Temporary change of address for LUAA

Life has a way of throwing curveballs at you every once in a while. And on Jan. 22, it happened to us as a pipe burst in the Alumni Memorial Building, resulting in flooding and severe water damage of the Alumni Association and Registrar’s offices.
Some old copies of the Lehigh Epitome yearbooks and countless alumni treasures were either destroyed or sent off to specialists to be salvaged. Staff members lost some treasured personal memorabilia as well, but the bottom line is that everyone is OK. While the offices in the Alumni Memorial Building are being restored, we’ve changed our location temporarily to Williams Hall, a building located in the heart of campus with tons of history of its own (i.e., it was dedicated on Founder’s Day in 1903).
So if you dropped us a note or have tried to contact us during the past week and we didn’t respond, please try again. I’m happy to report that my resilient and truly dedicated staff has once again risen to the occasion. They gathered what they could, moved, set up and became fully operational in less than three days. It wasn't quite Patton’s 8th Army winter movement during the Battle of the Bulge, although we also had to do it in a snowstorm … “Boy, I’m proud of my staff!”
Another project I hope you’re aware of is our recent launching of the 2012 Alumni Directory.  This is a project that we undertake every four or five years. It’s another way that we help you stay connected with Lehigh and each other. We have a contract with a company called Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI) out of Dallas, Texas and they help us collect the latest contact information on all Lehigh alums. I wanted to give you a heads-up that you’ll likely be hearing from a PCI representative—in fact, some of you have already heard from them—and I’m here to assure you that the sole purpose of their call and e-mail is so that we can collect updated contact information for the newest Alumni Directory, a print and CD version of all Lehigh alumni which will be available for purchase. Please know that we have held out a few of our alumni volunteers from this contact because we will be in touch with you on an important attitudinal survey shortly.  We will reach out to you on the directory later in March. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at rww3@lehigh.edu or Robin Flemming at rlf4@lehigh.edu.
Of course, that's not all we have going on these days. Preparations are well underway for the official STEPS Building dedication on March 29 and this year’s Reunion weekend on May 20-22—and we hope you're planning to return, even if it's not your official Reunion year.
And while we're always thrilled to have you come back to Lehigh, we have several programs on the slate in which we will pack up, hit the road, and bring Lehigh to you. For instance, in March, the Career Networking Receptions will help you make the most of your Lehigh family connections and develop your professional network—a vital career-building strategy, whether you're looking for a job right now or not. The CNRs will take place up and down the East Coast, from Boston to Washington, D.C.
Check out our list of upcoming events, and put Lehigh on your calendar! I hope to see you soon.
Robert W. Wolfenden
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations