Dr. Charles Wight inaugurated as 9th president of SU
SALISBURY, Md. – Dr. Charles “Chuck” Wight was inaugurated as Salisbury University’s ninth president on Wednesday.
During the ceremony, which included state officials, student and faculty performers, and SU shared governance representatives, Wight outlined his plans and priorities for the university.
He noted that his main priorities include ensuring educational accessibility and affordability, building on SU’s culture of diversity and inclusion, being a steward of financial resources and the environment, and further mutually positive community relationships- all with the ultimate goal of providing students with the greatest opportunities for success.
Wight noted that all of his priorities are “things that we do well already, but these are the four areas where I will spend some of my personal time and energy taking us to the next level.”
Wight carried on to expand on his priorities, beginning with accessibility and affordability, stating “we need to make certain that money is never an insurmountable barrier to a college education. We need to create this opportunity for every student who is willing to commit to a plan of study, work hard and succeed.”
On the initiative of building on diversity and inclusion, Wight mentioned the recent opening of SU’s Center for Equity, Justice and Inclusion, adding “no university can fulfill its true potential for educational excellence unless it embraces the idea that the best learning occurs when we gather people together from different backgrounds, different experiences, different cultures, different races, difference religions, and different nationalities to have respectful conversations.”
Wight also mentioned that the stewardship initiative would include using tuition, taxpayer and donor funds responsibly, along with serving as an environmental leader, saying that “in many ways, the Eastern Shore is ground zero for the adverse consequences of living beyond the means of the Earth. It is therefore our responsibility not only to teach our students about environmental sustainable practices, but to model those practices as an institution.”
As far as community relationships, Wight praised SU’s connections with local governments and organizations including the City of Salisbury, Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Salisbury Committee, and Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. He also went on to say that SU plans to participate in the Maryland Governor’s Office’s “Day to Serve” initiative by giving employees four hours of paid leave to take part in community service projects next fall.
Wight said he is excited about working to continue to spark an interest in learning among young people and provide them with the resources to succeed.
“This institution is in great shape. It is highly ranked, and it’s on all the best value lists. The faculty and staff are highly dedicated, the students are highly successful, and the campus is spectacular. Thank you for placing your trust in me as its president,” said Wight.
