President Lepre Commemorates SU Centennial, Shares Draft Strategic Plan During State of the University Address

By SU Public Relations

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre celebrated the SU Centennial and shared the institution’s draft strategic plan for the next five years during her 2026 State of the University address.

SU Centennial

Last May, the University launched its SU Centennial celebration at the institution’s 100th Spring Commencement, kicking off a year-long celebration of SU’s 100th anniversary.

During her address, Lepre commemorated the milestone with a look back over the University’s accomplishments in the past year, including student, faculty, and staff awards and honors; athletics successes; fundraising efforts; and community engagement.

She also celebrated the University’s national rankings; new academic programs including undergraduate majors in coastal engineering, and biochemistry & molecular biology; and high-impact practices as a hallmark of an SU education.

“Salisbury University has always been a place where lives are changed, not just in classrooms, but in communities — across the Eastern Shore and far beyond it,” she said. “From the very first class of students in 1925 to the thousands who walk this campus today, each generation has carried forward a simple but powerful idea: What we do here matters.”

Draft Strategic Plan

t\Those attending Lepre’s address had the opportunity to hear about SU’s draft strategic plan: “Salisbury University 2026-2031: Anchoring Our Region, Advancing Our Future.”

Once officially released, on May 1, the strategic plan will serve as a roadmap for the University’s next five years, setting goals and determining measurable strategies for reaching them while rededicating the institution’s commitment to the local community.

“For 100 years, Salisbury University has been a place where futures begin, where students arrive with potential and leave with purpose. And as we look ahead, we know something important: We are not just a University that happens to be located on the Eastern Shore. We are the intellectual, cultural, and economic anchor of the Eastern Shore. That distinction matters, and it is one we are choosing, intentionally, to lean into.”

That includes working to stem healthcare and teacher shortages; closing workforce gaps; and addressing environmental vulnerability including coastal flooding and declining water quality, she said.

“This strategic plan makes an intentional choice: Salisbury University will be recognized as Maryland’s model for connecting broad-based foundational learning and intellectual discovery with regional problem-solving and impact, preparing our students for a lifetime of success.”

Those students, she noted, have changed over time. Today, SU has more first-generation and minority students, and Pell Grant recipients, than ever before. More students report needing to work while attending school while, nationally, many continue to require remedial support in core subjects like math and writing due to instructional time lost or adjusted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demographics also are shifting. In the U.S., one in five undergraduates are over age 30, and nearly 40% are over 25. The traditionally aged 18- to 21-year-old population that historically has made up the majority of the student body is declining. Desired outcomes are changing, as well, with many seeking not just a good paycheck but happiness in their career and beyond.

“Gen Z … wants meaningful relationships and jobs, a strong sense of community, and a purposeful life — and places like SU remain one of the few places where students can build those connections,” said Lepre.

Four Pillars

The draft strategic plan is comprised of four pillars:

1. Transformational Learning and Academic Excellence that Connects to Real-World Needs: “We strive to ensure that every student experiences hands-on learning that prepares them to solve the challenges of today and tomorrow,” Lepre said. “We will prepare graduates not only for employment, but also for informed participation in a democratic society and increasingly interconnected world.”
2. Support Students and Their Success at Every Stage: “We strive to create a campus environment where every student is supported, connected, and able to thrive from their first day through graduation and beyond,” Lepre said.
3. A Community Engaged Campus that Strengthens and Uplifts the Region: “We will intentionally work to deepen our partnerships, such as those with our local healthcare system, TidalHealth, across the Eastern Shore so the work of the University directly improves the areas we serve,” said Lepre.
4. Responsible Stewardship for a Strong Future: “Because institutional resources are finite, Salisbury University will prioritize investments that most effectively advance student learning, strengthen academic quality, and increase the University’s positive impact on the region, the State of Maryland, and broader society at large,” she said.

Each pillar includes a set of goals the University plans to reach by 2031. Examples include:

• Ensuring every student has access to high-impact experiential learning opportunities — such as internships, undergraduate research, clinical placements, study abroad programs, and community-engaged learning — before they graduate;
• Removing barriers to student success and emphasizing strategies including advising, coaching, and early alert systems to improve student outcomes;
• Strengthening SU’s role as a cultural and civic hub for the Eastern Shore through initiatives such as the University’s planned performing arts center in downtown Salisbury; and
• Modernizing campus infrastructure and systems, such as the current renovation of Blackwell Hall, SU’s 1950s-era former library building, into a state-of-the-art center for student services.

A Strategic Implementation Council will be formed to oversee the next phase of this work.

“The impact Salisbury University has made over the last 100 years is undeniable,” said Lepre. “But the true measure of a university is not only what it has accomplished; it’s whether it’s prepared for what comes next, its willingness to respond boldly to the needs of its time. And this is a defining time.”

A video and transcript of the full State of the University address are available at www.salisbury.edu/president. For more information on the strategic planning process, visit www.salisbury.edu/strategic-planning.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website.