Dear Members of the Salisbury University Community,
It is with great pride and gratitude that I present our Annual Report for the 2023- 2024 academic year. This report serves not only as a reflection of our accomplishments and progress but also as a testament to the unwavering dedication and spirit of our students, faculty, staff and community.
As we look back on the past year, we are reminded of the remarkable achievements we accomplished together. Our students have excelled in their academic and extracurricular pursuits, demonstrating exceptional talent and determination. Our faculty have pushed the boundaries of knowledge and provided transformative learning experiences. Our staff have supported our University with unparalleled dedication, ensuring that we continue to thrive as a vibrant and dynamic institution.
As we move forward, our focus remains on fostering an environment where curiosity thrives, creativity flourishes and diverse perspectives are valued. We are committed to enhancing our programs, expanding our facilities and strengthening our partnerships to ensure that Salisbury University remains at the forefront of higher education.
None of this would be possible without the support of our entire community. I extend my deepest thanks to each of you for your contributions and for being a part of the SU family.
As you explore this report, I hope you find inspiration in our shared accomplishments and excitement for the future. Together, we will continue to build on our legacy and shape the next chapter of SU.
Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication, and Go Gulls!
Sincerely, 
Dr. Carolyn R. Lepre
President, Salisbury University
SALISBURY SEVEN
These seven, key areas were created with the participation of our whole campus community and are the defining focus of Salisbury University’s vision as we enter our next century.
As highlighted in President Carolyn Ringer Lepre’s State of the University Address in February 2023, the Salisbury Seven is a bold new vision in alignment with SU’s mission statement and core institutional values. These seven pledges will direct our strategic growth over the next five years, becoming the foundation for SU’s 2025-2030 strategic plan.
The overall theme behind the Salisbury Seven is moving forward with excellence. This is our core vision: We will move forward with the purpose of transforming lives through academic excellence, life-changing high-impact practices, inclusion and belonging.
We will invest in the people who deliver on the promises we make to our students.
We will consistently deliver a rigorous, student-focused academic program taught by world-class educators on a world-class campus.
We will have a continual commitment to inclusion, diversity, opportunity and equity, and the cultivation of a sense of belonging.
We will strategically grow to serve the needs of the Eastern Shore, the State of Maryland and the nation while holding fast to our identity as a student-focused institution that doesn’t just say it cares about its people; it shows it with every decision.
We will be known for our innovative, high-impact practices and our belief that we are educating the whole person for a lifetime of civic leadership and community service.
We will raise the resources needed to support SU’s programs, its students and its culture.
We will strengthen our institutional identity and reputation.
OUR PEOPLE
“We will invest in the people who deliver on the promises we make to our students.”
Transformational Community Leadership
Salisbury University renewed its partnership with the Greater Salisbury Committee through participation in their Transformational Community Leadership professional development program, which graduated six…
Celebrating Excellence in Faculty and Staff Achievements
In 2024, three outstanding faculty members and three staff members received the prestigious University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents Awards for Excellence.
SULead
On the heels of the successful inaugural cohort of SULead, the professional development initiative graduated a second class of 12 participants this year.
New Campus Leaders
SU welcomed Dr. Laurie Couch, Aurora Edenhart-Pepe and Zebadiah Hall to its executive leadership in 2023-24. Couch serves as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, overseeing academic policy, faculty, research and student success. Edenhart-Pepe serves as vice president for administration and finance, overseeing finance, human resources, facilities and capital management, information technology, and the University Police Department. Continuing on President Lepre’s pledge to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment on campus, Hall was chosen to champion those efforts as the inaugural vice president of inclusion, access and belonging.
Dr. Laurie Couch
Aurora Edenhart-Pepe
Zebadiah Hall
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND WORLD-CLASS FACULTY & FACILITIES
“We will consistently deliver a rigorous, student-focused academic program taught by world-class educators on a world-class campus.”
Announcing Plans for Downtown Salisbury Performing Arts Center
After years of advocating for a performing arts center for Salisbury University – SU can finally say the University is closer than ever before…
Transforming Blackwell Hall
With the passage of the State of Maryland’s Fiscal 2025 budget, Salisbury University received an additional $19.2 million over the next three years…
SU Team Ranks Top in U.S. in Society of Actuaries Case Challenge
Salisbury University mathematics students are the top in the U.S. in actuarial analysis and case study research. The Society of Actuaries (SOA) Research Institute…
Years of Literature/Film Quarterly
SU’s Literature/Film Quarterly (LFQ) celebrated its 50th anniversary as an internationally recognized journal exploring film adaptations of revered literature. In those five decades, the journal has evolved from a print journal available in more than 30 countries to a totally online journal, expanding its reach to all corners of the globe. The current editor, Dr. Elsie Walker, learned of SU when she was a student at University of Auckland, New Zealand, and was first published in the journal in 2000.
Supporting Community Ethics
Dr. Michèle Schlehofer, co-director of SU’s Re-Envisioning Ethics Access and Community Humanities (REACH) initiative, hopes to expand that program as one of just four recipients of the University System of Maryland (USM) Wilson H. Elkins Professorship. The professorship comes with a $50,000 award, which Schlehofer is using to create REACH’s Center for Ethical Responsibility and Transformation (CERT). The CERT will host outward-facing events like community discussions and workshops, providing an opportunity for SU students to engage with actual ethical problems and real-times decisions one encounters in the community.
CREATING A CULTURE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION
“We will have a continual commitment to inclusion, diversity, opportunity and equity, and the cultivation of a sense of belonging.”
Largest Ever Powerful Connections Cohort
Salisbury University’s Powerful Connections program welcomed its largest cohort yet, with 100 first-year students participating to receive student mentorship from more than 50 mentors…
Hall Named Inaugural SU Vice President of Inclusion, Access and Belonging
Zebadiah Hall was appointed as Salisbury University’s inaugural vice president of inclusion, access, and belonging, marking a significant step in the institution’s commitment…
2024 President’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award Honorees
Salisbury University honored nine members of the campus community with its 2024 President’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Awards….
Awarded for Economics Education
Dr. Jill Caviglia-Harris was among a team of educators to receive two awards, amounting to $600,000, for a project aimed to develop easily implementable modules around economics education. The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education provided $400,000 and the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Economic Profession and the Social Science Research Council’s (CSWEP-SSRC) Women in Economics and Mathematics Research Consortium provided $200,000. Dr. Caviglia-Harris and her colleagues will use these modules, grounded in evidence based active learning principles, to evaluate their impact on student belonging, diversity and retention.
ASL Students
In her fall 2023 State of the University address, SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre announced a new budget initiative to fund American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for campus events – a proposal brought forward by Dr. Ellen Schaefer-Salins. This initiative saw its first performance at an ASL-interpreted showing of the hit musical Little Shop of Horrors. The Bobbi Biron Theatre Program continues providing ASL-interpreted showings of many of its mainstage productions. Interest in ASL is growing at SU, with 50 students minoring in deaf studies and over 100 members of the ASL Club.
Of New Students Receive Aid
When looking at the $15.1 million of institutional and SU Foundation aid distributed in fall 2023, 92% of SU’s new students received some type of financial aid.
DISTINCTION AND GROWTH
“We will strategically grow to serve the needs of the Eastern Shore, the State of Maryland and the nation while holding fast to our identity as a student-focused institution that doesn’t just say it cares about its people; it shows it with every decision.“
Introducing the New Graduate School at SU
1962, Salisbury University introduced its first graduate program, the Master of Education. Over the years, SU has expanded its graduate offerings to…
New Degree Programs Designed to Meet the Growing Needs of Tomorrow
Salisbury University received approvals for three new academic programs, enhancing our diverse educational offerings. Starting in fall 2024, SU introduces a Bachelor of Science…
U.S. Department of Education Funding for First-Year Student Success
Salisbury University received $216,000 from the U.S. Department of Education Postsecondary Student Success Grant art of a larger University System of Maryland initiative….
General Education Proposals
To prepare for the fall 2024 launch of SU’s reimagined General Education program, faculty in every discipline worked diligently to revamp and create courses to foster the personal, intellectual and social development of our students. SU’s new General Education program ensures that every SU student graduates with real-life experiences regardless of major and provides the opportunity to fulfill requirements by taking courses that support their majors.
HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
“We will be known for our innovative, high-impact practices and our belief that we are educating the whole person for a lifetime of civic leadership and community service.“
Boren Scholarship Gives Student Opportunity to Study Swahili in Tanzania
While her family was stationed overseas for 13 years, Salisbury University sophomore Miranda Surrett learned different languages and cultures living in countries from…
Expanding Student Opportunities: NASA and Maryland Army National Guard
Salisbury University is opening new doors for its students through two groundbreaking partnerships with NASA and the Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG)…
Fulbright Successes
Salisbury University celebrated the achievements of three students and two faculty members who have been awarded prestigious Fulbright grants…
“SU In” Global Campuses
Supporting SU’s goal to be the university in the State of Maryland with the highest percentage of students who have at least one global experience prior to graduation, the University is breaking down barriers to studying abroad for both students and faculty with its SU In Global Campuses. Through these campuses, SU is investing in locations abroad, bringing multiple faculty members to one place and allowing students of various majors to be part of the program together. Programs are currently offered in Austria, Costa Rica, Kenya, Scotland and Spain.
In Community Service
Salisbury ranked first in the nation among all Division III schools in community service hours according to Helper Helper. Several of our individual teams were among the top five programs, including football, women’s basketball and volleyball, who all held first place in their sport.
RAISING RESOURCES
“We will raise the resources needed to support SU’s programs, its students and its culture.“
Giving Day 2024
On April 2, Sea Gulls around the world – alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends – joined together to support and celebrate the schools..
Centennial Scholars Challenge: A Legacy of Giving and Excellence
Salisbury University has embarked on a transformative journey to commemorate its 100th anniversary through the Centennial Scholars Challenge. This ambitious initiative aims to create…
Donnie Williams Foundation Gift Supports SU’s Summer Enrichment Academies
Donnie Williams, an alumnus of Salisbury University, is remembered for his entrepreneurial spirit, love of baseball and quest for knowledge. His legacy of supporting…
Million in Grants Awards
SU’s Office of Sponsored Research submitted 123 proposals in Fiscal Year 2024, resulting in $9,270,452 from 105 awards to support exceptional research initiatives.
Alumni Givers
SU saw an increase in alumni donors in Fiscal Year 2024, with 3,249 giving back to their Alma Mater, representing 5.62% of all Sea Gulls.
STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY
“We will strengthen our institutional identity and reputation.“
Centennial Steering Committee
On September 7, 1925, the State Normal School at Salisbury opened its doors to students for the first time. Tens of thousands have…
SU Alumnus Quinn Named Washington Commanders Head Coach
Salisbury University Athletics Hall of Fame member Dan Quinn ’94 traded in his SU maroon and gold for the burgundy and gold of…
New Regalia & First-Gen Student Recognition Added to Commencement Ceremonies
Salisbury University graduates got a fresh new look in 2023-2024. Starting with the winter 2023 commencement ceremony, graduating classes now wear maroon caps…
Empowering Women Award Recipient
The Daily Record celebrated SU’s dedication to helping women succeed in their careers by naming the University among its inaugural Empowering Women Award recipients for 2023 – the award recognizes companies and organizations that show a strong commitment to supporting and elevating women in Maryland.
FACTS & HIGHLIGHTS
Years
U.S. News & World Report’s Best CollegesYears
The Princeton Review’s Best CollegesYears
Forbes’ America’s Top CollegesYears
Money’s The Best Colleges in America
Top 20 Library
Princeton Review Places SU’s Guerrieri Academic Commons Among Nation’s Top 20 College Libraries.
200+ Students Studied Abroad
More than 200 SU students studied abroad or studied away for academic credit last year in 2023-2024. Among that number were 50% of the students in the Clarke Honors College, which is approaching the culture of study abroad normally found only in private liberal\ arts colleges with national reputations for study abroad.
Please Note: Although this Annual Report reflects the 2023-24 academic year, national rankings included reflect the most recent available at the time of production (September 2024).