Governor Wes Moore attends Salisbury University’s groundbreaking ceremony for new student center
Net-Zero Energy
MARYLAND – Salisbury University has decided to take a step towards the future in sustainability to better serve its students and held its groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of Blackwell Hall, which served as their library from 1957-2016. Now, it has some innovative upgrades.
Innovative Updates
Maryland Governor Wes Moore made the trip all the way to Salisbury today to join in the celebration for the $60 million project that will turn that space into the school’s new student service center. He said this preserves the environment and economic opportunities. “This building is more than just infrastructure, it’s more than steel and concrete, it’s the realization of a hope… As were talking about the future, it also means making sure we can have a cleaner and greener society and a cleaner and greener environment. The work that’s already happened on the Eastern Shore around this issue is really notable, and it’s really important. And so, it’s only consistent, to see that Salisbury University, is actually taking this on head-on, and being a real leader.”
Net- Zero Energy
As part of the project, geothermal fields are being installed beneath the lawn and is expected to be one of the first net-zero buildings in the University System of Maryland. Eric Berkheimer, Associate Vice President of Facilities and Capital Management, says this is important because they energy it would take to run this building could sustain 150 homes, and this way they don’t leave a carbon footprint.
“You’re generating all the electricity that a building uses onsite. So, when this building is complete, we will have solar panels that generate enough electricity to offset all of the building’s electrical usage” says Berkheimer. “This building will function without the use of fossil fuels, which obviously as we know contributes carbon to the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. So, from a climate perspective, this building will not have an impact on the environment.”
Student Services
Mackenzie Thompson, a junior at Salisbury University, says she met Governor Moore as a sophomore, and he inspired her to do more for her community. As a diversity advocate and member of the NAACP, she says implementations like this help create accessibility for all. “Having it right on campus is just a great spot because everyone can pop in whenever they need to, it’s all directly on campus, you don’t have to walk across the street.”
Fundamental Future
Governor Wes Moore ends by saying the younger generation is the future generation. “If you want to invest in the future, invest in students. If you want to have a hopeful future for a state, make sure you’re investing in our institutions of higher education.” University officials say construction began back in June of this year, and the center is expected to open in the fall of 2026. They will receive an addition of $19.2 million in state support over the next three years to help centralizing student services on campus.
