Salisbury University

Holloway Hall, named after the institution's first president, William J. Holloway Salisbury University, originally called the Maryland State Normal School , opened on September 7, 1930 as a two-year institution to train elementary school teachers to help fill the teacher shortage in the state of Maryland. The original class of 105 students was greeted by Salisbury's first president, William J. Holloway, an experienced educator and the driving force behind the creation of the school. The curriculum was influenced by those established at Columbia's Teachers College , alma mater of six of Salisbury Normal School's eight original faculty. During the Great Depression , Maryland extended the required course of study at normal schools from two years to three years, and to four years in 1934, paving the way for the institution to rebrand as a teachers' college one year later. [ 3 ] In 1935, the school's name was changed to Maryland State Teachers College , and in 1963 to Salisbury State College . Between 1962 and 1995, several master's degree programs were approved, and in 1988, the name was changed to Salisbury State University . In 2001, the name was changed to Salisbury University. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Since the early 2000s, Salisbury has grown rapidly in enrollment as well as campus facilities. Since 2002, Henson Hall, Conway Hall, Perdue Hall, the Patricia R. Guererri Academic Commons, and Sea Gull Stadium have been constructed. From July 1, 2018 through July 14, 2022, the university was under the leadership of president Charles "Chuck" Wight. Wight succeeded Dudley-Eschbach, who, after 18 years as SU's president, opted to return to teaching foreign language at SU, following one year in hiatus training Wight. [ 6 ] Carolyn Ringer Lepre began her term as the 10th president of Salisbury University on July 15, 2022. [ 7 ] Following two incidents of racist vandalism in 2019, students asked for "the safety and inclusion of black students and other minority groups on campus".

[ 8 ] After a third incident, in 2020, the president cancelled classes for a Day of Healing. [ 9 ] In June 2020, "an African American man" confessed to having caused the vandalism. [ 10 ] In May 2024, the university announced during a public city council meeting that a new $100 million performing arts complex will be built downtown in four to five years. The project will include a thousand seat theatre, a smaller 450 seat music and theatre space, a dance studio and other supporting amenities. The location currently houses the Wicomico Public Library, which the university will help relocate to a building that it owns and will lease for $1 a year during this transition to a newly renovated building. [ 11 ]

Holloway Hall historical marker Salisbury University owns 75 buildings, with a total gross area of 2,158,078 square feet (200,492.0 m 2 ) . The Salisbury University campus consists of 183 acres (0.74 km 2 ) . [ 12 ] Holloway Hall Holloway Hall served as the original home of Maryland State Normal School at Salisbury upon its opening in 1930. The structure once served as the home for all teaching, student, and administrative functions at the school. Today, the building – renamed Holloway Hall after the retirement of Salisbury's first president, William J. Holloway – houses administrative offices, including the office of the president, the office of the provost, financial aid, registrar, public relations, student health services, and human resources. The building also contains a number of unique, multi-purpose spaces, including the auditorium (seating capacity of 713) and the great hall (originally used as the dining hall and later as the home for the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art ). The classroom space in the north wing of the structure was once the home of the Perdue School of Business. [ 3 ]

Fulton Hall serves as home for the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts at Salisbury University. The building serves as the north anchor of the campus's central mall. As the structure closest to Holloway Hall, Fulton Hall was built to complement Holloway's classical architecture styling. Fulton Hall includes the main university gallery (home to temporary art exhibitions), classrooms, fine arts studios, photography lab, and a glass blowing facility. The building is also home to many of the university's performing arts facilities, including a 150-seat black box theater (featuring a flexible 50 x 50 ft performance space), scene shop, costume shop, and music rehearsal facilities. [ 13 ]