SU Performing Arts Center Project Takes Another Step Forward with Planned State Funding
By SU Public Relations
SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University’s planned downtown Salisbury performing arts center recently took another step toward reality with the release of Governor Moore’s Fiscal 2027 budget.
The center is included in the budget’s five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Maryland, providing funding for planning, construction, and equipment over four fiscal years, spanning 2028-31.
That funding follows $2 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), announced last year, for site planning and demolition of the Wicomico Public Library’s Paul S. Sarbanes branch in downtown Salisbury, at the location of the planned center. (The branch plans to move to a new location in 2027.)
“We are extremely grateful to Governor Wes Moore and DHCD Secretary Jake Day for choosing to invest in Salisbury,” said SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre. “Salisbury University’s performing arts center will not only provide a state-of-the-art performance venue and enhanced educational opportunities for our students, but also serve as an economic engine for downtown Salisbury and the greater region.
“This funding benefits not just SU, but the community at large, as well as our students who come from all counties of Maryland and beyond. This support is a win for our University, a win for the Eastern Shore, and a win for our state as a whole.”
Expected to open in the next five years, the center will expand SU’s presence in downtown Salisbury, which also includes the SU Downtown campus and the University’s Museum of Eastern Shore Culture.
Its economic impact on the region is slated to begin with its construction and continue annually once the facility opens. It also could mean new opportunities for area businesses, as expanded SU cultural programming and the possibility of professional productions from national and international touring acts are expected to draw more customers to downtown Salisbury. In addition, the venue could help enhance pre-existing events, like the annual Maryland Folk Festival, and would be available for community use.
“The community has shown great enthusiasm for the project,” said Dr. Maarten Pereboom, dean of SU’s Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts. “The performing arts center will give a massive boost to ongoing efforts to promote arts and entertainment as an economic driver for downtown Salisbury. Downtown has enjoyed new vitality with shops, restaurants, and cultural events attracting residents and visitors, and the center, in addition to being its own draw, will enhance existing and new enterprises in the heart of our community.”
Additional funding for the project is expected to come from private donors. To date, SU has seen significant interest in contributions. To learn about sponsorship and giving opportunities, email Amy Luppens, SU director of development, at asluppens@salisbury.edu.
The performing arts center is not the only SU project supported by the Moore administration in recent years. In 2024, the Governor visited the University to help break ground on the renovation of Blackwell Hall into a student service center following the announcement of an additional $19.2 million in state funding for the initiative. The increase will ensure the project remains on track to become one of the first carbon-neutral buildings in the University System of Maryland.
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website.