Happy Anniversary
Susquehanna!
One year ago today, Lynn and I officially began our service
to Susquehanna University. It has been a joy-filled adventure. Recently, I was
asked what my five best surprises were. Good news is hard to rank, but here are
five especially memorable things we celebrated during the past year.
1.
Move-In
Day: It is impossible to convey the esprit
de corps, joie de vivre, and all
the other French complimentary phrases that apply to Move-In Day. Hundreds of
students and staff and over 70 townspeople welcomed new students to campus. The
pep band played at various locations; high fives and cheers were exchanged
rapid-fire all morning; and, in a matter of hours, over six hundred new members
of the Susquehanna community had their belongings delivered to their residence-hall
rooms on campus.
2.
One SU: We set an ambitious goal to
have 1000 alumni, students, parents, and friends of the University make a
donation on 1 March. Before noon, that goal was fading in the rear-view mirror.
Susquehannans showed their mettle with 2270 d0nors in one day. It was a great
tribute to the commitment so many of us have for SU.
3.
ADDYs:
The American Advertising Awards provide collegiate prizes in a competition between
design students throughout Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and the
District of Columbia. This year, Susquehanna students won 26 of the 38 prizes.
Yes, 26 of 38! When I asked why we didn’t make a big deal of it, I was told, “We
do it every year.” Well, we’re going to have to make a big deal about that.
4.
Service:
Achieve, Lead, Serve is our motto,
but we continue to be impressed by the degree to which service is a fundamental
part of the fiber of the University. We participated in SU Give during orientation and SU
Serve during the Spring, and we witnessed hundreds of students, faculty,
and staff providing service to the community throughout the year. The campus
generated well over 50,000 hours of service, and thousands of alumni spread
their SU spirit around the globe this year by undertaking service projects in
over 800 communities world-wide.
5.
Staff
Support: I have spent my entire adult life on college campuses as a
student, faculty member, and administrator. The commitment of our faculty and
staff to the success of our students is without parallel. Housekeepers, gardeners,
coaches, professors, counselors, carpenters, trustees, and professional staff
all hold our students at the center of their work to an extent I have not experienced
before. Susquehanna is a community deeply committed to transforming our
students’ lives for the better.
How lucky we are to be a part of this great place. Happy
Anniversary!
