Day One

	Bob Wolfenden mingled with many alumni during the 2008 reunion.

Nothing gets me going like Day One. That’s when I’m writing this—Move-In Day 2008, the first day of the academic year. Remember Move-In Day? Already this morning, I’ve directed three future alumni to their residence halls. They looked nervous, but they also looked like they were thrilled to be here at Lehigh. So am I.
Today is my first Day One as assistant vice president for alumni relations, but it’s my 14th first day since I’ve been here at Lehigh. A great first day can give you—your classes, your team, your fraternity, your club—momentum for the whole year and beyond. There are boundless opportunities in a great first day.
I’ve taken on a lot of roles at Lehigh over the past 13 years, including ROTC commander, soccer coach, fraternity adviser and admissions officer. I’ve worked with everyone from prospective students to newly minted graduates, to 50-year reunion classes and beyond. Their passion for Lehigh is what gets me to work in the morning.
I’ve been working with alumni for seven years now, creating programs for young alumni, launching our career solutions program, revitalizing the alumni travel program and expanding our benefits and services to meet your needs. All of these objectives have had one primary goal: to reconnect alumni who had become disengaged since graduation and to make Lehigh relevant in the daily lives of our alums.
That remains my number one responsibility. We’re expanding our outreach programs to bring Lehigh to you, even when you can’t get back to Lehigh, and we’re working on new strategies to stay in touch.
If you feel disengaged, I’m here to find ways to re-engage you. That’s my job. This is your Lehigh, and I want you to believe in it—and if you’ve got ideas for how to make that happen, I want to hear them.
It’s Day One. Let’s get started.
Bob Wolfenden
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations