Dear Orange Friends:
Every day I am here I am amazed by our spirit and collective impact. Last week was particularly remarkable.
On Friday, Oct. 13, our football team, led by an inspiring coach, defeated the defending national champion Clemson in the Dome in front of 42,475 fans. That same weekend we welcomed 5,479 parents and family for Family Weekend with many activities in every school and college. It was our best Family Weekend in many decades.
On Monday Oct. 16, our physics department and the gravitational waves research group were center stage around the nation and around the globe for the observation of a neutron star collision and the discovery of how gold, platinum, and other heavy elements necessary to life come into existence.
On Tuesday Oct. 17, College of Arts and Sciences professor of English, George Saunders, won the Man Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious global awards in literature.
On Wednesday Oct. 18, we announced that in Syracuse University’s first annual giving day, more than 3,500 alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends gave more than $1.7 million in a single day to support financial aid, academic programs, and other urgent needs at the University.
I know this is a time when administrators and politicians are prone to exaggeration. So I want to be careful when I say I cannot remember a single week in recent years when any university, in any single week, had more to be proud of than Syracuse University.
In particular, I note that the two major academic announcements of that week—the gravitational waves announcement and the Man Booker Prize in literature—both come out of strategic support from our College of Arts and Sciences for our physics department and Creative Writing Program over many years.
I ask that all of us show our gratitude to and support for all those who made this such a memorable week.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud