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Event Coverage  / Mercy Mission  / News
Mercy Mondays: Upcoming community service opportunities for March 2023
salvetoday Posted On February 27, 2023


The Center for Community Engagement and Service is offering many service opportunities for students — both ongoing ones throughout the semester and ones that happen only in the month of March. Opportunities include gardening, a nursing home, a 10k race and more.

To register, find out more information or view all service opportunities for upcoming months, visit the Center for Community Engagement and Service’s website.

The list on the website is constantly being updated with additional opportunities, so keep checking back.

Ongoing opportunities

On call snow shoveling volunteers

Volunteers who have shovels and their own cars, are needed to be on call for shoveling local areas on the Island. Once it snows, volunteers will by notified by email or phone call with the locations to shovel.

St. Augustin’s Choir volunteers

St. Augustin’s Church in Newport, is in need of volunteers to help sing in the weekly Sunday 9:30 a.m. masses. Volunteers would be responsible for learning and listening to the recordings of music before each Sunday. No transportation provided.

Bike Newport volunteers

Reliable and responsible volunteers who enjoy working with bikes are needed this spring semester at Bike Newport. Volunteers would be helping weekly with general bike cleaning, programs, and more. This site is located on the trolley line. If someone is interested in volunteering at Bike Newport, contact Allyson McCalla at allyson@bikenewportri.org.

Housing Hotline: Crafty Crochet volunteers

Volunteers who know how to crochet or are willing to learn are needed weekly on Wednesdays in Gerety Hall from 1-2 p.m. to help make small stuffed animals for children in need. If you are interested or would like more details, please email community.services@salve.edu.

Norman Bird Sanctuary: Mabel’s Garden volunteers

Volunteers who have their own cars and like to garden are needed at Norman Bird Sanctuary on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. If anyone is interested, contact Joseph McLaughlin at (401) 846-2577 or jmclaughlin@normanbirdsanctuary.org.

Fab Golf volunteers

Reliable and responsible volunteers with their own cars are needed for FabNewport’s FabGOLF program. Volunteers are needed to help weekly Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5 p.m. teaching middle school kids how to golf. Volunteers should have experience in golf or a strong interest in teaching golf. Volunteers who are interested should reach out to Orlando Peace orlando@fabnewport.org.

John Clarke Senior Living nursing home volunteers

Reliable and responsible volunteers with their own cars are needed to help at the John Clarke Senior Living nursing home with daily activities. Volunteers are needed to read to residents, do puzzles with them, play games and even bring their own interests in to share with residents. As the weather gets warmer and residents move outside, there will be some activities out in the courtyard such as gardening, paint parties and cookouts. Volunteers who are interested and want to learn more should reach out to Beth Finnegan at bfinnegan@jcrcri.org or by phone (401) 846-0743.

Gods Community Garden volunteers

Reliable and responsible volunteers with their own cars are needed at Gods Community Garden for winter harvesting. Preferred volunteers hours are Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. If anyone is interested in volunteering at the gardens, contact Linda Wood at  lswwood@gmail.com.

Seamen’s Church Institute general volunteers

Reliable and responsible volunteers are needed to help at Seamen’s Institute with daily office tasks. Volunteers are needed to help file, sort, shred and work in the archives. Preferred volunteers hours are once a week, any day between Wednesday to Friday. Hours are from Noon to 3 p.m. This site is located on the trolley line. If anyone is interested in volunteering at the Seamen’s Institute Newport, contact Tara Gnolfo at tara@seamensnewport.org.

Revive The Roots greenhouse volunteers

Reliable and responsible volunteers with their own cars are needed to help in the greenhouse at Revive The Roots. All volunteers can signup for their specific shift. If anyone is interested in learning more about volunteering at Revive The Roots, contact Annie Bayer at annie@revivetheroots.org.

March opportunities

Saturday, March 4: Clean Ocean Access Cleanup at Fort Wetherill

Volunteers are needed at Fort Wetherill in Jamestown from 10 a.m. to Noon to clean up the beach. COA no longer requires sign up before volunteers arrive at cleanups. Volunteers may either sign up online in advance or show up at the cleanup and sign a waiver on site. Location is 51 Fort Wetherill Road, Jamestown, Rhode Island. No transportation is not provided.

Tuesday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 21: Aquidneck Community Table gardening

Volunteers are needed to help at Great Friends Community Garden with Aquidneck Community Table from 2-3:30 p.m. Volunteers should meet at 21 Farewell Ave in Newport, Rhode Island, and prepare gardens for the spring. Volunteers should dress for weather, as this event is outside. This site is located on the trolley line.

On Fridays, March 17, 24, and 31: Edward King House Rise N’ Shine Breakfast

Volunteers are needed from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. to help Edward King House Senior Center with their Rise N’ Shine Breakfast program. Volunteers will assist with making the meal, serving the meal and interacting with older adults. Students should consult the trolley line.

Wednesday, March 22: St. Paul’s Meal Prep from 1-4 p.m. or 4:30-6 p.m.

Volunteers who are responsible and reliable with their own car are needed from 1-4 p.m. or 4:30-6 p.m. to help meal prep spaghetti and meatballs for St. Paul’s United Methodist Church community meal. Volunteers will prepare meal in the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life’s kitchen and drive to St. Paul’s to drop off the meal.

Sunday, March 26: Gray Matter Marketing Aquidneck 10K

Volunteers are needed from 8:45-10:45 a.m. to help with race prep and finish area. Volunteers should dress for weather, as this event is outside. The finish area will be at second beach parking lot area. All volunteers will meet at the Easton’s Beach main lot, locally known as Second Beach’s, main lot. Transportation not provided.

Wednesday, March 29: Aquidneck Community Table Gardening at Bike Barn

Volunteers are needed from 12:30-2 p.m. at the Big Blue Bike Barn & Florence Gray Community Garden with Aquidneck Community Table to prepare gardens for the spring. Volunteers should meet at 20 Sunset Blvd in Newport, Rhode Island. Volunteers should dress for weather as this event is outside. This site is on the trolley line.

To register, find out more information or view all service opportunities for upcoming months, visit the Center for Community Engagement and Service’s website.

Featured photo is from a past service experience. 


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Event Coverage  / News
Spring 2023’s Multicultural Education Week brings exciting new changes
salvetoday Posted On February 22, 2023


Multicultural Education Week (MEW) takes place every semester at Salve Regina as an opportunity to bring up topics around diversity and inclusion, and this spring 2023’s lineup of events offers a variety of speakers, panel discussions and performances to highlight important issues. The week runs Sunday, Feb. 26, through Friday, March 3. 

Organizers of this semester’s Multicultural Education Week are offering a fresh, exciting new way to approach the week. This is seen particularly with the performance by the Zuzu Acrobats and the Multicultural Festival, which will be offering a more in-depth celebration of Africa through food, dance and a fashion show.

“In the past, we’ve shone a bright light on many different cultures, but this semester we wanted to experience a more precise region of the world,” said Dhana Hinds ’23, an administration of justice major and an intern in the Office of Multicultural Programs and Retention. “This semester MEW is going to be explosive. We will be able to really immerse you in the cultures of Africa and make you feel like you’re really there. No one is going to want to miss this.”

This idea has been incorporated with feedback from students across campus. Moving forward, the desire is to highlight continents during each Multicultural Education Week, which will help students walk away with more knowledge around specific regions of the world.

“MEW has been effective in presenting a diverse sample of cultures from around the world, but by covering so much ground we were limited in many aspects in the selection of information to be presented,” said Maria Barragan ’26, a global studies major and a work-study student in the Office of Multicultural Programs and Retention. “This new model will allow the students at Salve Regina to have the time and sources to learn more than surface level facts about cultures around the world.”

Below is the lineup of speakers and events to help students, faculty and staff join in on cross-cultural conversations that breech subjects that the Salve Regina community and the world need to be talking about.  

All events can be registered for here. 

Multicultural Mass
Sunday, Feb. 26, 5-6 p.m.
Our Lady of Mercy Chapel 

Start off Multicultural Education Week with the Salve Regina community at a multilingual mass. This mass will feature diverse readings and songs in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. 

Keynote Speaker: Minal Bopaiah and Connecting Across Our Intersectional Differences
Monday, Feb. 27, 7-9 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall 

Award winning author and IDEA practitioner Minal Bopaiah will explore the concept of personal identity and the importance of understanding your personal background when speaking with people of different, intersectional identities. Through an engaging conversation, Bopaiah will help the audience develop a deeper self-awareness. 

Speaker: Max Boot and the Risks to American Democracy

Editor’s Note: This event has been moved to Tuesday, March 7, and no longer takes place during Multicultural Education Week due to weather concerns. More information on this event can be found in a SALVEtoday story. 

In partnership with the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, Max Boot, a bestselling author, is bringing this knowledge to the table to discuss the risks to democracy across the world.

Performer: Zuzu Acrobats and a 2,000-Year-Old Tradition
Wednesday, March 1, 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: TBA  

The Zuzu Acrobats are cultural ambassadors of the Baba Watoto Centre that use dance, music, theater, drawing and acrobatics as healing methods for personal trauma. This performance will illustrate how arts and culture have a transformative effect on society. 

Panel Discussion: Conversations across culture
Thursday, March 2, 7-9 p.m.
Bazarsky Lecture Hall  

Panelists will engage in cross-cultural conversations between black and white communities throughout history through the lens of U.S policies in academia. This panel discussion will highlight cultural differences while providing insight on how to pave the way to a culturally inclusive campus. 

Multicultural Festival Celebrates Africa 
Friday, March 3, 7-11 p.m.
Ochre Court 

Join the Salve Regina community for a night of cultural exploration and enjoy the cuisine of Africa. The Multicultural Festival will highlight the resilience of Black culture in Africa through warmth, celebration and acceptance. The festival will be showcasing local community and Salve Regina talents with a focus on African culture.  

All events can be registered for here. 

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; the Office of Residence Life; the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance; the Mercy Center for Spiritual Life; the Campus Activities Board; the Black Student Union; the Hispanic & Latinx Student Organization; the Multicultural Student Organization and the Student Government Association.


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Arts and Humanities  / News
Hamilton Gallery hosts exhibit exploring a paint by numbers aesthetic
salvetoday Posted On February 21, 2023


The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of a new group art exhibit entitled “Do or Don’t Do It Yourself: A Paint by Number Show.” The gallery will run Thursday, Feb. 23, through Thursday, March 30, and an opening reception with several of the included artists is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23, at 5:30 p.m.

The show is curated by Kirstin Lamb, adjunct faculty in the Department of Art and Art History and spring 2023’s guest gallery manager.

“Do or Don’t Do It Yourself” gathers artists working with painting, sculpture, textiles, and drawing to explore the paint by number aesthetic as it has influenced a range of contemporary American artists.

“Paint by numbers force people to ask the question, ‘If anyone can make it, why is it art? And why should an artist be interested?'” said Lamb. “It is at once an emblem of mindless conformity and leisure time, as well as the machine age and the possibilities of collaboration with the machine.”

Despite its purported bad reputation, the aesthetic of paint by number continues to inspire artists, according to Lamb. This is because paint by number democratizes painting, heralding that magical moment when anyone can become a painter.

“As a curator and an artist, I find myself gravitating to work that I feel is in some way influenced by the paint by number — either its high color and hard edges or its readymade order-from-the-internet art objects,” said Lamb. “Anyone can get photographs printed as canvases of number gridded textiles, plans for embroideries, paintings and more, thanks to the advancements in printing, graphics and 3D printing.”

Artists exhibiting work include Will Hutnick, an artist who heads up the art program at the Wassaic Project Artist Residency in Amenia, New York; Teresa Cox, an artist from the Minneapolis, Minnesota area; and Kate Bae, an artist from New York City.

The local community might also recognize work by Salve Regina’s own Jodie Mim Goodnough, associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History.

The show will force attendees to contemplate what is possible now that artists can use computers to generate patterns that were once only done by hand. What does a paint by number become in the digital age, and what does it symbolize? Why would an artist want to use that symbolism and aesthetic?

“Blue Hills” by Theresa Cox.

“Fallout” by Jodie Mim Goodnough.

“As an artist and curator … I am looking for evidence of the machine, the aesthetic of the edges of the form,” said Lamb. “We have easy access to photo processing programs in our computers and phones, and that changes our visual lexicon — high color and sharp edges spend a greater time in our field of view.”

All artists who are participating are listed below:

Kate Bae
Jenny Brown
Katie Commodore
Teresa Cox
Marjorie Hellman
Lori Larusso
Ghost of A Dream
Will Hutnick
Jodie Mim Goodnough
Karl LaRocca
J. Myszka Lewis
Jerry Mischak
Kristen Schiele
Jen Shepard
Michelle Weinberg
Lauren Whearty
Jamie Vasta

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.

For the run of this show, the gallery will be closed during Spring Break from Saturday, March 11 to Sunday, March 19.

“And You Can Tell Everybody” by Will Hutnick. 


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Event Coverage  / Student Life
Senior political science majors present, defend research projects
salvetoday Posted On February 21, 2023


The Department of Political Science and International Relations will hold its 54th annual presentation and defense of senior research on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Saturday, March 4, from 9 a.m. to Noon in O’Hare Academic Building, Room 260.

Eight senior political science majors are scheduled to present and defend their research. Staff, faculty and students are welcome to attend, as well as the public. There will also be an opportunity for a Q&A.

The schedule is:

Saturday, Feb. 25
9 a.m. to Noon

  • Steven Passodelis, “The Political Philosophy of Thomas Paine: How Paine’s Moral, Political and Economic Beliefs Share Common Themes”
  • Jesse Lagrosa, “Warrantless Aerial Surveillance by Drones: The Alarming Capabilities of Drones”
  • Christopher H. Minchin, “Broken Windows Theory in New York City: How Statistics Prove that Stop-and-Frisk is not a Racist Practice”
  • Megan Busby, “The Establishment Clause: Everson’s Proposal for Separationism”

Saturday, March 4
9 a.m. to Noon

  • Meghan Mills, “Why Americans Called for Prohibition: Overindulgence in Alcohol”
  • Tyler-Joseph McPhee, “California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018: Concerns for Third-Party Access”
  • Allayth Youssef Saleh, “Parker v. Flook: The Paradox of Legal Minds Legislating Scientific Investigations”
  • Joseph Morrissey, “Chinese Expansionism in the South China Sea and Artificial Islands: The Diplomatic and Strategic Threat to the United States”

Featured photo by Getty Images/designer491


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Event Coverage  / News
Pell Center roundtable will focus on U.S. – Africa relations
salvetoday Posted On February 21, 2023


The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy will be hosting another roundtable discussion Friday, Feb. 24, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., in O’Hare Academic Building, Room 121. This discussion is entitled, “Pell Center Roundtable: U.S. – Africa Relations: Will the U.S. Maintain Its Relevance in Africa?”

Dr. Yvan Ilunga

Roundtable discussions are open to students, faculty and staff at Salve Regina. The Pell Center will provide a free lunch. Space is limited, so please RSVP to pellcenter@salve.edu to secure a spot.  

The Biden administration recently developed a more detailed strategy towards Sub-Saharan Africa with the aim to re-engage the continent on a win-win basis.

Key questions to ask as this strategy is adopted are: Will this actually work? How do U.S. goals fit into Africa’s priorities? Who are the important players in this strategy, and why is this happening only now?

Dr. Yvan Ilunga, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, will try to unpack these questions and more as he helps the University community assess best approaches or alternatives to sustaining U.S. interests without jeopardizing Africa’s own needs.

If interested in this roundtable, please RSVP to pellcenter@salve.edu.

Featured photo by Getty Images/Anson_iStock


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Athletics  / Salve Spotlights
Johnny Mulera ’24, Mitch Walinski ’23 earn silver medals at FISU World University Games
salvetoday Posted On February 16, 2023


Johnny Mulera ’24, a major in business administration, and Mitch Walinski ’23, a criminal justice major, have a lot in common. They both were transfer students to Salve Regina, they are hockey players, and they had the honor of competing on the U.S. men’s ice hockey team for the 2023 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games in Lake Placid, New York, in Jan. 2023.

While at the FISU World University Games, the two helped the U.S. win its first ever silver medal in hockey. The U.S. hasn’t medalled since the 1972 edition of the games, when they won a bronze medal.

From the transfer portal to the ice

After his first semester at another school, Walinkski decided to find a better fit. Once in the transfer portal for ice hockey, Walinksi was able to talk to coaches — and Zech Klann, Salve Regina’s head coach of men’s ice hockey, was one of the first to reach out.

“It seemed like he really cared about me, and that was something I looked for in a coach,” explained Walinski. “I wanted a coach who cared for their players and checked in on how they were doing.”

Walinksi knew the ice hockey program at Salve Regina had a good reputation, and he had friends who played here. It just felt like it was the right decision.

      Johnny Mulera ’24 (right) Mitch Walinski ’23 (left)

Mulera also had a great experience when Klann reached out to him. He noted that Klann stayed in constant touch with Mulera throughout the transfer process, making the transfer less stressful and giving him confidence that he was making the right choice.

“When I came during my visit, I really liked the school,” described Mulera. “It’s a great program that has allowed me to develop on and off the ice.”

The road to FISU World University Games

The FISU World University Games is a collegiate multi-sports winter tournament that brings university teams from across the world together to compete.

Around Thanksgiving in 2022, Klann called both Walinksi and Mulera to tell them that they were on a list to possibly be a part of the U.S. men’s ice hockey team. The coaches were picking all 23 men from the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division III teams.

The final call came in early December 2022, and Walinski and Mulera were stoked to go.

The Salve Regina men’s ice hockey team had a game versus Curry College on a Saturday night, and early the next morning Walinksi and Mulera drove to practice for the U.S. team.

Mulara (right) during the FISU World University Games.

Walinski during the FISU World University Games.

Walinski and Mulera describe the FISU World University Games as the best hockey experience in their careers thus far.

“Lake Placid was such a cool experience given its hockey history,” explained Walinski. “Being able to play in front of 8,000 people at the Miracle Rink is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The U.S. team played seven games with a 5-2 record, and they received a silver medal.

“I never expected to be able to wear the USA jersey,” explained Mulera. “To be able to do that was really special, and it’s something I will never forget.”

New lifetime friendships and memories

The students spent two weeks total at the games practicing, competing, and meeting other players from around the world. Walinski and Mulera enjoyed hearing stories from other college hockey players and learning about their experiences.

“After playing hockey with each other and being together all day, we learned a lot about each other,” explained Walinski.

Mulera in action during the FISU World University Games.

The U.S. team grew from watching the National Football Championships the second night — where no one would talk — to becoming close friends who bonded and earned silver medals.

Walinksi and Mulera also described getting close with Japan and Korea’s teams. They found themselves playing cards, ping pong and Jenga with them every night by the end of the trip.

“I created great friendships that will last forever,” said Mulera.

Looking towards their futures post-graduation, Walinski and Mulera hope to take hockey as far as they can go. Both want to pursue a future in hockey and would love to play in a professional league.

Article written by student writer Morgan Rizzo ’23

Salve Spotlights is a series of people-centered stories periodically featured on SALVEtoday. Check out the tag Salve Spotlights for more stories.

Featured photo is of Walinski (center) celebrating during the FISU World University Games.


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Faculty/Staff
Lynne Mello named chief marketing and communications officer
salvetoday Posted On February 15, 2023


Lynne Mello, a marketing and communications professional with more than 15 years of experience both in private industry and higher education, has been appointed as Salve Regina’s new chief marketing and communications officer. She will begin her duties on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Mello joins the senior leadership team with Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong, president of Salve Regina, and will collaborate with stakeholders across campus in advancing the core values of the university’s Strategic Compass while also working to expand the institution’s national visibility.

“Salve is truly fortunate to welcome Lynne to our community as we work to elevate our institutional profile,” Dr. Armstrong said. “She is a talented, collaborative leader known for building strong teams and relationships, and she has a deep appreciation for our special mercy mission.”

Mello has served as associate vice president of marketing and communications at Roger Williams University since 2017, where she helped lead the institution’s strategic direction, management and measurement of integrated marketing, branding and communications.

“I want to continue to serve a University that is helping students make a positive impact on the world,” Mello said. “I am impressed with Salve Regina’s mission of mercy and focus on tradition, and I see great potential for the Salve Regina brand. I am excited about the opportunity to work directly with President Armstrong and senior leadership to evolve and amplify Salve in this highly competitive market.”

At Salve Regina, Mello will oversee and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications plan that amplifies the university’s foundational values of providing a purpose-driven education within its compassionate and inclusive mercy community.

Mello will lead an experienced strategic communications team in providing a wide range of support across the institution by telling the Salve Regina story through digital content, print design, marketing campaigns, social media, videography and photography, media relations and the magazine, Report from Newport.

“From the moment I stepped on campus, I could feel that there was something special about this community.” Mello said. “And as I talked with and learned from team members, it became clear that the Salve mission is incredibly authentic, relevant and distinctive. I’m honored to serve in this new role and work to increase awareness of this jewel by the water.”

Prior to joining Roger Williams, Mello worked for 12 years at global toy manufacturer Tomy Company, Ltd., serving in multiple leadership positions, including as vice president of marketing and communications. At Tomy, Mello managed an annual advertising and promotion budget of $3 million to develop marketing strategies supporting an infant brand portfolio representing $130 million in sales.

Mello holds a bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of Rhode Island.


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Business and Economics  / Event Coverage  / News
Attend lecture on China-Taiwan relations with Dr. Bonny Lin of CSIS
salvetoday Posted On February 15, 2023


Dr. Bonny Lin, senior fellow for Asian security and the director of the China Power Project for the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), will be giving a lecture hosted by the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.

The lecture, entitled “Cross-Strait Dynamics and China’s Approach Toward Taiwan,” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall in O’Hare Academic Building. To register, go here. This lecture is open to the Salve Regina community, as well as the public. 

Xi Jinping is heading into his third term as the president of the People’s Republic of China. Through his presidency, there has been an upward trend of peace between China and Taiwan. This lecture will discuss China’s policies toward Taiwan and how Jinping’s third term will impact cross-strait dynamics. Dr. Lin will also focus on how China can unify with Taiwan through political, economic and military measures. 

Dr. Lin is a senior fellow for Asian security and the director of the China Power Project for the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Before her role as director, she was the associate director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program for the Air Force, as well as a political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where Dr. Lin would analyze U.S.-China relations. Dr. Lin also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2018, where she was director for Taiwan and senior adviser and director for China. 

Dr. Lin holds a doctorate in political science from Yale University and a master’s degree in Asian studies from the University of Michigan, where she focuses specifically on Chinese studies. Dr. Lin will bring her educational and professional background to the table to discuss the current relations between China and Taiwan, as well as a path forward to unification. 

This lecture will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. To register for this event, go here. 


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News
Pell Center launches Nationhood Lab, led by bestselling historian Colin Woodard
salvetoday Posted On February 14, 2023


Nationhood Lab, a new initiative focused on counteracting the authoritarian threat to American democracy and the centrifugal forces threatening the country’s stability, launched its website and data journalism portal today on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The project—on the web at nationhoodlab.org—is an interdisciplinary research, writing, testing and dissemination initiative at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.

Leading Nationhood Lab is Colin Woodard, a New York Times bestselling historian, Polk Award-winning journalist and author of books like “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America” and “Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood.”

Woodard’s research on the 2022 midterm elections—which shows that the influence of centuries-old colonization patterns often overwhelms state boundaries and urban-rural splits—was released on the Nationhood Lab website. The analysis appears alongside previously published analysis of the regional geography of Covid-19 vaccination rates, a critical analysis of the alleged rural-urban divide in presidential elections and other topics.

“Our country’s democratic experiment and the union itself are endangered to a degree not seen since the Civil War,” Woodard said. “Understanding our underlying structural weaknesses is essential to mounting an effective defense of both.”

A photo of Nationhood Lab’s website. 

The articles are part of Nationhood Lab’s data journalism work, which uses Woodard’s American Nations model of North America’s regional cultures as an analytical framework for enhancing understanding of key electoral, legislative, social, cultural, and economic phenomena, past and present.

The model, based on the distinct characteristics and spread of the rival colonial projects across the continent, comes from his Wall Street Journal bestseller “American Nations.”

Nationhood Lab’s core task is to develop and test a revised U.S. national narrative for the 21st century that reflects who Americans are as a people, recognizes and incorporates past failures, and furthers the liberal democratic and civic nationalist ideas at the core of the American experiment.

Every country needs a story that explains its purpose, who belongs and where it is going. The U.S. has had such a story — a shared commitment to the ideals found in the Declaration of Independence – but it has been contested throughout the federation’s history by a counter-movement seeking to define the American people in narrower ethnic, racial and religious terms.

Nationhood Lab will develop and test strategic messaging around an accurate, compelling and reinvigorated version of America’s civic national story in support of civic education programs and public awareness campaigns in advance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

 “The choice we all face as Americans is one between a future that is singular and violent or plural and peaceful,” said Jim Ludes, executive director of the Pell Center.  “Colin’s work aligns with the Pell Center’s legacy and the mission of Salve Regina University,” he continued. “It affirms the ideals of America’s founding and the essential value of republican government, and we’re thrilled to host this vital work at the Pell Center.”

Woodard, who was a visiting senior fellow at the Pell Center in 2022, is the author of six books. He reported from more than fifty foreign countries and seven continents, including four years in Eastern Europe and the Balkans during that region’s difficult transition from totalitarian rule, as a longtime foreign correspondent.

As state and national affairs writer at the Portland Press Herald, he received a George Polk Award and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. A graduate of Tufts University and the University of Chicago, he is a past Pew fellow in international journalism at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Study.


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Event Coverage  / News
The Inclusive Reading Club’s February meeting will focus on history of Juneteenth
salvetoday Posted On February 14, 2023


The Inclusive Reading Club (IRC) will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, at Noon on the second floor of McKillop’s Library. The IRC will explore the newest federal holiday, Juneteenth, by reading excerpts from the book “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed.

The upcoming IRC will be a hybrid program, and attendees can join in-person on the second floor of library or via Zoom. All registrants will receive a Zoom link. To register for IRC, go to the event page.

“On Juneteenth” was a New York Times bestseller, and it was also picked as one of the top 10 best books of 2021 by the New York Times. Readings from “On Juneteenth” are available through the IRC’s message board. 

Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday signed into law in 2021 by President Joe Biden, and it is recognized annually on June 19. IRC’s readings will explore the origins of Juneteenth, which marked the end of legalized slavery with the arrival of federal troops in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 after the end of the Civil War.

Gordon-Reeds’s book offers a compelling account of Texas and its own ties to slavery, when many people today are only aware of cowboys, ranchers, and oilmen in the lore of the Lone Star State. Gordon-Reed is a native Texan and a descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas, and she writes a well-rounded narrative of her home state with implications for everyone in the U.S.

Observances of Juneteenth demand a look back at Rhode Island’s own history. Newport was the dominant slaving port in North America and was complicit in trafficking and enslaving Africans for more than 200 years. Local organizations and city government are honoring Juneteenth with educational opportunities and celebrations, acknowledging the importance of being honest about the area’s history.

To register for the upcoming IRC, go to the event page.

The Inclusive Reading Club’s mission is to engage members of the Salve Regina community in exploring issues of diversity and multiculturalism through short readings and discussions. It provides an inclusive environment that encourages participants to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of different identities, cultures and communities.

The IRC is managed collaboratively by the Office of Multicultural Programs and Retention and McKillop Library. For questions, please contact Rose Albert, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Programs and Retention, at rose.albert@salve.edu, or Gretchen Sotomayor, special programs and instruction librarian at McKillop Library, at gretchen.sotomayor@salve.edu.

Featured photos by Getty Images/Vitalii Abakumov


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