Salisbury University students on campus

Goal 4: Deepen Engagement with Our Community

Salisbury University contributes to Eastern Shore communities and the educational, economic, cultural and social needs of the State and nation. The University’s commitment to regional economic and social sustainability is demonstrated through Goal 4 of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and externally validated through our designation as a Community Engaged Campus by the Carnegie Foundation. We have expanded our presence in downtown Salisbury and throughout the region, and abundant opportunities remain for partnerships of all kinds that erase boundaries, perceived or real, between campus and community. We can expand efforts to welcome people to campus to experience high-quality cultural events, exhibits, performances and educational opportunities, while also engaging students, faculty and staff with wider community constituencies in powerful and transformational collaborations. Public programming that focuses on questions of public policy provide the wider community with opportunities to effectively exercise their democratic responsibilities, while we engage in discussions of and strategies to address complex issues together. Moreover, our proximity to major metropolitan areas, including Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, provides additional advantages for experiential learning opportunities and community engagement.

These partnerships serve economic and workforce development needs, help to improve quality of life, protect our sensitive environment, make our community stronger, and support a sustainable future for generations to come. We also conceive of community broadly through service and other engaged-learning experiences for students in study away and study abroad experiences. Community engagement and outreach will continue to be central to the institution’s mission as a regional, comprehensive university.

Objective 4.1 - Advance and promote SU’s engagement with our community consistent with our designation as a Community Engaged Campus.

  • Strategy 4.1.1. Leverage initiatives focused on facilitating economic, professional and workforce development in the region (e.g., Entrepreneurship Center, BEACON, Small Business Development Center, Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative, etc.).
  • Strategy 4.1.2. Assess the needs of the regional community and businesses to determine how we can better serve them.
  • Strategy 4.1.3. Enhance reciprocal interactions and engagement between the campus and the greater community.
  • Strategy 4.1.4. Support a deeper understanding of the value and impact of philanthropy within and beyond the campus community.

Objective 4.2 - Expand engagement of alumni, families and friends with the SU community.

  • Strategy 4.2.1. Expand alumni events and encourage greater interaction between alumni and current students.
  • Strategy 4.2.2. Expand and continue to develop a comprehensive parents and family program.
  • Strategy 4.2.3. Explore the development of a Friends of SU program to include those engaged with the SU, such as the business community and employers of SU alumni.
  • Strategy 4.2.4. Institute a program and process to keep track of and publicize alumni outcomes and successes.

Objective 4.3 - Enhance and expand local and regional partnerships and strategic alliances with private, public and nonprofit organizations.

  • Strategy 4.3.1. Enhance engagement with community-based organizations representing diverse population in our region.
  • Strategy 4.3.2. Expand academic program partnerships with secondary education and postsecondary institutions.
  • Strategy 4.3.3. Enhance local partnerships that provide internships and applied work experience for SU students .
  • Strategy 4.3.4.  Explore revenue-generating partnerships and opportunities .

Objective 4.4 - Support community-based learning and community-engaged scholarship.

  • Strategy 4.4.1. Develop a mechanism to encourage students, faculty and staff to participate in civic and community engagement efforts.
  • Strategy 4.4.2. Identify and explore the expansion of synergies between the Volunteer Center and PACE and other student organizations and activities to serve the local community.