Five smiling young women stand in front of a colorful “STEAM Fall Festival” banner with handprints and balloons, posing together indoors at a school event.

Building Bridges That Last

Partnerships strengthen community relations

When Susquehanna University students built a plank walkway in 1859 to connect their young campus to downtown Selinsgrove, they did more than create a path — they built a bridge between the university and its community. More than 165 years later, that spirit of connection continues through programs that bring students and local partners together for meaningful impact.

Today, Susquehanna’s students are walking a new kind of bridge — one made of service, collaboration and purpose. Through Amplify, a community engagement program now in its second year, students apply classroom learning to real-world projects that benefit nonprofit and public service organizations. Unlike traditional internships, Amplify projects are designed to meet tangible needs of the local community.

“The collaboration is reciprocal,” says Jed Carr, director of community engagement. “Students gain professional experience, and our community partners benefit from the knowledge and insights of students who care about making a difference.”

Drawing on his previous work with the Union-Snyder Community Action Agency, Carr uses recent community needs assessments to help guide Amplify’s focus areas. Childcare, education and poverty, for example, consistently rank among the region’s top challenges. In response, Olivia Acri ’25 organized the first Afterschool STEAM Fall Festival, an event where elementary students and their families could enjoy science, technology, engineering, art and math activities together while creating new connections with local organizations.

“The collaboration is reciprocal. Students gain professional experience, and our community partners benefit from the knowledge and insights of students who care about making a difference.”
Jed Carr, Director of Community Engagement

For Owen Miller ’27, Amplify became a way to merge passion with purpose. A disc golf enthusiast, he is working with Snyder County officials, the Selinsgrove Chamber of Commerce and the local country club to grow outdoor recreation as a driver of economic development. His two-year project includes hosting tournaments and seeking grants to expand facilities, helping position the region as a destination for sports tourism.

A yellow paintbrush with pink paint rests on a white foam tray. A bottle of paint, cleaning wipes, and another paintbrush are nearby. A person presses a textured object onto paper with blue paint at the edge of the table. — *Students use paint to create leaf prints at the STEAM Fall Festival.*

Students are also helping nonprofits tell their stories — designing social media campaigns, crafting marketing materials and finding creative ways to reach new audiences. One student, Mackenzi Salinas-Trejo ’26, ran a successful social media campaign for the local United Way, raising nearly $5,000.

“Our partnership with Susquehanna University has been an incredible force for good,” says Danielle Velkoff, senior director of marketing and communications at the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way. “We’ve had the privilege of working with talented, driven students who bring fresh ideas, energy and professionalism. Their contributions have strengthened our programs, expanded our reach and helped us make a greater impact across the community.”

Amplify continues the legacy of the Susquehanna University Service Leaders program and is supported by the 1994 Charles B. Degenstein Foundation.

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