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Salem State University is a four-year public University located in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem State University, established in 1854 as Salem Normal School, is located approximately fifteen miles north of Boston, Massachusetts. Salem State enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 27 states and 57 foreign countries. From 1968 to 2010 the institution was named Salem State College. As of 2010^[update], Salem State enrolled 5,894 undergraduate and 343 graduate, full-time students. The university offers Bachelors Degrees in the Arts and Sciences, Masters Degrees in the Arts and Sciences, Masters of Business Administration (MBAs) and Post Masters Certificates in more than forty academic disciplines. In addition, the university also offers Continuing Education courses for credit or non-credit.

History[link]

Salem State University was founded in 1854 as the Salem Normal School under the direction of Horace Mann. The Salem Normal School was the fourth normal school to open in Massachusetts and only the tenth to open in the United States. Initially, the school was a two-year, post-secondary educational institution for women. The school proudly welcomed its first class of young ladies on September 13, 1854. Among the second graduating class in 1856 was Charlotte Forten, the university's first African American graduate and the first African American teacher to travel south during the Civil War to teach freed slaves. In 1892 the school began to enroll male students for the first time since its establishment.

In 1896 the school relocated to its current location in south Salem (on the campus known today as North Campus). With the constructing of the new campus the school was able to lengthen its curriculum to a four-year study program in 1921; allowing the institution to offer bachelors degrees. The first liberal art programs (History, English and Mathematics) were introduced to the school that same year. In 1932 the school was renamed State Teachers College at Salem (also referred to as Salem Teachers College).

In 1960 the school was renamed State College at Salem. Shortly afterwards in 1968 the school was renamed yet again to Salem State College due in part by a legislative bill supported by state senator Kevin B. Harrington. The school developed quite rapidly during the 1960s. The Arts & Sciences Building (known today as Meier Hall) opened in 1964. In 1966 the school also opened its first residence halls; used today to house freshman student. 1966 also saw the opening of the Ellison Campus Center (formally known as the "Student Union"). The library (closed in 2007) was opened in 1974.

In 1972 the school purchased the land for what is known today as South Campus; this included the purchasing of the former Loring Estate (used today as the Alumni House). South Campus now includes the School of Nursing, the Criminal Justice Department, the Social Work Department, and the Bates Residence Complex. The O'Keefe Center (athletic complex) opened in 1976.

In 2004 the school opened what is today known as Central Campus. When Central Campus first opened it included the brand new Bertolon School of Business, the Music Department, a state-of-the-art recital hall, a new public safety building, a new campus bookstore, and the enterprise center. In addition, the school also opened a new residence hall, Atlantic Hall. Since the opening of the new campus in 2004 the school as temporality moved the library to Central Campus; has constructed a new residence hall, Marsh Hall; and has constructed a new baseball field and tennis courts.

In July 2010 Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a bill that renamed the institution Salem State University. The name change became official on October 27, 2010.

Campus[link]

Main campus at intersection of Lafayette Street and Loring Ave.

Salem State University is made up of five campuses totaling 115 acres (0.47 km²) with 33 buildings.^[1] The main campus is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of downtown Salem, Massachusetts about five blocks west of Salem Harbor. The university also has a maritime facility at Cat Cove 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of the main campus. A focal point of the main campus is the George H. Ellison Campus Center which houses the career and counseling staffs as well as student organizations.^[2] Nearly 2,000 Salem State students reside in five residence halls, although the majority of students commute to campus. Three of the residence halls are traditional corridor style halls, and two are apartment style halls. First-year students are housed in double, triple, and quad rooms at Bowditch and Peabody Halls, sophomores are housed in double and limited triple rooms at Marsh Hall on Central Campus, while upper-class students select single and double rooms within six-person apartments at the Bates Complex on South Campus or Atlantic Hall on Central Campus. Atlantic and Marsh Halls also have their own dining halls.^[3] SSU will also begin construction of a new library in 2010.^[1]

North Campus[link]

Edward Sullivan Building (1896): named after the university's sixth president. The Sullivan Building houses the academic departments of Education, English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, History, and Philosophy. In addition, the School of Graduate Studies is housed on the first floor and there is a 75-seat “black box” theater in the basement.

Frederick Meier Hall (1964 / 1966): named after the university's seventh president. Meier Hall houses the academic departments of Art and Design, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Communications, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, Geological Sciences, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. In addition, the building also houses the Writing Center, Media and Visual Services, and a newly installed Dunkin Donuts lounge on the first floor.

George H. Ellison Campus Center (1966): The campus center houses the majority of the university’s fifty student organizations. The university’s student newspaper and student radio station are among the many organizations with offices inside the building. The campus center also houses the offices of Career Services, Health Services, ROTC, and the Student Government Association.

North Campus Dining Commons: three-story dining complex: cafeteria-style dining on the first floor, fast-food style dining on the second floor, and the third floor contains additional seating. Office of Dining Services located within building.

Administration Building: houses the offices of Academic Advising, Bursars, Financial Aid, and Registars. In addition, the Theater Department is also located within the building.

Mainstage Auditorium: 750-seat theater venue.

Bowditch Hall (1966): freshman student residence complex. Approximately 290 students reside within the building.

Peabody Hall (1966): freshman student residence complex. Approximately 320 students reside within the building.

Horace Mann School: elementary school used by the city of Salem.

Central Campus[link]

Building One / Bertolon School of Business (opened in 2004): houses the academic departments of Business Administration and Music. In addition, the building also houses a state-of-the-art recital hall and several recording studies. The office of Information Technology and a small dining facility are located on the first floor.

Library: located within Building One. The university is currently in the process of constructing a new library on the north campus; completion of the project is estimated for late 2012 or early 2013.

Enterprise Book store: College Book store, logo items, and more.

Enterprise Glass: houses glass art from art majors.

Public Safety Building (2004): houses the campus police station.

Marsh Hall (2010): sophomore student residence complex. Approximately 525 students reside within the building. There are lounges located throughout the building in addition to a small dining facility and gym on the first floor.

Atlantic Hall (2004): upper-class student residence complex. Approximately 450 students reside within the building. Living areas are apartment-style with six students per apartment. There are lounges located throughout the building in addition to a gym on the first floor.

Baseball Field and Tennis Courts (constructed in 2007)

South Campus[link]

Kevin B. Harrington Building: named after a former state senator from the city of Salem. The Harrington Building houses the academic departments of Nursing and Criminal Justice. In addition, there is a dining facility and gym located within the building.

Academic Building: located in “upper South Campus.” The Academic Building houses the Social Work Department.

Alumni House: located in “upper South Campus.” The Alumni house is a former estate which houses the university’s Office of Alumni Affairs and Institutional Advancement.

Bates Complex (1990): upper-class student residence complex. Approximately 400 students reside within the six buildings making-up the complex. Living areas are apartment-style with six students per apartment.

International House: The International House houses the university's study abroad program and acts as the main resource for information regarding international programming.

Richard O’Keefe Center[link]

The O’Keefe Center houses the academic departments of Sports Movement Sciences and Dance. The facility contains the university’s main gym, two pools, wellness center, and Rocket Arena (hockey rink). Alumni Field is located on the same campus.

Cat Cove[link]

Cat Cove is a maritime research center located about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the North Campus on Salem Harbor. Facility used for marine biology classes.

Organization[link]

Nancy D. Harrington as painted by Richard Whitney

SSU is led by an eleven member Board of Trustees. The governor appoints nine trustees to five-year terms, renewable once. The SSU Alumni Association elects one for a single five-year term. Finally, the student body elects one student trustee for a one year term. In addition to five full board meetings each year, which are open to the public, the board also meets in seven standing committees: Executive Committee, Academic Affairs, Finance and Facilities, Human Resources, Student Life, Long Range Planning, and Institutional Advancement.^[4]

The university's annual operating budget for fiscal year 2010 was approximately $130 million; 40% of this coming from state appropriations. The Salem State University Foundation's endowment market value is in excess of $16 million at the end of fiscal year 2010.^[1]

SSU has an important economic impact on the city of Salem, being its second largest employer. The college generated more than $376 million in economic spending in Massachusetts in fiscal year 2006. SSU creates jobs for 3,459 Massachusetts residents, including 593 in Salem and 1,978 throughout Essex County.^[1]

Student body[link]

Undergraduates: 38% Male / 62% Female / (20% people of color)

Graduates: 22% Male / 78% Female / (5% people of color)

• 94% of the Undergraduate student body are Massachusetts residents.

^[1]

Athletics[link]

Sports are housed at the Richard B. O'Keefe Center. The O'Keefe center also includes its own workout facility, the Wellness Center, which is open to all students. From September 1994 to February 1997, the Marblehead/Swampscott YMCA housed their gymnastics in the multi-purpose room there.^{[citation needed]} The Richard H. Rockett Arena is a public skating rink in the winter, and in the summer it is converted to an indoor tennis facility.

The Salem State University Vikings compete in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference in NCAA Division III. SSU offers 17 varsity sports: men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross-country, women's field hockey, men's golf, men's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, women's softball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball.^[5] Non-varsity club sports include women's lacrosse and women's ice hockey.^[6] Men's and women's outdoor track, as well as men's and women's indoor track have been discontinued as of the 2010–11 school year.^[7] There are also a number of intramural and recreational sports, including Ultimate, basketball and ice hockey cheerleading, and the dance team who perform at home basketball games.^[8]

Theatre and the Arts[link]

SSU's theatre department has two theatres, the 730 seat Mainstage Theatre and the more intimate Callan Studio Theatre in the basement of the Sullivan Building.

The theatre department produces up to six shows an academic year. They are also members of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) and compete regularly. Other groups that perform regularly are:

• The Student Theatre Ensemble (STE) who produce one show each semester and a summer musical.
• Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) have two dance shows a year.
• Human Action Theatre (HAT) an educational theatre group that performs during New Student Orientation.
• Salem State University is also home to the improv/sketch comedy troupe, Grandma's 3rd Leg (G3L), which performs twice a semester and at venues around Massachusetts.
• Summer Theatre at Salem, a professional theatre company that produces up to three shows every summer.

The campus newspaper is The Log,[2] the alumni magazine is called Salem Statement, the student e-zine is Red Skies, and the campus radio station is 130-watt WMWM, 91.7 FM.

Library[link]

The Salem State University library opened in 1974. The library was closed for safety reasons on Oct. 15, 2007, when engineers discovered structural flaws while examining.^[9] The library owns over 300,000 volumes, 39,000 microform units, 9,000 maps and subscribes to 692 periodicals. Memberships with other local libraries enable access to over 3.1 million holdings in the north-of-Boston area. A brand new, state-of-the-art library will be open by 2012 [3] and will be around 118,000- to 120,000-square-foot.

Salem State University Speaker Series[link]

The Salem State University Speaker Series was founded in 1982 as one of the first high-profile speaker series in the country. Former President of the United States, Gerald Ford was invited to speak at the university in 1982 as the series' first renowned speaker. Every year since then, the university has hosted local, national, and international leaders and activists to share their stories with Salem residents and the surrounding North Shore community. Recent past speakers have included former President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton; former President of the United States, George H.W. Bush; television host and comedian, Jay Leno; head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick; baseball legend, Cal Ripken Jr.; award-winning actor and director, Robert Redford; and poet, Maya Angelou.

For the complete list of past speakers please visit the SSU website.

Notable Alumni[link]

• Demetrius Atsalis, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (served 1999 - present)

• Arthur Broadhurst, (1988), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (served 1999 - 2007)

• Michael A Costello, (1989), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (served 2003 - present)

• Kimberley Driscoll, (1989), first woman elected mayor of Salem, Massachusetts (served 2006 - present)

• Robert Fennell, (1978), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (served 1995 - present)

• Charlotte Forten Grimké, (1856), anti-slavery activist, educator: first African-American teacher to travel south during the Civil War.

• Nancy Harrington, (1960, 1963G), 12th president of Salem State University (served 1990 - 2007)

• Thatcher Kezer, (1988), mayor of Amesbury, Massachusetts (served 2006 - present)

• Keith Knight, (1990), cartoonist (creator of The K Chronicles)

• Dick Lamby, (1975), NHL defenseman for the St. Louis Blues (1978 - 1981), member of 1976 U.S.A. Olympic Hockey Team

• Brian Lees, (1975), member of the Massachusetts State Senate (served 1989 - 2007, Minority Leader from 1993 - 2007)

• Wayne Marquis (1975), town manager of Danvers, Massachusetts (served 1979 - present)

• Julie McNiven, actress (appearances on Law & Order, Mad Men, Supernatural and Stargate: Universe)

• Mark Parisi, (1984), cartoonist (creator of Off The Mark)

• Robert Preston, (1966), member of the New Hampshire State Senate (served 1973 - 1991)

• Robert A. Rufo, (1972), military officer, writer, artist

• Tom Thibodeau, (1981), head coach of the Chicago Bulls (2010 - present)

• John F. Tierney, (1973), member of the United States House of Representatives (served 1997 - present)

• Jacyn Tremblay, (2002), Presidential Art Scholar, member of Universal Motown recording artists Jada

Salem Bike Sharing Program at Salem State University[link]

In Salem, there is a program called Salem Spins that offers bicycles, free of charge for use around the city and launched the second season in April 2012. [4] The program started in 2011 with a fleet of 20 bicycles that is split between two hubs, one is located at Salem State University and the second is located downtown at the Hawthorne Hotel. [5] In 2011, Salem was awarded $25,000 from the Green Communities grant program, which went toward the purchase of the bike fleet. Fees are charged to a participant's credit card only if they return the bike late or damaged. Salem Cycle on Washington Street won the contract to supply and maintain the bikes.[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. Each state supports at least one such system.

Federal funded colleges and universities are limited to military personnel and government employees. Members of foreign militaries and governments also attend some schools. These schools include the United States military academies, Naval Postgraduate School, and military staff colleges.

A state university system normally means a single legal entity and administration, but may consist of several institutions, each with its own identity as a university. Some states—such as California and Texas—support more than one such system.

State universities get subsidies from their states. The amount of the subsidy varies from university to university and state to state, but the effect is to lower tuition costs below that of private universities. As more and more Americans attend college, and private tuition rates increase well beyond the rate of inflation, admission to state universities is becoming more and more competitive.

History[link]

This section requires expansion.

Consideration of public higher education was included in the earliest westward expansion of the US, with the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which established the Northwest Territory. It stated: "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." Ohio University (1804) was the first state school so established in the territory, with the other developing states following suit. On a national basis, the state university system was also assisted by the establishment of the Land-grant universities, under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862 and 1890.

The tradition of publicly funded state colleges began primarily in the southern states, where other private educational institutions were less developed. The University of Georgia is the country's first chartered public university, established on January 27, 1785 by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia. However, the University of Georgia did not hold classes until 16 years later in the fall of 1801. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, while chartered four years after Georgia in 1789, was the first state university to hold classes. Classes began at UNC in 1795, and UNC is the only state university to have graduated students in the 18th century. The University of South Carolina was chartered in 1801 and held classes for the first time in 1805. The University of Tennessee was originally chartered as Blount College in 1794, but had a very difficult beginning—graduating only one student—and did not begin receiving the promised state funds until 1807 when it was renamed East Tennessee University. The first state university that matches most modern definitions of the term—including a strict secular course of study, offering professional and graduate coursework, and allowing students to select their coursework—was the University of Virginia. Established due to the work of Thomas Jefferson and grounded in his philosophy of a strong secular state, UVA was chartered in 1819 and first held classes in 1825.

Determining which state university was the "first" is further complicated by the case of New Jersey's state university system. Facing the embarrassment of being the only state left that had not established a state university, the New Jersey Legislature decided to commission an already existing private university as its state university, rather than build one from the ground up, as other states had done. Rutgers University, which had previously been a private school affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church, was designated as a state university by acts of the legislature in 1945 and 1956. It became a 'System' with the absorptions of Newark University in 1946 and The College of South Jersey in 1950, becoming Rutgers' Newark and Camden Campuses, respectively. Rutgers was chartered in 1766, nineteen years before The University of Georgia, but did not become the state university for another 179 years.

Castleton State College in Vermont is the oldest state university in New England, chartered in 1787. This was soon followed by the charter of The University of Vermont in 1791. However, neither institution was a "state university" in the modern sense of the term until many decades later. Castleton State began as the Rutland County Grammar School. It did not become a postsecondary institution until the campus became home to the State Normal School in 1867, which was privately owned despite its name, and did not become a state-owned institution until 1912. UVM was chartered as a private institution and did not become a public university until 1865.

The largest state university system is State University of New York with over 400,000 students.^[1] However, the combined enrollment of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges systems exceeds 2,300,000 students.^[2]

Many state universities were founded in the middle 19th century, in particular supported by the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Acts of 1862 and 1890.

Many state universities—such as UCLA and Chico State—were founded as normal schools.

Following the Second World War, many state universities were merged with smaller institutions to achieve economies of scale in administration and also to raise the prestige of the degrees granted by some smaller institutions. A prominent example of this is the State University of New York, which is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the world,.^[3]

During the 1970s, further mergers took place and the concept of a state system was widely adopted.

Some states have more than one state university system. For example, California has the University of California (considered top-tier) and the California State University (considered lower tier) as four-year university systems, and the California Community Colleges as its community college system.

State college system[link]

Some states maintain a separate system for state colleges (often specified as community colleges, technical colleges, or junior colleges), that is distinct from their university system. Examples include the California Community Colleges System, the Florida College System, and the Technical College System of Georgia. In these states, colleges focus primarily on awarding two-year associate's degrees and professional certificates, while universities focus on four-year bachelor's degrees and more advanced degrees. The California Community Colleges System is the largest in the world. In 2009 the Florida College System changed its name from the Florida Community College System, reflecting the fact that some of its colleges now offer four-year degrees. Some of its colleges were designated "state colleges", distinguishing them from community colleges in that they offer more four year degrees than community colleges.^[4]

Historic names[link]

University of Houston

During the growth and restructuring of the state systems, names such as University of California have changed their meanings over time.

• In some cases, the unqualified name has become the official name of the university system that includes the institution which is the original bearer of the name. Examples include:
  • University of California
  • University of North Carolina
  • University of Illinois

• In other cases, the unqualified name remains the official name of an individual institution which is now part of a larger university system. Examples include:
  • University of Alabama (at Tuscaloosa)
  • University of Houston (formerly the University of Houston–University Park)

• In some cases, the unqualified name now has no official status, but is used informally for either an individual university (particularly in sporting and similar contexts) or for the university system of which it is now part (particularly in administrative and academic contexts). Examples include:
  • University of Texas (at Austin)
  • University of Wisconsin (at Madison)

Some universities with names of the form "University of <state>" are not state universities at all, but are actually private universities. Examples include:

• University of Pennsylvania

See also[link]

• Public Universities
• National Universities
• List of American state universities
• University Revolution

References[link]

External links[link]

• History of the University of Texas.
• The Future of Flagship Universities, lecture given at Texas A&M University by Robert M. Berdahl, historian and Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley, discusses some of the history of the systems.