August 21, 2020
Susquehanna University opened the 2020-21 academic year – arguably one of the most unique within the university’s 163-year history – with a virtual convocation that welcomed approximately 600 new students to campus.
“There have been few occasions in the history of higher education that have been riper for deep learning than this moment,” said University President Jonathan D. Green in his address to the Class of 2024 and their families, as well as faculty and staff.
“We are at an inflection point, a great awakening to matters of social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion and privilege,” Green said. “It is a recognition that the fruits of liberty and prosperity have been broken promises to many because of the color of their skin, their gender, where they we born or whom they love. We can do better; we must do better.”
Susquehanna’s Class of 2024 represents just 10.5% of a very strong pool of 5,478 applications, with a median grade point average of 3.7.
The Class of 2024 hails from 17 states, but 24% live within a 50-mile radius of the university. Twenty-three percent of Susquehanna’s incoming first-year students are from historically underrepresented groups (racial and ethnic populations that are disproportionately represented in higher education), and 33% are the first members of their families to go to college.
Other facts about the Class of 2024:
- 72% have declared majors in the School of Arts and Sciences
- 28% have declared majors within the Sigmund Weis School of Business
- 27% are receiving Federal Pell Grants to support their Susquehanna education
Susquehanna has taken “extraordinary efforts … to make it possible for us to be [here] this fall,” Green said as he called upon the university’s newest students to take seriously the “social contract” they have entered into as they embark upon their college careers in the midst of a global health pandemic.
“We need to take care of ourselves, but more importantly, we need to take care of each other. There have been debates all summer about whether college students can maintain the discipline necessary to stay safe in residence during the pandemic,” Green said. “We need to prove to the naysayers that Susquehannans can. By joining this community, you are committing to being better.”