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By SU Integrated Marketing

SALISBURY, MD---A foundation begins with a single brick.

For years, ÃÛÌÒÇéÈË alumni have left a memento of their time on campus by purchasing inscribed bricks in the Miller Alumni Garden. Surrounding the garden’s picturesque fountain, each brick tells a story.

Graduations. Anniversaries. Relationships with faculty. New friendships that became familiar friendships. Memories to last a lifetime. 

Over the years, the SU story has blossomed and grown here, as more and more chapters are recorded. Today, the garden is now home to more than 2,500 bricks, each holding a memory of SU alumni and friends, and the cherished time they spent on campus.

After 17 years, there are so many stories, it can be hard to keep track of them all. That’s when Erin Smith, assistant director of Alumni Engagement, came up with an idea to record them for future generations.

“There was no way to locate a brick in the garden without physically going out, staring at the ground, and looking for it,” Erin said. “I wanted a way to help alumni navigate the garden and all the special memories there.”

There was no one better for the job than SU’s own Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative (ESRGC). Many ESRGC employees are SU alumni themselves and have worked on projects such as the alumni web map, which shows where Sea Gulls live across the globe. The brick garden project was the perfect way for the team to contribute to the SU story.

“Most of us in the ESRGC are SU geography grads, and projects like this are what set us up for our careers,” said Ryan Mello ’08, M’13, ESRGC project manager. “We try to do as much as we can for SU.”

Erin got the process started by compiling data into a spreadsheet, and having a practicum student photograph and color-code each brick. From there the ESRGC team, including GIS analyst Anastassiya “Nastya” Suprunova and student intern William Denny, took the preliminary data and developed a map application with a searchable function.

Now, alumni can simply type in their name and find their brick. The app offers a panoramic view of the garden, so alumni can effortlessly navigate it and browse the bricks at leisure.

It sounds easy, but the preliminary work alone took more than 90 hours to complete. 

“We went through a lot of iterations to make the vision a reality,” Nastya said. “I always love this kind of challenge, because I can share it with my students in the cartographic visualization class I teach.”

Ryan said internships are an important part of the GIS experience at SU. Now in its 20th year, the ESRGC has offered more than 200 internships to SU students, which often lead to full-time jobs upon graduation.

“The Maryland GIS community is so friendly and dedicated to learning and growth,” Ryan said. “I would not have found this career without the internship I had as an SU student. Working on important projects with such a passionate and talented team like we have at the ESRGC is what makes me love GIS.”

More improvements are being added to the app, including photos of each brick and options to add inscriptions. Soon, it will be much easier for alumni leave their mark on campus by carving their own stories into the garden.

“A brick is a long-lasting representation of a memory that will forever be kept in the beautiful Miller Alumni Garden,” Erin said. “It’s a wonderful way to show appreciation and recognize an important part of your SU experience.”

To view the map or buy a brick, visit the or contact the Alumni Engagement Office at alumni@salisbury.edu or 410-543-6042.