Birthday parties are a big deal, and for Syracuse University, a monumental celebration is no exception. On Monday, SU’s 144th birthday, students, professors and alumni nationwide will come together to bask in the special honor for the university.

When SU was established as a university in 1870, the number 44 had little significance at the time. But now, 144 years later, the legend of 44 has become a meaningful number to the university’s history, and was part of the inspiration for the birthday, said Julie Walas Huynh, a 2007 alumna and member of the alumni committee.

She added that this birthday is one that has to be filled with special Syracuse spirit.

“This year’s celebration had to be bigger than anything else we have ever done. We really want to commemorate what makes this campus, the people and this place so wonderful,” Huynh said.

The celebration will kick off all around the country, where alumni will gather and reminisce about their time at SU. On campus, students will be able to join in on the celebration on the Quad, in the Schine Student Center, the Life Sciences Complex and Sadler Hall by participating in events like signing a birthday card and eating Otto’s Cupcake ice cream.

Coordinators of the celebration hoped the various birthday events would serve as a way for the community to come together. When planning the day, it was important to the committee that the events connected to the past, the present and the future.

“Every generation (including) current students, future students and children and grandchildren of alumni will know why SU is a great place,” Huynh said.

For alumni, these connections embody the SU pride that makes the university worthy of such a grand celebration.

Samuel Edelstein, assistant director of Alumni Relations and a 2007 alumnus, said this birthday was a great way for alumni to share anecdotes about their favorite SU memories.

The SU alumni clubs, which are based all over the country, allow people to continue networking and remember the university’s history, he said.

“We hear these stories all the time and we wanted to capture them in a significant way” he said. “Alums from the ‘50s came to the university because of the GI Bill and have memories that had a big effect on their lives. Some grads met their spouses at SU, had professors who helped shape the directions of their careers and are still friends with their former roommates.”

Earlier this month, a flash mob gathered in Times Square in New York City to kick off the beginning of the 144th celebration.

Edelstein said the event was a great way to get the buzz going about SU’s birthday.

“The (flash mob) was the brain child of the New York City alumni club, who put together and invited and reached out to people on Facebook and through email to come out, celebrate and have a really great time,” he said.

The birthday falls on National Orange Day, so the fruit and the color will play a big part in commemorating the day. With decorations and food everywhere in sight, there won’t be any escape from the color that students past and present bleed.

To capture the celebratory environment on campus, a time capsule will be created to showcase what life at SU was like the year the university turned 144. Sakina Kader, a recent graduate and president of the SU Traditions Commission, said collecting current and relevant SU memorabilia will be a great way to preserve moments from the day for years to come.

Seeking items from over the course of a year, Kader said the traditions commission took to its Twitter page to ask students for suggestions on what items should be included as a broad representation of life on campus.

“Hopefully we can get items from last year’s Final Four, this fall’s Juice Jam, a Beat Duke T-shirt, a Texas Bowl game ticket stub and some pins and stickers that will be handed out on Monday,” Kader said.

The celebrating won’t stop when the sun sets on the Hall of Languages, the first constructed building on campus. At 8 p.m., students are invited to the Quad to hold orange glow sticks in the shape of 144 to illuminate the night and wish the school a happy birthday.

Published on March 24, 2014 at 1:00 am

Contact Lauren: ljporter@syr.edu