Salisbury, MD—New and renovated campus structures, and a peek at plans for next year’s Salisbury University Centennial celebration were among the highlights announced by SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre during her third State of the University address on Tuesday, September 17.
New Facilities Master Plan: Blackwell Hall Renovation and Square Upgrade
“Nearly 100 years ago, our campus — and much of the Eastern Shore — looked very different than it does today,” she said. “I am very excited to announce the launch of our next facilities master plan, which will shape the future of our campus infrastructure over the next 10 years.
“This comprehensive roadmap will engage the entire campus community and will offer detailed insights into the optimal use of every space at SU, from main campus, to East Campus, to downtown.”
Among the spaces planned for rejuvenation are Blackwell Hall, opened as the campus’ library in 1957, which is currently being renovated into a student services center thanks, in part, to the addition of $19.2 million in state support over the next three years.
Upon its expected opening in fall 2026, the $60 million project is slated to serve as a new home for SU’s Counseling Center, Advising Center, Registrar’s Office, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Dean of Students Office and more, centralizing student services on campus. It also will house the Admissions Office, with features including a greet and gathering space for campus tours and open houses.
As part of the project, geothermal fields are being installed beneath Holloway Hall Lawn. The renovated Blackwell Hall is expected to open as one of the first net-zero buildings in the University System of Maryland, operating with a zero net carbon footprint and representing a significant leap forward in SU’s commitment to sustainability.
In connection with that initiative, SU will upgrade another long-time campus gathering space, The Square. Connecting Blackwell Hall with the Guerrieri Academic Commons, The Square will receive a complete makeover, including outdoor seating, an amphitheater area and gathering spaces. The update “will provide a beautiful and welcoming space between two of our most student-success-focused buildings,” Lepre said.
Performing Arts Center Support
Another major project, also previously announced, will be a new performing arts center in downtown Salisbury. Scheduled to be constructed at current the site of the Wicomico Public Library’s Paul S. Sarbanes Branch (which will move to SU-owned property on Schumaker Drive), the approximately $100 million project is slated to bring a new performance space to downtown Salisbury. Lepre announced that SU has received commitment of more than $11 million in support for the center to date.
She also said the partnership forged with the Wicomico Public Library for the project is emblematic of the types of strategic partnerships she hopes the University will forge going forward. Other recent examples have included academic agreements with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Maryland Army National Guard, and a partnership with Under Armour as the official gameday uniform provider for SU Athletics, enhancing the University’s visibility and reputation with high-performance, cutting-edge athleticwear.
Maggs Physical Activities Center/College of Health and Human Services Project
Looking further ahead, SU also hopes to begin planning for a multi-phase, interdisciplinary project that will see a long-desired renovation of Maggs Physical Activities Center and provide a centralized home for the University’s College of Health and Human Services. The timeline is contingent upon state funding approval.
“It will not be an easy road, given the challenges we see at the state level, but we believe that by combining these critical projects, we can most effectively advocate for the state support needed to make it a reality,” said Lepre.
Part of that advocacy is expected to take place at a new SU branch office in Annapolis, which the President noted is “a strategic move that positions us to more effectively advocate for partnerships [and] state support, and reach new students and donors,” establishing a Salisbury presence in the state capital. The office will be shared with TidalHealth.
SU Centennial Celebration: Social Room Upgrade
Two more capital projects will help SU ring in its 100th anniversary in 2025. Over $140,000 already has been raised for an upgrade to the Holloway Hall Social Room, which has remained largely untouched since its dedication in 1932. The update is scheduled to include an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant lift at the room’s entrance, enhanced stairs, a fireplace insert, expanded storage areas, new furniture, upgraded lighting, and bookshelves for a new faculty library.
Originally used as a space to host a daily social hour for students, as well as weekly teas and special events, the ornate room has evolved into a versatile venue hosting more than 75 events annually, welcoming more than 4,000 guests each year.
“These enhancements will ensure the Social Room continues to be a welcoming space for all who gather there and befitting to the history and success of SU and all who have been a part of its journey,” said Lepre.
Centennial Plaza Project and 100th Anniversary Kickoff
Also in connection with SU’s 100th anniversary, the University will begin developing a new Centennial Plaza, extending from the front of Holloway Hall into the adjacent lawn.
“This new plaza will enhance our campus’ front door and help to celebrate Holloway Hall and our century of history,” said Lepre.
The President announced that the SU Centennial celebration will kick off with a community-focused “Fun Fest in the Nest” celebration on September 7, 2025, marking the 100th anniversary of the date the first students moved into Holloway Hall (which, at the time, served as both residential and classroom space for undergraduates).
100th Commencement
Because a portion of SU’s first students were transfers from other universities, a handful completed their education at Salisbury in spring 1926, giving rise to the University’s first Commencement ceremony. This spring, in celebration of SU’s 100th graduating class, Commencement will return to campus for the first time in more than 40 years.
Lepre announced that the SU Class of 2025 will be the first to graduate at Sea Gull Stadium, a move that will provide students with a link to their first days at the University.
“This exciting update, shaped by feedback from students, faculty and staff, will give our graduates the opportunity to celebrate their first moments as SU alumni in the very place where their journey as a Sea Gull began,” she said.
Celebrating the Past Year
In addition to looking ahead in her State of the University, Lepre celebrated the many accomplishments of SU’s students, faculty and staff from the past year, framed by stories from Sea Gulls who have shared their success with the campus community. These included winners of international, national, state and local awards, as well as new faculty, new administrators, and an incoming class in which nearly a third of students come from underrepresented backgrounds and more than one-third are first-generation college students.
The amount of scholarship aid is up this semester from last academic year, she said, with anticipated estimates at more than $19 million. This includes the University’s Back to Flying Scholarship, which offers financial support for students who move from academic probation to Dean’s List status in one semester. To date, 30 students have received this award.
In the past year, SU also has received nearly $1.4 million in grants for initiatives from student retention and success, to community solutions and engagement, to campus safety. The campus community also has given back financially, with more than 3,000 donors contributing over $504,000 in a 24-hour period during SU Giving Day 2024.
National publications from Forbes to The Princeton Review — and, for the first time, The Wall Street Journal — have ranked SU among the nation’s best universities, focusing on the institution’s excellent academics, affordability, and student success and career readiness.
Lepre praised SU’s sustainability efforts, which has resulted in the University’s being named a top performer in the Energy Impact Area by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). One new initiative, in particular, replaced trash cans in many offices with recycling bins with attached mini-trash cans, increasing SU’s recycling rate by 25% in these locations and reducing the number of plastic bin liners the University sends to landfills by an estimated 75,000 each year.
Through another program, students donated nearly six and a half tons of items, through “Give and Go” stations, that otherwise would have been thrown away during residence hall move-outs, with most of those goods instead going to area thrift stores.
In addition, Lepre congratulated SU’s varsity athletics teams, which last year won conference championships in volleyball and men’s and women’s lacrosse. Ten teams competed in NCAA post-season play, with the Sea Gulls earning regional championships in baseball and softball, and the women’s lacrosse team competing in the national championship game. In all, 21 SU student-athletes were named All-Americans and 147 All-Conference, with nine Players of the Year and five Coaches of the Year.
She also noted that this year’s incoming class included SU’s largest student-athlete cohort ever, including the first competitors on the University’s new men’s and women’s golf teams. They are discovering firsthand how much the Sea Gulls value their community as the recipient of this year’s NCAA Community Service Award for more than 7,000 volunteer hours logged, with a 74% student-athlete participation rate.
Initiative Updates
Updating the campus on initiatives announced in her November 2023 State of the University address, Lepre noted that the University had passed the half-way point toward reaching its goal of 100 new endowed scholarships through the Centennial Scholarships program, another part of the SU Centennial celebrations.
This fall, SU began offering an engineering physics major through its Richard A. Henson School of Science and an M.A. in public communication through the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts. The Fulton School also is on track to launch a music therapy program, slated to be the first of its kind at a public institution in Maryland, for fall 2025.
In addition, SU welcomed Dennis Senkbeil, its first marching band director in more than four decades, this fall. Lepre invited the campus and community to hear the SU Pep Band, also under Senkbeil’s direction as an academic program, during the University’s Alumni Homecoming and Family Weekend football game on Saturday, October 26. The marching band is expected to be in place in time for the SU Centennial next year.
In the past year, SU has reconfirmed its commitment to inclusion, creating a new Inclusion, Access and Belonging Division, overseen by the institution’s inaugural vice president of inclusion, access and belonging, Zebadiah Hall. The division includes SU’s Office of Institutional Equity, Disability Resource Center, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Charles A. Wight Center for Equity, Justice and Inclusion.
The new unit “enhances collaboration across campus by uniting these key offices into a cohesive team, offering a more comprehensive approach to addressing the diverse needs of our community, and ensuring resources and support are more readily accessible and effectively coordinated,” said Lepre.
And just one year after expanding its international education program, SU recently marked a milestone with psychology major Windy Spellman becoming the 100th Salisbury student to earn academic credit through SU’s partnership with the American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS). Spellman completed an eight-week internship at the Ozanam House Resource Center, a community outreach facility in Dublin, Ireland.
‘Profound Privilege’
Concluding her address, Lepre encouraged campus community members to celebrate the impact they have on others.
“Every single day, within these walls, we have the profound privilege of helping to write someone’s story — a story filled with potential, hope and meaning,” she said. “As we move forward, let us remain steadfast in our commitment. Let’s remember why we embarked on this journey in the first place: for every student who walks through our doors, for every family we support and for the brighter future we’re shaping together.
“Your actions, your passion, your dedication — these are the pages of our SU story.”
A transcript of the full State of the University address will be available on the SU website.
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.
