The Salve Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advances Salve Regina's mercy, Catholic mission by seeking wisdom and promoting universal justice. The University's mission is more fully realized when our educational enterprise, institutional structures, University leadership and community are actively engaged in building a more harmonious, just and merciful campus as we address the critical concerns of mercy: racism, immigration, women, earth and nonviolence.

Mission and Vision Statement

The commission acknowledges and incorporates the work of previous committees on equity and inclusion at the University and develops action steps and measurable results to advance Salve Regina toward a fulfillment of our mission.

The commission is charged with the following duties:

• Regular review of Salve Regina's policies and procedures to ensure that they promote our University values and mercy mission and advance an institutional commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Review and recommendation of ongoing training and development for students, faculty and staff to foster a culture of equity, inclusion and support for all members of our community.
• Sponsorship of University-wide events and programs to promote deeper understanding of the systemic issues of social inequity and injustice and the ways in which a mercy education calls us to respond.
• Regular, ongoing data collection to monitor University progress on institutional commitments to equity and inclusion.

Initiatives for 2020-2023

• Develop statement to acknowledge and clearly define the University's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and communicate a University process to receive, review and redress bias incidents on campus that violate this statement.
• Host an annual equity and inclusion summit for the University community each spring to provide the best thinking on how to promote equity and inclusion on campus and give the University concrete best practices for improvements to its environment.
• Design and implement a training process for members of the Salve Regina community, particularly those in high-impact roles, to offer a common vocabulary and understanding around issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion in order to develop a deeper foundation for inclusive conversations and community on campus.
• Contribute to the development of a leadership development program for faculty and staff which will include training to better support students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds with an increased awareness on how to leverage the power of our diversity in living our mission.
• Review the University admissions and hiring processes and make recommendations for how to recruit, select and support future faculty, staff and students to ensure Salve Regina reflects the diverse backgrounds and gifts of our wider community.
• Develop and implement a regular campus-wide climate survey for students, faculty and staff to provide an ongoing measure of the University's commitment to advancing equity and inclusion as central to our mercy, Catholic mission.
• Review virtual and physical spaces on campus that support the work of equity and inclusion and make recommendations for modifications and improvement to the president and senior administration.

Current Members

The commission is a standing committee chaired by the president and comprised of representative members of the Salve Regina community. Membership is determined through a combination of presidential appointments based on individual roles on campus and nominations/elections.

• M. Duffy, undergraduate student
• Beatriz Ferreira, undergraduate student
• Vanessa Gonzalez, undergraduate student
• Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis, assistant professor, Department of Biology and Biomedical Sciences
• Emily Haggett, student engagement and LGBTQ+ resource coordinator
• Hyoyeun Jun, assistant professor, Department of English, Communications and Media
• Terri Legare, assistant professor and assistant chair, Department of Nursing
• Jim Ludes, vice president for strategic initiatives (ex-officio)
• Sami Nassim, assistant vice president for diversity initiatives and retention
• Aida Neary, director of community educational partnerships
• Jennifer Pretsch, clinical counselor
• Jill Rasmussen, graduate student
• Tara Brooke Watkins, assistant professor and program coordinator, Department of Music, Theatre and Dance