The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of “From the Ice Age to the Gilded Age: Archaeological Research at Salve Regina University.” This show will feature artifacts and research related to archaeological work by Salve Regina students within the Noreen Stonor Drexel Cultural and Historic Preservation (CHP) Program. The exhibit will run from Jan. 18 – Feb.14.  

Archaeology seeks to help the modern world understand its past through the objects people left behind. This exhibition will take visitors on a journey through New England’s history with the help of artifacts recovered by students, who conducted two archaeological digs in Maine and on the grounds of Ochre Court.

This exhibition was co-curated by Dr. Heather Rockwell, assistant professor in the CHP program in the Department of Cultural, Environmental and Global Studies, and Kaleigh Trischman ’25, a CHP and double major in sociology and anthropology.  

The two archaeological digs represented in the exhibit span thousands of years — from the time of the earliest indigenous hunter-gatherers to the 19th-century East Coast elite who would spend their summers in Newport, Rhode Island.  

Students in the CHP program didn’t have to travel far for hands-on experience in the field, as there were archaeological artifacts right in their backyard.

As a year-long project, these students have been digging up artifacts outside of Ochre Court and McAuley Hall. However, their findings have been nothing short of surprising. While examining artifacts from the 1800s, the students discovered artifacts from Colonial America, and these unique artifacts and their stories will be on display as part of the exhibit.  

In addition to the excavations at Salve, an excavation in northern Maine sent Salve students back in time even further as they explored prehistoric archaeology.

“This is the time period when there are woolly mammoths walking around,” described Dr. Rockwell. “We get to see and talk a lot about environmental change and the kinds of animals that were there.”

As one of only eight in the country, the CHP program provides students with a unique opportunity to participate in hands-on research out in the field. This experience is not only important for student exploration, but is vital for students entering the beginning of their professional careers.

Students at an archeological dig in Maine.

“I got to take part in a dig really early on in my career, and it’s what cemented me wanting to be an archaeologist,” explained Dr. Rockwell. “You get to live out your eight-year-old fantasy of doing jobs that you didn’t realize were jobs.” 

“From the Ice Age to the Gilded Age” will illustrate these indispensable experiences through the curation of artifacts that tell the stories of American history.   

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 to the public Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays.  

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Salve Regina will celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. through its annual MLK Week, and 2024 offers an exciting lineup of events that will run this year from Thursday, Jan 25, to Wednesday, Jan 31.

Among the robust schedule of events is the MLK Week keynote address with Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of the renowned Archbishop Desmond Tutu who helped end apartheid in South Africa.

Many events, including the keynote, are open to both the public and the Salve Regina community.

Mercy and Justice Shall Meet with Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu
Wednesday, Jan. 31. at 4 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall, O’Hare Academic Building 

The challenges of growing up Black and female in apartheid South Africa have been the foundation of Reverend Tutu’s life. These experiences taught her that the entire whole human family loses when it accepts situations of oppression; the teaching and preaching of hate and division injure everyone.

In this keynote lecture, Reverend Tutu will draw upon the work of Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the Nobel Women’s Initiative to reflect on the ways in which truth-telling, reconciliation and nonviolence are central to make possible the work of peace-building today.

Reverend Naomi Tutu.

Dr. Yvan Ilunga, assistant professor and associate graduate program director of political science and international relations at Salve and McAuley Scholar within the Mercy Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaborative on Immigration, will facilitate a Q&A with Reverend Tutu following her address.

For the full schedule of MLK Week 2024, and to register for events, visit MLK Week’s webpage.

Check out some of the other highlights for the week below.

MLK Week highlighted events

IRC Community Read and Discussion: “My Life, My Love, My Legacy” by Coretta Scott King
Thursday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m.
DiStefano Lecture Hall, Antone Academic Center

Join the Inclusive Reading Club in reading “My Life, My Love, My Legacy” by Coretta Scott King for the annual MLK Week Community Read. Discussion facilitated by Rose Albert, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Programs.

MLK University Day of Service
Friday, Jan. 26 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Ochre Court

This University Day of Service for MLK Week partners with The Hunger Outreach Program. Faculty, staff, students, and community are invited to help assemble dried non-­­perishable meals to be distributed to the food insecure through local non-profits. The goal is to package 3,500 meals!

Film Screening and Dialogue: “Selma”
Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
O’Hare Academic Center, Room 260

Join the Salve Regina community for a screening of “Selma.” Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant and in 1965, and an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated with President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The film screening will be followed by a dialogue facilitated by student leaders.

Spoken Word: “Bending the Arc of the Universe toward Justice”  
Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.
Gerety Hall, Room 102

Join the Office of Multicultural Programs for a lively spoken word and song event with contributions from students, faculty, and staff, advancing the work of justice and mercy and calling for social action and transformation in the spirit and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Interested in performing, reach out to Sami Nassim, assistant vice president of the Office of Multicultural Programs and Retention.

To register and find out more information on all MLK Week events, please go here.

The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy is partnering with the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology to host Lieutenant General Matthew Glavy as part of the Pell Center’s 2024 lecture series. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall in O’Hare Academic Building. To register, go here. 

Whether on the battlefield, in international and domestic politics or in business, the power of information has been long understood by scholars and strategists alike.

However, modern times have called for a reevaluation of what information means to international security. The working definition of information has changed as security of networks, disinformation and the rise of artificial intelligence become more prevalent.

Lieutenant General Glavy will reflect on how information impacts international security in this contemporary era of the digital age.  

Lieutenant General Glavy serves as the deputy commandant for information as well as the head of the intelligence community for the U.S Marine Corps. Glavy has previously served as a weapons and tactics instructor, aircraft maintenance officer, White House liaison officer, presidential command pilot and Marine Corps Forces cyberspace commanding general. Over his 38 years of service, these roles have made Glavy an expert on the power of information. 

Lieutenant General Glavy graduated the United States Naval Academy in 1986. Upon receiving his wings in September of 1988, he was selected to fly the CH-46 Sea Knight. In addition, Glavy holds master’s degrees in military studies from Marine Corps University and in strategic studies from Marine Corps War College. Glavy will bring his educational and professional background to the table to discuss the current power that modern information holds in international security. 

To register for the lecture on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m., go here. 

Best-selling authors and award-winning writers will present guest readings and craft talks during a week-long winter workshop being hosted Saturday, Jan. 6, through Sunday, Jan. 14. These events are being hosted by the Newport MFA, Salve Regina’s master of fine arts in creative writing program.

All events are free and open to the Salve Regina community as well as the general public, and anyone interested is encouraged to attend.

To register for any of the events listed below, go here.

A Reading with Patricia Park
Saturday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m.

A Craft Talk with Patricia Park
Sunday, Jan. 7, 10:30 a.m. 

Patricia Park

Patricia Park is a tenured professor of creative writing at American University, a Fulbright Scholar in Creative Arts, an Edith Wharton Writer-in-Residence, and a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. She is the author of the YA novel, “Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim,” and the adult novel, “Re Jane,” a retelling of Jane Eyre.

“Re Jane” was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and winner of an American Library Association Award, as well as being an NPR Fresh Air pick among other accolades. She’s written for the New York Times, New Yorker, Guardian, and others.

Park’s new YA novel, “What’s Eating Jackie Oh?” is forthcoming in April 2024.

A Craft Talk with Will Shalbe
Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 4 p.m.

A Reading with Will Shalbe
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m.

Will Shalbe

Will Schalble is the author of “The End of Your Life Book Club,” which was a #1 Indie Next pick, an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year, and spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He has worked in digital media, in book publishing, and as a journalist, writing for various publications — including the New York Times and the South China Morning Post.

Shalbe is currently an editor-at-large for Macmillan and previously was editor-in-chief of William Morrow and then Hyperion. Shalbe is also the author of “Send” (co-written with David Shipley) and “Books for Living.” His most recent book, “We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship,” was published in February 2023. He has served on the boards of the Asian American Writers Workshop, Yale University Press, and the Kingsborough Community College Foundation. Shalbe lives in New York City.

A Reading with Martha Frankel
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m.

Martha Frankel has written book reviews, essays and celebrity profiles for many magazines, such as Movieline, Cosmopolitan and The New Yorker. She servesas executive director of the Woodstock Writers Festival, a yearly gathering of writers and readers in Woodstock, New York, and is host of Woodstock Writers Radio, a Sunday morning radio talk show.

To register for any of the events listed below, go here.

About the Newport MFA

Salve Regina’s low-residency Newport MFA program immerses students in the creative life through residencies, mentorships, publishing and editing panels, and craft talks. The two-year program guides aspiring writers to the terminal degree in their field through eight-day residencies held in Newport twice a year and a residency option in Cuba, where they focus on their preferred genre of fiction, poetry, nonfiction or historical fiction. Students, who also gain insights into the business of publishing and editing, spend the months between residencies writing and reflecting in an individualized mentorship with eminent writers. The program culminates with each student completing a polished manuscript.