March 11, 2021
More than 1,750 alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of Susquehanna made gifts during OneSU, the university’s annual Day of Giving held March 3.
Gifts were made to the areas of campus most meaningful to donors, from academics and athletics to campus initiatives and university priorities. In total, 1,774 donors raised more than $263,000 to support the student experience at Susquehanna.
“Every single gift makes an impact on Susquehanna and its students,” said Lauren Lachocki ’11 Redfern, director of the Susquehanna University Fund. “OneSU shows that gifts of all sizes, made to any designation, matter and make a difference.”
OneSU donors supported more than 60 university designations.
Each of Susquehanna’s 19 academic departments received gifts, with cumulative support totaling $40,000. This support will allow faculty to implement robust academic programming, help students attend virtual conferences, make necessary technology upgrades and more.
Each of Susquehanna’s 23 NCAA teams also received donations, with $31,475 raised to support student-athletes and to continue fostering their leadership development, team-building skills, and academic and competitive success. Additional funds were raised for SU’s club sports.
Susquehanna’s diversity and inclusion initiatives received significant donor support. The Alumni of Color Advisory Council challenged alumni to make OneSU gifts in honor of Bill Lewis ’68 and Theresa Palmer ’73 Tracy, the first Black male and female graduates of SU. Gifts supported the PIER Program, which supports professional internship and employment readiness for students of color, and the TRiO Fund, which provides comprehensive academic, social and cultural support, as well as financial literacy training, to underrepresented students.
“Donor support will continue the strong work of PIER and advance our newly established TRiO Student Support Services program,” said Michael Dixon, chief inclusion and diversity officer. “The impact of these programs on student success will be one of the hallmarks of a Susquehanna education.”
Other areas of campus that received significant support from OneSU donors were student scholarship funds, the Career Development Center, internship and research opportunities, and the Student Care Fund – which received $6,000 in donations and continues to be at the largest the fund has ever been.
Gifts were made by alumni, parents and friends living in 39 states and the United Kingdom, highlighting the expansive footprint of a Susquehanna education. Donors’ class years spanned more than six decades, with gifts being made by Susquehannans who graduated from 1953 to 2020.
Current students were also able to support areas of campus meaningful to them. Thanks to a donation by Lisa Ryan ’78 Burke, a member of the university’s Board of Trustees, the first 50 students who completed a campus scavenger hunt were able to designate $100 to their favorite academic department, team or campus initiative. Students met this challenges, designating $5,000 to 21 different campus programs.
Because the university surpassed its goal of 1,650 total donors, an additional $75,000 challenge gift was made by members of the SU alumni board.
“We truly saw the Susquehanna community come together during OneSU,” Redfern added.