First Word: A Commitment to Inspire and Transform
Dear Susquehannans,
As most of you know, Susquehanna University’s seal features a globe under an arch of text reading Ad gloriam maiorem Dei. This phrase is typically worded Ad majorem Dei gloriam and means “For the greater glory of God.” It is a wonderful crystallization of the spirit and intent of the Missionary Institute of our founding. Susquehanna was founded to help its graduates change the world for the better.
Much has changed since 1858, but our commitment to inspiring students to change the world has never been stronger.
One of the ways this commitment is made manifest is by richly engaging our students in cultures and places they had not known before. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Susquehanna’s Global Opportunities (GO) Program is an unparalleled academic initiative. We are one of only a handful of higher-education institutions that requires a study-away experience of all its students, and we are the only program that has a full curriculum to prepare students to meaningfully engage in the cultures they encounter, and likewise, to interpret what those experiences meant to them and how they were changed.
We are all citizens of the world, and in our increasingly more complex global society, our world desperately needs cosmopolitan leaders who are both respectful and informed about cultural differences and, more importantly, who have developed the sophistication to recognize how much more we all have in common. This is what the GO program has done and continues to do for thousands of Susquehanna graduates.
This issue of Currents is a celebration of Susquehanna’s commitment to global education and world citizenship. Our students are truly learning “to be that change they want to see in the world,” and with each day they are realizing more deeply why that matters. You will also read about alumnus Jon Haussler, whose career at NASA has literally changed how we see our world and the universe.
How exciting it is to witness today’s generation of Susquehannans joining the procession of alumni who have steadfastly sustained a visionary commitment to nurture and strengthen our global community and our worldview.
Yours Ever,
Jonathan D. Green
President
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