President George W. Bush Visits Lehigh as Part of Compelling Perspectives

George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States and founder of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, spoke at Lehigh on Oct. 29 as the first guest in the 2026-27 Compelling Perspectives programming. The event marked the first time a sitting or former U.S. president has visited Lehigh.

Compelling Perspectives aims to create a forum for civil discourse on critical issues affecting society. The series’ theme for this academic year is “Bridging Divides: Democracy, Civic Service and Leadership for a Shared Future.”

More than 1,600 students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members gathered in Stabler Arena to hear Lehigh President Joseph J. Helble ’82 and Bush engage in a conversation about the state of American democracy, the challenges facing the nation and building a more connected future.

Many current students were driven by a specific curiosity to see a president and hear about events, policies and perspectives from his time in office firsthand—all occurring before they were born or early in their childhood.

“Being born before [Bush’s] administration makes me more detached to what events occurred during his administration and what policies he implemented,” said Valeria Carbajal-Velez ’28, a political science major.

Curiosity about what Bush has to say is what got her to attend, she said, adding that the theme “fits perfectly for the upcoming midterm elections.”

Charlie Levin ’30 was excited for the event, understanding just how rare and special the moment was at Lehigh.

“Hearing from a former president in person, it’s a once-in-a lifetime thing,” Levin said.

Jade Bond ’27, a bioengineering major, said she was drawn to attend since she enjoys seeing speaking engagements on campus and hearing different perspectives.

“I think it can only strengthen your own personal views,” Bond said. “Even if it’s not something you agree with, it’s really important to hear the other side, and I think it’s really helpful and valuable.”

Friends of Lehigh also gathered for the conversation. Reverend James J. Greenfield, President of DeSales University, attended the event looking forward to Bush’s thoughts about the current state of the country, especially with a national election days away. He was hoping for a grounded perspective.

“We're living in such complicated fractious political times,” Greenfield said.

One community member, who is relatively new to the Lehigh Valley, visited Stabler Arena because of her previous experience with the 43rd president.

In the final months of Bush’s presidency, Jennifer Ledford was on a family trip with her husband and three daughters to Gettysburg National Military Park when a motorcade rolled up. They had no idea who they were about to meet—officials wouldn’t share any information—until the president popped up out of his vehicle.

“It was absolutely wild because we were literally at the spot where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address,” Ledford said as she pulled up a photo with Bush and her family.

She said Bush gave her daughters pins to remember meeting the president and even bent down to pick one up that was dropped and pinned it back on her five year old.

“It was so sweet, it was very dear,” Ledford said.

With the impression Bush left on her and her family, the Upper Saucon Township resident said she couldn’t miss an opportunity to see him speak just up the road from her home.

After the event, the community shared reflections from the hour-long conversation, including the opportunity to absorb and learn.

“I didn’t know a lot of his efforts, and I feel like now the country is very polarized, so to hear that there were times where bipartisan things were more prominent was very interesting to me,” said Kayleigh Jamieson ’29, a bioengineering major.

Finn Guyder ’30 said his main motivation to attend was “having this resource at [his] disposal as a political science major.”

“From a younger person’s perspective, it was really interesting hearing what he had to say about different topics from a different time,” he added.

Zach Chipperson ’29, an electrical engineering major, said he enjoyed hearing Bush speak on a range of issues and the conversation made him feel better about the current division within our country.

“I think what stood out to me the most was his emphasis on history and how looking at history can really give a broader perspective of the political environment of our country,” Chipperson said. “It wasn't really something I'd considered before this and made me feel a lot more optimistic.”

Ed and Karen Boksan MBA’93, an adjunct professor of business at Lehigh, were on the wait list and were thrilled to learn minutes before the event they would be able to attend. They were looking forward to hearing more from Bush about moments they lived through and they were not disappointed.

“It brought me back to the era when he was president,” Karen Boksan said. “The self-deprecating humor is still there. I was wondering if he would have changed a lot just because of how much time has elapsed, but I felt I was right back there with him during his presidency.”