As 2005 draws to a close and the 2006 calendar begins to fill, it’s amazing to realize that my family and I have been privileged to be a part of the Susquehanna family for five years. And it has been a terrific five years. Marsha, Olivia, Maggie, Thomas, Meredith and I all love Susquehanna so very much. Our appreciation for the extraordinary work of our faculty and staff has grown ever stronger as has our deep affection for Susquehanna’s students.

Marsha and I have lived in presidential homes on college campuses for the last 14 years. These beautiful dwellings are the only homes our children have known. I ponder sometimes about the impact this will have on them. We welcome literally thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, friends and distinguished visitors each year to Pine Lawn. The kids know the members of the food service staff who cater events at the house as friends (which works well at mealtime) and their SU student babysitters have been such an important part of our lives. In large measure, I think it’s a great experience for them. They know they are blessed in many ways. But the demands on my time are significant, and one of my worries is that I am not able to spend as much time with them as a father as I would prefer.

A few years ago, I began a family tradition that I hope has helped temper this inevitability. On their 10th birthday, each child and I share in a special celebration. When Olivia turned 10 in 2002, she and I went to see her favorite professional football team, the Green Bay Packers, play the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on a frigid Wisconsin day. It was so cold I did not think she would make it through the first quarter, but by the end of the game she had shed her gloves and was ready for more.

Last fall, when our second oldest, Maggie, turned 10, I asked her to accompany me on a trip to Europe to visit Susquehanna University alumni and students. We traveled to Switzerland, France and Spain. All were new places for both of us to visit, and we cherished the exciting discoveries we made and the friends we met along the way.

On the drive home from the airport, Maggie said, “Dad, I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I love my parents and my brother and sisters, and I feel like I am part of a much bigger family. I just love the whole Susquehanna family and feel like I have thousands of older brothers and sisters.”

And so it was that Maggie gave me a gift during her special birthday celebration.

In this issue of Susquehanna Today, you will see that the branches of the Susquehanna family tree reach nearly every continent on the globe. The students, faculty, staff and alumni about whom you will read remind us that while Selinsgrove is our common ground, we are connected to the world in interesting and meaningful ways. As a result, this small campus in the middle of Pennsylvania is also the confluence of an extraordinary collection of international experiences.

The affinity of faculty, staff, alumni and friends for this special place is reflected in the enriching scholarship and programs presented within these pages. As Susquehanna approaches its own special birthday celebration – 150 years in 2008 – it does so as a financially healthy and intellectually dynamic institution.

So, thank you for all that you do on Susquehanna’s behalf – from me, and of course, from your “little sister,” Maggie, and all of our family.

Sincerely,

L. Jay Lemons
President