Mercy Mondays: Salve Regina receives NetVUE Grant for reframing the institutional saga
As the University prepares to celebrate the significant milestone of its 75th anniversary year as an institution, which will happen during the 2022-2023 academic year, the need to develop a shared University story embracing the wisdom of its Mercy, Catholic foundations and heritage is essential in setting the course for the future.
With this in mind, Salve Regina was awarded a $40,000 grant this past spring from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) for ‘Reframing the Institutional Saga.’ The grant application was spearheaded by Dr. Therese Antone, R.S.M., chancellor, and Dr. Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, vice president for mission integration.
The grant will aid the University in developing that shared history. To date, there is only one written institutional history published in 1993 called “With Courage and Compassion: A Reflection of the History of Salve Regina University in the Light of the Spirit Which Engendered and Sustains It.” This history was authored by two of the – Sister Mary Eloise Tobin, R.S.M. and Sister Mary Jean Tobin, R.S.M. – and it chronicles the University’s first four decades, reflecting on the University’s mission, foundations and development through 1991. The University’s story from 1991 to the present has not yet been chronicled, and a comprehensive institutional narrative remains unwritten.
The grant will support two major initiatives. The first initiative is the publication of an updated, concise historical narrative of Salve Regina from its foundations to the present. John Quinn, professor of history, is leading this project with research from the University’s own archives; the Mercy Heritage Center in Belmont, North Carolina; the Diocese of Providence archives; and substantial contributions from his Oral History Project, which has conducted over 50 interviews. Alongside Dr. Quinn, Anna Pardis ’21 has served as a research assistant for this historical narrative initiative and has contributed in meaningful ways to the development of the project.
The second initiative sponsored by this grant is the development of an edited volume currently titled: “Living Mercy: The Heritage and Mission of Salve Regina University through Shared Story and Values.” Jayme Hennessy, professor in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies, is serving as the lead on this project. This entails developing an edited volume reflecting on the University’s core values, which have been identified through a recent strategic compass process, in relation to its shared Mercy, Catholic heritage and the mercy vocational paradigm.
Twelve university colleagues have been invited to author chapters for “Living Mercy.” These include Dr. Steve Rodenborn and Dr. Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley on purpose-driven education; Dr. Kelli Armstrong and Dr. Sean O’Callaghan on respect and dignity for all; Dr. Myra Edelstein and Rose Albert on Mercy community; Dr. Therese Antone, RSM and Dr. Bill Leeman on integrity; Dr. Dan Cowdin and Aïda Neary on faith and spirituality; and Dr. Jameson Chace and Dr. Kaitlin Gabriele-Black on compassionate service and solidarity.
The projected completion of these grant initiatives will be the fall of 2022 with a public release of both the historical narrative of Salve Regina and the edited volume “Living Mercy“ to celebrate the 75th anniversary year.
If anyone would like more information on this project, please email missionintegration@salve.edu.
This post is part of an ongoing series called Mercy Mondays that highlights Salve Regina’s dedication to its Mercy Mission. Search the tag Mercy Mission for more updates on the Mercy branches of Salve Regina.
