A grant will make Salve Regina University more accessible to some students. How it works

NEWPORT – When people think of Salve Regina University, they often think of ocean views and affluence, but there’s more to it than that – according to associate biology professor Belinda Barbagallo.

There are students at Salve who come from struggling families and struggle both financially and academically.

Barbagallo’s passion for helping these students convinced the National Science Foundation to award the college a $1 million grant that will give 16 students academic and financial support, as well as prepare them for the workforce in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics background.

“It’s the first time we received any funding (of this kind) so it’s a pretty big deal for the university,” Barbagallo said during a recent interview, calling it her “passion project.”

A six-year employee of the private university, Barbagallo said she was a first-generation college student and a first-generation American in her family. Barbagallo attended an inner-city high school in Everett, Massachusetts, and knows firsthand about the struggles of attending college.

The project – dubbed ‘Supporting STEM Scholars to Engage in the Blue Economy’ – contributes to the “national need for a diverse and capable workforce of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technicians by increasing STEM degree completion of high-achieving, low-income students,” according to a written release from Salve.

Over the next six years, it will award 16 students with financial needs who are pursuing degrees in biology, chemistry and mathematics.

The funding will go toward support services in retention and growth.

“The goal is to ensure that 90% of the awarded scholars are retained from their freshman to sophomore years, and that 90% graduate within four years,” according to the release.

And as far as the blue economy, the area is home to the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center and Save the Bay, among other industries in the field.

The program will prepare Salve students for employment through real-life experiences in the sector.

In a written release, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee indentified STEM work as a top “economic driver.”

McKee added that he hopes students may also have opportunities at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Operations Center, scheduled to open in 2027 at the Newport Naval Station.

They will also have opportunities to rotate through different laboratory and training opportunities in a variety of STEM fields, he added.

Barbagallo said this grant is aligned with state and national goals toward preparing students for STEM fields.

“We have data from the Rhode Island Department of Labor that two of the fastest growing fields in Rhode Island are mathematics applications, and life and physical sciences,” Barbagallo said.

“We are helping to support the governor's initiative and the trend (toward STEM jobs) and to help the students hit the ground running.”

Barbagallo said that 25% of children in Newport live below the poverty line. She says she hopes the grant and the project as a whole can attract more local students to Salve in the hopes that they join the local workforce and improve the lives of their families and the local economy.

Barbagallo said she hopes that the initiative has a “snowball effect,” allowing these students to give back to their communities.

Barbagallo mentioned the university’s mission is that success is measured by how much good students do in the world after they graduate.

In the release, university President Kelli J. Armstrong echoed the sentiment.

“As a mercy institution we measure our success by the positive impact that our students and alumni have on the world, and this program directly aligns with our mission,” Armstrong said.

On that note, Barbagallo mentioned that the scholarships and student support will be widespread and not just a way of “giving money” to students in financial need for college. It will also help students with the social challenges of college.

“We can teach them about being a college student and prepare for internships and the STEM (fields),” she said. “It’s a very holistic approach. We are not just throwing money at them and saying ‘good luck.’”