STUDENT SUCCESS

$25 MILLION

Throughout their time at Salem State, students need access to positive, formative experiences that allow them to explore their passions, develop as individuals and remain deeply engaged in their studies. Our experience has shown that students who feel a sense of community are more likely to succeed academically. Spaces and programs where students can focus on intellectual exploration, collaboration and skills development can also lead to better retention and graduation rates. We’re committed to meeting students where they are, affirming their goals and passions and fully supporting them in their quest to grow and challenge themselves.

Degree Completion Opportunities

$15 MILLION

Success Cohorts and Coaches

For our students, having someone in their corner can make all the difference. The Meet the Moment™ campaign will allow us to expand peer-to-peer mentoring and grow the number of success coaches serving students with distinct needs, including veterans, first-generation students and students from underrepresented populations. Our Emerging

14% 38% 20% more students persist to graduation with a success coach

Scholars and Educator-Scholars of Color cohorts are prime examples: They provide students with academic and college navigation skills, social support, camaraderie, networking, and mentoring that create a close-knit learning community to enhance their college experience.

Financial Literacy

Every student can benefit from financial literacy skills that help them with budgeting, managing credit and understanding their ability to afford their education, as well as how that education will fuel their future success and social mobility. Increasing programming and support around financial literacy education will position our students to maximize the benefits of available aid resources and make informed decisions that help alleviate the anxieties associated with financing their education.

Food and Housing Insecurity

For some of our students facing serious challenges related to food and housing insecurity, the generosity of our community can be a true lifeline not only helping them remain enrolled and on track, but also providing emergency assistance during the most trying of times. It’s imperative that we can be there for our students in all situations, and especially in those moments when they may feel they have nowhere else to turn. Investing in funding for these types of scenarios allows us to meet students where they are so they can focus on meeting the academic standards expected of them.

Network of Support

When Carlos CuevaCaro ’25 was accepted to the Emerging Scholars cohort at Salem State, he decided he was going to take full advantage of the opportunities that came with it. Originally from Peru, Carlos especially benefited from the support of his Emerging Scholars coach who helped him navigate the American college system. “The education system in Peru is so different,” he explains. “Having a mentor to meet with on a regular basis and help me with planning and scheduling was so helpful.”

Elisa Castillo, associate dean of students for wellness, says this is one of the most important goals of the cohort model: “Connection and belonging are so important to student success. We need to be intentional and strategic about creating these experiences for our students that’s what helps them persist in their education.”

“College life is complicated, especially as a commuter student, and we often don’t know what to do or where to turn for help,” Carlos reports. “My coach was a built-in support system who opened my eyes to everything that needed to be done in order to be successful it really made a difference.”

Career and life preparation encompass more than what can be learned in a classroom or library. We need to immerse students in the real world, expand their cultural awareness, connect them with mentors and future employers, and position them to hit the ground running after graduation. Our investment in student success strategies also focuses on creating those hands-on, life-changing oppor tunities: from internships with leading Greater Boston businesses to collaborative international experiences that broaden students’ intellectual and personal horizons.

CAREER AND LIFE READINESS OPPORTUNITIES $10 MILLION

For-Credit Internship Programs

Today’s employers expect that students will arrive prepared to hit the ground running with the type of training and expertise that can only be gained through hands-on learning. In response, we are investing in for-credit internship programs that will provide students with invaluable experience in an area that aligns with their ambitions while providing stipends that bring these internships into financial reach. These faculty-supervised opportunities will ensure far more of our students can participate in internships during their college careers and receive academic credit for doing so.

Micro-Internships

Over the last decade gig workers have ballooned to 46 percent of the workforce and gig employment provides students with meaningful experience on their path to a full-time job. Often these short-term projects provide a foot in the door with employers and allow students to build a resume of professional experiences to demonstrate their skills with prospective employers. At the university, short-term student employees play a significant role in uplifting the school from the marketing department to information technology, and research shows that on-campus workers also enjoy greater peer interaction and co-curricular participation, contributing to their sense of belonging and helping to develop leadership skills. Through the campaign, we will build a micro-internship infrastructure within career services to help students find work through dedicated platforms that connect students with off-campus opportunities, while also placing students in jobs within the university that align with their career aspirations and talents, helping them gain valuable career expertise as active and enthusiastic participants in the gig economy.

Cultural Immersion and Study Abroad

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is more important than ever that students have the chance to engage and learn with peers from around the world. Traditional study abroad is one avenue for doing so, but it’s not always a feasible option; only 2 percent of our students take part currently. Short-term faculty-led study travel courses and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) represent innovative ways for students to afford a global engagement experience. They allow course material to come to life and for our students to participate in digitally facilitated cultural exchanges that prepare them to be global citizens.

Academic Centers

Contributing to the world’s understanding of significant subjects and educating students who are engaged, active citizens are fundamental aspects of our mission. Salem State’s academic offering is supplemented and strengthened by celebrated academic centers focused on topics such as civic engagement, entrepreneurship and holocaust and genocide studies. The campaign will enhance these centers of excellence, which will help ensure that our rigorous curriculum is complemented by dynamic experiences that help students build their professional network, participate directly in research and scholarship and strengthen their resumes.

Practice Makes Perfect

For saxophonist Adam Silvia ’20 a highlight of his Salem State experience was the Boston University Tanglewood Institute: an immersive, two-week musical masterclass that Adam was able to attend during his sophomore year thanks to the generosity of Dr. Bernard M. Gordon ’85H and Mrs. Sophia Gordon. “I was surrounded by leading musicians, including two of the best saxophonists in the state. It was an amazing experience where I was constantly meeting new people, learning new things and making connections that I still draw on today.”

Salem State Foundation Chair Annalisa Di Palma and Dino Di Palma are hoping to inspire more experiences like Adam’s hands-on, co-curricular opportunities that help students bring their talents to life in real-world settings. Their campaign gift created the Ouellette-Di Palma Family Internship, in memory of Annalisa’s mother Carol, who was herself a graduate of Salem State in 1960. The pair also provided significant unrestricted support.

“It’s not enough to just fund internship programs we also need to create the emotional and social infrastructure to ensure students can take advantage of all the opportunities available to them,” explains Annalisa. “That, to me, is what we mean when we talk about ‘student success.’”