering. The gift is split between his area of study and his love of the ocean.

“An endowed scholarship of this magnitude, almost $900,000, means that URI will be able to provide more support to more students on an annual basis,” said Deborah Riebe, interim dean of the College of Health Sciences. “We are very grateful for his generosity to this program.”

URI’s nutrition and dietetics faculty are at the forefront of establishing dietary standards, improving family nutrition, and reducing food waste. The nutrition and dietetics major has nearly 200 undergraduates and graduate students who study the body’s requirements for nutrients and prepare to become registered dietitians.

After retiring, Boaro moving to North Carolina to enjoy the ocean and his favorite activities of boating and fishing, which inspired the other half of the estate gift.

“This type of scholarship motivates students to take on some of the most challenging issues in ocean science and ocean health,” said Anthony Marchese, dean of the College of Engineering. “This gift will help us to grow a program that is already one of the best in the nation.”

Ocean engineering at URI is one of only 10 accredited programs in the country. With 150 undergraduates and 30 graduate students, the program is a leader in ocean instrumentation and robotics, underwater acoustics, marine hydrodynamics and tsunamis, coastal modeling, marine geomechanics, coastal and offshore structures, and offshore power generation.

Boaro was born in 1934 and raised in New York City. After URI, he went on to earn his master’s degree and worked in research, product development, manufacturing, and marketing of nutritious pet products for more than 40 years.