‘An Experience Like No Other’

By Kevin L. Clayton ’84, ’13P, Interim President

There was nothing “interim” about the wonderful year we had at Lehigh University, thanks to the hard work, dedication, and patience of a lot of people.

From academic achievements to athletic triumphs to community engagement in South Bethlehem, the members of our campus com-munity challenged themselves, gave of themselves and achieved much for Lehigh.

Lehigh shined brightly on the national stage as we celebrated the 150th playing of The Rivalry in New York City. The nation took notice as we rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange and as Lehigh’s Choral Arts performed at Carnegie Hall. Our fiercely loyal alumni from near and far gathered to support our football team at Yankee Stadium. Though we may not have emerged victorious from that particularly iconic gridiron, our Lehigh pride remained steadfast, as always.

Here on campus, we were thoughtfully engaged on a number of fronts. We welcomed the Class of 2018, one of the most academically impressive and diverse classes ever admitted to Lehigh. We hosted great minds and stimulated powerful conversations across campus. A few examples would include the MLK Celebration, a lecture by Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfie, journalist Bill Moyers giving the Tresolini Lecture, alum Brooks Zug speaking as part of the Gruhn Distinguished Finance Speaker Series, and the inaugural Women in Business conference. Our campus community made notable strides toward improving our campus climate and becoming more inclusive, as evidenced by the further empowering of the Council for Equity and Community (CEC).

Our world-renowned faculty continued to challenge our students and conduct meaningful and innovative research that only furthered Lehigh’s reputation as one of the nation’s top universities. Our amazing students analyzed, achieved, spoke up and spoke out, making new discoveries through our many innovative and exciting programs such as Mountaintop. Thanks to the approval and endorsement of our Board of Trustees, we officially launched Data X, a strategic university initiative that will expand Lehigh’s capacities for teaching and learning in computer and data science across our four colleges. We are also taking the initial steps in an ambitious campaign to update our campus. We’re calling it Creative Spaces, and it will focus on the renovations of the University Center, Chandler-Ullmann, and Christmas-Saucon.  

We also made significant progress with respect to furthering our partnership with the City of Bethlehem. We partnered with the Bethlehem Economic Development Corporation to reinvigorate the South Bethlehem community by launching the Community Ambassadors Program. In addition, we embarked on a series of collaborative initiatives aimed at providing enhanced safety for our students and community residents alike.
   
This was undoubtedly a year brimming with accomplishments, both inside and outside the classroom, for so many members of the Lehigh family. Their successes are our successes. And Lehigh’s future is extremely bright.
 
This past academic year we selected John D. Simon to serve as our 14th president. Having had the opportunity to spend significant time with John on the transition over the past several months, I could not be more confident that we have found the right individual to move Lehigh forward. John has immersed himself in learning about our past, our present, and our aspirations for the future. He has reached out to and connected with members of our community. With the entire campus community in support of John, I know Lehigh will exceed its goals. 

Like all of you, I look forward to celebrating our Sesquicentennial this fall. And I am eager to witness an even brighter future, ushered in by the thoughtful and dynamic leadership of our new president and the hardworking and brilliant individuals that make Lehigh great: our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and local community.

I’ve had many unforgettable Lehigh experiences in my lifetime. This past academic year, in which I had the opportunity to lead our great university as your interim president, has been a tremendously positive experience like no other. It has truly been an honor to serve in this role. I thank you for your unwavering confidence and support.

We should all be extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished together this past year. Our beloved alma mater is extremely well positioned for the next 150 years. Go Lehigh!