Ten rising juniors and seniors at Salve Regina have been selected as fellows for the Nuala Pell Leadership Program for 2020-2021. This innovative leadership development program is run by the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy is named in honor of the wife of U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell.

The program facilitates leadership development for the twenty-first century through monthly meetings where students will explore leadership theory, ethics, evolution of public issues and what it takes to be a leader in the public sector.  This cohort will also travel to Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2021 to meet with Congressional leaders, policy makers and others.

“I’m so excited to see what this new group discovers. It’s a new day, and it needs a new kind of leadership—built on the combination of empathy and information,”  said Martha McCann Rose, program director.

“The impulse to serve others is as special and profound today as at any time in American history,” said Jim Ludes, Pell Center executive director. “We are excited to get these students back on our campus and work with them over the coming year.”

The 2020-2021 cohort of Nuala Pell Leadership Program fellows include:

• Ana Inciarte ’22, biology major, from Norwalk, Connecticut
• Brittany Bailey ’22, administration of justice major, from New Haven, Connecticut
• Ryan Miech ’21, art major, from Coventry, Rhode Island
• Izabella Mangual-Solivan ’22, global studies major, Southington, Connecticut
• Evan Elichalt ’21, American history major, from Falmouth, Massachusetts
• Kyra Dezjot ’21, secondary education & history double major, from East Lyme, Connecticut
• Tyler McPhee ’22, political science major, from Wakefield, Rhode Island
• Makenzie Sadler ’22, secondary education & history double major, from Mystic, Connecticut
• Callie Crowston-Hickey ’21, psychology major, from Pine Meadow, Connecticut
• Connor Welsh ’22, biology major, from Middletown, New Jersey

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All staff, faculty and students are invited to attend a Vigil and Forum for Racial Justice to mourn the recent tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others.

While it is a time of deep mourning, it is also a time to listen and learn. Racism is one of the five critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy, and Salve Regina knows it is essential to continue the discussion on racism here on the University’s campus.

“Let us proceed to listen to one another, to understand more deeply and fully the ways in which racism has impacted our community, so we can together manifest our Mercy mission and work for a world that is more harmonious, just and merciful,” said Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong, president of Salve Regina, in her recent statement. “It is who we are called to be.”

The forum will include prayers, readings and reflections from members of the University community, including Rose Albert ’13, assistant director of multicultural programs; Chiquita Baylor, director of student engagement; Father Ray Malm, a University chaplain; Izabella Mangual-Solivan ’22, SGA president; and Dr. Tim Neary, professor of history and American studies.

Change starts on campus and in discussions the community will be empowered to have during this volatile time in American history. The Vigil and Forum for Racial Justice will be held on Friday, June 5, at 11 a.m. The WebEx invite can be found here. If prompted, use the event number 160 053 0736. Password is seahawks.

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For the first time in its history, “The Willow Literary Magazine” has gone digital. Founded in December 1998 as a student organized literary publication, the magazine’s purpose has always been to encourage and celebrate creative expression within the campus community through the publication of poetry, prose, artwork and photography from the student population.

In the past, ‘The Willow’ is published as a print publication twice a year with the financial support of the Activities Funding Board. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic with students moving to completely remote learning, Isabel Thornton ’21 and Emily Grant ’21, the two editor-in-chiefs of the magazine, decided it was time to do an online version of the magazine through WordPress.

“We love having the physical copy of the magazine — something tangible to hold onto — but we’re so grateful that we could still digitally publish our hard work from this semester,” said Grant, who is double majoring in english communications and creative writing and publishing. “The online format has definitely helped us reach a wider audience; I was able to send the link to my friends from home and my family members, who might not have gotten the chance to see the magazine in its usual format.”

Grant and Thornton thank Dr. Jennifer McClanaghan, associate professor and writer in residence, and everyone in the Department of English, Communications and Media for giving them the education and skills needed to create ‘The Willow.’ The online version’s success is also due to the hard work of Ryan Miech ’21, who is a studio art major with a concentration in graphic design and illustration and a work study student in Design Services.

During the process of going online, Miech had a lot of fun with turning “The Willow” into a website.

“With a traditional book, it goes to front to back. There is a linear path through reading a book or a magazine,” Miech described. “With a website, that is not the case. Websites branch out. So learning how to transition between these two different progressions was important. I learned a lot about web design just from having to figure out how to make everything flow together.”

The rest of the club members for ‘The Willow’ have worked hard to promote the new online version on social media, and there is hope that an online version will supplement a print version moving forward.

Thornton joined “The Willow” the moment she got to Salve Regina during her first year at Club Rush. Since then, she’s continued to be involved in various capacities. This was the first year that there were two editor-in-chiefs to share the workload.

” ‘The Willow’ has been one of the best experiences of my Salve career,” said Thornton. “It’s the most rewarding thing to show off the incredible talents of so many Salve students and to see how proud they are of their work …. I didn’t expect the transition to go this well, but I’m so proud of the result, and I’m beyond grateful for the people who made it happen.”

Check out the Spring 2020 online version of “The Willow Literary Magazine” here.

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Salve Regina is in the midst of celebrating the tireless efforts of the Class of 2020, despite the challenges that the University experienced during Virtual Salve. Today, seniors in the music program will be showcased.

Usually, students in performance and/or music education must perform in a solo recital their senior year, which is in the spring semester. This is in conjunction with a senior thesis that they present in their capstone class.

In a normal semester, seniors will collaborate with an accompanist or with other musicians to prepare for the recital. They invite family, friends and their professors to attend. In order to get a good grade, they must perform with technical proficiency and present a program that meets the music program’s high standards for public performance.

Due to social distancing, seniors could not collaborate with accompanists and other musicians in person, and so that had to be accomplished online. The resulting product was a recording of their repertoire that they had created with their instructors’ help and guidance. Each student then had online performances on May 22, 23 and 30.

“It’s nothing short of amazing,” said Don St. Jean, associate professor of music. “These students have risen to the challenge, and with their instructors have created recordings that are representative of the work in applied music lessons over the last four years at Salve Regina.”

Celebrating senior music projects

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Responding to the need for trained professionals to serve in one of the fastest-growing career fields, Salve Regina has partnered with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth) to develop a pathway for its students to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Salve Regina and a master’s degree in data science from UMass Dartmouth in just five years.

A 3+2 BA/MS in mathematics and data science

Under the memorandum of understanding for the 3+2 BA/MS in mathematics and data science, Salve Regina students can now spend their first three years on the Newport campus majoring in mathematics together with the newly launched required minor in data analytics, and their final two years at UMass-Dartmouth to complete the master’s degree in data science.

Students who participate in the program and meet the GPA requirement will be conditionally admitted to UMass Dartmouth via the consortium agreement and GREs will be waived. At the end of the fourth year, students in the program will graduate with their class at Salve Regina’s commencement.

“All in five years, students in this program acquire a highly respected values-based liberal arts education, the flexibility and marketability of a BA in mathematics with a minor in data analytics, and a master’s degree in data science – one of the fast-growing and highest paid professions,” said Ernest Rothman, professor and chair of Salve Regina’s Department of Mathematical Sciences. “The development of this program was a truly collaborative effort, which produced a very fine academic program and strong synergy between Salve Regina and UMass Dartmouth.”

Rothman said data science programs at colleges and universities vary in their approach. Some emphasize skills using currently available tools but come up short in addressing the theoretical foundations of data science. UMass Dartmouth has just the right balance of technological skills and theoretical foundations.

“[UMass Dartmouth’s] approach seems to be the most compatible with our view of the field of data science, both as an academic discipline and as a career path,” said Rothman. “Firm grounding in theoretical foundations is important in the real world, because it allows you to adapt to emerging technologies, handle a wide variety of problems and modify existing techniques when necessary. Both theory and skills are needed for long-term flexibility and success in a data science career.”

The fields of data analytics and data science are fundamentally concerned with collecting, cleaning and analyzing raw data to identify patterns, draw conclusions, gain insights and support data-driven decision-making, Rothman explained. “The discipline is built on a foundation of certain areas of mathematics, computer science, statistics and accepted practice within an application area,” he described.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Association of Colleges and Employers, Business Insider and others cite data science among the fastest growing and highest paid career fields today. By 2040, it is likely that most jobs will require at least some basic data science skills, while millions of new jobs will become available to highly skilled data scientists, NAS predicts. Business Insider reported data scientist as the best job in America based on recent surveys considering job satisfaction, job availability and median base salary.

“This is an emerging field that is impacting nearly all academic disciplines and industries,” said Scott Field, assistant professor of mathematics and co-director of the Data Science program at UMass Dartmouth. “Fields such as healthcare, marine sciences, business management and political science – to name a few – are increasingly using data in more sophisticated ways to drive inquiry and decision making.”

Field said the naturally broad and multi-disciplinary nature of data science is in many ways a natural fit for the liberal arts education. “We are pleased to be partnering with Salve Regina to allow Salve students the opportunity to pursue both a well-balanced liberal arts education as well as specialized technical training in data science at the master’s level at UMass Dartmouth. Our master’s program will surely benefit from the diversity of interests and goals that Salve students will bring into our program.”

Salve Regina’s data analytics minor

In addition to the 3+2 BA/MS, Salve Regina will also offer a new minor in data analytics that will enhance a variety of majors by providing essential foundational material, key ideas, commonly used tools and experience in the practice of data analytics.

“We believe the minor will be especially useful to majors in the business, biology and mathematical sciences departments, but the minor would enhance the educational experience and marketability of students majoring in any discipline that deals with data,” Rothman said.

To earn the minor in data analytics, Salve Regina students must complete six courses, some of which they may already be taking to fulfill the requirements for their major, including CSC 103 Computer Programming I, CSC 104 Computer Programming II, DSA 201 Introduction to Data Science and Analytics, DSA 202 Data Analysis and Visualization, either STA173 or STA342, and an elective selected from ACC405 Accounting Research and Analytics, CSC300 Algorithms and Data Structures, ECN 207 Introduction to Econometrics, or another course approved by the chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department.

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In the midst of all of the sadness emerging daily from the effects of COVID-19, the horrifying images and reality of the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery flash on our screens, along with the protests across the nation. Our isolated lives feel all the more isolating as we witness these incidents from our individual homes physically disconnected from one another as a University community.

Prior to COVID-19 as a Mercy, Catholic institution, our Salve Regina campus would have been a place to process these terrible events together and seek to respond. I think particularly of our faculty, staff and students of color and how deeply painful these incidents must be to witness.

As a white woman, I know that I can never fully understand your anguish. But I wish to walk alongside you in support and to understand more fully how I can best use my privilege to effect change. I wish that we could sit together in Bazarsky auditorium to reflect and talk with one another, or in the Mercy Chapel to pray or simply be together in the same space as we collectively mourn these senseless losses and consider our mission, discerning how we can work to combat systemic racism today.

Racism is one of the five Critical Concerns we are expressly called to engage as a Mercy, Catholic institution. We see racism at work in the disproportionate number of people of color affected by COVID-19. We see racism at work in the 911 call made by Amy Cooper in Central Park. We see racism at work in the senseless killings or harassment of African Americans out for a run, asleep in their homes, going to church and shopping in the store. I know that many in our community have experienced some of these realities first-hand and feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Virtual support feels inadequate, but as a community with strong Mercy values, we need to find ways even in our isolation to reach out and to lift each other up however we can. To not allow the silence imposed through social distancing to keep us from voicing our feelings, offering care, support and solidarity and taking action together.

Members of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reflected in a statement on Friday “We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy and justice. While it is expected that we will plead for peaceful non-violent protests, and we certainly do, we also stand in passionate support of communities that are understandably outraged. Too many communities around this country feel their voices are not being heard, their complaints about racist treatment are unheeded, and we are not doing enough to point out that this deadly treatment is antithetical to the Gospel of Life.”

At Salve Regina, we will not lose sight of what we stand for, and I am committed to listening deeply, particularly to our faculty, staff and students of color, so we can together more fully advance our Mercy mission and manifest an institutional commitment to anti-racism.

I found some solace in this reflection from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964: “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality …. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”

Let us proceed to listen to one another, to understand more deeply and fully the ways in which racism has impacted our community, so we can together manifest our mercy mission and “work for a world that is more harmonious, just, and merciful.” It is who we are called to be.

This week, Salve Regina will be hosting a virtual prayer service and community dialogue for racial justice and peace. Details will follow soon and all are welcome.

May God bless you and keep you safe,

Kelli

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God of Eternal Life,
Our hearts and homes mourn for all who have died during this pandemic,
And all who have died or are suffering due to racism, racial inequities and injustice:
Neighbors, family, friends, strangers;
Leaders, followers, the old and the young;
Those visible and those forgotten.

You hold them all in your love and mercy.
Be with us as we lift-up their lives and their stories to you.
Help us remember that we belong to one another.

May we labor together in spirit and in action to manifest the common good.
May we choose to protect all who are most vulnerable in our communities.
May we honor the full dignity and life of every human person.
May we work for the just distribution of medical care and resources.
May we use all power and privilege to acknowledge, reconcile and transform.

We ask for healing and wholeness for all who are sick and suffering this day.
We ask for strength and courage for all who care for and accompany the sick.
We ask for justice and mercy for all who have been disregarded and discounted.
We ask for consolation and peace for all who mourn.

Our Lady of Mercy, Pray for Us.
Amen.

Prayer by Dr. Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, Vice President for Mission Integration. Offered on June 1, 2020, National Day of Mourning and Lament

Featured photo by Getty Images/Ian Dyball

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In April, a request went out to receive submissions from the Salve Regina community to recognize individuals or groups who went above and beyond the call of duty during the coronavirus pandemic. Recognizing and celebrating the hard work of the University’s community helps everyone to stay connected, and it is so important to know that the tireless efforts during this historic moment weren’t overlooked.

Read below to find the submissions, which have been slightly edited for grammar and style.

Community Recognitions During Pandemic:

“I’d like to recognize our president Dr. Kelli Armstrong and her leadership team for their compassion and dedication to the Salve community.”

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“The communications team has been amazing! Their creativity and 24/7 dedication has held us all together as a community.”

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“I’m so grateful to our faculty, who have worked hard to connect with our students online. They are keeping our educational mission front and center.”

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“Shout out to Connelly Clifford for creating so many wellness resources for our students during this time. From the content on the @salve_wellness Instagram page (a newly created Instagram page with over 600 followers already!) to helping create the wellness page on Salve’s website. Before Connelly stepped up to create these resources and support services (peer wellness educators included), this was a huge gap in support for students.  Thank you to Connelly for going above and beyond your job description for Salve!” 

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“IT staff has gone above and beyond to meet the remote learning demands of the COVID-19 Crisis!”

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“Thank you to the Office of Mission Integration for living the mission by supporting all of Salve’s students through the SalveCares campaign!”

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“Sue Letourneau lives the mission in her work everyday, which has been especially crucial as we’ve been working remotely since March. Sue was able to assemble a mailing project to all of our undergraduate students and made sure to hand deliver the care packages we were putting together to all students still on campus. Her attention to detail is commendable, and her campus partnership and support has meant a great deal to us in the Office of Mission Integration. We’re so grateful for Sue’s dedication, and the second portion of our Salve Cares project would not have been possible if not for Sue and her team. Thank you for everything, Sue!”
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“Thank you to IT, who have collectively done a wonderful job keeping us up and running. I’ve had a few minor tech issues setting up courses, and IT has been so quick to help me get them running. Grateful for you all!”

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“International Affairs, and specifically Aida Neary, have shown tremendous care and real love for some of our most vulnerable students. I appreciate how she checked in and supported students during a very challenging time for them.”  

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“Mary Beth Pelletier has recently returned to Salve as the Office Coordinator in Mission Integration. In the few short weeks that she has been here, Mary Beth has contributed in extraordinary ways — coordinating the Salve Cares outreach to our 2000+ undergraduate students with 63 faculty/staff callers and developing social media platforms to share the daily prayers and reflections offered by the Office of Mission Integration during this pandemic. Mary Beth is deeply committed to our mercy mission, and we are so grateful for her contributions to our Salve community!”

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“I would like to nominate Joseph Gugliuzza, video producer/editor in University Relations, for his ‘all-in’ work and willingness to be available on short notice to produce video content for Salve. As a fairly new employee, he moved here and had a baby over the winter. He has attended Zoom meetings with her on his lap (which was adorable!). I give him credit for stepping up and pulling together web content while we are all so glad to see good news.”

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“A thank you to the wonderful, empathetic Myra Edelstein, whose care and concern for her students is so clear. In class the other day, I saw her calm and take care of stressed students who were worrying about registration.”

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“The communications team out of University Relations has been simply marvelous. Building a whole new Virtual Salve website, as well as the initiatives that happened on SALVEtoday, and bringing in so many good stories to help connect the University during this time, along with great videos and social media posts. I am absolutely astounded at the output of this team during such a chaotic time, and I think everyone in the University should be very grateful.”

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“Thank you to all the technical support specialists — Brendan, Taylor, Matt and Colton along with Dick Lee, help desk manager. All of these individuals have been very responsive, helpful and pleasant assisting with laptop setup and computer ‘issues’ during telecommuting. Thank you!”

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“I’m really thankful for our wonderful librarians, who are working so hard to keep access to library resources up and running. Interlibrary loan has been so helpful as I try to work on projects at home. You’re the best!”

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“First and foremost is Susan Letourneau. She always goes above and beyond expectations. She runs a tight ship, takes care of the University’s mailing needs — all kinds like interoffice, personal delivery, and takes excellent care of her staff. She made everyone masks. She is kind hearted, a very caring and giving person — I can’t express enough of how much she does for all who need her. And also I want to mention her staff: Gerard Grant, Debbie Nellis and Peter Dugan. I want to thank IT for being there to help with setting people up with computers so we can work remotely. Colton Langdon installed a part for Design Services copy machine, and he was great. Brian McDonnell has watered our plants; we never asked him to water them, he just has! Also, Joe Gugliuzza, new higher with a baby on his lap during URAs WebEx meetings and taking videos. Kelli Armstrong for being strong and keeping everyone updated. The HR staff. The Office of Mission Integration with Salve Cares calls and all that they do. And the designers in Design Services, working to design postcards, bookmarks and updating sheets for various departments — always there to serve the needs of the University.”

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Salve Regina is thrilled to welcome both Fr. Ray Malm and Fr. Scott Pontes to serve as University Chaplains within its Mercy Center for Spiritual Life.

Rev. Raymond B. Malm

Fr. Ray is a priest of the Diocese of Providence and officially joined the Salve Regina University community in March as part-time University Chaplain.

Fr. Ray was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and attended local parochial and diocesan schools. He entered Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, to study for the priesthood for the Diocese of Providence and was ordained to the priesthood in 1976.

Fr. Ray served in pastoral leadership within the Diocese of Providence for more than 40 years, primarily at Saint Joseph’s Church in Newport and Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Providence, and he was instrumental in establishing the Office of Black Catholics in the Diocese. He is also the founding president of the Family AIDS Center for Treatment and Support, which is now known as AIDS Care Ocean State, and the co-founder with Sister Ann Keefe S.S.J., of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence. Due to his work in nonviolence he was awarded the ‘Living the Dream Award’ from the State of Rhode Island Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission.

Fr. Ray is also actively involved in advocacy work related to immigration reform and accompanying and supporting those who are undocumented. He was recognized by the Women’s Resource Center as one of Rhode Island’s ‘Men Who Make a Difference’ and in 2018 received the Hero of Faith lifetime achievement award from the Rhode Island State Council of Churches for his work with the poor. Fr. Ray retired from full-time ministry in the Diocese in 2015 but continues to serve on the boards of Amos House, AIDS Care Ocean State, Dorcas International and the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence.

As University Chaplain, Fr. Ray has been presiding at student liturgies through the past year and engages with our students and community through RCIA, a newly-founded liturgy committee, and other sacramental and pastoral outreach initiatives. Though we have been unable to host Mass on campus throughout the pandemic, Fr. Ray has been offering weekly reflections on the Gospel each Sunday for the Salve community.

“The faith of the students at Mass is wonderful to see. An inspiration to me,” said Fr. Ray, reflecting on his ministry. “I look forward to going to Salve to celebrate Mass and see the students. I miss them.”

Rev. Scott J. Pontes

Fr. Scott is also a priest of the Diocese of Providence and has been appointed as pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in Newport and University Chaplain at Salve Regina University beginning August 1.

Fr. Scott grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island, and was educated at St. Elizabeth School and Bristol Public Schools. He graduated from Rhode Island College with a bachelor’s degree in French and secondary education. Prior to entering the seminary, Fr. Scott was a modern language teacher in Catholic High Schools throughout the state. In 1999, he entered the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence, where he studied philosophy for a year at Providence College. Fr. Scott earned two master’s degrees, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology with a concentration in Systematic Theology from Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University. He was ordained in 2004 and named Parochial Vicar of St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence.

After serving for three years, he was then was assigned to advanced studies in Portuguese language and culture at the Universidade Católica in Lisbon, Portugal. During his time there, Fr. Scott had many opportunities to preach at various feasts and missions throughout the country. Upon his return from Portugal, Fr. Scott served in pastoral leadership at St. Matthew’s Church in Cranston, St. Elizabeth’s Church in Bristol, and again at St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence.

Discerning a call to educational ministry, Fr. Scott was given permission to join the faculty of theology at Oratory Prep in Summit, New Jersey, in 2018, where he served for the past two years also leading campus ministry initiatives.

Desiring to return home to Rhode Island (he has missed the ocean, the smell of saltwater in the air, coffee syrup, and, of course, Del’s lemonade), Fr. Scott is thrilled to join the Salve Regina community as University Chaplain and to serve as the pastor of St. Joseph’s Church. This joint appointment will allow him to continue his ministry in both educational and pastoral contexts and he will be residing in the Chaplain’s apartment adjacent to Salve’s campus.

A favorite quote of Fr. Scott’s comes from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince”: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“It is with great hope that I can explore this quote more deeply with each member of the Salve community,” said Fr. Scott. “I am excited to learn more about the Salve family, and in particular to learn about all that is seen by the heart. Jesus says in Scripture, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ As I begin this new chapter in my ministry, I look forward to fulfilling Christ’s desire with you.”

Dr. Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, vice president for mission integration, is excited to welcome both Fr. Ray and Fr. Scott to the Salve Regina community.

“Both Fr. Ray and Fr. Scott bring tremendous pastoral gifts to our University community,” Ladrigan-Whelpley remarked. “We are so blessed to have them on staff, supporting the sacramental and religious life of our campus. In collaboration with the team at the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life, I am excited about all that Fr. Ray and Fr. Scott will contribute to our Mercy, Catholic mission as a University.”

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