Getting to Know John D. Simon

“Sometimes you can go into an interview and be frozen by the person you’re talking to,” Mary Ellen Alu told me. “But he really put me at ease. It just struck me how open he was.”

The “he” Mary Ellen was referring to, of course, is the individual who graces the cover of this edition of the Bulletin. John D. Simon, who will assume the presidency July 1, has made a concerted effort over the past few months—even while maintaining his incredibly busy schedule at the University of Virginia, where he serves as executive vice president and provost—to visit Lehigh as much as possible.

On one of those visits, in early January, Simon carved out more than an hour to speak with Mary Ellen, who was tasked with writing an in-depth profile about him for the magazine you hold in your hands.  Mary Ellen had the opportunity to speak with John a couple times after that initial meeting, and like so many others who have had the pleasure of meeting him recently, she came away so very impressed with his intellect, his thoughtfulness and his real willingness to listen. As you’ll read in Mary Ellen’s story, that last aspect of his personality has played a key role in helping make him one of the most respected leaders in higher education today. We hope you enjoy our story about John, and hope that you enjoy the rest of what this issue has to offer as well:

• Sure, the game didn’t exactly work out as planned. But when the Lehigh family gathered in New York City this past fall to celebrate the 150th playing of The Rivalry against Lafayette, it marked the single largest gathering of Lehigh alums in our proud history. In our photo essay (“A Weekend Unlike Any Other,” Pg. 34), we look back at some of the many highlights of the weekend.
• Energy is one of the biggest issues facing our nation and world today. And as Kurt Pfitzer details in his fascinating story in this issue (“The Power of Constancy,” Pg. 30), one group of Lehigh researchers is looking to the ocean—and the power of waves—to help solve the world’s energy woes.
• When Robert Zoellner ’54 passed away at age 82 in December, Lehigh lost one of its greatest friends and most generous supporters. It was the gift from Zoellner and his wife, Victoria, of course, that in the early 1990s allowed Lehigh to build the Zoellner Arts Center, which has since brought so much joy, and so much art, to Lehigh and Bethlehem. As Interim President Kevin L. Clayton ‘84, ‘13P says in our tribute piece: “Bob Zoellner was and will remain a Lehigh legend.”

I thank you again for reading the Bulletin, and as always, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to send your letters to the address at the right, or directly to me via email at tih313@lehigh.edu.