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Fire can strike without warning, and the Salisbury Fire Department is working to stay prepared — including at local schools. Firefighters recently trained inside a Salisbury University-owned building slated for demolition. Crews practiced search techniques, rapid-intervention skills and basement operations — procedures they say can save lives when seconds matter. The building, along with several nearby properties, was purchased by the SU Foundation, Inc. in 2017 and currently has no redevelopment plans.

At Salisbury University, the percussion ensemble is more than just a group of students — it’s a community of musicians built on collaboration, synchronicity, and creativity. Under the direction of Eric Shuster, the ensemble performs pieces ranging from classical percussion works to modern, experimental compositions. At the ensemble’s recent concert, it performed a new piece by composer Lila Wildy Quillin, written specifically for the group. The ensemble also performed a unique piece, In C by Terry Riley, that takes up to an hour to perform.

Inside Fulton Hall Room 122 at Salisbury University, 14-year-old violinist Jonathan Zapuche makes musical magic. He received his first violin lesson through SU’s PRESTO performing arts outreach program and soon was good enough to play with the veterans. “I played in Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with Gustavo Dudamel, a renowned artistic music director; that was an amazing experience,” he said. His talents recently took him to the Great Hall at SU where he performed for a crowd of 160.

Military Times' Best for Vets: Colleges is the largest and most comprehensive ranking of the best schools for military service members and veterans. The ranking looks at services available to veterans and practical information that will help veterans make important decisions about their career planning and how to use the education benefits they earned through military service. Salisbury University is ranked No. 311 on the 2025 list.

Solar benches are Salisbury University’s latest green initiative, helping to bring more students outside. Four brand new solar benches can be seen across campus, and it was all thanks to a student who brought the idea up through the Green Fund. Director of Campus Sustainability Chris Homeister says the solar benches encourage students to spend more time outside. They’re fully solar powered, equipped with three-prong outlets, USB charging ports, and wireless charging stations.

Salisbury University’s Student Government Association hosted its 18th annual “I Love Salisbury” community engagement event on Saturday, November 10. More than 400 students volunteered to help clean up the city and spread the love. Volunteers raked leaves at the Salisbury Zoo, picked up litter, made chalk drawings for students at Pemberton Elementary, and created no-sew blankets for area shelters. Student Government Association President Jahnaiya Sutherland said the annual event offers students an opportunity to give back to the community.

Since 2003, the Wicomico Creekwatchers has been monitoring the health of the local watershed across Wicomico and Somerset County. Dr. Jennifer Nyland, Salisbury University associate professor of biological sciences, leads the lab analysis portion of Creekwatchers. The group tests for water clarity and temperature and air temperature with a field sheet. Her and 55 volunteers also measure nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, nitrate and phosphate. Once everything is tested, the samples are brought back to the lab on SU's campus.

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.