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The evolution of Salem State College from its beginnings in 1854 as Salem Normal School reflects a purposeful growth in support of its mission and in response to the needs of the communities that surround it, as well as those of the region, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the nation. At its founding, the nation needed teachers, and from a single building on Broad Street in Salem, the new school prepared young women as educators … for the nation’s most pressing need, preparing educators for the work force.
Over many years and several name changes, the large, diverse, and comprehensive academic institution it is today remains committed to the values of its founders. It also remains focused on anticipating and adapting to society’s changing needs as it educates the next generation of skilled and accomplished professionals for the nation’s work force.
Born of the humanitarian endeavors of Horace Mann, Salem Normal School welcomed its first class of “young ladies who wish to prepare themselves for teaching” on September 14, 1854. Salem welcomed the school, which was only the fourth such institution in Massachusetts, and the tenth in America, with open arms, and generously endowed its first site at One Broad Street. The city and school quickly developed a mutually beneficial partnership that continues to this day.
From the very beginning, Salem Normal School alumnae embraced community partnership and civic engagement, often taking it beyond Massachusetts’ borders. Charlotte Forten, the school’s first African-American student and a graduate of the class of 1856, was the first African-American teacher to journey south during the Civil War to teach freed slaves on the Sea Islands of the coast of South Carolina. Later alumnae followed her lead, traveling south to teach in newly constructed schools for blacks.
By the end of the Civil War, Salem Normal School was well established as an early pioneer in public higher education. In schools throughout Massachusetts, the nation and as far afield as Africa, the Middle East and Asia, its graduates instilled the values they had learned as undergraduates. As the demand for teachers increased, Salem Normal School prospered.
The increased demand for admission soon doubled the school’s capacity, necessitating the move to an expanded campus in South Salem in 1896, and providing for the introduction of a model training school. The first males were admitted in 1898, although their enrollment remained small until the introduction of a commercial program in 1908. The commercial curriculum, which combined professional business practice with pedagogical instruction, was the first of its kind in American public higher education.
In 1921, the course of study was lengthened from two to four years, and in 1932, Salem Normal School became Salem Teachers College. Expansion continued and flourished in the mid-1950s to accommodate a burgeoning enrollment. New programs were added and new buildings went up, among them the Administration Building in 1959 and Meier Hall in 1964. A liberal arts program was added later that decade and the first residence halls were opened in 1966. In 1968, the college’s name was changed again—to Salem State College—in recognition of its expanding curricula. South Campus was acquired in 1972 to accommodate new programs in business administration and nursing.
Over the next several decades, the college continued to respond to the growing needs of the Commonwealth, adding new academic programs and majors while significantly expanding the physical plant. The O’Keefe Center was constructed in 1976, and the Salem State College Series was inaugurated in 1982, with former President Gerald R. Ford as its first speaker.
The growth of Salem State College since the 1990s has been marked by the continued expansion of its academic programs and physical plant and an increased commitment to campus diversity. In 1997, the college purchased an adjacent 37.5-acre site, creating its Central Campus. That campus currently houses the Bertolon School of Business, a recital hall, two green and sustainable residence halls, and a small business incubator for the region. The college’s fifth campus, at Cat Cove, houses the Northeastern Aquaculture Center.
Fundraising has increased significantly over the past two decades, as has the college’s endowment. Technological innovation is apparent throughout campus, enabling the college to meet the most advanced data needs of both students and the community. Salem State’s evolution into a comprehensive institution of higher education serving the needs of multiple constituencies is a direct result of the vision of its faculty, students and staff, its partnership with the communities that surround it and the loyalty of alumni worldwide. Well into its second century, Salem State continues to promote and promise the tradition of excellence envisioned by its founders. Its impact within the Commonwealth and beyond will only increase as it nears university status.
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