A unique naming opportunity has been established in support of the new state-of-the-art, “green” science building. Individuals and families can purchase an element paver on the periodic table of elements, which will be constructed as part of a courtyard patio at the north entrance of the building.

The gift amount funding the science building courtyard patio element paver is $5,000 and may be payable over three years. For more information, go to http://development.susqu.edu/html/campus_campaign.html.

Here are five folks who have already taken advantage of the opportunity. Read about how they chose their element:

Name: Brad and Jennifer Rojek ’98 Barton
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
Element: Oxygen
Why we chose this element:
[Jennifer] “I brought Brad to SU while we were dating to see if he would love it as much as I did. (That was one of the requirements of our relationship.) One of those first visits was the day three scholarships were awarded during the football game. He was very touched by that act and the generosity and gentility of the place. When I informed him of the new element program, he jumped on the chance to celebrate our commitment to SU and to each other. One element in particular jumped out: oxygen.

[Brad] “First, we were planning our wedding for June 2008, and oxygen’s atomic number is 8. Second, the symbol ‘O’ is symbolic of the wedding band. And last, it recognizes my feeling that I never truly breathed until I started my life with Jennifer.”

[Jennifer] “I was blown away by the considerable thought he gave to the project and his willingness to become part of SU. In the days leading up to our wedding, he could give me no greater gift than to celebrate the place I love so much.”

Name: Mary Muolo ’03
Hometown: Selinsgrove, Pa.
Element: Potassium
Why I chose this element: “My husband, Bob, daughter, Alie, and son, Robert, are all runners who often get muscle cramps after a hard workout. Since cramps are caused by a lack of potassium, I thought they needed the element.”

Name: Nick ’99 and Erica Weaver ’00 Stephenson
Hometown: Liverpool, Pa.
Element: Krypton
Why we chose this element:
[Erica] “When I first heard about the opportunity, I absolutely knew that I was going to buy one of the elements. It was just such a creative, cool way to give back to the university.

“After we decided we were going to participate, Nick and I sat down to look at the periodic table of elements to see which one we wanted. We really wanted to find one that somehow meant something to us. We were toying with several ideas when I saw krypton sitting there and just started giggling. We are such geeks when it comes to superheroes, we didn’t even consider anything else after that. We had to buy the one thing that kills Superman.”

Dear Friends,

Despite an economy in deep distress, the Changing Lives, Building Futures campaign has experienced a great deal of success, and it’s a pleasure to provide a brief update and express sincere thanks to donors who are making this possible.

We were buoyed by a number of positive events that occurred in late 2008 and generated terrific momentum. Progress on the new science building has occurred in many quarters. Most obvious was Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s delivery in August of $4 million as part of a capital redevelopment program, followed by additional funding totaling $1 million that state Sen. John Gordner and Rep. Russ Fairchild leveraged on the university’s behalf. Less obvious but equally meaningful has been the “purchase” of brick pavers in the science building’s courtyard (which will replicate the periodic table of elements), as well as “green” project contributions totaling more than $600,000 made by hundreds of alumni, parents and friends. Project cost savings resulting from an increasingly competitive marketplace for construction materials and services has been another welcome development.

In 2008 we also saw the campus portion of the campaign generate nearly $1.9 million from members of the Susquehanna faculty and staff, far more than the $1.25 million target, with gifts coming mainly in support of the science project and the New Horizons Fund that will assist students in meeting a new requirement to immerse themselves in a cross-cultural learning experience in order to graduate.

Spring 2009 has taken us beyond the campaign total of Susquehanna’s last major fund-raising program. The Susquehanna 2000 campaign ended nine years ago with $60.2 million in gifts and grants. We appear poised to take a healthy run at the current campaign’s goal of raising $70 million by the campaign’s close in 2010. While working to meet campaign targets, the university is also taking steps to contain costs in a way that helps maintain affordability for students and families and yet retains high value in a Susquehanna education.

We are acutely mindful that economic developments over the last several months are a concern for many, and yet we have also seen evidence of opportunity. I believe this is because education remains a priority for so many of us. We are living through and learning from world events that have steered us into uncharted waters. Students’ futures are being shaped by these events and also by local ones: in classrooms and labs; on service trips and civic engagements; as presenters, performers and authors. The gifts—and givers—enabling this generation of Susquehannans to learn and grow are enormously important and greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Sincerely,

James W. Summers ’64
Chair
Changing Lives, Building Futures campaign

Giving to Susquehanna can be a hands-on experience, as Trustee Edward R. Schmidt ’69 can attest. When he decided to issue a challenge to students in the Susquehanna University Fund calling program, he made a personal visit to the student callers.

Schmidt’s challenge was to encourage alumni to give by credit card; he would match all gifts up to $125 for a total of $10,000. Not only did he develop and fund the challenge, he also worked with the students to develop the calling scripts. Spurred on by his enthusiasm, the students brought in gifts that hit the goal within two weeks. He in turn was so impressed by their work that he offered an additional $5,000 to the cause.

“It was a good vision for my students to see—great inspiration,” says Judy Newcomer, associate director of the Susquehanna University Fund, who heads the calling program. “Ed did more for my students in those few minutes by showing them he cares so much.”

Schmidt says he thought the matching-gift offer was “a good way to motivate gifts to the annual fund, and it was pretty well received by the student workers and alumni.”

The energy Ed displayed in his involvement with the calling program is evident in every aspect of his life. A corporate and real estate attorney with the Indianapolis law firm of Krieg DeVault LLP, he is licensed to practice in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and before the U.S. Supreme Court and several federal district and circuit courts. He also is active in several organizations related to his career, including the Indianapolis Bar Association, which has recognized him as a Distinguished Fellow.

In 2003, he and his wife, Donna, established the Edward S. and A. Rita Schmidt Lectureship in Ethics, named after his parents. “We wanted to take a multidisciplinary approach and have a program that applied across many different majors, but it was also appealing to my field of interest,” Schmidt says.

The program brings distinguished scholars and civic leaders to campus to address topics of importance in the field of ethics. The goal of the program is to highlight ethical issues across disciplines and encourage thought and exploration of these issues among students, faculty and the community. The 2008 lecture brought Michele Goodwin, Everett Fraser Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, to campus to discuss organ trafficking. Other topics have included reproductive medicine, computer ethics and collegiate athletics.

“We are really believers in values-based education,” says Schmidt. “In my educational experiences, both as an undergraduate at Susquehanna and at Notre Dame for law school, ethical determinations were key components of the learning experience.”

The Schmidts also support other programs at Susquehanna. Ed serves the university’s alumni corporation of Theta Chi fraternity, and he and Donna have contributed to the athletic internship program established by John Strangfeld ’75, chair of the Susquehanna University Board of Trustees, and his wife, Mary Kay. “I was very impressed by the grant John and Mary Kay made and was impressed by the work of the program and how it fit into the work and mission of the university,” he says. “It is a very creative program.”

And just as the creativity of the Strangfelds encouraged their gifts to the university, the Schmidts’ ingenuity inspired others. The credit card challenge was so well received that Robert Buckfelder ’77 established a similar one for the 2008–09 calling program, which achieved similar success.