Known as “Maryland’s Coastal College Town,” the City of Salisbury long has been the crossroads of the historic Delmarva Peninsula. Located in Wicomico County (population over 102,000), the city is less than an hour away from the Atlantic Ocean, which is dotted with popular vacation destinations such as Ocean City, MD; Assateague Island; and Rehoboth Beach, DE. Situated on the Wicomico River, Salisbury is approximately half an hour away from the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary and a hub for environmental research.
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is steeped in history. SU’s Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture is home to some of the nation’s oldest genealogical records.
Home to some 7,500 students, SU has been a partner in reinvigorating downtown Salisbury, just two miles from campus, with facilities including the Dave and Patsy Rommel Center for Entrepreneurship, SU Art Galleries Downtown and the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative. All are part of SU Downtown, a satellite campus in the heart of Salisbury. University students, and performing artists also are engaged with the city’s Arts & Entertainment District’s popular monthly 3rd Friday celebrations and the National Folk Festival, which Salisbury has hosted since 2018.
The campus is a cultural center for the region, with exhibits, the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra (a town-gown collaboration), a National Public Radio group (three stations divided between SU and the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore), space for Wicomico County’s public access television station (PAC 14), and a robust roster of performing arts and other events.
The University includes five academic schools endowed by Eastern Shore entrepreneurs and supporters, as well as health-based college containing three additional schools and the Center for Healthy Communities. Area businesses (many alumni owned) welcome student interns.
SU graduates have found careers with Perdue Farms, one of the nation’s largest agribusiness companies with corporate headquarters in Salisbury, as well as TidalHealth, an award-winning hospital system locally serving four counties in two states. With SU, they constitute a significant employer base for the Eastern Shore. A 2016 study showed the University contributing nearly a half billion dollars annually to the region’s economy.
Learn more about SU, its success stories and its connections with the local community.