Dear Sea Gulls,
I am so grateful to have completed my first full year here at Salisbury University. Throughout the past year, I have had countless opportunities to learn and experience everything that makes SU such a remarkable place. Much of my year was spent listening and learning from our campus community.
This report serves as a testament to what you – our community – shared with me: SU’s unwavering commitment to excellence in education, research and community engagement. Aligned with the emerging themes of the Salisbury Seven, you will find a comprehensive overview of our accomplishments, initiatives and milestones. From groundbreaking research breakthroughs to impactful community outreach, our University continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and the communities we serve.
I am endlessly grateful to our dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters for their unwavering dedication and support. It is your collective efforts that enable us to thrive and maintain our position as a leading institution of higher education.
As we look to the future, we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and remain committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative and transformative educational environment moving our institution forward with excellence. We have undoubtedly had quite the year at SU, and I am excited to see what incredible things are in store for us this year. I invite you to continue to be a part of the journey!
Sincerely, 
Dr. Carolyn R. Lepre
President, Salisbury University
SU welcomed over
1,400
new first-year students to campus in fall 2022. The incoming Class of 2026 was one of the largest classes – and the most diverse group of first-year students – in campus history.
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.
1
OUR PEOPLE
“We will invest in the people who deliver on the promises we make to our students.”
Our People are Everything
In 2023, the University made a reaffirming commitment to the people of SU, focusing on acknowledging our people and creating a sense of belonging.
Board of Regents’ Faculty & Staff Award Winners
The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents recognized three SU faculty and two staff members with one of its highest honors…
Inaugural SU Lead Cohort
With a goal of creating a pipeline of diverse leaders within the institution, SU Lead was created. A professional development initiative to foster engagement…
New Faculty
SU’s faculty ranks grew by 33 in 2022-23 and those new scholars are benefiting from the newly created Center for Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFÉ), which is committed to supporting faculty excellence in areas of teaching, research, professional development and personal wellness.
2
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.”
A Ground-Breaking Campus
SU has committed to building facilities that will attract students and support the highest quality educational experiences. In the near future, the University…
Students Share Research with Maryland Governor and Legislators at Posters on the Bay
Research by SU students caught the attention of Maryland Governor Wes Moore at the University’s annual Posters on the Bay presentation in Annapolis…
SU’s Remarkable Fulbright Successes
Created in 1946 and considered to be one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world, the Fulbright Program is the…
Undergraduate Degree Programs
SU’s academic programs expanded in 2022-23 to include a new major in health science for students looking to break into health care and a new interdisciplinary science major concentration in forensic science, which educates future crimefighting scientists thanks to a collaboration with Wor-Wic Community College.
Honors Programs
The Clarke Honors College added a program specifically designed for students in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) in 2023 – joining programs focused on liberal arts, business, and science and mathematics, the CHHS program provides meaningful interdisciplinary courses to its students.
3
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.”
New But Familiar Faces in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
SU is made ever stronger by the cultivation of an inclusive environment. As the University has grown, so too has the Office of Diversity…
Faculty Fellows Program
In spring 2023, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) helped launch new initiatives through the Faculty Fellows Program related to creating a greater…
President’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Awards
SU honored 10 members of the campus community with its 2023 President’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Awards. SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre presented the…
Chapter
The University’s chapter of Best Buddies is comprised of 15 SU students who spend their free time forming meaningful connections with over 30 area residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities – for their committed efforts and campaigns to raise awareness of the organization, they were named the Collegiate Chapter of the Year for 2022.
Events
Every semester, SU hosts over 100 cultural and academic events for the campus and greater community, exposing audiences to diverse perspective and a broad array of entertainment, including a spring concert by Symphony 21, a showcase of music, technology and visual arts that inspired and united the community through the power of music.
4
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.“
The “Just Right” Size
In our pursuit of excellence, our institution committed to the goal of the enrollment of 8,500 students within the next five years. This strategic…
$2.5 Million Grant to Help Instructional Assistants Further Their Education
SU’s Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education has been a leader in preparing future educators for 98 years. Now, with…
Enhancing a One-of-a-Kind Fraud and Forensic Accounting Certificate Program
SU was awarded a $2.6 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the University’s Fraud and Forensic…
Grant
SU’s Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative’s (ESRGC) reputation for mapping and research excellence has earned the cooperative a $2.44 million grant from the Office of Statewide Broadband – the year-long project includes collecting, analyzing and visualizing the broadband Internet capacity across Maryland.
Teachers of the Year
Of the 46 2023 Maryland Teacher of the Year semifinal selections in the tri-county area, 35 were former SU students and numerous other Sea Gulls earned semifinalist honors across the state.
Pledge
Many more aspiring business owners will have the opportunity to make their dreams a reality thanks to SU’s Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation Shore Hatchery entrepreneurship competition as the foundation pledged an additional $900,000 to continue its sponsorship of the program at least through 2026 – bringing their total investment at SU to $4.2 million.
5
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.“
A World of Opportunities: Expanding Study Abroad and Study Away Opportunities
SU set the impactful goal of becoming the Maryland public university with the greatest percentage of students with study abroad and study away experiences…
Fostering Innovation and Impact
In the spirit of fostering innovation and progress, SU launched the Strategic Innovation Fund, demonstrating the institutions commitment to advancing SU’s Strategic Plan and….
Student Project Creates a Healthier Ecosystem
Students participating in the Presidential Citizen Scholars (PCS) Program are tasked with completing sustainable community engagement projects each year that directly benefit the greater…
Civic Learning Awards
SU’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) and its director, Dr. Sandy Pope, earned the Barbara Burch Award and the “We the People” Award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project for PACE’S work to cultivate a more informed citizenry that promotes good governance on campus and at the local, state and federal levels. This recognition is reflective of the dedication made by many across campus who position the University to achieve SU’s core value of civic engagement.
Years of Simulations
The University’s Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center celebrated a decade of providing exceptional, hands-on clinical practice for SU health professions students and community health care professionals.
Signature Learning Outcomes
In addition to supporting the three Signature Outcomes of an SU education – Civic and Community Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, and Environmental Sustainability – faculty and staff are working to ensure SU’s new General Education program provides every SU graduate with a real-life experience regardless of major through the Experiential Learning requirement.
6
RAISING RESOURCES
“We will raise the resources needed to support SU’s programs, its students and its culture.“
Peter and Judy Jackson Music Program
During a pre-concert reception at the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra holiday concert, SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre announced that long-time SU supporters Dr. Peter…
Presidential High-Impact Learning Experience Awards
In celebration of SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre’s Inauguration, the President and First Gentleman Todd Lepre created the Presidential High-Impact Learning Experience Awards…
SU on the Road
Since beginning her tenure as SU’s 10th President last July, Dr. Carolyn Ringer Lepre has had the opportunity to hear from many enthusiastic Sea…
GRANTS/CONTRACTS
SU’s Office of Sponsored Programs administered its highest ever amount of external grant and contract awards in 2022-23, with $11 million earned by exceptional faculty research and initiatives.
CAMPUS AREAS SUPPORTED
On SU’s annual Giving Day, Sea Gulls around the world join together to support areas of the University that matter most to them – this year, in one 24-hour period, 2,618 supporters gave $258,950.66 to 253 campus areas, with $71,460 in challenge gifts and a matching commitment of $66,333.57 the grand total reached $396,744!
YEARS OF PHILANTHROPY
For the past half century, the Salisbury University Foundation, Inc., has helped students make tomorrow theirs, working with donors to administer millions of dollars in scholarships – they celebrated the milestone on the 50th anniversary of its incorporation on February 16, 1973.
7
STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY
“We will strengthen our institutional identity and reputation.“
Inauguration of President Carolyn Lepre
In May, the SU community gathered and celebrated the official installation of its new leader. Only the 10th time in the University’s nearly 100-year…
Maroon & Gold Spirit
SU’s unique identity as Sea Gulls is what makes SU such a special place. That identity was on full display as school spirit ran…
We Are The Champions
Summer break came late for several of our student-athletes, as Sea Gull baseball, softball and men’s lacrosse all traveled around the country competing in…
FULBRIGHT PRODUCER
SU set a new benchmark when the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named SU the nation’s No. 1 producer of Fulbright Students in the Master’s Carnegie Classification for 2022-23.
BEST FOR VETS
SU was again named among the Military Times’ “Best for Vets: Colleges” – ranking 17th in the Mid-Atlantic for our scholarship support specifically for veterans and military-connected students, participation in the Veterans Administration work-study program, specialized study, and socialization space.