Susquehanna began the 2004-2005 academic year celebrating 10 years of record-breaking enrollment. Full-time enrollment stands at 1,930 students. In August, 534 first-year students came to campus along with 23 transfer students for a total of 557 new students. The Class of 2008 was selected from the largest applicant pool in the university’s history. Nearly 60 percent of the first-year students were in the top one-fifth of their high school classes. The new class represents 19 states and three other countries — Bolivia, China and Nepal. About 7.5 percent of the new students describe themselves as being part of an ethnic minority group.

Strategic Planning Moves Ahead

Susquehanna University’s new strategic plan, approved by the board of directors at its November 2003 meeting, focuses institutional efforts and resources on a set of initiatives that will enhance the student experience and strengthen the university. The plan builds on priorities generated by a comprehensive self-study required for the ten-year re-accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Middle States team visit in spring 2004 resulted in a highly positive report that commends the overall strategic goals of achieving greater intellectual engagement and a stronger Susquehanna University community. Working groups of faculty, staff and students are leading campus involvement in achieving the plan’s 12 initiatives. For details on the plan, see http://www.susqu.edu/president/strategic/default.htm.

Former New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis participated in a dialogue on civil liberties and national security sponsored by the university’s Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society.

Center for Law and Society

A signature event for the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society in fall 2003 was the sponsorship of a campus taping of National Public Radio’s award-winning program Justice Talking. Hosted by veteran NPR correspondent Margot Adler, the program explored the issue of academic freedom during a fast-paced hour of debate, interspersed with questions from the campus audience. In the spring, the Adams Center presented its third annual lecture, featuring Pulitzer Prize winner and former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis and retired Maj. Gen . Michael J. Nardotti Jr. The guest speakers engaged in a dialogue on balancing civil liberties and national security, which was moderated by Gary S. Gilden, professor of law at The Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

Distinguished Guests

The inaugural Edward S. and Rita Schmidt Lectureship in Ethics brought to campus Jeffrey B. Van Duzer, who spoke about “Why Good People Make Bad Choices.”

Susquehanna welcomed a host of additional distinguished guests to campus during the 2003-2004 academic year who enriched the teaching and learning environment. Among them we re former Secretary of the Interior and Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt , David Lamb, author of the ground breaking novel Do Platanos Go Wit’ Collard Greens?, and Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow Marcia Grant, founder of the first private women’s college in Saudi Arabia. Martin Mart y, Fairfax M. Cone distinguished service professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School, presented the annual Alice Pope Shade Lecture, and novelist Robert Boswell was The Writers’ Institute’s first Writer in-Residence. David Levy, renowned astronomer and science editor of Parade magazine, presented the inaugural Distinguished Lecture in Science. The new Edward S. and A. Rita Schmidt Lectureship in Ethics, established by Edward R. Schmidt ’69 in honor of his parents, brought to Susquehanna Jeffrey B. Van Duzer, dean and associate professor of business law and ethics at Seattle Pacific University’s School of Business and Economics Aerospace engineer Donna L. Shirley delivered the main address at commencement in May during which she and industrialist Spencer H. Wright received honorary degrees from the university.

Quality and Value Recognized

Susquehanna continues to receive positive recognition in numerous guidebooks to selective colleges. The guides provide information in such areas as academic reputation, student retention, student selectivity, faculty-student interaction, quality of campus life, and alumni giving. For example, The Yale Daily News’ Insider’s Guide to the Colleges cites the university’s “close-knit atmosphere” and small classes, Peterson’s Competitive Colleges recognizes how faculty are “highly engaged in student learning,” and Barron’s Best Buys in College Education praises student volunteer programs and required career planning. Susquehanna also appears in the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Princeton Review’s The Best 357 Colleges, and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” guide. The university is one of about 150 institutions selected for inclusion in the new Colleges of Distinction Web site and upcoming book.

Senior Scholarship Celebrated

The deadly mating rituals of female spiders, evolution amid the Centralia mine fires, the surface of Mercury, motivating students to read, Supreme Court influence on the freedom of choice and President Bush’s intentions in the Taiwan Strait were among the topics discussed at Senior Scholars Day in April. The day continued a nearly 28-year tradition in which students present the findings of their research to the campus community. Sixty-three seniors from various disciplines participated in this student-centered event. Thirty-eight presented research posters and an additional 25 students made oral presentations. Senior Scholars Day also honors those faculty mentors whose guidance and assistance we re invaluable to the students’ work.

Service Learning

Kyle Somers ’05 worked on a building project in Pavas, Costa Rica as a “helper” looks on. Kyle traveled on a two-week service learning trip sponsored by the chaplain’s office.

About 60 percent of the student body, or 1,100 students, volunteered 48,322 hours of community service. According to calculations used by the Independent Sector, an organization supporting the non-profit community, these contributions equaled $775,568. SU’s Center for Service Learning and Volunteer Programs coordinates assistance to more than 30 charitable and civic organizations in the region. The upstart organization, Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), also served the community through business projects aimed at improving the lives of community members. In addition to being named regional champions, the group won the Rookie of the Year Award at the 2004 SIFE USA National Exposition in Kansas City, Mo.

Global Campus

Mary Catherine Bateson, visiting Susquehanna as a scholar-in-residence, delivered the keynote address at the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Studies Association 2004 Annual Conference.

Last year 200 students participated in for-credit study abroad programs in 13 countries, including Australia, China, Costa Rica, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa, Spain, and Trinidad and Tobago. This number is a significant increase from the 112 students who studied abroad in 2002-2003. Another 30 students participated in a non-credit study trip to the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany over spring break. In addition, summer 2004 marked the first year in which students could study in London through the Office of Continuing Education. In January, several students spent a portion of their winter break helping the needy in Nicaragua and Costa Rica through the Susquehanna University Central America Service Adventure (SU CASA).

Susquehanna Hosts Women’s Studies Conference

Scholars and professionals from four states converged on Susquehanna last spring for the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Studies Association 2004 Annual Conference. Titled “Women in Rural Communities: Maintaining Activism, Cultivating New Experiences, Advancing Scholarship,” the conference presented panel discussions related to women’s studies teaching, research, health care and the experiences of rural women. Sponsored in part through the generosity of Geisinger Health System and Sunbury (Pa.) Community Hospital, the conference featured a keynote address by Visiting Scholar Mary Catherine Bateson, a visiting professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education and professor emerita at George Mason University.

Successful Outcomes

Despite challenging economic conditions 92 percent of graduates from the Class of 2003 reported being employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation, according to the Center for Career Services annual survey. In preparation for future career or academic endeavors, 220 students — 42 seniors, 146 juniors, 27 sophomore s and five freshmen — participated in internships. This represents a 22 percent increase over the previous year.

Arts Abound

Students participated in a dance workshop prior to a performance by The Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company.

The arts flourished at Susquehanna last year with numerous student and faculty performances and presentations. The 2003-2004 Artist Series featured the Ahn Trio, the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company, Kronos Quartet, the Bonnie Rideout Scottish Trio with The City of Washington Pipe Band, and Shakespeare’s Othello, performed by the Aquila Theatre Company of London. Rolling Stones trombonist Michael Davis performed at the seventh annual Fall Festival O’Bones. A symposium and concert featuring the seldom-heard Hollywood Songbook by composer Hanns Eisler, with text from poet and dramatist Bertolt Brecht, was another highlight of the year. Exhibitions at the Lore Degenstein Gallery included paintings by Robert Henri and his contemporaries, painting and sculpture by Florence Putterman, and The New Yorker magazine cover art. The Visiting Writers’ Series brought seven well known writers to campus. In May, the Stella Freeman Weis Cultural Endowment sponsored a spectacular performance by virtuoso pianist Yefim Bronfman.

Enhancing E-Communications

The university Web site continues to serve as a vital communications tool as evidenced by an increase of nearly 45,000 “unique visitors” over the previous year, a seven percent increase. The number of page views increased by 3.4 million, or 24 percent. A new virtual tour, which provides a visual introduction to life at Susquehanna, received the Campus Tours.com 4-star Virtual College Tour award, joining a select group of colleges and universities that have received this national award. Susquehanna alumni have responded enthusiastically to their new online community, which now brings together more than 4,000 members. Other investments in information technology included substantial upgrades to the library’s wireless network capabilities and the addition of six “smart” classrooms, bringing the total to 30.

Thanks to cooperating weather, 2004 commencement ceremonies were held for the first time at the four-year-old Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium.

A Fine Year for Athletics

Susquehanna athletics programs enjoyed continued success in 2003-04. The men’s golf team won its 10th consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference championship, while four athletes earned All-American honors during 2003-04, led by football standout Mark Bartosic ’04 who was a unanimous All-American after breaking the MAC record for career catches, yards and touch downs and becoming the first player in NCAA football history with four consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving. In April, Bartosic signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. Freshman Emily Lepley ’07 finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field championships to earn All-America honors, while senior Ryan Gleason ’04 became Susquehanna’s second All-American in cross country after finishing 19th at the NCAA championships. Senior Bob Haile ’04 was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America third team in baseball after graduating with a grade point average of over 3.75 as an accounting major. In all, Susquehanna placed 118 scholar-athletes on the MAC All-Academic team during 2003-04.

Students Patrick Brawley ’07, Jason Yap ’07, and Ashley Chianese ’07 visited Tiananmen Square during a Study China short-term study abroad experience.