As another year draws to a close, I want to take this opportunity to look back on our
many accomplishments, and to wish the Lafayette community a peaceful and happy holiday.
Throughout 2016, we built bridges to the world, across academic disciplines, and over barriers to
student access and affordability.
In October, students, faculty, and alumni, built a replica of Easton's Northampton Street
bridge on the quad.
It went up during homecoming weekend,
when hundreds of alumni came back to catch up with old friends and revisit a campus
that was celebrating creativity in all its forms with an arts open house.
On top of that, we dedicated William C.Buck Hall, home to the hundred and eighty seat
Landis Cinema, and the Weiss Black Box Theater.
The opening of this building completes the downtown Williams Arts Campus, which serves
as a dramatic gateway to the city of Easton.
With Lafayette in New York City, the college is extending its geographic footprint even
farther, by leasing classroom space in the heart of Manhattan.
Back on campus, twelve new faculty joined our ranks.
And we welcomed the class of 2020, the most diverse and academically qualified in college
history.
That's saying a lot, considering current students captured some of the nation's most prestigious
honors and scholarships, including Lafayette's first Boren Award for International Study.
History professor Deborah Rosen's book won the highly prestigious Bancroft Prize,
and English professor Ian Smith was named the inaugural recipient of the brand new Sell
Chair in the Humanities.
Other faculty are receiving national recognition from important research in climate change,
SOA restoration, and theater in the age of Shakespeare.
Alumni Ross Gay ignited the poetry world, winning a national book critics circle award
and a Kingsley Tufts,
while Yolanda Wisher was named poet laureate of Philadelphia.
We also brought luminaries to campus, such as Sarah Vowell, NPR Radio Personality
and the author of "Lafayette in the Somewhat United States", Civil Rights activist Diane
Nash, astronaut Mae Jemison, and actor Tom Hanks, who joined his friend and collaborator
Don Miller to talk about their shared passion for World War II.
For those of you who want to know what Tom Hanks is really like, I can confirm for the
record that he is every bit as nice a guy as he seems.
More than a 120 students produced a dynamic election night broadcast that aired
live on PBS Chanel 39 to millions of viewers.
And after the election, Lafayettes investment club became the news, when a CNBC reporter
interviewed a few of its members live on campus about how millennials tend to invest.
We said goodbye to several members of our community:
Trustee Emeritus Walter Oechsle, and distinguished Emeritus Professors Bryan Washington and Erol Ulicakli.
We also lost students Sarah Bramley, class of '19, and Joey Towers, class of '18, both
vibrant presences on campus who are already deeply missed.
It was also a year in which we, like college campuses across the country, confronted difficult
issues around race, politics, and expression.
Our students, faculty, and staff came together on several occasions to share thoughts and
concerns related to events occurring around the country.
And members of our community spoke out on critical issues from a wide range of perspectives.
In the world of sports, mid-fielder Amanda Magadan, class of '16, competed in the Junior
World Cup in Chile, as a member of the national women's field hokey team.
She was also named to the patriot league academic honor role, along with 190
of our athletes.
And then there was Chicago Cubs manager Joe Madden, class of '76.
After lifting his team to World Series history, he and his wife Jaye returned home to Lafayette,
where they hosted a party for the campus community on Lafayette-Lehigh weekend.
Shortly after this years game, long time head football coach Frank Tavani announced he was
retiring.
Frank may be remembered best for winning the 150th rivalry game in front
of a sold out crowd at Yankee Stadium.
The college's Live Connected Lead Change Campaign is nearing its goal thanks to the incredible
generosity of our alumni, parents, friends, students, faculty, and staff.
I'm thrilled to announced that we've raised more then 300 million dollars.
This has emboldened us to increase the portion allotted for need based scholarships
in support of a major new initiative to enhance the college's affordability and distinctiveness.
And our goal is to become a college that can admit talented applicants without regard
to their family's financial circumstances.
I began by talking about bridges at Lafayette.
The most important bridges are the ones that connect you with the college, and with one
another.
I'm grateful to all of you for your enthusiasm and support.
From our house to yours, Happy Holidays.