This Reunion season invites us to reflect on the impact of the Lehigh experience. I am excited to have so many reasons to celebrate the boundless Lehigh spirit reflected in our most recent graduates, the Class of 2023, to our most senior alumni, like Nick Gentile ’53, recognized at this year’s Brown & White Awards Night for 70 years of service and loyalty to Lehigh. Like Nick, Lehigh alumni have an incredible capacity to create positive change around the globe when they share their experiences, ideas, talents and gifts.
Celebrating the Lehigh Spirit
Outgoing LUAA President Mary Beth C. Tully ’84 ’21P ’21P invites alumni to support each other and each generation of Lehigh.
Reunion also celebrates the power and connection of the Lehigh alumni community to each other and to our alma mater. It invites us to both reminisce and reimagine the Lehigh we knew then and lean in to learn more about the Lehigh of today—and tomorrow. For many of us at this year’s Reunion, new buildings like the Business Innovation Building offered a glimpse into how Lehigh aspires to be at the intersection of business and technology. And importantly, Reunion offered alumni a view into Lehigh’s new strategic plan, Inspiring the Future Makers, grounded in Lehigh’s foundational strengths and action that will impact the university for years to come. It is bold and aspirational, and it is Lehigh.
Like many alumni, decades ago I had no idea of how impactful my Lehigh degree would be in my life. Our opportunity as students was to make our “own” Lehigh. And our privilege as alumni is to support each other and each generation of Lehigh. Lehigh alumni are incredible ambassadors because you represent what is possible with a Lehigh education. And as Lehigh educates the next generation of doers, thinkers and future makers, Lehigh—and the world—needs your help. Whether you support students through Lehigh’s Day of Giving, scholarships, answer that LinkedIn message from an undergraduate, attend a First-Year sendoff, participate in Lehigh Connects or wear your Lehigh gear, you are contributing to making our Lehigh community a vibrant and thriving one. Countless alumni opportunities abound to connect, engage and invest in Lehigh today; your life will be enriched by doing so, and I encourage you to learn more by visiting alumni.lehigh.edu.
As I conclude my term as LUAA president, I am grateful to the Lehigh alumni community, especially LUAA’s Board of Directors and volunteers, and the 85,000 Lehigh alumni across the globe who once called South Mountain home. It is an exciting time for Lehigh, rich with promise and purpose, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served Lehigh this past year.
Yours in Brown & White,
Mary Beth C. Tully ’84 ’21P ’21P
Outgoing LUAA President