President Green

Jonathan D. Green became Susquehanna University’s president in 2017.

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President Green leaning on a desk in his study. Meet President Green

Jonathan D. Green became the 15th president of Susquehanna University on July 1, 2017. Since then, he has:

  • In 2019, led Susquehanna to join the American Talent Initiative, an alliance of over 120 colleges with the goal of substantially expanding enrollment of talented students from low- and moderate-income households. Susquehanna is one of only about a quarter of the colleges in the consortium to meet its commitment.
  • Following university-wide collaboration, passed the SU 2026: Strategic Plan in 2019, including the launch of SU 2.0 that successfully grew student retention to historical highs and enhanced SU’s collaborative workforce.
  • Created a university-wide initiative in 2020 as part of the university’s strategic plan to guide Susquehanna toward becoming a more inclusive community.
  • Supported the diversification of Susquehanna’s Board of Trustees to include more women (44%) and individuals of color (18%), and also diversified his senior leadership team.  He created the Division of Inclusive Excellence, headed by a new position at the senior level: chief inclusion and diversity officer.
  • Led Susquehanna through the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the university was able to return to in-person instruction while offering virtual cross-cultural study and internship opportunities.
  • In 2021, expanded Susquehanna’s two academic schools into four schools — business, humanities, natural and social sciences and the arts.
  • Made notable renovations to campus spaces were completed, and added a 54-acre retreat center for academic, cocurricular and research activities.
  • Increased academic and other supportive resources for students, such as establishing a TRiO Student Support Services program to increase the postsecondary persistence and graduation rates of low-income and first-generation students; creating the Hawk Hub, a central place for students to seek assistance; and significantly improving the Center for Academic Success.
  • Established the Innovation Center, dedicated to ideas that can help increase student recruitment and retention, or generate revenue for the university, and The Build Collaborative, dedicated to hands-on learning that enables students to build products, build ideas for research or business, build peer networks and build careers.
  • Created a new university brand “Be Impossible To Ignore” that was developed in consultation with and embraced by prospective students, their families and the campus community.
  • Launched the Give Rise capital campaign and successfully raised $185.1 million by 2023 — the largest amount in Susquehanna’s fundraising history.
  • Formed a Downtown Center on Market Street to shorten the university’s metaphorical driveway and build on relationships with Selinsgrove.

As a higher education leader, Green is chair, and a board member, of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP), a board member and program co-chair for the Annapolis Group, chair of the intercollegiate athletic Landmark Conference, and a member of the Tax Policy Committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). In 2022, Gov. Wolf appointed him to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) of which he is a member of the executive committee and chairs the nominating committee.

In 2022 and 2023, Green was named to City & State Pennsylvania’s Higher Education Power 100 in recognition of his leadership. In 2020, he was honored with the Arthur V. Ciervo Award by College & University Public Relations and Associated Professionals (CUPRAP) for his exemplary efforts in advancing the understanding of higher education.

Green has made numerous presentations on a variety of topics in higher education for the American Talent Initiative, the Council of Independent Colleges, the Annapolis Group and the American Council on Education.

Prior to Susquehanna, he spent six years as provost and dean of the faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he received the inaugural award for outstanding academic advisor in 2016. He previously served as dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs at Sweet Briar College, where he received the 1999 Award for Excellence in Teaching. He also served as a board member of the American Conference of Academic Deans.

Green earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he was a University Excellence Fellow, studying conducting with William Carroll, Richard Cox and Robert Gutter; and composition with Eddie Bass. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts where he was an Ornest Fellow, studying voice with Jon Humphrey and Dorothy Ornest, and composition with Robert Stern and Salvatore Macchia; and he completed additional studies at Oxford University and Chautauqua Institution. He completed a Bachelor of Music from the Fredonia School of Music, studying voice with David Evans. In 2018, Green was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNCG, and he received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from SUNY Fredonia.

Green is a native of upstate New York. He shares his life with his supportive wife, Ms. Lynn Buck, who serves as Susquehanna’s First Lady. Together, they are committed to supporting the community.

Accomplished Composer and Author

As a composer, he is author of over 160 musical compositions and has received awards from ASCAP, the North Carolina Arts Council and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. His compositions include numerous songs, choral works, three piano concertos and seven symphonies. Among his many commissions is Riding the Winds of December, which was performed by the school children of Dare County as part of the centennial celebration of first flight. His works have been published by C. Alan Publications, Bernel Editions, Ltd. and Treble Clef Press.

Green is the author of eight music-reference books: Choral-Orchestral Repertoire: A Conductor’s Guide, Omnibus Edition, A Conductor’s Guide to Choral-Orchestral Works: The Twentieth Century, parts I and II, A Bio-Bibliography of Carl Ruggles, A Conductor’s Guide to the Choral-Orchestral Works of J. S. Bach, A Conductor’s Guide to the Choral-Orchestral Works of the Classical Period, Part I: Mozart and Haydn, A Conductor’s Guide to 19th-Century Choral-Orchestral Works and A Conductor’s Guide to Selected Baroque Choral-Orchestral Works.

He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Conductors Guild. He has served on the boards of the Illinois Symphony and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

President Green’s Blog

President Green will share his views on the academy and its role in our contemporary world.

President Green’s LinkedIn

Learn more about President Green’s professional experiences and achievements.

Inaugural Address

See and hear the address of President Jonathan D. Green from his inauguration on Oct. 20, 2017.