(Narragansett, RI) -- The University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography is entering into a partnership with two other institutions to operate the research vessel "Endeavor" for its final years at the school's Narragansett Bay campus. The East Coast Oceanographic Consortium, formally created in January, also includes the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, the University of New Hampshire, and eleven other associate members. The National Science Foundation, which owns the vessel "Endeavor," is receiving a proposal from URI to host and operate a new ship. GSO Dean Bruce Corliss says the objective of the consortium is to enhance and promote research and education among the members.