Message from Mohamed El-Aasser and Margaret Plympton--September 16, 2005

As you are doubtless all aware, there are many activities already being organized at Lehigh and in the greater Lehigh Valley through which faculty and staff may contribute their effort, time, and financial resources in support of the Hurricane Katrina victims. In addition, the Lehigh community is finding a myriad of intellectual opportunities to engage with the many environmental, engineering, policy, and humanistic issues that such a national event raises.
We want to draw your attention to Lehigh’s Katrina Web site, where you can find frequently updated information about the many opportunities for engagement. As you can see on the Web site, there are many activities being organized by students, staff and faculty on campus, where additional support would absolutely be valued. We continue to urge your support of the national relief efforts through the Red Cross and other organizations. We also urge you to be mindful of the scale of the disaster and the length of time that will be required for recovery. The Gulf Coast’s recovery calls on each of us to pace ourselves and retain the capacity to provide assistance for a long time to come.
In addition, we want to provide information about a recently formulated Paid Release Time Policy that is now in place. For those who are eligible and interested, we outline the major points of this policy here.
Thanks to all of you who have already contributed so much in response to this national tragedy, and please keep in touch with the Web site for additional information as it is gathered.
Mohamed El-Aasser
Provost
and
Margaret Plympton
Vice President for Finance and Administration