February 20, 2014

Dear Fellow Alumni Board Member: Unpredictable is a good word so far for 2014. President Gast announced her plans to leave Lehigh, crazy amounts of snow here in the Northeast and elsewhere, disruptions to travel, school, etc. etc. The month of March is not far off and we're looking ahead to it as a bright spot on the horizon. It starts off on day one with the spring semester meeting of the LUAA Board! The energy of devoted Lehigh volunteers is sure to bring warmth and cheer to campus as we come together to work towards our goals. Our efforts remain focused on expanding the Lehigh community by enhancing outreach to our diverse community which includes parents and families, graduate students, and graduate alumni. The governance committee has been working with the committee chairs and we are primed and ready for some quality time together. Our role as ambassadors will come into play as we learn about the many efforts underway to improve diversity and inclusion on campus. This stems from concerns made apparent last semester and was touched on at our fall meeting. Dr. Henry Odi '98G, vice provost for academic diversity, will address questions pertaining to Lehigh's recent initiatives on the road to a more unified campus climate. We'll also hear the latest plans for the 150th Rivalry Weekend, November 20-23, 2014. Richard Haas '00 '13G, athletic director of sales and marketing, along with John Welty, associate vice president of advancement, will provide a preview of the varied events lined up Thursday through Sunday, in addition to the 150th playing of the Lehigh Lafayette football game. On behalf of Lehigh alumni and Lehigh University, I would like to thank you for your dedication to your alma mater. I look forward to our upcoming meeting. Let's bring in the month of March with a roar! See you on the 1st.

Michael Connor '80 President, Lehigh University Alumni Association