Four
Pillars
As I meet
with alumni and friends of Susquehanna University, we have focused on four themes:
1. Citizen
Leadership
The residential
liberal-arts college is a uniquely American form of higher education. Ours is a
nation born of intellectual idealism, and the Founding Fathers helped sponsor
these colleges to prepare citizen leaders to foster the new republic. At a recent alumni event at the
Franklin Institute, I shared this quote from Benjamin Franklin’s outline of the
content of the educational experience he hoped the students at the University
of Pennsylvania would receive.
The Idea of what is true Merit, should also be often presented to Youth,
explain'd and impress'd on their Minds, as consisting in an Inclination
join'd with an Ability to serve Mankind, one's
Country, Friends and Family; which Ability is (with
the Blessing of God) to be acquir'd or greatly encreas'd by true
Learning; and should indeed be the great Aim
and End of all Learning.[1]
Against
the current backdrop of competing rhetoric about the role of higher education
in American society, this is an ideal time for us to recapture Franklin’s
message and its myriad implications.
2. Global
Citizenship
We live in a dynamic global society. As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in Letter from Birmingham Jail, “In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are
caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of
destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
How can we be effective global citizens? We must engage each other and
learn to appreciate the credo of Terence when he wrote, “Homo sum, humani a me nihil alienum puto — I am human, I consider nothing that is human to be alien to
me.” A truly cosmopolitan person is one who has developed the capacity to
recognize and celebrate the humanity in others. Through the GO program and
throughout our curriculum, we strive to foster a sincere appreciation for the true
richness of human diversity.
3. Access
One of our
most important aspirations is to make a Susquehanna education attainable for
all deserving students and to provide those students access to the most
enriching opportunities we can. As we cultivate philanthropic support for the
University, the ability of meritorious students to graduate and to be able to engage
in truly transformative experiences on and off campus must continue to be our
top priority.
4. Engagement
Universities
have many constituencies: students, faculty, parents, alumni, trustees,
neighboring community members, etc. Dr. King’s “network
of mutuality” applies to them as well. Each group has a different relationship
with the university, but all groups benefit from the enhanced engagement of the
others in support the work of the institution. We will continue to enhance our
shared understanding of the ways in which the collective Susquehanna community
can be strengthened by elevating each group’s participation in the life of the
university and connection with each other.
Future postings will provide more detailed
thoughts on each of these foci.
