(Editor's note: This is the third installment in an occasional series of interviews with the state’s new wave of higher education leaders.)
When Kelli J. Armstrong took the job of Salve Regina University president in June 2019, she was a bit of a pioneer at the Catholic liberal arts school on the edge of Newport’s rocky eastern shoreline.
Armstrong became the university’s eighth leader, but she is first to hold the position who has not been a member of the religious order Sisters of Mercy, which had established what was then a women’s college in 1934.
Before arriving in Newport, Armstrong, 57, had served as vice president for planning and assessment at Boston College, another institution with Catholic roots.
In an era of rapid, often unpredictable societal change, Armstrong says she is keeping a tight hold on the religious ideals that Salve was founded upon while promoting a values-based approach that welcomes students from all backgrounds.
As with most higher education officials, Armstrong has had her hands full keeping COVID-19 at bay on a campus of about 2,600 students. At the same time, she is focusing on other pressing issues, such as addressing the financial barriers to higher education, diversifying the Salve community and boosting the university’s national profile.
[caption id="attachment_385663" align="alignright" width="200"]
FIRM BELIEF: Kelli J. Armstrong is the first lay president and the eighth overall of Salve Regina University, a Catholic liberal arts school in Newport founded by the religious order Sisters of Mercy. Armstrong says it’s important for lay presidents to believe in, commit to and embrace the mission of the institution they are leading. / PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN[/caption]
In what ways do you think the pandemic will change Salve Regina University in the long term? I think what we’ve learned, probably very similar to the for-profit sector, is we can be more flexible if we need to be. So, if we have a weather event, or if we want to bring in another population from across the world, we’re so much more facile in technology than we were over a year and a half ago that we’re going to be able to use that even more flexibly. I think for those of us that are more traditional institutions, we know that our model has certain elements that really need to stay in-person in order to have the same kind of transformation of our students as they move through adulthood, but we will be doing a lot more flexible delivery as we progress in the future.
What attracted you to working in higher education administration, and why did Salve feel like a good fit for you? The heroes of my childhood have always been those who have done well in higher education, and it’s changed their lives. Growing up, I come from a very humble background, and I saw the power of what a college degree could do for people in my family in terms of changing a life’s trajectory, and it became really interesting to me to be part of that purpose.
I was drawn to Salve because of its incredible mission, so not only does it do a wonderful job in terms of the traditional academic delivery.
What do you see as priority issues or goals to address throughout your tenure? One of the things I noticed early on about Salve is that it is in, some ways, too much of a well-kept secret. If you know Salve, you know Salve. But a lot of people, especially outside of our immediate region, have never heard of Salve. One of my goals is to make sure that we come out from under the bushel, and we really spread the word on what we’re trying to do here at Salve and the kind of education that we’re offering so that more students from even a wider geographic region can participate in this really special kind of education.
Does being the university’s first lay president impact how you approach the job? Do you think there is a significance to this distinction? I think this is happening all across the country, and really, across the world. Many [religious leaders], unfortunately, are aging, so I think that the most important thing when you’re looking at a lay president for the first time, and even beyond, is that that person strongly commits to and believes in the mission of the institution. So I think about my interview process for Salve, and a lot of the questions focused on my understanding of a Mercy institution, its mission and how that was distinctive and different from an institution that did not have that kind of mission. I think any lay person coming in, you really need to embrace that.
How is the university recovering from financial and enrollment impacts caused by the pandemic? Have you had to increase tuition and other fees for the upcoming school year? If so, how much additional money will that raise and where is it being spent? We increased our tuition by 3%, which, for us, was really keeping in mind with inflation. Obviously, our costs go up with inflation, and we also wanted to make sure our employees, our faculty and staff received a living wage so their wages keep in pace with inflation. But we haven’t had to impose any special fees for COVID-19, or any other expenses. We’ve been able to absorb those and to support our students throughout the whole pandemic.
[caption id="attachment_385666" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
MAJOR GROWTH Of the most popular fields of study at Salve Regina University, these six majors saw the biggest increase in enrollment between 2011 and 2020, although nursing, Salve’s most popular
major, and administration of justice both had enrollment declines in 2020. / SOURCE: SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY[/caption]
What are some of the ways Salve is addressing affordability concerns among rising college expenses? It’s a big deal in the whole world of higher education that the rising costs are a large concern for families, and so we have been able to keep pace in terms of the scholarships we offer. Each year we increase those as college becomes more expensive. Our average [student] debt is fairly low, compared [with] a lot of places because we want students to not come out with a lot of debt and have options. But we know that that’s a big concern, so one of the big campaigns, as we move forward in our future, is to increase scholarships, particularly for students who are from lower-income backgrounds.
What do you think are the most significant challenges higher education is facing today? How do you plan to address these challenges at Salve? Across the nation, there is what we’ve been describing as a demographic cliff. What it means is that with traditional 18- to 22-year-olds, the numbers of those students who are college-bound is going to decrease dramatically, so it means that there are going to be fewer students available in the nation who will be going to college. That really creates a different dynamic for schools as they think about the way [and] where they draw from their students. The Northeast … is one of the areas that will be the hardest-hit, so they’ll see one of the greatest drops in traditional-aged students.
According to the university’s fall 2020 profile, 81.1% of undergraduate students are white, as are 90.6% of full-time faculty members. Is the university making efforts to promote a more racially diverse student body and faculty, and if so, what is it trying? It’s a real priority for us, and last year, with George Floyd’s death, there was a real effort on college campuses and in the nation to look inwardly at what we were doing as communities to create the most inclusive environment we could for all of our students, but particularly for our students of color. We formed a Commission on Equity and Inclusion, which is a standing group. It’s not just a task force – it now is a permanent group at Salve. And one of the things we’re looking at, again, is better scholarships [for students from underrepresented backgrounds].
It’s also structural support. Do we have the programs in place where students who are coming from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds feel that they have the setting that is going to make them comfortable and feel supported throughout their whole four years while they’re at college?
Faith-based institutions have come under increased scrutiny amid social and political upheavals in this country and others in recent years. What challenges does that present for Salve as a Catholic institution? How I describe Salve to people who aren’t familiar with a Mercy institution is I talk about how we are a values-based institution. What that means is that we ask our students to engage beyond simply the academic part of their learning and to really engage with a lot of the critical issues that are out there in today’s society.
We’re not an institution that is doctrinal, where you have to be Catholic in order to be part of our mission, so it really depends on the institution and the ways they interact with their heritage and how they interpret that as they move forward. I feel fortunate that we have a lot of flexibility in terms of the ways in which we’re able to interact with our community, and that the Mercy Sisters are really about inclusivity and making others feel welcome, wherever they stand.
Over the past few years, the university’s proposed residence hall projects have raised concerns among some in Newport. How would you characterize Salve’s relationship with the city of Newport and its residents, and how do you think the city and the university can work together on this issue? When I first arrived here about two years ago, it was just before the pandemic, and it was a really difficult issue. We were in conflict with Newport, and there were some residents who were really worried and upset about building within the historic district, so what we did early on was a bit of a campaign to explain all the changes we had made to the residence halls to accommodate the concerns of the neighbors.
In Newport in particular, and in other cities, there’s such a shortage of housing because half of our students are living in Newport because we don’t have enough residence halls. I think there’s an understanding now that if we could take a whole class of students – our junior class – and bring them back on campus, it would be an enormous help to the housing pressures that exist in Newport right now.
In your university bio, you speak about being “particularly passionate about serving disadvantaged students and supporting the advancement of women in underrepresented areas.” What are some of the ways you are addressing these issues as president? One of the things I so love about Salve has been that both of those issues are really important to the mission of this institution. As a Mercy institution, we’ve been founded by women and during a time [when] women didn’t have a lot of power, these really strong, amazing women created this university. I think for our young women and men, that’s been a wonderful model for them to see what women can do.
A huge percentage of our students are first-generation [college] students at Salve. We are about helping those students make it through college and change their lives.
[caption id="attachment_385665" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
NEW ADDITION: Salve Regina University President Kelli J. Armstrong joins students Katie Mountcastle, Julia DelMastro and Julie Burgjohann, all juniors, to pet Salve’s new community resource dog, Ruggles, a 10-month-old black Lab. In the background is Campus Safety and Security officer Michelle Caron. / PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN[/caption]
What are some of your interests outside of your job? I have two sons and a husband, and a dog, so I spend a lot of time with my family. Because I was an English major, I love to read, so when I need to unwind, I either take a walk on the Cliff Walk or near the ocean, or I will read, get lost in a novel.
What is your approach to forming relationships with the university community, and what has it been like introducing yourself to the community during a time characterized by increased isolation? I tend to be very informal, so most people call me Kelli – I’m not often Dr. Armstrong unless it’s a really formal occasion … and so I love interacting with people in really informal ways. I started when I first got here, “Pizza with the President,” so I’d have cohorts of students over to my house just to get to know them and hear their stories. Then COVID struck, which made it harder to do these meals together, but we figured out ways to gather, and to do it masked.
Salve is known for a strong nursing program. How has this program changed during the pandemic, and with the strain on health care workers, what has enrollment been like in the past year through the present? Enrollment has held steady, thank goodness, and we worried because we wondered sometimes, with a crisis like this, that it might affect how people felt about nursing. Because, poor nurses, as we know, have been right on the front lines. But it’s been so encouraging and heartening to see our nursing faculty and our nursing students just continue with their training, continue to get into hospitals.
What is something that you think people may not realize about Salve Regina? The academic profile of students has increased every year – SAT scores, high school GPAs have gone up and up every single year. They’re just getting stronger and stronger. I think if I were wanting people to know something about us, I would want them to look at us with a fresh set of eyes to see the changes that are happening here, and where we’re headed in our future.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Voghel@PBN.com.
