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Event Coverage / News

Celebrate diversity and inclusion through fall 2021’s Multicultural Education Week

salvetoday Posted On October 20, 2021

Multicultural Education Week happens every semester at Salve Regina as a chance to wrestle with and celebrate topics around diversity and inclusion. For fall 2021, the Multicultural Education Week is back in person, with events that will focus on the two Critical Concerns of Mercy of anti-racism and nonviolence.

Below is the lineup of speakers and events to help students, faculty and staff process what these issues mean to Salve Regina and the wider world in an engaging and personal manner.

Multicultural and Multilingual Mass

Sunday, Oct. 24, 7-9 p.m.
Our Lady of Mercy Chapel

Join the campus as it debuts this Multicultural Education Week with diverse prayers from around the world. The Mass consists of readings and songs in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Opening Speaker: Critical Race Theory and the End of Myth-Making: Into America’s Fear of Truth Telling with Dr. David Stovall
Monday, Oct. 25, 7-9 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall

Dr. David Stovall is professor of African American studies and criminology, law and justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His scholarship investigates three areas: 1.) Critical Race Theory, 2.) the relationship between housing and education, and 3.) the intersection of race, place and school. In the attempt to bring theory to action, he works with community organizations and schools to develop curriculum that addresses issues of equity and justice. His work led him to become a member of the design team for the Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice (SOJO), which opened in the fall of 2005.

Furthering his work with communities, students and teachers, Dr. Stovall’s work manifests itself in his involvement with the Peoples Education Movement, a collection of classroom teachers, community members, students and university professors in Chicago, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area who engage in collaborative community projects centered in creating relevant curriculum. In addition to his duties and responsibilities as a professor at UIC, he also served as a volunteer social studies teacher at the Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice from 2005-2018.

Panel Discussion: The Experience of People of Color in a Predominately White Institution
Tuesday, Oct. 26, 7-9 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall

This panel discussion will explore the experiences of people of color at Salve Regina. It will engage students, staff and faculty in a dialogue regarding their experiences, as well as their recommendations to improve the cultural climate on our campus community and beyond.

Photo from Multicultural Education Week in 2017.

Coffee House and Games
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 4-6 p.m.
Gerety South Porch

The coffee house is a social activity that showcases various cultures and traditions from all around the world. Sample coffees and pastries from a variety of cultures and listen to live music and storytelling presented by Salve Regina students.

Waffleween
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 6-7 p.m.
The Mercy Center for Spiritual Life

The Mercy Center is hosting the annual Waffleween in the Mercy Center.

Movie Night: Crazy Rich Asians
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 7-9 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall

This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family.

Photo from past Multicultural Education Week.

Lecture: Freedom of Speech in the Age of Black Lives Matter with Justin Hansford, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University
Thursday, Oct. 28, 7-9 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall

Justin Hansford is a professor of law at Howard University School of Law and executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. Hansford is a leading scholar and activist in the areas of critical race theory, human rights, and law and social movements. In the wake of the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Hansford worked to empower the Ferguson community through community-based legal advocacy. He co-authored the “Ferguson to Geneva: Using the Human Rights Framework to Push Forward a Vision for Racial Justice in the United States after Ferguson” and served as a policy advisor for proposed post-Ferguson reforms at the local, state and federal levels.

Multicultural Celebration
Friday, Oct. 29, 7-11 p.m.
Ochre Court

Join Salve Regina for some cultural exploration, extraordinarily diverse garb and magnificent cuisine from every continent. It’s a time to come together for a night of warmth, celebration and acceptance. A virtual show will also be showcasing some hidden Salve Regina talents.

Multicultural Education Week is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Programs and Retention; the Office of Student Engagement; the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy; Residence Life; the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance; Campus Activities Board; the Black Student Union; the Hispanic & Latinx Student Organization; the Multicultural Student Organization; and the Student Government Association.

News

University celebrates McAuley Day today, Oct. 20

salvetoday Posted On October 20, 2021

Building on suggestions from faculty and students, Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong began developing the annual tradition of McAuley Day in 2019 to provide an opportunity for members of the University community to celebrate their ongoing commitment to one another, and to highlight those qualities that set Salve apart from other institutions. The concept began as “Salve Surprise Day” in the fall of 2020, and the idea continued to evolve into the now officially named “McAuley Day.”

“McAuley Day invokes the spirit of Catherine McAuley, who recognized both the value of self-care and the strength of community in carrying out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy,” wrote Armstrong in a message to the University community delivered earlier this week. “Attending to the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff should always be our primary focus, and the supportive nature of Salve’s community is our most cherished resource. It is in this spirit that I invite you to take a break from your busy routines to come together as a community to celebrate McAuley Day.”

Today, Wednesday, Oct. 20, has been designated as McAuley Day 2021.

The celebration is signaled on campus by the ringing of the chapel bells 74 times, one ring for each year since Salve Regina first opened its gates to students in 1947. The bells will mark the beginning of a time for students, faculty and staff to gather together at the statue of Catherine McAuley to honor the strength and resilience of those within the Salve community. The community will then take a pause in the normal work day to enjoy a BBQ buffet lunch, food trucks and music.

Dr. Paula Martasian will also lead an outdoor meditation session at 3:00 p.m. on the oceanside lawn of McAuley Hall. The session will be moved inside the O’Hare Academic Building if weather is inclement.

While the University will remain open for business, classes will be canceled through 6 p.m. once the bells ring. Students living off campus will be notified via social media and other methods. It is hoped that all Salve Regina students, faculty and staff will take the opportunity to participate in the activities associated with the day and pick up a mercy commemorative button to show their Salve Regina spirit.

Students who have clinicals and student teaching assignments should plan to honor those commitments, but they are asked to please join in the McAuley Day activities as soon as possible.

Please note that McAuley Day does not impact the testing COVID-19 testing schedule. COVID-19 testing will still take place at regularly scheduled times.

A schedule is below:

In the morning: the Bell Ring will signify the start to McAuley Day. Classes from that point forward are cancelled.
Once everyone hears the bells, Salve Regina staff, faculty and students will gather together for blessing at the Catherine McAuley statue near Our Lady of Mercy Chapel.
Noon to 2:00 p.m. McGrath Clambakes BBQ Buffet Luncheon on Gerety Hall Lawn
1 – 2:30 p.m. Food Truck Dessert Options: Whoopie Pies and Sarcastic Sweets
3 p.m. Outdoor Meditation Session: McAuley Lawn
2:30 – 4 p.m. Food Truck Dessert Options: Newport Creamery and Poppy’s Waffles
6 p.m. Classes resume

Arts and Humanities / Event Coverage / News

Hamilton Gallery’s next exhibit entitled “Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet”

salvetoday Posted On October 20, 2021

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery and Salve Regina’s Department of Art and Art History are pleased to announce the opening of “Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet,” an exhibition of artwork created by the Salve Regina community and accompanied by select specimens from the Nature Cabinet. The exhibition will run from Thursday, Oct. 21, through Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. The Salve Regina community, as well as the public, are invited to experience this exhibition in person at Hamilton Gallery.

There will also be an opening reception for “Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet” next Thursday, Oct. 21, from 5-7 p.m.

With the generous support of an Antone Academic Excellence Award for Special Projects in 2017, a team of faculty and student collaborators within the Department of Art and Art History developed the Nature Cabinet — a public collection of taxidermy, skulls, fossils, coral, books and natural forms permanently housed in Antone Academic Center, Room 101. For additional information about this resource, please visit the Nature Cabinet’s website.

“The exhibition ‘Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet’ was delayed due to the pandemic and the restrictions it imposed on our programming,” explained Ernest Jolicoeur, associate professor and director of the Hamilton Gallery. “This show celebrates an array of creative work and collaborations between faculty and students, some of which date back five years.”

“Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet” transforms the Hamilton Gallery into an enlivened cabinet of curiosities. It offers visitors a glimpse into the Nature Cabinet, and the exhibition will also celebrate the public launch of the digital humanities project cataloguing the Nature Cabinet’s objects into an online archive.

The Nature Cabinet, which students and faculty have been collecting for years, is located in Antone Academic Center.

Each object from the Nature Cabinet has also been catalogued on a website as an online resource tool.

“We now have some fantastic specimens to share,” said Jolicoeur. “Our taxidermy collection includes a porcupine, bobcat, badger, fox, turkey and skunk. We also have a large variety of coral and skulls of all kinds, including an impressive alligator skull.”

For this exhibition at the Hamilton Gallery, a diverse range of student creative work and natural forms from the Nature Cabinet collection are showcased together for the first time. It features a full spectrum of media from drawing, painting and graphic design to photography, ceramics and web design.

Through these juxtapositions, “Creatures of Imagination” celebrates the continued use and promise of this invaluable and ever-evolving resource. This exhibition highlights the scope of the Nature Cabinet’s impact on learning and growth at Salve Regina.

“Creature of Imagination” captures the scope of how the Nature Cabinet’s collection of nature specimens has creatively inspired students in a variety of ways.

This show was curated by Susannah Strong, associate professor of art and art history, Dr. Anthony Mangieri, chair of the art and art history department, and Jolicoeur.

“The Art and Art History Department is most proud of the collaborative spirit that helped to create the Nature Cabinet, and how this important collection continues to evolve and to provide new opportunities and inspiration for students across the University,” said Dr. Mangieri. “The Nature Cabinet’s online database is an important digital humanities project that opens up new pathways for research and learning and makes our collections available to the world.”

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is located in the Antone Academic Center on the campus of Salve Regina. It is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence Avenue and Leroy Avenue. Its exhibits are open Tuesdays through Thursdays 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The gallery is closed on weekends and Mondays. Masks are required upon entry.

Arts and Humanities / Event Coverage / News

Mainstage will perform “Spoon River Anthology” outdoors, public invited to attend

salvetoday Posted On October 19, 2021

The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance is proud to announce that Mainstage, the theatre program’s official performing company, will be offering its first public performance since the start of the pandemic. All members of Salve Regina’s community, as well as the public, are invited to attend.

Mainstage will be putting on “Spoon River Anthology,” which will run Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. “Spoon River Anthology” is a collection of monologues from the deceased citizens of a small town written by Edgar Lee Masters. In the spirit of October and Halloween, the ghostly monologues will be performed outdoors in three different “graveyards” simultaneously around the lawn of Gerety Hall.

“There’s a whole graveyard scene that takes place in somebody’s home, and those are all monologues about marriage and raising children right,” described Dr. Tara Brooke Watkins, assistant professor of theatre and the director of the show. “The next station is a school yard or church yard, and those are all monologues about growing up, following or losing your dreams, or listening to preachers and teachers and what that does to your life. The third graveyard we’ve placed in the brothel, and those monologues are about people who are struggling with the brutalities of life.”

Audience members will move around to each graveyard as the evening progresses. The show is free and open to the public, and no reservations are required. Audience members should meet at the gate at the corner of Leroy Avenue and Ochre Point Avenue to gather before the start of the show, and they will then be directed to the outdoors area of the performance. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Some seating will be available, but comfortable outdoor chairs and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. “Spoon River Anthology” will run just under two hours with short breaks throughout.

Ghosts from “Spoon River Anthology” will haunt Salve Regina’s outdoor campus this weekend.

While “Spoon River Anthology” doesn’t have a full narrative arc, a lot of the monologues mention each other, according to Dr. Watkins. If they want to, audience members can listen and piece together story lines and relationships between the ghosts as the show progresses.

“These characters are coming back from the grave to say one thing,” explained Dr. Watkins. “Some of them are finally getting something off their chest, and other people are expressing how beautiful life is, expressing loves that they couldn’t express why they were alive.”

Salve Regina students involved in “Spoon River Anthology” are excited to be part of the show. There are 18 cast members, and each one will be playing multiple roles throughout the show while performing 4-5 monologues each.

Skylar Lasit ’22

“This is the first opportunity the Salve theatre program has had in over a year to perform without masks on,” said Skylar Lasit ’22, a theatre major with concentrations in acting and technical. “It’s a theatrical experience like no other, and it feels incredible to be doing what I love again with a group of talented and wonderful people. Tara’s vision is truly something special, and I feel honored and grateful to be a part of it.”

William (Liam) Fryer ’23, a theatre arts major, also echoed this excitement, and he loved the fact that the show will be outside—something that is rare at Salve Regina. “There is an incredible feeling that comes with telling these stories in the dark among the trees,” Fryer said. “It’s like when you would gather around a campfire and tell ghost stories. Now nature plays a role in our storytelling, too, which is very cool.”

“It feels like such a great way to get back into real theatre,” concluded Ashleigh DeAmicis ’23, who is double majoring in theatre and psychology. “With the pandemic, we’ve had to find a lot of ways to do shows without an audience. This show, however, is such an intimate experience. We get to sit with the audience, look them in the eyes and share these stories. I imagine it’s going to be an extremely cathartic experience for everyone involved.”

William (Liam) Fryer ’23

Ashleigh DeAmicis ’23

Mainstage will perform “Spoon River Anthology” on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. The gate at the corner of Leroy Avenue and Ochre Point Avenue is the gathering place for the start of the show, so audience members are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes early. The show is free and open to the public, and no reservations are required. Some seating will be available, but comfortable outdoor chairs and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

Event Coverage / Student Life

Students can find professional clothing for free, discounted rates

salvetoday Posted On October 18, 2021

Recognizing that Salve Regina’s students come from various economic backgrounds and may not have the financial means necessary to purchase quality, professional clothing, there are few opportunities coming up to help students find attire suitable for work.

Launching the new Career Closet

The Office of Career Development has recently launched a Career Closet during this fall 2021 semester. The Career Closet is dedicated to ensuring all students feel confident in their professional appearance and to make a great first impression.

How does it work? The Office of Career Development is asking the University community for donations of new or slightly used, professional clothing and accessories. Students will be able to select up to three items that they are then able to keep free of charge. If a student would like, they are able to “rent” or borrow clothing. If students borrow clothing, they will be asked to clean it before returning items to the closet.

The Career Closet is looking for the following items:

Business professional full-suit attire.
Dress shirts and blouses.
Blazers, professional jackets and vests.
Dress slacks, khakis and skirts.
Dress shoes.
New dress socks and tights.
Accessories like ties, belts and scarves.

Donations can be dropped off at the Office of Career Development, which is located in Stonor Hall, Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. For students, the Career Closet is also opened Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Suit Up Event with J.C. Penney

On another note, next week Salve Regina has partnered with J.C. Penny for a Suit Up Event. From Monday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 31, students will be allowed to purchase business attire at a significant discount. Participants will receive an extra 30% off on the clothing from the career and professional categories. To receive this discount, there is a specific code available to all members of the campus community. Please text 02840 to 67292.

For any questions, please contact the Office of Career Development at career@salve.edu or (401)341-2913.

Featured photo by Getty Images/Tatsiana Sergeenko

Mercy Mission / News

Mercy Mondays: Apply for the Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship

salvetoday Posted On October 18, 2021

For any student committed to mercy who is seeking to effect meaningful social change but may need some extra help doing so, the Center for Community Engagement and Service is accepting applications for an entirely new offering. The new opportunity is called the Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship, and it will be offered in addition to the Vision of Mercy Scholarship.

Offered for the first time: Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship

The Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship is designed to support undergraduate students who desire to deepen their commitment to the vision and works of mercy through a summer community-based learning experience of five or more weeks. The fellowship provides up to $3,000 in grant funding to recipients who work approximately 30 hours per week with a nonprofit organization locally, domestically or abroad.

“We really wanted to give students the ability to have a deeper level of commitment to the Critical Concerns of Mercy, and this fellowship is a wonderful opportunity to engage our student leaders in the mercy tradition,” said Kelly Powers, director for the Center for Community Engagement and Service. “I hope this fellowship becomes a signature tradition at Salve and one we can offer to many students for years to come.”

The Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship offers undergraduate students a high-impact, community-based experience rooted in Salve Regina’s mercy mission. Fellows work with local, domestic or international organizations committed to the materially poor, to peace and justice, in addition to advocacy and action related to the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy. Fellows deepen their understanding of solidarity and service through pre- and post-experience gatherings that engage students in reflective practices informed by the mercy tradition.

“The program enables participants to create their own proposal and then work directly with civic organizations, advocacy groups and community leaders to help address the critical concerns of our local and global communities,” Powers described.

Up to three fellowships may be awarded each year, and all students who will be returning to Salve Regina for the following academic year are eligible. Find more information about the fellowship here and apply for the fellowship here. The deadline to apply for the fellowship is December 3rd, 2021.

For more information, contact the Center for Community Engagement and Service at community.services@salve.edu or (401)341-2440.

News

Season 8 of “Story in the Public Square” to premier in January 2022

salvetoday Posted On October 15, 2021

“Story in the Public Square,” the five-time Telly-Award winning series from the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina and The Providence Journal, is set to debut its eighth national season during the week of January 3, 2022, with 24 new episodes seen nationally on public television.

“Story in the Public Square” is a weekly, 30-minute series that centers on storytellers — acclaimed filmmakers, scholars, photographers, journalists, physicians, activists, historians, musicians and more — who share their stories, along with analysis of culture, politics and current national and international events. It’s the creative collaboration between its hosts: Jim Ludes, vice president for public research and executive director of the Pell Center, and G. Wayne Miller, staff writer at The Providence Journal.

As the complex, world-shaping public issues of the past year have left many searching for hope and insight, “Story in the Pubic Square” has continued to bring inspiring and uplifting storytellers to public television audiences across America, with over 65 new episodes of the show produced throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

“Why do I love Story in the Public Square?” asked Mo Rocca, award-winning correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. “Well, ‘Story’ is always front and center with Jim Ludes and Wayne Miller. And when so much of media is about self-aggrandizement, their mission is to serve the public …. Jim and Wayne are total ‘squares.’ I mean, these guys actually read my book before I came on the show. Take it from this square, that’s something special!”

Padma Venkatraman is the best-selling author of “Born Behind Bars” and “The Bridge Home. ” She celebrates the show’s choice to be offer diverse voices.

“Since the beginning, ‘Story in the Public Square’ has shown a deep respect for and understanding of diversity,” she said. “While the hosts are open to listening to people with differing opinions and political views, they have always sought to give a space to voices that have been historically marginalized or underrepresented.”

Award-winning still photographer and filmmaker Maddie McGarvey was among the photojournalists capturing the pandemic on film as it unfolded. McGarvey’s work has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Washington Post and TIME, among others.

“[The program] allows the viewer to have a unique perspective on how our environment impacts our everyday lives through experts who dedicate their lives to informing the public,” McGarvey said. “Every episode I watch, I learn something new and exciting, and I’m thrilled to continue that journey with the renewal of the show in 2022.”

“Story in the Public Square” has been in production at the show’s flagship station, Rhode Island PBS, since January 2017. The series is currently seen in more than 85% of the nation’s television markets. It has won Telly Awards for excellence in political commentary and social impact in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The show is produced by the Pell Center at Salve Regina and presented by Rhode Island PBS via NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association.

News

Attend study abroad information sessions, short term deadlines approaching

salvetoday Posted On October 15, 2021

The Center for Global Education & Fellowships will be offering many upcoming study abroad opportunities. Students interested in studying abroad during spring break 2022, summer 2022 or future semesters can begin their journey by attending one or more of the following information sessions.

It is to be noted that the application deadline for the short term trips to Austria, Belize and Ireland is Friday, Nov. 19.

General Study Abroad Information Sessions

General informational sessions will be offered every Monday through Thursday at Drexel Hall at 4 p.m. during weeks when classes are in session. Run by students who are global ambassadors or staff members, these informal sessions will introduce students to the full array of options, short and longer, and the study abroad application process.

No appointment necessary, and students can drop in to attend. For general information on study abroad options can also be found on the study abroad website.

Spring Break 2022 and Summer 2022 Short Term Program Information Sessions

Salve Regina is offering six different study abroad options during spring break and summer 2022. Interested students should attend the scheduled information sessions as follows:

Belize: Wednesday, Oct. 20, from Noon – 1 p.m. in O’Hare Academic Center, Room 260
Ireland: Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 5 – 6 p.m. in O’Hare Academic Center, Room 260
Verona, Italy: Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 1 – 2 p.m. in O’Hare Academic Center, Room 260
Austria: Monday, Nov. 1, from 5-6 p.m. in Angelus Hall, Room 102
Oxford, England: Wednesday, Nov. 3, from Noon – 1 p.m. in O’Hare Academic Center, Room 260
Maine: Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in O’Hare Academic Center, Room 260

Visit the short term study abroad website for detailed program fact sheets with course listings and application instructions. There is also a link to set up an account in ViaTRm, which is the study abroad software that hosts online applications.

Athletics / Event Coverage

Salve Regina Seahawks to hold softball, baseball clinics for high school athletes

salvetoday Posted On October 15, 2021

Salve Regina’s softball and baseball teams are hosting clinics in Oct. and Nov. for high school athletes. Intended for students who are interested in pursuing college-level sports, the clinics will help evaluate and improve their current skills, learn about college sports and prepare for the college-level arena.

To sign up for these clinics, go here.

Softball Prospect Clinic
Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Salve Regina softball prospect camp will be held on Sunday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Toppa Field in Newport, Rhode Island.

Students will work alongside Shauna Mulkerin, softball’s head coach, and current and current members of the Seahawk softball team as they provide offensive, defensive and game-like instruction. Prospective high school athletes will leave with a better understanding of hitting strategies, position breakdowns and competitive play.

Baseball Prospect Clinic
Sunday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Seahawk baseball is offering several prospect clinics for position players, pitchers or both on Nov. 7. These multi-session clinics include a pro-style workout, drills, batting practice, arm maintenance and routines for pitchers, campus tours, instruction, collegiate evaluations and more.

Meant for high schoolers in grades nine through twelve.

To sign up for these clinics, go here.

Graduate News / News

Salve Regina announces updated master’s degree for a new kind of leader

salvetoday Posted On October 13, 2021

The holistic leadership master’s degree has been a staple of the Salve Regina’s graduate programs for several years. Recently, the program was updated, including a change to the title of the program. Moving forward, graduate students can now get a master’s degree in leadership dynamics and practice, and the program changed from a 36-credit to a 30-credit program.

An online informational session about the master’s degree in leadership dynamics and practice will be held on Thursday, Oct. 14, at noon. Those interested in attending can register here.

The history of the master’s degree in leadership dynamics and practice

The origins of the leadership program are tied to the 48-credit holistic counseling master’s degree, according to Dr. Nancy Gordon, counseling, leadership and expressive arts department chair. In the early 2000s, graduate students began asking for a program that was holistic in nature, that wasn’t focused specifically on counseling and that could be applicable in broader ways within organizations and systems.

Dr. Nancy Gordon

“We started to ask ourselves, ‘What are some of the characteristics that describe many of our students?’ said Dr. Gordon. “We decided that one of the characteristics of students in our holistic programs was that they were leaders. They were leaders in their own lives, they were leaders in their profession and within their communities.”

Salve Regina was one of the first universities to create a program focused on leadership through a holistic lens, according to Dr. Gordon, and the program attracted a lot of interest over the years due to its unique nature. However, recently Dr. Gordon and a team began to reimagine the program. This led to the name change from holistic leadership to leadership dynamics and practice, as the team felt this most directly reflected the emphasis of the program as it continues to grow and expand.

“We’re still one of a few programs who offer this kind of master’s level leadership curriculum,” Dr. Gordon said. “Our slogan for several years has been, ‘The world needs a new kind of leader,’ and that is still our program focus. We are not a traditional management program …. We intend to continue teaching from the perspective that has drawn students to the program over the years.”

Looking at leadership through a holistic lens

The master’s degree in leadership dynamics and practice stands out from others in a few distinct ways, according to Dr. Gordon. The program takes a holistic look at historical shifts in culture and why those shifts impact leadership. For many early indigenous cultures, the world was seen as a whole, with no separation of body, mind or spirit. However, as monumental moments in history took shape — such as the Enlightenment, the Newtonian scientific model and the Industrial revolution — the world shifted into focusing on parts.

While this is not inherently bad, according to Dr. Gordon, an over-emphasis on the parts without looking at the whole can miss important takeaways within a broader picture. For example, medicine split into specialties and began to describe a human being in machine-like terms with the parts to be broken and analyzed separately. This focus can miss the ways that a human or any complex organized system is an inherently interconnected organism, with all parts affecting the others. Oftentimes, systemic dysfunction cannot be compartmentalized, and the mind-body or system alignment is something to be studied.

“It’s important to understand how this separation has affected all the professions today, specifically leadership,” said Dr. Gordon. “Leadership and organizations were described in mechanistic terms, often compared to clocklike behavior. You have a function, I have a function, and if we each do our function, we don’t have to connect …. Leadership was often taught through a management lens, with command and control from the top down, and people fit into the system similarly to cogs in a wheel. We were not addressing or even seeing the whole pattern in the system or understanding the interrelationships between people, the system, the structure, the policies and the culture.”

It’s important to look at the whole system in which parts are connected, according to Dr. Gordon. Photo is by Getty Images/oatawa.

The graduate program at Salve Regina helps train leaders who come from many sectors to look at holistic philosophies and to work more effectively with individuals, groups and larger systems. It’s a progressive-minded program that equips students with the latest knowledge in effective leadership, and it explores proven interventions and guideposts for systemic change.

“Student often ask, ‘Why are we studying the effects of quantum thinking on leadership?’” said Dr. Gordon. “It’s because this way of thinking changed the paradigm. The paradigm moved from certainty of the scientific method — which says, ‘If I do A, B and C, then I’m going to get this result, and once I get that result, that’s a certain outcome until someone disproves it.’ Quantum thinking says, ‘That paradigm or way of thinking is important under specific conditions. We also need to look at unexpected outcomes, because what we think might happen may not necessarily happen in any given relationship. And leadership is inherently a relationship.”

The program also offers two four-course graduate certificates in the dynamics of contemporary leadership or the practice of integrated leadership. These certificates can stand alone, or they can be combined with two additional courses to complete the master’s degree.

It’s also important to point out that in today’s volatile and uncertain world, the program believes that leadership is everyone’s responsibility, according to Dr. Gordon. It does not matter if someone is a leader in their job or not, because everyone can be a leader in some capacity. This is another key point in the leadership program— seeing that everyone has leadership capabilities and should be empowered to be leaders as needed regardless of a job title, a professional status or a role.

“We all must do our part. We’re learning how to be adaptive, what it means to have a relationship, to be taught deep listening, to be able to understand dialogue as opposed to debate,” said Dr. Gordon. “The kind of leader that we’re saying we need today is one who is committed to inquiry, to mindfulness, to really being able to see and read a room, situation or system.”

For more information, an online informational session about the master’s degree in leadership dynamics and practice, as well as the certificates, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 14, at noon. Those interested in attending can register here.

More information can also be found on the program’s website.

Featured photo by Getty Images/nd3000

Older Posts

salvetoday

Celebrate diversity and inclusion through fall 2021’s Multicultural Education Week

University celebrates McAuley Day today, Oct. 20

Hamilton Gallery’s next exhibit entitled “Creatures of Imagination: The Nature Cabinet”

Mainstage will perform “Spoon River Anthology” outdoors, public invited to attend

Students can find professional clothing for free, discounted rates

Launching the new Career Closet

Suit Up Event with J.C. Penney

Mercy Mondays: Apply for the Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship

Offered for the first time: Vision of Mercy Summer Fellowship

Season 8 of “Story in the Public Square” to premier in January 2022

Attend study abroad information sessions, short term deadlines approaching

Salve Regina Seahawks to hold softball, baseball clinics for high school athletes

Salve Regina announces updated master’s degree for a new kind of leader

The history of the master’s degree in leadership dynamics and practice

Looking at leadership through a holistic lens

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