Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of the big Campaign for Syracuse events.  While the cancellation was clearly the right thing to do - the devastation on the east coast is horrific; our hearts go out to family and friends who were battered by the storm - it is disappointing because celebrating our wonderful accomplishment certainly makes sense plus there were a number of other events planned: a meeting of the Board of Trustees, first-ever meeting of all of the Regional Councils, and many cultural activities.

One item on the agenda was for people to talk about what the Campaign meant to them and how we might build upon the great work done in the Campaign.  I was asked to be a plant in the crowd to get the discussion moving.  This is what I planned on saying:

The Campaign showed us that our alums want to be connected to the University and to each other.  It was almost as if the Campaign was rain on flowers (or orange trees) starving for water.  Once the rain came, the flowers really bloomed.  I heard this over and over again during events in Chicago: we're so happy the University is finally reaching out to us.

Now that the Campaign is over we need to build upon this desire for connection.  The University needs to ensure it is always in contact with alums and is teaching current students the importance of lifelong connection.  Alums can connect as donors, doers, door openers or any combination of those three.

Donors:  Tuition does not cover all of the University's expenses.  The gap is filled by donations from alums and other friends of the University.  People before us donated so that we could earn a great education.  We should donate so that future students can do the same.  And donations can be in any amount that is affordable and meaningful to the donor.

Doers:  Events in the regions and the alumni clubs don't happen by themselves.  Alums volunteer to run events, help out at events, and simply attend events.

Door Openers:  Interviewing prospective students, providing internships to current students, providing jobs to graduates are examples of ways to open doors.

Being a donor or a doer or a door opener or any combination of the three can keep the flower (or orange tree) alive and well and strengthen the bonds between our alma mater and ourselves and ourselves and the broader SU community.

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Trading One Love for Another

I went to Syracuse “undecided.”  When I was in high school, my father asked what I was going to study in college, and I said I wanted to study business.  And he said, “Well, if you're going to study business, you're not going to go to college. You can come work for me.”  I immediately said “I want to be a lawyer,” so that I could go to college.  I was accepted into the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse, which a lot of “undecided” people attended.


Between my freshman and sophomore years, I was seeing a girl back home who was going to take some summer classes at a local community college. I wanted to be with her, so I decided to take a class, too.  I took a computer programming class in a language called COBOL - and I loved it. You set down the time, you set down the  You sat down in front of a typewriter terminal, you typed in these commands and the computer would digest the commands and spit out the results. I thought it was great.


That’s when I got the inkling that computers could help business do what it's supposed to do.  They could help us understand who our customers are, or how much inventory we have, and I could make the computer answer those questions.  That was really rewarding. Plus, I really enjoyed the immediate feedback I got from writing the program.


I went back to Syracuse for my sophomore year and enrolled in at the College of Engineering and Computer and Information Science to get a degree in computer Systems and Information Science.science.  At the time, they actually offered two degrees. One was in hardcore Computer Science, and the other was in something called Systems and Information Science, which was more applied - it was more about how to use the computer as opposed to how you make the computer do what it does. I decided to go for that.


So I went in to computer science because I wanted to be with this girl over that summer.  That led to taking a class in COBOL programming, and that turned me on. I kept going with computer science but after that summer I stopped seeing that girl.  I traded one love for another.

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The Best of The Rest

When I was a junior in high school, I took the SATs and I went to my guidance counselor for advice about where to go to college.  He recommended a list of schools that I might be interested in. I was the first member of my family to go to college, so my family didn't have a whole lot of experience selecting one. So I set off to visit some of the schools on my own.


I went to George Washington University down in Washington, DC, and while it's a decent school, there is no campus, which at the time was very important to me. I went to Carnegie Mellon out in Pittsburgh, which has a campus, but it was all engineering, and at that time I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. I looked at a couple of schools in New Jersey but I wanted to be farther away from home so I didn't go near them. I think I looked at Rockhurst Rutgers and Drew University, but I also rejected those because they were too close to home.


Then some friends and I decided to go on a road trip to visit schools. One of the schools we ended up at was on my list - Syracuse University.  It was a beautiful day in April, sunny and warm, everybody was out on the quad, there was music and it seemed like a great place to be.  So, based on the fact that my guidance counselor said it was a decent place to go, and it had a campus, and it was far enough away from home, and I happened to see it on this beautiful, wonderful day, I decided to go to Syracuse University.  I later learned that was the only nice day they had that spring, but that was okay.  I learned how to deal with the weather  when I got there.


Early on, the thing that I found comforting about Syracuse is that there was a community for everybody. No matter what you were interested in, no matter what you wanted to study or play - it seemed like there was always a group of people that you could hook up with who were also interested.  Even in my first couple of days there, I met a whole bunch of people from different parts of the campus, and I'm not sure what it was that we had in common, but it was something. This sense of community was a great help in my transition into the university.


That’s how I ended up at Syracuse.  It was the right combination of a great school with a beautiful campus whose charm captured me from the first day.

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It Started up on Mount Olympus

Recently I read a really interesting book called Mr g.  It's a fictional novel about the concept of God, written by Alan Lightman.  After reading it, I had this feeling that I used to have every time I left my favorite class at Syracuse University.

I took Ancient Greek Religion as an elective when I was a senior. The professor would tell us stories about the ancient Greek gods and myths.  We met once a week for three hours; I think it was every Thursday night. Syracuse University is on a hill, and the building that we took the class in overlooked the valley.

I remember that we would have class, and we would all be entranced by the stories the professor told us, and then we would walk outside, and it would be dark, and, of course, it would be cold.  And we would stand out there overlooking this valley, with the stars in the sky, and all the lights in the valley, and we would all have this really weird feeling - like we were on Mount Olympus, like we were part of the stories that the professor told us.  And what's even more interesting is that there’s actually a part of the Syracuse campus called Mount Olympus.  There are a couple of dorms there, and I lived in one of them when I was a freshman.  It all kind of ties together.  Every week I had this feeling coming out of the class - like I had just heard these wonderful stories from this wonderful storyteller, and all of us felt the same way as we walked out and saw the stars and lights. It was really mystical.

I often think back to that mystical feeling.  I had a similar experience when I climbed Mount Fuji.  It is tradition in Shinto, the major religion in Japan, that you must climb to the top of Mount Fuji and see the sunrise once in your life.  A colleague of mine decided to do this, so we climbed that night and saw the sunrise from the top of the mountain.  Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano, and at the top of the mountain, right at the lip of the crater, is a Shinto shrine.  People have tied bells onto it, and so it's dark, and it's cloudy, and it's snowing, and there’s a crater behind you, and all of these bells are ringing on the shrine.  It’s a really eerie feeling, and it's really mystical.

To this day, I still enjoy mythology.  I like to read about how the Greek gods morphed into the Roman Gods, and where there is some commonality with the Norse Gods.  I also try to look for ways in which any of this may have become part of the major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.  Before college, I used to read about the Norse Gods like Odin and Thor.  I'm not exactly sure why they are more interesting to me than the Greek Gods; maybe because I read about them first, in high school.

While I was at Syracuse, I felt really connected to the universe, and this feeling came back to me after reading Mr g, which I highly recommend.  I hope you’ll read the book, and if you’re lucky, it’ll leave you with the same mystical feeling - like the gods are right there with you.    

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When my Blood Turned Orange

When I think back to my time at Syracuse, I cannot help but to think of all of the meaningful conversations that I participated in. It’s not a huge university, but it’s big enough that there are always other people around who share some of your interests. There is something about the university that facilitates finding people who are like you. Back in the 70s, before Facebook and social media, I went to events and met people. My older son, who graduated from Syracuse in 2007, feels the same way. In my conversations with current students and members of Generation Orange, I get the sense that they also seem to notice there are so many ways for people with similar interests to meet. There’s something that makes you feel good about the university as a result.

There’s just something about the DNA or culture that makes you find a way to feel comfortable at SU. And because you feel comfortable, you feel good. Then you get to the point where you’re starting to think about what you’re going to do after graduation. Luckily, there are all kinds of support mechanisms. From the career office within the university to the alumni association, to the companies that come on campus to interview, there’s a lot of support from the Syracuse community that you can rely on and that’s really willing to help you succeed.

When I was a freshman, our men’s basketball team made it to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the school’s history. That same weekend, a friend of mine from home was going to come up and visit. Of course I was telling him how wonderful Syracuse is and about all the different things we do around campus. When he arrived on campus, the game that got us to the Final Four was on TV. The place was a ghost town because everybody was watching the game. But after we won, the place exploded! People celebrated in every way you can imagine - and maybe some you don’t want to imagine! My friend said, “When I arrived here I thought this place was dead. I couldn’t imagine what you were talking about.” Then after the game was over he was like, “I want to go here because this place is wild!” I guess that was the beginning of turning my blood orange.

To this day, when you go to the Carrier Dome when there’s a big game, it’s filled with energy. I think this environment partially infuses the SU spirit into people. It’s also kind of fun walk down the street in some city, like Chicago or Washington D.C., and see someone wearing a Syracuse t-shirt or other apparel. It just makes you feel like, “Wow, I’m part of this big community.” I’m not sure it’s different from any other university, but certainly there’s something about Syracuse that brings that spirit into people.

Not all my fond memories are about sports. I took Ancient Greek Religion as an elective class once a week at night. It was a three-hour class, and the professor was phenomenal; he would just tell stories and the Greek myths. The way he told the stories was just great, and he helped us understand them. He was also great at stimulating discussion. The best thing about the class was it was at the edge of campus (near where the new College of Law building is going up). The Syracuse campus overlooks a valley (where the vale of Onondaga meets the eastern sky), and this class was in a building where you could walk out the doors and look into the valley. Walking into the dark and looking out over the city with all the lights on made you feel like you’re looking out from Mount Olympus (the real one, not the one where Flint and Day Halls sit). To see all the city lights on after spending three hours learning about all these myths was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced.

That’s just one class that comes to mind, but I could talk about other classes as well (Laughter, Wit and Humor, LISP programming, etc). Professors were skilled and caring. Even if you were asking stupid freshman questions, they still took you seriously and helped you find your way.

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SU Chicago Honors Lifetime Trustees

What do Trustees do anyway? Find out more about SU Trustees and what they have done.

I was the emcee for a recent event honoring three Chicago-area Lifetime Trustees of Syracuse University for all their years of service, and all the wonderful things they’ve done for the school. When you become a trustee, you can serve three four-year terms. After the last term, you become what is called a “Lifetime Trustee.” This means that you remain a trustee who is involved and still can be a member of board committees and other things, but you lose your voting rights.

They all have great passion for Syracuse University. What's really neat is that the trustees are not only graduates of Syracuse University, but they also have a strong family legacy of SU Alumni. In one case, the trustee's parents and sisters were graduates, their children are graduates, and their grandchildren are graduates. It is really cool to see that their commitment to the university goes beyond serving on the board; their family members also have orange in their blood.

The honorees eloquently spoke about what makes them so passionate about SU.

William J. Brodsky was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1987. He has been the chair and CEO of the Chicago Board Options Exchange since 1997, having previously served as president and CEO of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Brodsky is a member of Syracuse University’s Investment and Endowment Committee and a life member of the College of Law Board of Visitors, served on the Schine Student Center National Campaign, and as vice chair of the Campaign for Syracuse. Brodsky was awarded the George Arents Pioneer Medal in 1983, a Varsity Club Letterman of Distinction Award in 1995, and the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998. In addition, he spearheaded the drive to fund and establish the Michael O. Sawyer Endowed Professorship in Constitutional Law.

Renée Schine Crown was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1970. She is a civic leader and philanthropist who lends her support and expertise to several Chicago-based organizations. A founding member and former president of the Women's Board of Northwestern University, she is an honorary life director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She serves on the boards of WTIW/Channel 11 (Public Television), the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, the Chicago Lyric Opera Women's Board, and the Field Museum of National History Women's Board.

Crown also serves on the Syracuse University Facilities Committee of the Board. She was chair of the Schine Student Center Campaign, (the Center opened in 1985), was co-chair of leadership gifts for the Campaign for Syracuse, and serves on the Board of Visitors for the College of Arts and Sciences. She also served on the $300-million Commitment to Learning Campaign Executive Committee.

Morris S. Weeden was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1969. He retired as vice chair of Morton Thiokol, Inc. in 1984. After graduate school and military service, he joined Bristol Laboratories in Syracuse, where he served as treasurer, vice president for finance, and executive vice president, and was appointed president in 1968. In 1973 he joined Morton Norwich Products, Inc. as president of the international division based in New York City. He became group vice president of the corporation and director of the company in 1974, executive vice president of Morton Norwich Products in 1975, and vice chair in 1980. The company's name changed to Morton Thiokol in 1982 when Thiokol, Inc. was acquired. Since his retirement, Weeden has served as a consultant to start-up companies in the health care field. For Syracuse University, Weeden is a past president of the National Alumni Association and a past chair of the University's Corporate Advisory Council.

Trustees are like directors in a company; we really help to manage the University. We are responsible for making sure that the school is acting with integrity and adhering to its own policies. We look at buildings that may need to be rebuilt, we discuss adding to the curriculum or new kinds of majors or academic areas. We review the budget, look at outreach programs and much more.

I was honored to be at a such a wonderful event that, in turn, honored such a great group of esteemed Syracuse University Trustees.

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Alumni Experiences - Rachel Alexandria Vicente - Teaching America

Rachel Vicente is a recent graduate of Syracuse (2012) and will be coming to Chicago soon to work in the public school system as a result of her Teach for America placement. Rachel, who hails from the Boston area, is the youngest of five siblings. She even has a brother and a sister who attended SU.

She did not choose SU because her sister and brother attended. Initially, she did not want to follow in their footsteps. However, she wanted to study pre-med, and she was very impressed with the program that Syracuse offered. SU also provided the best financial aid package.

While at Syracuse, she worked in the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service her freshman year. She also worked with the Literacy Corps, a mentoring/tutoring program in the Syracuse City School District. She soon began managing 180 tutors and planned diversity and mentoring training.

Rachael refers to this as the defining moment in her life and career path that peaked her interest in teaching: “Being from the suburbs of Boston I was not really familiar with urban education, and I didn't really see what was going on. Syracuse was instrumental in helping me find Teach for America.” She learned about many of the struggles and critical problems urban school districts face, including a lack of funding and resources and outdated technology and materials.

“It just kind of made me realize that education was always important to me,” she said. “I had the benefit of going to an amazing school system. I was able to flourish in that environment. I kind of saw the disadvantage that just because of your circumstances you can't do well or you can't do as well as someone from an urban school, which is the whole idea of the achievement gap that Teach for America approaches.”

Now Rachel is in the Windy City for the first time. She admits that she is nervous about being in Chicago, but she welcomes the experience. “I know I could have gone anywhere,” she said. “I like having challenges when I move to new places, so I guess that is what I'm going to get.”

Syracuse and Teach For America have both been really supportive in helping Rachel with the transition. “I would say thanks to the staff that I worked with at Syracuse University, Bobby Gillen and Colleen McAllister my bosses, and the department/center that I worked with,” Rachel said. “I could call them today and be like, "‘Oh my god, I need this,’" and they would definitely be there.”

Rachel will be teaching at the Youth Connection Charter School, an alternative high school starting this fall.

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