An Amazing Place, Building Amazing People

Every once in a while, I come across a story at Lehigh that serves to remind me of something that, in the day to day, I can and do often forget.

That something is this: Lehigh is an amazing place, and it helps build amazing people.

For this issue of the Lehigh Bulletin, I had the pleasure of interviewing two individuals who are making their mark—either on campus or in the wider world—in their own unique ways.

In February, I sat down for a lengthy interview with Dr. Stephen Klasko '74, the CEO and president of Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. I had been reading about Klasko for years, dating back to his time as the transformative leader of the University of South Florida Health System. More recently, I had seen his name pop up in the news all the more frequently—and with good reason. Though he's been at Jefferson only three years, he's led a nearly complete transformation of his fast-growing health system—and in the process, has helped spearhead what he terms a "revolution" in the health care industry, too. The ever-energetic Klasko has big ideas on just about everything—about Jefferson, about his industry, about higher education—and he's not shy (not in the least) about sharing those ideas. You can read more about this health care maverick in our feature story, "Talking About a Revolution."

A few weeks later, I trekked over to the Jacobs Pool to meet with a future Lehigh graduate who also has her sights set on a career in medicine. Kaitlyn Ruffing '17, whom we profile in "Excelling, at Everything," is a remarkable young person—not to mention the representation of a Lehigh student-athlete. In the course of her standout swimming career with the Mountain Hawks, Ruffing has set six school records, earned multiple Patriot League titles, and this year, qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. She's also a double major in music and biology, so one might think that swimming and school would be more than enough to keep Ruffing busy. But no, this future physician also finds the time to compete as a member of Lehigh's track and field team and plays the flute in both the Lehigh Orchestra and wind ensemble. While she admits her days are sometimes hectic, Ruffing says she enjoys everything she's involved with here—and can't fathom giving any of it up. We can only imagine where her career will take her.

Klasko is a dynamo. Ruffing is remarkable. Of that, there simply is no debate.

But what's so impressive about Lehigh is that stories like these are hardly the exception here. They are the rule. Every day, our students, our faculty, our alumni and our staff are doing inspiring work—in research, in teaching, in service, in the classroom and on the fields of play. Our job here at the Bulletin, quite simply, is to tell these stories. I hope you will enjoy this latest batch.

Thanks as always for reading.

Sincerely,

Tim Hyland, Editor