Markle Endowment to Support International Students

Chris '84 and Mary Markle have been members of the Susquehanna community for nearly 30 years. Now, their legacy will be a permanent feature of Susquehanna. They have established the Chris '84 and Mary Markle Scholarship Endowment, which will be funded through their estate and provide support to generations of future Susquehanna students.

The Markles moved to Selinsgrove in the early '90s from New York City, when Chris returned to the university to work in the admission office. Since then, they have truly made a home at Susquehanna. They live just a few blocks from campus, where they have raised their five children with the university "in our backyard," says Mary. The whole family has been a part of the campus community, whether they were attending student theatre productions or playing catch on the athletic fields.

Both Chris and Mary understand the impact of scholarship support to students. In addition to her work in the Office of Leadership and Engagement, Mary is also a scholarship application reader at the university. She says it has been a moving experience, witnessing the power of an individual scholarship to "help a young person who represents so much of what [the donor] supports and believes in." In Chris' current role in Advancement and previously in the admission office, he has seen how scholarships and financial aid make a Susquehanna education possible for driven and talented students who other-wise would not be able to attend the university.

Recently, it came time for Chris and Mary to update their wills. While they were going through that process, they made the decision to include Susquehanna, calling it a painless way to give.

"We'd love to be able to give more on an annual basis," says Mary. However, that's not always possible; not all of their children are through college yet, and they have to plan for retirement as well. As Chris notes, a bequest was "an easy way to make the most substantial gift we can." During their conversations, they found it helpful to think of SU as "another child." Gifts from their estate will support their own children, as well as the university.

The Chris '84 and Mary Markle Scholarship will support international students who come to SU with limited financial resources. With the Global Opportunities Program a curriculum requirement, they saw a "natural opportunity" to attract more international students. This scholarship will give even more students access to the university's springboard to lives of achievement, leadership and service.