President’s Advisory Team Meeting Summary (3/6/24)

A President’s Advisory Team Meeting was held Wednesday, March 6 with the following agenda items:

  • Welcome – Highlights from President Lepre 

  • Employee Wellness
  • Legislative Updates
  • Budget Update & Timeline
  • Campus Safety

Below, please find summary information regarding each topic item of the agenda. When appropriate, additional supporting information is linked.

Highlights from President Lepre:

Communications –

  • SU has been working hard to improve communications and answer more questions for employees and students.
  • The Tuesday Report is one such initiative undertaken by the President’s Office to share more information and share it more regularly. It is highly encouraged that the members of the President’s Advisory Team and the campus engage with this newsletter.
    • It is also highly encouraged that people send us regular feedback on the Tuesday Report itself. What information can we include in future messages? What are topics you want to know more about?


University’s Budget –

  • A lot of what we have been asked to communicate on more frequently is SU’s budget.
  • President Lepre, Provost Couch, and Vice President for Administration & Finance (VPAF) Edenhart-Pepe have been conducting regular meetings and conversations with people across campus on the budget over the last few months to discuss the University’s investment priorities into critical areas like enrollment and retention, high-impact practices, and our people.
  • Faculty Senate invited President Lepre and VPAF Edenhart-Pepe to present to faculty on the budget: discussing budget history, financial decisions, planning, and answering key questions about personnel.
  • While there has been discussion recently on campus (and across the state) about the challenges the state budget is facing, Maryland is still very supportive of higher education and the mission of SU.
    • Despite these challenges: there are no plans at this University for furloughs or layoffs.
    • SU is waiting on new information from the state about planned salary increases for fiscal year 2025.


Inclusion, Access, and Belonging –

  • The search for the Vice President of Inclusion, Access, and Belonging has officially begun [more information].
  • More than 125 people volunteered to participate in the Inclusion, Access, and Belonging Working Group, including 50+ students.


Employee Wellness:

  • Many faculty and staff don’t know about the wellness resources currently in place and available to employees.
    • An effort is underway in partnership with Human Resources to share this information more broadly and readily with people.
    • SU is examining creative new ways to bring alternative health and wellness resources to campus through new and improved partnerships.
  • Childcare has come up regularly this year.
    • Extensive research has been done in the past few months and SU has consulted with and contacted more than 70 childcare centers around the Shore for more information.
    • This is a complicated service for the University to address because there is no one-size-fits-all solution to meet the variable needs of employees with differing schedules and children of different ages: some people would require daycare, others before care, after care, or seasonal/summer care.
    • More still needs to be understood – but employees are encouraged to send in questions to help SU piece together a solution that works for all.

Presented by: Eli Modlin, Chief of Staff (ejmodlin@salisbury.edu)


Legislative Updates:

  • We are monitoring proposed federal changes to Title IV. The Department of Education is considering a number of regulatory amendments. For SU, some of the notable changes would be:
    • Cash management rules: proposed barring colleges from keeping any leftover flexible dining funds from student meal plans if the student used Title IV aid to help pay for the meal plan. Similarly, this could impact the collection of other student-related fees.
    • Federal TRIO programs: discussing changes to the eligibility requirements for some federal TRIO programs which offer support services to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Maryland House Bill 493 – would provide collective bargaining rights to certain faculty, part-time faculty, post-doctoral associates, and graduate assistants at certain State institutions of higher education.
  • Maryland Senate Bill 1179 – Authorizing the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland to amend certain policies and procedures to not require an institution to submit a contract for capital improvements or services for review by the Board of Public Works if the value of the contract is less than $1,000,000, whereas the current threshold is $200,000.
  • Maryland House Bill 1151 – Repealing certain provisions of law establishing Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE) as a preferred provider for certain state procurements.
    • This would be a significant benefit for SU’s budget to not have to purchase as much expensive furniture from MCE and could source items from more convenient providers and receive them in a timelier manner.

Presented by: Eli Modlin, Chief of Staff (ejmodlin@salisbury.edu)


Budget Updates:

Timeline –

  • In the next week or so, Administration & Finance (A&F) will be providing training and support to help teams transition smoothly to the budgeting process.
  • Your input and collaboration will be crucial as we navigate this change together and strive for greater financial sustainability and effectiveness.
  • Our timeline for the months ahead will vary slightly based on the budgeting differences and needs of the budget administrators:

    March: Training sessions and individual meetings with the budget and finance team.
    April: Strategic financial plan assembled with department and VP. Data entered into PeopleSoft.
    May: Final financial review in Peoplesoft.
    July: Budget administrators receive FY25 budget mapped to Workday.


Tuition and Fees –

  • A brief overview of the increases we have made to tuition and fees for Fiscal Year 25:
    • In-State Undergraduate Tuition: +$154 (+2%)
    • Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition: +$550 (+2.99%)
    • Total In-State Cost: +$446 (+4.19%)
    • Total Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition: +$842 (+3.95%)
    • Housing: Increased on average by about 2.5%
    • Meal Plans: Increased on average by about 5.0%


Updated PIN Approval Process –

  • As a reminder: The Position Request Form has been created to replace the multiple forms and steps previously used by hiring managers and search committees.
  • The new form replaces the SUPER Request in PeopleSoft, the Position Description/Position Information Form, the Recruitment Plan, the Certification of Expectations Form, and the PIN Request Process.
  • The form is now accessible on the new HR website – and a full explanation of the PIN approval process can be found there as well.
  • VPAF Edenhart-Pepe hosted a virtual Q&A with the campus on the changes to the process on March 1.

Presented by: Aurora Edenhart-Pepe, Vice President of Administration and Finance (aredenhart-pepe@salisbury.edu)


Campus Safety:

  • The University formed a safety taskforce of dedicated volunteers including campus leaders, SUPD, City of Salisbury officials, and representatives from local, allied police agencies.
  • Increased police patrols at the Avery Parking Lot / Dresser Lots. This area of campus is now under a constant security presence (Monday-Friday from 5:00am-11:00pm; Saturday-Sunday from 8:00am-11:00pm).
  • The Campus Security Escort Service increased its hours of operation and will now offer escorts during daytime hours.
  • Additional security officers are being hired.
  • SUPD, Facilities, and IT are assessing extra improvements to areas on campus such as additional cameras and improved lighting. 

Presented by: Edwin Lashley, Chief of Salisbury University Police Department (ellashley@salisbury.edu)