There’s a new optimism in the air as COVID-19 vaccinations increase in our communities and a new normal is in sight. It seems that every school, college, university, business, and person is looking toward the future, and Salem State University is no exception.
As the North Shore’s public comprehensive university, Salem State is committed to offering students wide-ranging educational experiences that satisfy their intellectual curiosity, prepare them for fulfilling careers, and create an enduring network that connects them to the community. To do this, we must keep pace with student interests and regional demands.
Earlier this year, Salem State University released the Vision for a Sustainable Future, designed to follow data on the interests and needs of the students we serve, making us more student-centered than ever before. The Vision guides a reorientation of the university to ensure that we are positioned to continue serving as a source of opportunity in the region, now and far into the future.
The numbers demonstrate that the academic pursuits of Salem State students have evolved. Since 2015, 60 percent of Salem State graduates have chosen to major in the five academic areas of business, education, nursing, psychology, and social work. Conversely, in the same timeframe, five percent of degrees were concentrated in nine majors.
When making decisions about where to invest limited resources, we must pay attention to which majors students are choosing. This year, we are adding faculty positions in academic areas with high demand and growth potential. Taking cues from our students is part of what it means to be a student-centered university.
The Vision also outlines plans to focus resources toward student support. Salem State has sought to meet evolving student needs through best practices such as creating the Student Navigation Center, our one-stop shop for the business of being a student; establishing a student success platform that allows cross-campus collaboration to identify needs for coaching and support; and increasing institutional financial aid. Building on these efforts, the Vision for a Sustainable Future introduces plans to launch the Viking Success Collaborative to ensure that our work in academic affairs, admissions, advising, enrollment management, inclusive excellence, and student life is streamlined in a way that maximizes the impact of these services for all of our students.
Planning for the future also means following demographic trends to make sure Salem State is adopting the practices and programming needed to serve future students well. Currently, nearly 40 percent of Salem State students identify as students of color; 35 percent are first-generation college students; and 37 percent are eligible for federal Pell grants based on family income.
Demographic data indicates that by 2025, Salem State could become a Hispanic Serving Institution, a federal designation for institutions serving an undergraduate student population in which 25 percent or more students identify as Hispanic.
We must make investments in closing opportunity gaps that exist for our Latinx students. The focus on this work in particular, and the Vision as a whole, were recently commended by our regional accrediting body, the New England Commission of Higher Education, and would benefit all students.
As we seek to offer the best academic programs and student experiences possible, we also strive to give more students access to a Salem State degree. We have worked toward this goal through local collaborations, including an early college program with Lynn Public Schools and our Seamless Pathways Partnership with North Shore Community College (NSCC), which eases transfer pathways for NSCC students and gives them the opportunity to live in our residence halls.
A lot has changed in Salem State’s nearly 170-year history. Founded as a two-year Normal School for women, men were first admitted in 1898. Graduate degrees were first granted in the late 1950s, residence halls were added in 1966, and in 2010, we achieved university status, better reflecting the quality of the academic programs and opportunities we offer.
The future no doubt holds challenges for the higher education sector, our communities, and our world; but the students of Salem State University make me optimistic about what’s ahead. As we prepare for a return to a nearly normal fall semester, we also eagerly await the chance to celebrate the more than 4,000 students making up Salem State’s classes of 2020 and 2021 this May.
These students completed their undergraduate or graduate degrees amid the tumult of the past year, and their resilience is astounding. These are the students Salem State is here to serve, and the Vision for a Sustainable Future (salemstate.edu/vision) positions us to continue serving them for generations to come.
John D. Keenan is the 14th president of Salem State University.
