SU says goodbye to Dr. Karen Olmstead
When Dr. Karen Olmstead came to Salisbury University as dean of the Henson School of Science and Technology in 2008, she hoped to provide SU’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students with the best education possible. A decade later, she expanded that philosophy to include the campus as a whole upon becoming SU’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs in 2018.
After nearly 15 years as a proven leader and champion of both students and faculty at the institution, Olmstead stepped down from position at the end of the 2022-23 academic year and recently retired after taking on a special role in the President’s Office.
As dean of the Henson School, Olmstead was a co-principal investigator for a $996,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to fund the University’s Bridges to SUCCESS (SU Connections to Careers for Every STEM Student) program, designed to increase science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates by 75% within five years. In her role as dean, she also helped open SU’s Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center.
As provost, she was instrumental in the creation of SU’s College of Health and Human Services. She also played a key role in the transition of the Honors Program to what is now the Glenda Chatham and Robert G. Clarke Honors College.
Olmstead was influential in SU’s earning the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification in 2020, developing the Rommel Center for Entrepreneurship and winning more than $3 million for SU in state funding for workforce development. During her tenure, SU also set new records for Fulbright students and scholars, being named a top producer in the United States for both.