I have the great privilege of beginning my service as president of Susquehanna University, one of the leading higher-education institutions in the United States.

Today, I am launching a blog through which I will share my views on the academy and its role in our contemporary world. I will also report on campus news and share a variety of stories about the transformational experiences of our students.

All objective measures confirm that a college education remains one the best investments in an individual’s long-term financial success, but we are confronted with daily news stories that question the value of a college degree, usually reported by a successful college graduate.

There is also a growing ideological divide about whether colleges and universities have a positive impact upon our society. We have a lot of work to do. At Susquehanna, “We educate students for productive, creative and reflective lives of achievement, leadership and service in a diverse, dynamic and interdependent world.” What could be a better goal for our nation and world?

In the coming months and years, I look forward to sharing the many ways in which we prepare our students to be productive, creative and reflective citizen leaders who make a positive difference on our campus, in our community, and around the world.