August 24, 2023

Susquehanna University kicked off its 166th academic year with an Opening Convocation ceremony that welcomed 594 first-year students to campus.

University President Jonathan Green acknowledged the concurrence of changes that Susquehanna’s newest students are experiencing.

“You are arriving here at a moment when humanity is at an existential crossroads. We are always at a crossroads, but this one is different in that the path to a better future has probably never been more immediately dependent on education, and especially a liberal-arts education,” Green said. “Almost any college or university will prepare you in applied skills. Liberal arts colleges enhance this by focusing on practical wisdom, helping students learn how to be the change they want to see in the world.”

Green encouraged students in attendance to seize opportunities to examine their roles in an ever more diverse, dynamic and interdependent world, to uncover true purpose and to lead fulfilling lives.

The total number of first-year students includes 18 international students. In addition to the Class of 2027, Susquehanna’s fall 2023 semester also welcomes 50 transfer students, five of whom are international transfer students, and two foreign exchange students.

Susquehanna’s Class of 2027 has an average grade point average of 3.6. The class includes 56 students who were in the top 10 of their high school graduating class, six valedictorians, six salutatorians and 205 honors students.

The Class of 2027 hails from 30 states, with most coming from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, and some traveling as far as California, Washington and Texas. Among Susquehanna’s newest enrollees, a diversity of 17 countries comprises their origins. In addition to the U.S., these nations encompass Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, South Korea and Ukraine among the top 5 countries, as well as other notable international origins of China, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Twenty-six percent of Susquehanna’s incoming students are from historically underrepresented groups (racial and ethnic populations that are disproportionately represented in higher education), 32% are the first members of their families to attend college, 26% are receiving Federal Pell Grants to support their Susquehanna education and 22% will participate on one of Susquehanna’s NCAA athletics teams.

Other facts about the Class of 2027:

  • 32% have declared majors in the School of Natural and Social Sciences.
  • 25% have declared majors within the Sigmund Weis School of Business.
  • 22% have declared majors in the School of Humanities.
  • 9% have declared majors in the School of the Arts.
  • 12% have not yet declared a major.

Kendra Kent ’24, a mathematics with minors in actuarial science and leadership, and president of the Student Government Association, welcomed students to their new home for the next four years.

“When I stepped onto campus three years ago as a first-generation college student, I experienced many emotions like many of you are now. I was scared, nervous, stressed and sad to hug my mom goodbye,” Kent said. “I quickly learned that Susquehanna is much more than a campus. It is a community of students, faculty, and administrators and with that comes with an abundance of diverse perspectives and personalities. SU is a support system and when you fall, we will be here to catch you. Because Susquehanna is more than a place, it is a home.”