Passion in action

When the Lehigh men’s basketball team beat second-seeded Duke (75-70) in the NCAA tournament earlier this month, the historic upset created unprecedented national attention for the university.

Lehigh became the #1 Google search term and the #1 trending Twitter hashtag—and ignited Lehigh pride throughout the country. The team’s fantastic season ended with a loss to Xavier (70-58) in the tournament’s third round, but passion for Lehigh and pride in our players’ accomplishments on and off the court lives on. I wrote about Lehigh passion last month, and this is another dynamic demonstration. Thank you for a great season!

I recently attended the Lehigh Alumni Association’s (LUAA) Board of Directors spring meeting and once again saw passion in action. We discussed the Patriot League’s recent athletic merit aid decision, the university’s Campus Master Plan, improvements in Reunion programming, and enhancements to our volunteer programs and regional outreach activities, to name a few.

Looking forward to the board’s annual meeting (May 18—held on campus during Reunion weekend) we will welcome a number of new board members who will start their three-year term on July 1. The LUAA Board of Directors assists and advises the Alumni Association staff in strategic planning to ensure that the activities and programs are implemented in a manner consistent with LUAA’s mission. The board is comprised of committed alumni volunteers—seeing their excitement, passion and new ideas about moving Lehigh forward is inspiring.

Many begin their service to Lehigh on various projects and committees and successfully move up to leadership roles on the LUAA Board of Directors and Trustees. Deborah Zajac ’97 is the epitome, starting on the Young Alumni Council, moving to the Board of Trustees as a Young Alumni Trustee, and currently serving as the LUAA Board of Directors Senior Vice President. She will assume the role of President during the board’s annual meeting.

As a student and alumnus, Michael Connor ‘80 has been involved in Greek life and various committees. Recently, he was a Founding Member and President of the Lehigh Wall Street Council affinity group and last year joined the LUAA Board. This year, he becomes the Senior Vice President who will assume duties as President of the board in 2013.

Young Alumni are integral to the LUAA Board of Directors as demonstrated by Brady Ryan ’00, Sabrina Slater ’05 and Jack Meehan ’10. While they each have had separate and distinct paths, they share a common gratitude for their time on South Mountain and how it has positively impacted their lives. They are dedicated to serving as board members, listening to their peers, and sharing vital counsel with the Alumni Association.

These are just a few examples of the dedicated volunteers joining the board in this year. Look for the full list of LUAA board members in the next Alumni Bulletin magazine, which will be in your mailbox in April. Working with the board, trustees and volunteers on all levels energizes me and my entire team. If you’re looking for ways to get involved, visit volunteer on MyLehigh.

Show your Lehigh passion and get involved today!

Robert W. Wolfenden 
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations

March 2012