Changes on South Mountain

Last month, I told you about all the exciting building and renovation projects taking place across campus. Most of them are now complete and the few remaining are moving along at full swing.
Faculty and staff are actually parking in the Alumni Memorial Building parking “pavilion,” while construction workers place the finishing touches to the beautiful new arrival court for visitors. Once complete, the garage will offer more than 300 additional spaces for prospective students and their families, current students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
The Linderman Library renovation project, set for completion early next year, will be the shining star at the heart of our beautiful campus. Friends, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other members of the Lehigh family have already raised $6.1 million toward the total renovation cost of $10 million. We thank all of those who have so generously given to this campaign and hope many of you are still planning on doing so at this important time in the library's history.
The Linderman Project Advisory Committee met in April and saw firsthand the progress inside the building, and the delicate crane ballet of hoisting steel beams to the rooftop level. Larger steel beams will be used in the construction of the new corridor connecting the east and west towers of the building at the fourth floor level. The old travertine wall between the lobby and rotunda is completely gone in anticipation of the new bay window wall.
At this point, almost 75 percent of the structural and demolition work has been completed. The lobby floor has been reconstructed, and is ready to receive the glass block flooring. Interior stone work is now underway.
There will be a hard hat tour of the library during Reunion from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, led by Jean Farrington and Tony Corallo, associate vice president of facilities and campus planning. If you are interested in receiving Linderman Leads, an e-mail update that goes out every six weeks, please e-mail Ainsley Lamberton, associate director of advancement communications, at ael204@lehigh.edu and she will add you to the list.
Speaking of Reunion … I hope to see many of you back on campus to “Recapture the Magic” on June 2-3. We have many exciting activities planned, especially Saturday night's “ReunionFest” and “KidsFest.” To see a list of who is coming and for answers to any of your Reunion questions, visit www.lehighreunion.com. It is never too late to register!
Earlier this month, we sent out a special issue of the Alumni Connection dedicated exclusively to the announcement of our new president, Dr. Alice Gast. Didn't read it? Well, now is the time to get to know our 13th president! To watch a video of Dr. Gast's speech, view her CV and more, click here.
During his eight years as Lehigh president, Greg Farrington often said, “Only the best is good enough for Lehigh! And the appointment of Dr. Gast represents excellence and the best for Lehigh in any way you choose to measure it! She is a visionary and I know that when she begins her tenure here on Aug. 1, she will build on the impressive foundation laid by Greg to take Lehigh to yet another level of academic excellence.
When you receive your next issue of the Alumni Bulletin in the mail in June, I encourage you to give it a good read and pass it on to a friend. The issue is dedicated to Greg Farrington and takes a retrospective look at his eight years of service on South Mountain. If you have any special memories or stories relating to Greg that you wish to share, your Alumni Association wants to hear them. Please send them to classnews@lehigh.edu and let us know if you are comfortable with us sharing your thoughts with others.
In the meantime, I anxiously await the return of Lehigh's alumni, family, and friends this weekend. If you can't make Reunion, but plan on visiting campus at some other time, stop by the Alumni Association to say hello.
Chris Marshall '88
Alumni Director
May 2006