A message from President John Simon regarding the Lehigh Advancement team

Members of the Lehigh community:

During the past several months the Trustees and I have been focused on efforts to ensure that Lehigh has the requisite resources and capital to achieve our goals of being one of our Nation's preeminent institutions for education and research. Through a combination of the $250 million of debt financing, proceeds of our advancement efforts and the extant assets we have at hand, we are certain that Lehigh's future will be extraordinary. In advance of the formal and public launch of our next campaign, together with all of you, we will be spending the next 18 months refining and expanding on our institutional priorities for the next decade and beyond. This work will inform, direct and encourage our fundraising priorities and initiatives. Now and throughout the 18 month period ahead, I will be engaged in this process with all of you.

We have reached this stage in no small part due to the hard work and tireless efforts during the past eight years of Vice President for Advancement Joe Kender ’87, ’93G. Having arrived at this threshold and having achieved so much for Lehigh, Joe related to me his interest in pursuing new career opportunities. Having considered and discussed all in the context of the work at hand and ahead, Joe and I have concluded that now is the ideal and opportune time to make a transition.

I will begin a national search immediately and will secure in the near term our next outstanding leader for Advancement at Lehigh. During this transition period, day-to-day operations of our advancement efforts will continue to be managed by John Welty, Deputy Vice President for Advancement. I have also appointed an Interim Advancement Advisory Committee to determine strategy for our Advancement until the new Vice President is on board.

As we embrace the opportunity to search for a new Vice President for Advancement to work with us and lead our advancement efforts, Joe will conclude his work with us at the end of the month. I know that all of you join me in expressing our heartfelt appreciation and thanks to Joe for his combined seventeen years of service to Lehigh University. During his tenure, Joe has overseen the growth of the Advancement Office and as a result, Lehigh has moved from raising $50M per year to nearly $80M last year. He oversaw the successful conclusion of the Shine Forever Campaign and has led us through the planning and start of our next campaign, already securing for Lehigh nearly $400M toward that effort. While Joe considers his next endeavor, it will come as no surprise that he has agreed to be available to me as a resource.

This is a most special and exciting time for all of us in the Lehigh family. As we continue to pursue and achieve during the next 150 years the vision and objectives of our founder Asa Packer, the opportunities at hand and ahead are and will be unlimited. For our next Vice President for Advancement, as it is for me, it will be a most special honor, privilege and joy to realize these dreams with the help of all of you. 

Sincerely,

John Simon