Salisbury University - Overview
Salisbury University is Consistently Recognized at the National Level for Excellence
Located on Maryland's scenic and historic Eastern Shore, only 30 miles from Atlantic beaches and 20 miles from the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, Salisbury University is a campus on the move. "These are exciting times at Salisbury University," said President Janet Dudley-Eshbach. "Our reputation as 'A Maryland University of National Distinction' is growing."
For 15 consecutive years, Salisbury has been one of U.S. News & World Report's "Top Public Universities" in the North, and also one of the highest-placing public master's-level universities in Maryland. For 13 consecutive years, SU has been among The Princeton Review's Best Colleges. Similar kudos come from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, which has named SU among the top 100 "Best Value" public colleges in the nation.
Salisbury's faculty includes distinguished Fulbright scholars and the Eastern Shore's first Maryland Professor of the Year, selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Since 2000, 19 SU professors have won the University System of Maryland's highest faculty honor: the Regents Award for Excellence. With a student to faculty ratio of 17:1, and an average class size of 24, Salisbury students get to know their professors.
A national leader in student-centered research, Salisbury is the only university in Maryland to have hosted the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. It also is the only comprehensive university in the country to host NCUR twice.
On the playing field, SU scholar-athletes have earned distinction in one of the top NCAA Division III programs in the United States, with 15 national championships in men's and women's lacrosse and field hockey. In addition to 21 varsity sports, nearly half of the student body participates in 22 intramural programs and 14 sports clubs.
Salisbury Offers an Array of Degree Programs and Courses of Study Supported by the Best in Technology and Resources
Home to 8,600 students from some 32 states and 69 nations, Salisbury University's creative curriculum emphasizes undergraduate research, study abroad, professional internships, and civic engagement. Salisbury's 42 undergraduate majors and 14 graduate programs are offered in the liberal arts, sciences, and professions including business and education. All four of Salisbury's schools are endowed -- a rarity among public institutions nationwide.
Students also get the benefit of learning and living on a beautiful campus -- designated an arboretum by the American Public Gardens Association -- with top-notch classrooms and renovated residence facilities. In fall 2008, SU opened its $65 million, 165,000-square-foot Teacher Education and Technology Center, a showcase for education in the mid-Atlantic region. It features $5.3 million in technology including SMART classrooms and one of the few campus-based high-definition digital video production studios in the nation.
Two other major additions to campus, a $55 million home for the Perdue School of Business with state-of-the-art labs and case rooms and a $45 million apartment-style residence hall and retail complex, opened in fall 2011, along with a new high-tech medical simulation center Salisbury is pursuing recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council for the new buildings¿ use of sustainable energy. Two already have received LEED Silver certification.
There are several unique degree programs at Salisbury. Its nationally accredited baccalaureate degree in respiratory therapy, the only one in Maryland, is taught in distance learning labs on campus and through the Universities at Shady Grove. A growing program in social work reaches students at three distance learning sites statewide. In addition, SU's Center for Conflict Resolution was one of the first two in the nation to offer bachelor's and master's degrees. In the fine arts, Salisbury is the only Maryland campus with a glass-blowing program.
The university also offers superior programs in education and nursing, helping to alleviate critical shortages. SU is one of Maryland's largest educators of future teachers and its nursing students have the highest five-year average pass rates of all baccalaureate programs statewide on the National Council Licensure Examination. A Doctor of Nursing Practice begins in fall 2012.
For new students, exceptional orientation programs have been honored by the Maryland Association for Higher Education, and those who relish intellectual challenges are invited to join the Thomas E. Bellavance Honors Program.
Salisbury Students Gain Experience through Global Service Projects and Internships
For more than a decade, SU has championed study abroad and service. Through the Center for International Education, established by President Dudley-Eshbach, business students study global economics in China, education majors teach children in New Zealand, and nursing students provide aid in Africa. Others take "alternative" spring breaks to participate in global service projects in Mexico and Costa Rica. New Salisbury Abroad programs offer the chance to study in countries ranging from Ecuador and Estonia, to Spain and Scotland for the same cost as tuition, room, and board in Maryland. Some 12-14 percent of SU's students engage in international study annually, exceeding the national average.
Salisbury students have also gained practical, hands-on experience by working with animals at Hawaii's Ocean Mammal Institute and Ohio's Siberian Tiger Conservation Association. In the past two years, three students earned $42,700 Greater Research Opportunity Fellowships from the Environmental Protection Agency -- only 30 are given annually nationwide. One business student so impressed supervisors at Delaware-based Trinity Transport, Inc. that the company created two annual $10,000 scholarships for future SU interns. The Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) also places students in public service internships in local, state, and national government.
In addition to internships for pay or credit, SU students volunteer some 35,000 hours in the region annually and have earned national recognition for their work with such programs as the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. SU outreach organizations, including the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, Small Business Development Center and Healthy U of Delmarva, are also invaluable resources for the region.