The university offers a wide range of bachelor's and master's degrees as well as post-master's certificates in more than 40 academic disciplines. It is the only member of the Massachusetts public higher education system with a graduate program in social work. As of Fall 2020, Salem State enrolled 5,716 undergraduate and 1,526 graduate, full- and part-time students, from 37 states and 48 foreign countries.
History
Foundation and early years
Salem Normal School, c.1870s
Salem State University was founded in 1854 as the Salem Normal School under the guidance of Horace Mann in his efforts to bring accessible teaching education around the country. The Salem Normal School was the fourth normal school to open in Massachusetts, and only the tenth to open in the United States. The City of Salem endowed the school with its original location at 1 Broad Street. Initially, the school was a 2-year, post-secondary educational institution reserved for women.
Early alumnae helped bring community service and education to others around the country such as Charlotte Forten, a graduate of the class of 1856, who was the first African-American school teacher to journey south and teach freed slaves. Other graduates would teach elementary and high schools as far as Africa, Asia and the Middle East. As the demand for teachers increased nationwide, the Salem Normal School prospered. The original building had to be renovated in 1871 to meet the growing enrollment.
New location
The school moved to its current location in South Salem in 1896 in the building known today as the Sullivan Building on North Campus. A few years later the Horace Mann Laboratory School was opened right next door.
In 1898, the student body became co-educational, although male enrollment remained small until the introduction of a commercial program in 1908, which combined professional business practice with pedagogical instruction. In 1921, the state authorized the normal schools to offer four-year degree programs, the first one offered being commercial education.
The school was renamed to Salem Teachers College in 1932 and was authorized to grant master's degrees (M.Ed) in 1955. The first degrees were awarded in 1957. Following World War II and the passage of the G.I. Bill, enrollment increased significantly, particularly among male students, and new programs were added to accommodate this growth.[4]
Growth and development
In 1960, the school was renamed to Salem State College after being authorized to offer various bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in business.
Salem State's physical campus, restricted to North Campus at the time, developed quite rapidly during the 1960s under the leadership of President Frederick Meier. Peabody and Bowditch Halls were built on North Campus in 1965. Bowditch hall reflected the trends of multiple-story building construction during the first half of the Cold War, with a fallout shelter being built under the building with a capacity of 985 people. Meier Hall was also constructed in 1965, and the Ellison Campus Center shortly thereafter in 1966. Throughout the 1970s, the school continued to expand its physical campus by constructing a new library, the O’Keefe Athletic Center, and by purchasing the land for what is today known as South Campus.[citation needed]
President Nancy Harrington
In the mid-1990s, the college moved forward with purchasing a 37.5-acre industrial site on Loring Avenue. The site was formerly home to a lightbulb plant owned by the General Telephone & Electronics Corporation, formerly Sylvania Electric Products. When GTE decided to exit the electrical equipment market, they sold off their former factory to Salem State. That site, is today known as Central Campus. It houses the Bertolon School of Business and three residence complexes: Viking Hall, Marsh Hall and Atlantic Hall.
University status
On July 26, 2010, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a bill that elevated Salem State College and eight other public institutions to university status.[5] The school officially became Salem State University on October 26, 2010.
On September 10, 2021, Central Campus was renamed to Harrington Campus in honor of President Nancy Harrington who died the year earlier.[6]
On February 29, 2024, Viking Hall was renamed to Charlotte Forten Hall in honor of alumnus Charlotte Forten.
Organization and administration
The university is led by an eleven-member board of trustees. The governor appoints nine trustees to five-year terms, renewable once. The Alumni Association elects one trustee for a single five-year term and the student body elects one student trustee for a one-year term.[7] In 2017, the university's trustees selected John D. Keenan as the 14th president of the university. He began in this position in August 2017, with a formal inauguration in January 2018.[8]
Academics
Salem State University comprises six academic sub-units:[9]
Bertolon School of Business (3 departments)
College of Arts and Sciences (20 departments)
Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services (3 departments, 2 schools: School of Nursing, School of Social Work)
School of Education (2 departments)
School of Continuing and Professional Studies
School of Graduate Studies
The university is also home to the Salem State University Honors Program, an approved constituent of the statewide Massachusetts Commonwealth Honors Program.[10] Salem State University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.[11]
Honor societies
In addition to hosting chapters of various disciplinary honor societies, e.g. Delta Mu Delta for business students, the university hosts chapters of two national cross-disciplinary honor societies:
Edward Sullivan Building at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Loring Avenue.
Salem State University is divided into six unique campuses totaling a land-mass of 115 acres with approximately thirty-three buildings.[15] The main campus (North Campus) is located about a mile south of downtown Salem at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Loring Avenue. Within short walking distance from north campus is central campus, south campus, the School of Social Work, and the Richard O'Keefe Athletic Center. The university also operates a maritime facility at Cat Cove on the Salem harbor; located a mile north of the main campus.
North Campus
North Campus is the oldest and largest of the school's four main campuses. It contains the school's two largest academic buildings, two out of the school's five residential halls, the school library, the central administration building, the theater, and a campus center.
The majority of the university's arts and science programs are housed within the two academic buildings on North Campus; the Edward Sullivan Building and Frederick Meier Hall.
The Sullivan Building is the oldest current building at the university, being first used in 1896. It sits at the northern end of North Campus at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Loring Avenue. Sullivan is an academic building primarily used for gen-ed courses and humanities, housing the math, english, history, and philosophy departments, as well as being home to the McKeown School of Education, the oldest program at Salem State.
Meier Hall is the largest academic building at the university and home to the College of Arts & Sciences. It sits on Lafayette Street between the school administration building and the Berry Library. It was built in 1965 during president Frederick Meier's tenure, for whom the building was named. Meier Hall is home to a variety of departments such as biology, chemistry, political science, geography, geological sciences and economics. It also has an observatory and greenhouse on the roof, as well as a Dunkin' on the first floor facing the street.
Walkway in front of Bowditch Hall in springtime.
North Campus has two of the school's five residential halls, Bowditch Hall and Peabody Hall, which are also the school's two oldest residential halls, both being built in 1965 under president Frederick Meier's tenure. They are identical in design, having a dormitory style with rooms built for two people each. They originally served as the stratifying dorms for male and female students on campus regardless of grade, but are now both co-ed and instead designated for students of particular grade levels.
Bowditch Hall is one of the two residential halls on North Campus and one of the two residential halls designated for freshman housing, the other being Marsh Hall on Central Campus. Named for Nathaniel Bowditch, Bowditch Hall was originally the school's men's dormitory. Bowditch Hall is six stories high and sits on Loring Avenue.
Peabody Hall is the second of the two residential halls on North Campus and is one of the three residential halls designated for upperclassman housing, alongside Atlantic Hall and Forten Hall, both located on Central Campus. Peabody Hall was originally the school's women's dormitory. Today, Peabody Hall primarily serves as the upperclassman option for single dorms. It is seven stories high and sits on College Drive between the Berry Library and the North Campus Parking Garage.
A focal point of North Campus is the George H. Ellison Campus Center which houses the career and counseling centers as well as a number of student organizations.[16] Other facilities on North campus include the Frederick E. Berry Library & Learning Commons, North Dining Commons and Sophia Gordon Performing Arts Center. The Horace Mann Laboratory School stood on North Campus until 2018, when it was moved to the site of the former Nathaniel Bowditch Elementary School in Salem.
Harrington Campus
Central Campus Looking Northwest from Marsh Hall.
Central campus is the second largest of the five campuses. The Bertolon School of Business, the music department, and the communications department are all housed in the one academic building on central campus, the Classroom Building. Three residence halls, Marsh, Viking and Atlantic house residents, with all residents having a choice of where they want to live. A focal point of central campus is the university's Enterprise Center (small business center). Other facilities on central campus include the campus bookstore, old admissions center, campus police station, recital hall, and the university's baseball field and tennis courts.
O'Keefe Center
The O'Keefe Center houses the Sport and Movement Science department and the university's athletic department. Facilities include Twohig Gymnasium, Rockett Ice Arena, Alumni Field, the Gassett Fitness Center, and the swimming pool.
South Campus
Alumni Hall on Upper South Campus.
South campus houses the university's College of Health and Human Services. The School of Nursing and the criminal justice department are housed in the two academic buildings on south campus; the Kevin B. Harrington Building and the Academic Building. Junior and senior resident students are housed on south campus in the Bates Residence Complex. Other facilities on south campus included the Alumni House and the Center for International Education.
School of Social Work
The Salem State School of Social Work is located at 297 Lafayette St., just a short walk from North Campus. It is a former synagogue purchased by the university in 2014, and houses many of the classes for the School of Social Work.
Cat Cove Maritime Facility (no longer operational)
Salem State operated a maritime facility at Cat Cove on the Salem harbor. The facility was used to provide interactive, hands-on educational experience for students majoring in marine biology. In the past, Cat Cove had been used to study local shellfish..
Student life
Groups and activities
Greek life
Salem State has several Greek life organizations for men and women.[17]
Speaker series
The Salem State University Speaker Series was established in 1982 with former President of the United States Gerald Ford as the series' first guest.[18] Since then, the university has hosted several political leaders, activists, and celebrities.
