PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

STUDENT-CENTERED SUPPORT IS A PRIORITY FOR THE SNEC FOUNDATION.

As founders of the Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation (SNEC), Sharon Grills Jackson and Stephen Jackson ’15 (Ph.D.) believe that hands-on learning opportunities are vital to a student’s educational experience. With its focus on historic preservation and environmental conservation, the Rose Island Field School interdisciplinary research project perfectly aligned with the Foundation’s areas of interest and emphasis on experiential learning.

“We emphasize very much in our involvement the engagement and hands-on experiences of the students,” said Sharon. The couple joined faculty and other guests for the June 2022 tour of Rose Island, where students shared various research and projects under way as part of the summer program.

“This whole project embodied experiential learning,” she continued. “The students were very knowledgeable in the areas in which they were concentrating their studies. It was wonderful to see the melding of the two areas in which SNEC is focused – the intertwining of environmental and historic preservation and how one is so impactful to the other. The students demonstrated that they got something out of it and the feedback from the instructor was very positive.”

“We insist on direct student impact,” Stephen shared. “If we support the purchase of equipment, it has to be in the hands of the students.”

One of the pillars of SNEC’s mission is “to improve access to higher education for students with an interest in historic preservation or environmental conservation.” Founded in 2016, the Foundation supports student-centered projects at higher education institutions.

Given Salve’s focus on purpose-driven education, SNEC has been a generous partner on a number of initiatives over the past six years. Collaborations include: the Grills lecture series and internships in historic preservation; student involvement in research and restoration of Ochre Court’s historic landscape; and funding for equipment such as a 3D laser scanner and ground-penetrating radar unit, which enable students to work with state-of-the-art tools that are standard within the profession.

The Jacksons were inspired to launch the SNEC Foundation by Sharon’s father, Richard Grills, a textile worker who spent 25 years at the helm of the Bradford Dying Association, a vital economic force in the Westerly, R.I., area. Grills’ lifelong interest in historic preservation and the environment led to the establishment of the Foundation shortly before his passing in 2017.

“Those were areas of interest for my father,” said Sharon. “He donated acres of land to the Nature Conservancy and that ended up being part of Westerly Land Trust. Historic preservation comes from two aspects of Dad’s life. He loved to rebuild stone walls on his property, and he also took apart his home piece by piece and rebuilt it to be the same historically accurate structure that it was originally; it was over 300 years old. He’d always been interested in these things, and we established the foundation in his honor.”

True partners in education, the Jacksons enjoy connecting with students who are impacted by the Foundation’s support.

They’ve found that students are sometimes surprised by their interest in the work and research conducted in conjunction with various projects.

“Steve and I enjoy seeing the product of the opportunities that we provided,” said Sharon. “It’s an integral part for us and that’s what I think some donors miss. The feedback that we’ve gotten is that students have changed what they were going to do after the experiences we were able to provide. That kind of opportunity is very rewarding to us.”

“It’s a little humbling, too,” Stephen added. “We weren’t expecting people to say ‘you’ve changed my life.’ When we say ‘partnership,’ it’s not a throwaway word. We really do want to be involved with students and interact with them at the appropriate time.”

“It’s important for them to realize that SNEC is people,” said Sharon. “They might hear the name of any foundation and think ‘thank you, fine’ but we want them to know that it’s people who are interested in contributing to their education.”

And in 2012, we had a lot of donations from people from all di erent parts of the world, and we were able to get a variety of trees and plants that aren’t native to Rhode Island here.”

In Tune With The Island

All of the students who presented their ndings from the Rose Island Field School were grateful for the opportunity to be part of the program. ey expressed that the experience was life-changing—both personally and academically—to be able to learn in such a hands-on environment.

“I am interested in the history part of the island, so being able to see both the architectural history and the natural history come to life in front of me was incredible,” said Caputo. “I also want to do environmental education after I graduate, so this is such an amazing way to start getting in front of people and doing that.”

Maxwell Van Winkle ’23, an environmental studies major with a minor in biology, added that the opportunity to live on the island will stand out as one of the de ning moments of his time while at Salve Regina.

“You really get to be in tune with the island. You get to really observe things and discover the island for yourself,” said Van Winkle. “We were able to go all in, and by doing that we were able to explore as much as we wanted to.”

Stukel also added that it was important for him to get research experience at the undergraduate level, because it helped him see what research is like.

“It helps me see the work ethic of what it takes to come out here every single day, do the various tasks we have to do, and schedule times during the week to stay overnight to observe the ecosystem,” Stukel explained. “I want to do this later, and now I know what could be expected of me down the road.”

A Natural Resource For All

Students also o ered educational resources and tours on Rose Island to local elementary school children, according to Dr. Craig Condella, who helped launch the RIFS in 2021 and is professor and chair of philosophy as well as professor for cultural, environmental, and global studies.

“From an environmental justice standpoint, this is incredibly valuable, as it gives local kids a chance to learn about and explore a place that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” said Condella. “We visited a second-grade class at Pell Elementary School in April and got them out on the island in May, and we have the goal of bringing a good deal more local kids out there in the coming years.” rough extended study on the island, students were able to inform many di erent visitors coming to Rose Island in creative ways, according to Dr. Holly Moore, assistant professor of education.

“ ese opportunities included giving tours, sharing stories around the camp re, guiding kayak tours to view oyster catchers, and even painting shells with young learners,” Moore explained. “ ey also created display information panels that are now housed on the island, as well as digital education resources for children and youth.”

Looking Ahead

“ is place is really important,” said Chace. “It gives the opportunity for the students to have an authentic piece of their education by taking all things that they’ve learned in the classroom and really putting it into practice.”

Salve Regina’s partnerships with both the Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation and the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust highlight the University’s e orts to create stand-out educational programming that enriches the student experience. Such initiatives underscore the “living laboratory” in which students learn, live and make a di erence.

“We feel so lucky and grateful to have this cadre of dedicated Salve professors and students with a multidisciplinary interest in the island,” said Sean O’Connor, executive director for RILFH Trust. “We look forward to growing this partnership for years to come.”

“ e partnerships with SNEC in collaboration with the RILFH Trust o ered students important experiences with hands-on research and experiential learning,” said Moore. “ ey o ered rich possibilities for continued development of educational resources that can connect learners of all ages to the beauty and history of this Rhode Island treasure.”

“It’s just a special, key piece for us to be able to bring students out to environments such as this,” added van den Hurk. “ e students come here to learn from an area that is rich with exploratory opportunities. And then to be able to stand up in front of people and present their ndings with tours and other educational opportunities—it’s an incredible thing, indeed.”