Raymond Brownell

Raymond Brownell has been hired as Susquehanna University’s executive director of development and campaign director. Brownell, who previously worked as director of annual giving and leadership gift officer at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., comes to Susquehanna with a proven record of fundraising success. Prior to his appointment at Union College, he served as director of development and planned giving at Albany College of Pharmacy, and as director of development for Hudson Valley Hospital Center, Peekskill, N.Y. Brownell began his career in development at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Albany County.

At Susquehanna, Brownell oversees all development operations. In addition to leading and managing staff in major and planned gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, and development services, Brownell is coordinating the implementation of a capital campaign plan. “Ray’s involvement as a member of the Union community expanded beyond fundraising and in ways that were valued across campus. He brings fresh perspective, energy and knowledge to Susquehanna, all of which I believe will help our fundraising programs and, ultimately, help SU students,” said Ron Cohen, Susquehanna’s vice president for university relations.

Brownell holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in writing and public policy from Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. He is currently enrolled in a master of business administration program at Union College. He and his wife, Marlene, 3-year-old son Daniel, and infant daughter Stephanie, live in Lewisburg, Pa.

SU Board Elects New Members

Susquehanna University’s board of directors elected two new members at its May meeting and welcomed a student representative to the board.

John B. Apple, vice president of Butter Krust Baking Company in Sunbury, Pa., and attorney Edward R. Schmidt ’69, of Indianapolis, Ind., were elected to three-year terms, effective May 18, 2004. The board also ratified the Student Government Association’s nomination of junior biology major Daisy E. Conduah ’06 as a student member.

Apple is a long-time volunteer for Susquehanna’s annual Business and Industry Campaign and is a member of the Sigmund Weis School of Business Partners. From 1969 to 1978, he served on Susquehanna’s board of directors as the Central Pennsylvania Synod representative for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has since served two board terms as the Upper Susquehanna Synod representative. With this latest appointment, he will resume membership on the board’s Committee on Planning and Priorities. Apple is a graduate of Gettysburg College.

Schmidt earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from Susquehanna in 1969, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1972. As a partner in Krieg DeVault LLP Attorneys at Law, Schmidt chairs the Tax-Exempt and Nonprofit Organizations Practice Group, as well as the Corporate and Real Estate Practice Group of the firm. In 2003, he established an endowment to fund the Edward S. and A. Rita Schmidt Lectureship in Ethics at Susquehanna University. Named in honor of his parents, the lectureship is intended to foster a cross-disciplinary discussion of ethics by bringing distinguished scholars and corporate and civic leaders to campus to speak publicly on contemporary topics and historic standards.

Conduah is a native of New York City who aspires to become a doctor and work with at-risk teens. She is the recipient of the Richard R. Green Memorial Scholarship and the Children’s Aid Society Scholarship. Her activities at Susquehanna include playing in the stadium band and working as a student technician for the information technology office, as a computer lab monitor and as a teaching assistant. She is treasurer of the Phoenix Project middle-school mentoring program and the president of the Black Student Union. Conduah has been recognized for her service with Volunteer of the Month and Volunteer of the Year awards. Her summer research projects include working as a research assistant both at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2002 and at Susquehanna in 2003.

Record Enrollment with SU’s 150th Class

Once again, Susquehanna University expects to start the 2004-2005 academic year with record-breaking enrollment. “Many students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends continue to spread the word about the variety of excellent opportunities available at SU. Thanks to their efforts, we expect to open with at least 1,900 full-time students, the largest full-time enrollment for the 10th consecutive year,” said Chris Markle, director of admissions.

About 550 will be new students – approximately 525 of whom will be incoming freshmen; 25 will be transfer students. Nearly 60 percent of the first-year students were in the top one-fifth of their high school classes. About 90 percent were in the top two-fifths. Twenty-two new students were either valedictorian or salutatorian of their high school classes.

“The Class of 2008 was selected from the largest applicant pool in the university’s history. Our first-year students bring exceptionally strong credentials to campus; they have demonstrated their talents in high school – both in and out of the classroom. We look forward to welcoming them to the Susquehanna community,” Markle said.

Along with celebrating a decade of annual enrollment growth, Susquehanna will welcome its sesquicentennial class, whose graduation in 2008 will also mark the university’s 150th birthday. Members of the Class of 2008 come to Susquehanna from 18 states, including from as far away as Maine, North Carolina, Texas and Washington. Three other countries – Bolivia, China and Nepal – will also be represented among the student body. About 7.5 percent of the new students describe themselves as being part of an ethnic minority group.

Who’s in the News?

Susquehanna faculty and staff help the communications office achieve greater institutional visibility by giving interviews to news media and providing commentary in their areas of expertise. What follows is a sampling of recent publicity, which includes noteworthy coverage of student achievement.

SU appeared in five USA Today stories since November: news of Crusader football player Mark Bartosic ’04 making NCAA history by topping 1,000 yards receiving in four consecutive seasons; his being named a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy; the Crusader men’s golf team winning a 10th consecutive MAC team championship, the 11th in 14 seasons under men’s golf coach and Director of Athletics Emeritus Donald Harnum; a quote from Assistant Professor of Communications J. Patrick McGrail in a story about Bob Woodward’s new book, Plan of Attack; and news of track coach Jim Taylor’s final conference championship meet after 26 seasons.

News of Mark Bartosic’s achievements also appeared in such major media as the Sunday Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, the Associated Press wire and ESPN Radio which broadcast an interview with him, also accessible on the station’s Web site.

New York Times Magazine quoted Shari Jacobson, assistant professor of anthropology, in an article about preppy fashion in American culture.

The Buffalo (N.Y.) News quoted Richard Davis, associate professor of accounting, in an article on the Adelphia Communications trial. Warehime Professor of Business Administration William Ward was quoted in American Banker about the Small Business Administration’s focus on small loans being good public policy. The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J., included comments from Assistant Professor of Management Leann Mischel in a story about what to learn from “The Apprentice” television show.

Michael Smith, assistant professor of psychology, was quoted in a series of articles in Philadelphia City Paper about minority youth and sexually transmitted diseases.

Laurence Roth, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Jewish Studies Program, was quoted in an article on children’s Holocaust literature in the Dallas Morning News.

News of the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference hosted on the SU campus by Associate Professor of Sociology Simona Hill appeared in 10 regional newspapers.

An opinion article on gay marriage by Jeffrey Mann, assistant professor of religion, was published in the Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa.

An interview with Tom Bailey, associate professor of English and creative writing, aired twice on “Art Scene,” a program on public radio WVIA-FM, Scranton, Pa. Assistant Professor of Political Science Andrea Lopez was interviewed on “The Morning Zone” radio show of KGAB-AM, Cheyenne, Wyo., about al Qaeda threats and was featured on WKOK Radio (Sunbury, Pa.) “Leaders and Lawmakers” talk show about terrorism and the Iraqi war. Jeffrey Whitman, associate professor of philosophy, was a panelist on Harrisburg public television WITF’s “Smart Talk” about the level of public support for the war in Iraq.