Susquehanna University - 1858 to 1894

An invitation to the 1887 graduation ceremonies. The graduating class was made up of seven students.

The June 8, 1887 Third Year Class held its class exercises at Town Hall, in Selinsgrove. The names listed on the invitation are the officers, committees, and members of the class.

Nineteen students received their diplomas at the June 1888 commencement. Their names are listed on the back of the invitation.

A list of names from the 1888 graduating class. One of the students, J. I. Woodruff, would later become a long time member of the Susquehanna University faculty.

The Missionary Institute played its first football game in 1892 against Sunbury. The Institute didn't have a football field on campus and had to rent a farm for their games. John Woodruff (with mustache, second row, right) was the coach. He was also a professor of Latin, history and philosophy.

The Theological Department educated men for gospel ministry. This certificate belonging to George P. Weaver of Woodward, PA., shows the signature of Benjamin Kurtz who was the Missionary Institute's first President.

This photo was taken in May 1958 at a Dedication Ceremony held jointly by Susquehanna University and the Snyder County Historical Society. It was to honor the memory of the Missionary Institute's Civil War veterans. The plaque still hangs on the south side of Selinsgrove Hall. During the ceremony the Susquehanna University Band played the National Anthem.

This photo shows William M. Schnure and Minnie Ulrich Flickinger unveiling the Civil War Memorial plaque on the south wall of Selinsgrove Hall.

A photograph of a Missionary Institute student.

David A. Day, a Civil War veteran, graduated from the Missionary Institute in 1874. He left for Liberia after he was ordained and became the longest serving Lutheran Missionary to that country serving from 1874 until his death in 1897.

Book jacket of Susquehanna University, 1858-2000: A Goodly Heritage, by Degenstein Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History Donald D. Housley. Professor Housley’s account of the history of the University was published in 2007, bringing to fruition many years of focused research. The book brings to life the people, places, discoveries, changes and events that together comprise the making of the University.

A photograph of the 1889 Missionary Institute's graduating class. Professor Jonathan Dimm, who became the Missionary Institute's 5th President in 1895, is seated on the left.