Does Shippensburg University Matter?

By Dave Atkinson ’77-’84M

Philosophers probably never considered the question: “Does Shippensburg University matter?”

The quick answer is “of course,” since none of us want to believe four or six or eight years of tuition payments were like playing the lottery or feeding slot machines. But real proof of the matter factor comes from professional perspective.

The alumni publications run photos of social gatherings throughout Pennsylvania, plus the Jersey Shore, Florida, and California. Our ability to have fun clearly has not atrophied with age. The professional and political worlds also draw Shippensburg graduates together.

Mention The Troggs, and instantly the chords of “Wild Thing” start pounding in your brain. Oldies’ lovers know another of their ’60s-era hits: “Love Is All Around.”

Dave Atkinson (right) catches up with Professor Emeritus Hugh Jones at a recent College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board meeting on campus.

For those working in the Harrisburg area, in and out of state government, the tune would be “Ship Is All Around.” Any good-sized meeting is likely to have a couple of Ship grads involved. Years ago, the list of individuals in state positions covered a few pages – now it would be a small phonebook. Connections are a key to life and politics, and the connection between the university and the capital is working well.

On the large scale, trust and respect come from the shared campus experience. On a smaller scale, when some maniac cuts you off in traffic, forgiveness kicks in when the SU vanity plate is spotted.

Product placements are a popular trend in movies. In real life, Shippensburg products are holding positions of high responsibility. The state budget, laws, and regulations have the fingerprints of Ship grads all over them.

Public affairs’ addicts tuning in to PCN can see a freshly minted state Senator—Lisa Baker—chairing a hearing or debating in the Senate. Yes, another Ship grad in the middle of the action.

Lately, those in public life appear to have mastered the art of getting their names in the news, in ways that make families cringe, and neighbors and fellow parishioners avoid them like the avian flu. But the influx of Ship grads into every aspect of state government is a proud testament to the crucial role of the university in preparing them.

In our candid moments, we realize we did not get here by our looks, charm, and talent. Especially those of us on bathroom break when such things were being handed out. The truth is we were being well prepared, as unsuspecting as we were at the time.

The farther the classroom is in the rear-view mirror, the more events make the lessons relevant. Conflicts in the Middle East bring back the lessons from History of Civilization I and II. The 2000 Presidential election mess summoned Constitutional Law I and II classes, courtesy of Dr. Hugh Jones. The destructive hurricane season topped by the devastation of Katrina recalled Man’s Atmospheric Environment.

Facing a challenging problem, you reach back for a strategy or an answer. Suddenly you remember why you sat through that 8am lecture in the basement of Stewart Hall with Professor Izzy Evergoingtostop.

Several decades on the job at last yields a convincing answer to the pointed question parents ask: “What are you going to do with a liberal arts degree?”

How is Shippensburg University viewed? Not having a slick marketing study at hand, we will settle for thirty years of observation. It has a reputation as a productive “farm system” piping out professional talent. For more than two decades, President Tony Ceddia concentrated on building the Harrisburg connection, and broadening the regional impact of Shippensburg, and succeeded substantially.

SU is not an institution caught in a time warp or stuck in place.

Go to a concert in the marvelous Luhrs Performing Arts Center. What a contrast to the Beach Boys in Heiges Field House with prize floor seating on folding chairs. Some buckled as students surfed along to the best songs. Oh well, the floor did not produce much of a curl anyhow.

See a computer room packed at all hours. See how technology plays so prominently in daily education. It is a far cry from the computer drudgery of our day with those infernal stacks of punchcards.

Go to the dining halls, and the food is instantly recognizable and quite tasty, a major improvement over the mystery meals of yesteryear.

Even on a clear day, you cannot see Old Main from Capitol Hill. But you can see a lot of evidence of the value of a Shippensburg degree. As Casey Stengel put it: “You could look it up.” A Shippensburg education is worthwhile, the lessons are valuable, the friendships are enduring, and the memories are indelible.

Dave has worked on Capital Hill in Harrisburg for nearly 30 years. “I have two pieces of paper from Ship, a B.A. in government and a M.S. in mass communications, which some folks there probably still believe to be incredible and regrettable.” Married to Anne Bitner Atkinson ’78, they have a daughter, a son, and a granddaughter. Dave is a Pittsburgh sports fanatic and a history buff.