An Open Conversation

Perched on a stool in Lamberton Hall and flanked by Provost Pat Farrell and Brad Scheler ’74, chairman of Lehigh's board of trustees, President-elect John D. Simon emphasized the importance of communication, responsibility and trust during an April town hall meeting presented by Lehigh’s  Student Senate.

Simon, Farrell and Scheler fielded student questions about various campus issues, including the role of student government, Greek life, global engagement, student housing, health, and diversity and inclusion.
When asked about the positives of Greek life in the Lehigh community, Simon addressed the value of structured community and the responsibility that accompanies it. He also discussed how this type of community-building is not limited to fraternities and sororities, and how the residential experience is an essential part of learning.

Simon stressed the role of communication in a campus community, noting that “you can’t discuss the issues when you’re in crisis.

“Lehigh is not in crisis. It’s an important conversation to have when you can sit down and really talk about what goes on," he said. "Having that conversation in the absence of crisis will allow us to work together better if we do have a crisis.”

Simon emphasized, however, that the absence of crisis does not indicate the absence of serious issues. It's essential, he said, that the university be willing to listen.

“Unless we’re really willing to have a very serious and open dialogue about these issues, what drives these issues, what it is about the culture of the institution that needs to be changed to actually make progress on these issues, we won’t make progress,” said Simon.

Students in attendance appreciated having the opportunity to share their thoughts with the university leadership.

“[Simon, Farrell and Scheler] all were really receptive to everything undergraduates and graduate students brought up, and I think the conversation was a really good one,”said Kerry Mallett ’15, president of the Student Senate. 

“I don’t think we could have found anybody on the planet better than John Simon to be our next president,” said Scheler. “I have to say that I didn’t think he’d be such a dedicated consumer of Lehigh paraphernalia, which is great, but I think that if you had said, ‘Design for us an ideal of who should be our next president,’ we achieved that.”

To Scheler’s point, Simon, who wore a Lehigh sweatshirt over his  dress shirt, revealed that he’s been reading up on—and is excited about—Lehigh’s traditions.

“I think if my back will tolerate it, I’m going to do the bed races,” he said with a laugh.