President Lepre Named to 2025 Higher Education Power List
By SU Public Relations
SALISBURY, MD---For the third year, the Baltimore-based Daily Record and BridgeTower Media have announced SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre as one of the members of its Higher Education Power List.
Selected by the newspaper’s editorial team, with input from readers, the list celebrates the state’s most influential college and university presidents, policy makers and other senior administrators for their oversight of “some of the finest institutions of higher education in the nation,” according to the publication.
The honor comes as SU celebrates the 100th anniversary of its opening in 1925.
“I am deeply honored to once again be recognized as one of Maryland’s top influencers in higher education,” said Lepre. “I am especially proud to be included alongside University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman and so many esteemed USM colleagues. For the past 100 years, Salisbury University has opened doors to an affordable, high-quality education for thousands of students across Maryland and beyond. It is a privilege to help carry that tradition forward as we begin our next century of impact.”
Since becoming SU’s 10th president in 2022, Lepre has enhanced the Eastern Shore campus in many ways. Under her leadership, SU has established a formalized graduate school; added new academic programs in high-impact areas, most recently including coastal engineering and biochemistry and molecular biology; and signed partnership agreements with agencies including NASA and the Maryland Army National Guard to enhance learning and career opportunities for students. SU also has risen in national rankings by publications including U.S. News & World Report.
In addition, Lepre has worked to expand the University’s study abroad opportunities, including SU Global Campus programs in Scotland and Spain. Other new initiatives have included partnering with the Association of College and University Educators to improve student access through inclusive teaching practices; establishing a First Gen Sea Gull Scholars Program to enhance the recruitment, retention and graduation of first-generation students and help them thrive on campus; and a program to enhance understanding and implementation of strategies to assist students in successfully transitioning off academic probation.
Building on SU’s legacy of environmental excellence, Lepre procured a state investment that will help turn the campus’ 1957 former library building into one of the University System of Maryland’s first net-zero buildings as a student service center.
Lepre’s influence also has extended to SU Athletics, where she reinstated golf (both men’s and women’s) as a varsity sport for the first time since the 1980s. Likewise, she paved the way for the return of the SU Marching Band after 40 years, with the new ensemble debuting on campus this fall.
This has all been done through the framework of the “Salisbury Seven,” a seven-point blueprint for SU’s future success established by the President in 2023 with a focus on investing in people; commitment to inclusion, equity and belonging; serving the needs of the state and local communities; high-impact practices; resources; and identity and reputation building.
In addition to her Higher Education Power List honors, The Daily Record also has named Lepre among Maryland’s Top 100 Women and Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs.
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.