Dear Orange Friends:
On the evening of Oct. 8, 1918, Syracuse University became one of the first universities in the nation to open its doors wide to “non-traditional” students. That night, 18 evening courses met in downtown Syracuse. They attracted hundreds of students who wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree but who—unlike traditional undergraduates—had to work all day or could not afford to pay full-time tuition.
Dear Orange Friends:
At Syracuse there are many opportunities all year for Orange friends to return to campus. One of the best of these I have seen here—or at any University—is the Coming Back Together reunion, known as CBT.
Dear Orange Friends:
From the hurricane winds and torrential rains that have ravaged Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to the earthquake that has crumbled buildings in Mexico, we are seeing devastation that is difficult to comprehend.
Dear Orange Friends:
This past week has been one of the most uplifting of times for Syracuse University.
I watched a legion of returning students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni help more than 5,000 new students move in and become Orange. On every sidewalk and in every hallway, I saw warmth and welcome to our newcomers from every state, 70 countries on six continents, and 12 Native American nations.
Dear Orange Friends:
Earlier this summer, on a beautiful Central New York day, Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala guided me on a tour of Syracuse University’s historic “Old Row” Towers. Our tour took us to the towers of the Hall of Languages, constructed in 1873, Crouse College (1889), Smith Hall (1902) and Lyman Hall (1907).
Dear Orange Friends:
In June, Ruth and I spent two days on a quiet visit to Lockerbie, Scotland. Thanks to the good counsel of Judy O’Rourke and Professor Larry Mason, we were able to learn about and pay respect to the people affected by the terror attack on Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.
Dear Orange Friends:
Syracuse University is enriched by many programs that bring the people of the City of Syracuse to our campus. I am particularly grateful for initiatives that provide opportunities to children from local neighborhoods.
Dear Orange Friends:
A few weeks ago, I had the great honor of escorting a group of Syracuse area veterans to Washington, D.C. The trip was sponsored by the Syracuse chapter of Honor Flight. Honor Flight is a national nonprofit that sends veterans, cost-free, to visit the national memorials honoring their service.
Dear Orange Friends:
Today, Ruth and I are hosting a reception honoring the leaders of new student organizations founded over the past year at Syracuse University. Each year, students breathe life into this campus through hundreds of clubs, teams, activities, and service organizations–and they constantly are creating new ones wherever there is a need or a niche. Each one has a wonderful story.
When I first became a dean in 1995, I was curious about how to find and hire transforming professors—the kind of inspiring, intense, caring and demanding teachers who had made such a difference in my own education. In interviews at the beginning of their careers, these folks do not obviously stand out among their peers. Years and decades later it becomes obvious that they are wonderfully different.
