Roger Williams

Miaoulis will continue to preside over commencement ceremonies, but will retire on May 31. His contract was slated to expire June 30, 2030, according to university spokeswoman Laura Baldwin.

The Board of Trustees appointed chief of staff Brian Williams as interim president effective June 1, wrote Heather N. Boujoulian, chair of RWU’s board of trustees, in an email to employees and students on Tuesday.

In his role as interim president, Williams “will have full presidential authority,” she said.

During Miaoulis’s tenure as president, Roger Williams secured $20 million to name the Cumming School of Architecture, the largest gift in university history. He led the school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the university advanced initiatives across law, justice, and public service.

In 2024, he made headlines for purchasing a lottery ticket worth $1 million, but placed the ticket in a drawer and forgot about it. Five months later, he discovered the ticket and realized he had a winner. At the time, he said he planned to use the money toward his retirement.

In November 2025, he mandated that most of the university’s full-time employees take a one-week unpaid furlough to tackle its $3.5 million budget deficit. The move sparked grievances from the school’s bargaining units, and the union representing many of these workers said the mandate violated federal law.

In early December, Faculty Senate of Roger Williams University approved a resolution declaring “No Confidence” in Miaoulis, which was later approved in a vote by most of the university’s full-time faculty.

Jennifer Azevedo, the deputy director of the Rhode Island branch of the National Education Association, which represents three of the university’s five bargaining units, told the Globe that union officials were surprised that Miaoulis was retiring in the middle of his contract.

When Miaoulis first joined Roger Williams, Azevedo said Miaoulis had a reputation as a strong fundraiser. He met with many employees, had a “very engaging personality,” and was charismatic.

“There was some optimism that he’d be a very good president,” she said.

Over time, that relationship between Miaoulis and union members strained during contract negotiations. Non-union members were also getting furloughed, staff members positions were cut, and the university faced financial instability while Miaoulis’s salary continued to rise.

Miaoulis is one of the highest paid university presidents in Rhode Island, earning more than $1.03 million in the fiscal year ending in June 2024, plus nearly $200,000 in other compensation, according to the university’s most recently available tax filings. During the previous year, he earned $604,000, plus nearly $162,000 in other compensation.

“At what point do the extremely high-paid executives at this university learn how to build a budget?” asked Azevedo.

Prior to leading Roger Williams, Miaoulis served as the president and director of the Museum of Science in Boston from 2003 to 2019. During his time there, he oversaw largest capital campaign in the museum’s 188-year history and the launch of exhibits inspired by the Star Wars movie franchise and the Pixar movie studio. Prior to that, he served as the dean of the Tufts University School of Engineering from 1986 to 2002.

Amid recent financial pressures, Roger Williams is ahead in enrolling undergraduates for the next academic year, according to an email written by officials in the university’s admissions department last week, which was obtained by the Globe. First-year deposits are 16 percent ahead, according to the email from Vice President for Enrollment Management Amy Tiberio, Dean of Admission Amanda Marsili, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management & Marketing Tracy DaCosta, and Dean of Graduate Admissions Leanda Miranda.

“We’re feeling optimistic, even though we know trends can change,” they wrote.