President’s August 2022 Update

By Dan DiPrinzio | August 22, 2022

Welcome Back, Arcadia!

We are eager to start our fall semester with a campus that is vibrant, in person, and thriving with new opportunities. Students are at the center of everything we do, coming to Arcadia with boundless potential and enthusiasm for what they will accomplish. Whether on Arcadia’s campus or beyond, our students will venture into local and global communities, making positive contributions throughout their academic journeys. 

You can feel the energy as we prepare to welcome more than 550 new first-year and transfer students ​​from across the country and around the world. Arcadia staff and faculty overseas created a clear path for hundreds of U.S. students to study in 12 countries, including Australia and New Zealand, which have recently opened their borders for the first time since 2020 to students who are studying abroad. 

Each of us in this University community is part of, and adds to, the fabric of our long history. The 2022-2023 academic year holds great significance, as Arcadia marks 170 years since our founding in 1853. Two years into our Adaptive Strategy, our well-planned efforts and initiatives have brought us closer to realizing our institutional vision to produce intellectually fearless and uniquely prepared graduates — advancing us through the latest chapter in our legacy. 

Our experiences shape who we are, the kind of a University we want to be, and the impact we can and will have on others. Sometimes, the effect may not be felt for many years — but those effects can be, and often are, life-changing. 

One extraordinary act we are celebrating at the start of this academic year is a $1 million gift to establish an endowed scholarship for a remarkable body of students – single parents. We are so grateful to Michael F. Young for his generosity in honor of his late wife, Sue Ellen Young of the Class of 1963. This gift will most certainly transform lives and be ingrained in the legacy of our institution. 

We are also grateful for another generational opportunity, one that will enhance our physical campus in an historic way. A century after Grey Towers Castle was purchased, changing the trajectory of our institution’s future, I stand before another heralded opportunity at 125 Royal Ave. — the former Bishop McDevitt High School — which officially became part of Arcadia University in July. Such seminal moments in our institution’s history raise the question: How will we take advantage of the opportunities we are given?

We are fortunate to have these favorable circumstances to consider. How will we meet the moment? We have an historic opportunity to combat anti-Black racism, transform our campus through growth, expertly leverage Impact Philanthropy, and center our work on our students. What role will each of us play in shaping the history of this 170-year-old institution? 

Our potential as a university is limitless — and that is because of the people in this University community. I will spotlight faculty, students, staff, families, and others in monthly updates, and I would like your help in identifying community members who go above and beyond in their scholarship, activities, engagement, and accomplishments. Please take time to submit a peer, a student, a colleague, an alum, a donor, or a friend of the University, so we can highlight just how remarkable our University community is. 

I am so excited to begin this new academic year alongside all of you. Working together, we will continue to venture beyond our classrooms, our campus, and what we think is possible.

I’ll see you on campus soon. 

Sincerely,

Ajay Nair, Ph.D.
President

PRESIDENT NAIR’S SPOTLIGHT ON ARCADIA
 

Dr. Christopher Varlack, assistant professor of English

$1 Million Gift Honoring Sue Ellen Young Class of ’63

With a $1 Million Gift, Michael F. Young Establishes the Sue Ellen Young ’63 Endowed Scholarship to Provide Aid for Single Parent Students. Read more.

Arcadians Going Above and Beyond: A spotlight on the successes of our faculty, students, staff, and families who encompass our Lived Values. 

  • Executive director of CASAA
  • Incoming Director of Pan African Studies
  • Incoming Chair of the Faculty Senate Work and Welfare Committee

Schedule a visit to the CASAA house to engage in African-American history and culture.