Lafayette has launched the Center for Community Engagement to support and expand experiential learning opportunities through partnerships with communities at the local, national, and global levels.

According to Provost Wendy Hill, community-based learning teaches students how to integrate knowledge from their courses with knowledge gained from collaborating with and learning with, about, and from those in the larger community.

At the annual Community-Based Learning and Research Expo, Provost Wendy Hill announces the creation of the Center for Community Engagement and the appointment of Professor Debbie Byrd as its inaugural director.

“Lafayette is not just a place where we focus exclusively on what we learn from text. Here we also focus on knowledge that is realized and experienced in real-world situations,” she says. “We have many, many learning experiences that offer students opportunities to engage with the community. This center creates the infrastructure necessary to make these efforts much more intentional and support our faculty, staff, and students.”

The Center for Community Engagement will unite all community-based learning under one umbrella, says Hannah Stewart-Gambino, dean of the College.

“The center operates under a unified college-wide vision of experiential learning and community partnerships,” she explains. “It is focused on ensuring that student learning is central to all the experiences and that the experiences are of mutual benefit to our students and the community.”

A partnership between the academic and campus life divisions, the center allows students to become more easily connected with the full spectrum of opportunities available at Lafayette.

“Students enter that spectrum in different ways. Some might enter it through a course and then seek more opportunities through the Landis Community Outreach Center. Or they might enter through the Landis Center and want to take a course that incorporates community-based learning,” Stewart-Gambino explains. “The beauty of bringing it all together is the recognition that learning occurs across the entire spectrum. It tends to be transformational, no matter where it occurs. And this center creates a greater visibility and coordination among all of those opportunities.”

The center’s recently appointed director, Debbie Byrd, professor of English and women’s and gender studies, has been involved in community-based learning and research focused on young parents for about a decade.

Kristin Anderson ’14 and Deborah Byrd, professor of English, stand in the storage room at the Easton Area Neighborhood Center as part of a community-based research project. Byrd will take on the role of director of the College’s new Center for Community Engagement.

“Community-based learning gives students a sense of agency,” she says. “They learn that they can make a difference in the world. So, it promotes the idea that they can be involved in civic engagement for the rest of their lives. It teaches them that problems are typically quite complex and that teamwork and bringing together knowledge from various disciplines is absolutely essential. It also offers a human face to the statistics and makes all of the book learning really hit home.”

Bonnie Winfield, director of the Landis Center since 2006, has been named director of community partnerships. In her previous role, Winfield worked with Amber Zuber, Landis Center associate director, to foster College-community partnerships that contribute to the well-being of communities locally and globally. Winfield—a member of the Easton City Planning Commission—teaches a community-based course in which students interact with incarcerated women.

Winfield holds a Ph.D. in peace studies from Syracuse University. In her new role, she will continue her efforts to build mutually beneficial partnerships in the community.

“Community-based learning is about reciprocity, and it’s intentional,” she says. “People are doing great work. Through the new center, the College will come together to look at best practices, consider our effects on the community, and measure that effect. I think this is a step that can lead to something really amazing that will highlight and enhance all the work that we’re doing.”

Byrd and Winfield will be located in the center’s new office at 522 March St., adjacent to the Residences at March Street, a student residence hall.

A steering committee of students, faculty, staff, and community members is at work shaping the direction of the center and developing an infrastructure to create and sustain momentum. They also expect to connect with alumni to draw on their experiences and seek opportunities for partnership.

See more Reunion coverage
View more images of the parade, dances, and socials on Flickr
View more images of the step singing and the 50-Plus Club and Class of 1963 socials on Flickr

Parade

Socials and Dances

Step Singing and 50-Plus and Class of 1963 Receptions

Dave Gnopo ’15, an international student from the Ivory Coast, was able to teach the Malagasy students about the TOEFL and financial aid for international students from personal experience.

The Lafayette Initiative for Malagasy Education (LIME) was featured in the June 13 edition of USA TODAY College. The article, “American Students Pave Way for High Schoolers in Madagascar,” highlights the work Lafayette students have done in the country over the last three years.

Read the USA TODAY article
Read more about LIME

The program also was recently featured on PBS39 WLVT’s “Tempo” program.

Started by students under the guidance of David Stifel, associate professor of economics, LIME is a peer mentoring program that helps Malagasy students navigate the daunting process of applying to U.S. colleges and universities. For the past three winter breaks, a select group of students has traveled to Madagascar to work with students from the Lycee Andohalo public high school. They focus on a variety of skills, including preparing for the SAT and the Test of English as a Foreign Language, filling out admission forms, and practicing English, a third language for most students behind Malagasy and French.

Andy Munoz ’15, left, makes a new friend while working on a water filtration project in Honduras through Engineers Without Borders.

Sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the scholarships provide grants of up to $5,000 to help offset the costs of a study abroad experience. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and encouraged to choose non-traditional destinations, especially those outside Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

In Costa Rica, Andujar is hoping to gain a better grasp of speaking, writing, and reading Spanish. He grew up surrounded by the language as his parents are Spanish-speaking as well as some of his friends and six other students who live with Andujar in the Grossman House for Global Perspectives, but he never mastered the language himself.

“My goal is that by next spring, when I travel to Puerto Rico, I will be having dreams in Spanish,” he says.

This summer, Andujar received a Humanity in Action Fellowship to explore different national histories of discrimination and resistance to injustice, as well as examples of contemporary issues affecting minority groups, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He plans to continue his study of human rights in Costa Rica. San José is home to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which rules on cases regarding violations of the American Convention on Human Rights in the 23 countries that ratified it.

“Costa Rica is molding itself from a once-challenged Central American state to a developing and thriving Latin American ambassador to the world,” says Andujar, who serves as public relations officer for Hispanic Society of Lafayette. “I can’t think of anywhere better to begin my international studies of human rights and social justice than here. And I can’t wait to see if all the impromptu bachata dance lessons I got in the Grossman House will pay off.”

Eddie Andujar ’15, right, shares a laugh with Hassaan Khan ’13 during the Muslim Student Association’s Eid-al-Adha dinner.

Muñoz, who will be living with a host family along with Andujar, is excited to study the correlation between political stability and economic growth. He views Costa Rica as a positive role model for other Latin American countries that are caught in a cycle of political violence and economic depression. Citing Costa Rica’s unofficial nickname as the “Switzerland of Latin America,” Muñoz wants to explore why unstable Latin American countries do not emulate their more prosperous and peaceful neighbor.

Muñoz believes his time in Costa Rica will be a stepping stone to his goal of securing a position with the World Bank after graduation. This summer, he is interning at Moody’s, where he will use his passion for writing and research to create solutions that will help make underdeveloped Latin American countries more attractive to investors.

“Though I could easily open up a textbook and learn about [how Costa Rica maintains political stability and fosters economic growth], the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Costa Rican culture and political atmosphere will give me a much more holistic experience,” he says. “I aspire to one day assist the Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries on a more substantial level.”

The first in his family to attend college, Muñoz is inspired by his mother’s transition from living in a poor rural village in the Dominican Republic to raising a family in New York. The Gilman Scholarship, he says, enables him to seize a valuable opportunity.

“The scholarship will allow me to afford the opportunity to actualize my academic and professional goals, and hopefully one day assist in the transformation of each developing Latin American country,” he says.

Like Andujar, Muñoz is a Posse Scholar. He also is president of the College’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and secretary of Hispanic Society of Lafayette. He previously traveled to Honduras with EWB to continue work on a water treatment and distribution system in the remote villages of El Convento and La Fortuna.

See a list of recent Lafayette recipients of national and international scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and post-graduate study

For information on applying for scholarships and fellowships, contact Julia A. Goldberg, associate dean of the College, (610) 330-5521.

Undergraduate

American Academy of Political and Social Science Junior Fellowship

• 2006-07 — Patrick Zboray ’07 [B.S. mathematics/A.B. economics and business]

American Chemical Society Undergraduate Student Award in Environmental Chemistry

• 2010-11 — Brian Peacock ’12 [B.S. civil engineering]

American Society for Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship

• 2010-11 — Scott Mellon ’12 [B.S. biology]
• 2007-08 — Nate Parker ’08 [B.S. biology]

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

• 2013-14 — Eddie Andujar ’15 [A.B. international affairs] and Andy Muñoz ’15 [A.B. international affairs]
• 2012-13 – Joel Vargas ’14 [A.B. film & media studies/engineering studies, Nam Nguyen ’14 [A.B. history/international affairs], and Edwin Liriano ’14 [A.B. international affairs/international economics & commerce
• 2010-11 -- Beatriz De Jesus ’12 [A.B. government and law] and Janka Lovering ’13 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2009-10 — Khadija Abdel Hafiz-Sokaria ’12 [A.B. international affairs], Jasmine Little ’11 [B.S. psychology]

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship

• 2011-12 — Monica Manglani ’13 [B.S. neuroscience]

Davis Projects for Peace Grant

• 2011-12 – Thafhim Siddiqua ’13 [B.S. civil engineering] and Taneesha Tate-Robinson ’13 [A.B. international affairs]
• 2010-11 – Melissa Foley ’12 [B.S. chemistry], Bridget Greeley ’12 [B.S. mathematics], and David Wenger ’12 [B.S. mechanical engineering]
• 2009-10 – Lindsey Getches ’11 [B.S. civil engineering], Bryan Hendrickson ’10 [B.S. civil engineering], Martín Melendro ’11 [A.B. engineering studies], and Ben Swartout ’11 [A.B. engineering studies]
• 2008-09 – Ashley Juavinett ’11 [B.S. neuroscience] and Amanda Pisetzner ’10 [A.B. English/equality and social justice]
• 2007-08 – Nganga Muchiri ’09 [B.S. chemical engineering/A.B. English] and Catherine Munyua ’10 [B.S. biochemistry/A.B. economics and business]
• 2006-07 – Kavinda Udugama ’09 [B.S. electrical and computer engineering]

Department of Homeland Security Undergraduate Scholarship

• 2004-05 — Mark Lodato ’06 [B.S. electrical and computer engineering]

Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst Undergraduate Scholarship

• 2010-11 — Laura Goldberg ’12 [B.S. biology/A.B. German]

Environmental Protection Agency Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Student Fellowship

• 2012-13 — Sarah Hardy ’14 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2010-11 — Melissa Haber ’12 [B.S. biology], Brian Peacock ’12 [B.S. civil engineering], and Michael Thompson ’12 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2009-10 — Kelsey Boyd ’11 [A.B. policy studies]
• 2006-07 — Hannah Fink ’09 [B.S. biology]
• 2004-05 — Kate Buettner ’07 [B.S. chemistry]

Environmental Protection Agency National Network for Environmental Management Studies Fellowship

• 2004-05 — Kristen Tull ’06 [A.B. engineering/international affairs]

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Fellowship

• 2001-02 — Crystal Taylor ’03 [A.B. mathematics]

Goldwater Scholarship

• 2012-13 — Hannah Weaver ’14 [B.S. physics]
• 2011-12 — Emily Defnet ’13 [B.S. chemistry], Chris Kelly ’13 [A.B. geology/international affairs]
• 2010-11 — Michael Thompson ’12 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2009-10 — Lauren Huyett ’11 [B.S. chemical engineering]
• 2007-08 — Megan Cummins ’09 [B.S. biology/mathematics], James Vasta ’10 [B.S. biochemistry]
• 2006-07 — Jaryd Freedman ’08 [B.S. biochemistry]
• 2005-06 — Frank Cortazar ’07 [B.S. biochemistry], Matthew Coughlin ’07 [B.S. chemistry], Michael Elzinga ’07 [B.S. mechanical engineering/A.B. physics], Jordan Tirrell ’08 [B.S. mathematics]
• 2004-05 — Katie Thoren ’06 [B.S. chemistry]
• 2003-04 — Megan Coyer ’05 [B.S neuroscience], LeAnn Dourte ’05 [B.S. mechanical engineering]
• 2002-03 — Alison Campbell ’04 [B.S. biochemistry], Gabriella Engelhart ’05 [B.S. chemical engineering], Elizabeth Ponder ’04 [B.S. biochemistry/A.B. cultural biomedicine], Meghan Ramsey ’04 [B.S. neuroscience]
• 2001-02 — Alyssa Picchini ’04 [B.S. neuroscience], Daniel Ruddy ’03 [B.S. chemistry]
• 2000-01 — Daniel Swarr ’03 [B.S. physics/A.B. mathematics]
• 1999-2000 — Matthew Patton ’02 [B.S. computer science]

Henry Luce Foundation Fellowship

• 2003-04 — Hart Feuer ’05 [A.B. economics & business/German]

Humanity in Action Summer Fellowship

• 2012-13 — Eddie Andujar ’15 [A.B. international affairs]
• 2007-08 — Max Minckler ’10 [A.B English/philosophy of religion]
• 2006-07 — Felix Forster ’09 [B.S. mathematics/A.B. economics and business]

IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Undergraduate/Pre-Graduate Scholarship

• 2003-04 — Prashant Poddar ’04 [B.S. electrical & computer engineering/A.B. economics & business]
• 2002-03 — Guangxi Wang ’03 [B.S. electrical & computer engineering]
• 2001-02 — Soumya Chandramouli ’02 [B.S. electrical & computer engineering]
• 2000-01 — Feiyu Wang ’01 [B.S. electrical engineering/A.B. economics & business]

Microsoft Scholarship Award

• 2004-05 — Joseph Crobak ’06 [B.S. computer science]
• 2002-03 — Alexandru Balan ’03 [B.S. computer science/A.B. mathematics-economics]
• 2001-02 — Matthew Patton ’02 [B.S. computer science]

Morgan Stanley Richard B. Fisher Scholarship

• 2007-08 — Eduardo Diaz ’10 [A.B. economics and business]

National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship

• 2004-05 — Susan Bothwell ’05 [B.S. neuroscience]

National Institute of Standards and Technology Research Fellowship

• 2006-07 — Clark Britan ’08 [B.S. mechanical engineering]

North American Nature Photography Association Scholarship

• 2007-08 — Ryan Clark ’08 [A.B. international studies and engineering/B.S. civil engineering]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship

• 2010-11 — Zach Gold ’13 [B.S. biochemistry]

Public Policy and International Affairs Program Fellowship

• 2009-10 — Ting Chiu ’11 [A.B. English and psychology]
• 2008-09 –Cara Brumfield ’10 [A.B. social inequality and identity politics]

Tau Beta Pi Scholarship

• 2007-08 — William (Ben) Towne ’09 [B.S. electrical and computer engineering]
  2008-09 — Lucas Zmroczek ’10 [B.S. electrical and computer engineering]

Udall Scholarship

• 2012-13 — Sarah Hardy ’14 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2010-11 — Brian Peacock ’12 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2008-09 — Michael Adelman ’10 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2007-08 — Michael Adelman ’10 [B.S. civil engineering], William (Ben) Towne ’09 [B.S. electrical and computer engineering]
• 2003-04 — Gabriella Engelhart ’05 [B.S. chemical engineering], Hart Feuer ’05 [A.B. economics & business/German]
• 2002-03 — Hart Feuer ’05 [A.B. economics & business/German]

U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship

• 2010-11 — Alison Finn ’12 [A.B. history/religious studies

Post-Graduate

Beinecke Scholarship

• 2012-13 -- Joel Vargas ’14 [A.B. film and media studies]
• 2010-11 — Tyler Bamford ’12 [A.B. history]
• 2007-08 — Patrick D. Kelley ’09 [A.B. mathematics/music]
• 2004-05 — Alex Gendler ’06 [A.B. English/philosophy]

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant

• 2004-05 –Jessica Merkel-Keller ’04 [B.S. neuroscience/A.B. biomedical ethics]

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellowship

• 2007-08 — Diana Galperin ’08 [A.B. international affairs/French]

Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results Graduate Fellowship

• 2012-13 — Melissa Haber ’12 [B.S. biology]
• 2005-06 — Kristen Tull ’06 [A.B. engineering/international affairs]

Fulbright Grant

• 2012-13 — Alec Bernstein ’11 [B.S. civil engineering], Nicole Dieterich ’13 [B.S. neuroscience], and Chris Kelly ’13 [A.B. international affairs/geology]
• 2011-12 — Kelly McNulty ’11 [A.B. anthropology & sociology/American studies], Mathew Pezon ’10 [B.S. chemical engineering/A.B. Spanish], and Justin Barry ’12 [A.B. English/international affairs]
• 2010-11 — Brian Carey ’11 [B.S. civil engineering/A.B. economics], Mildred Gonzalez ’11 [A.B. psychology/English], and Susan Grunewald ’11 [A.B. Russian and East European studies], and Jessica Counihan ’10 [B.S. chemistry/A.B. architecture]
• 2009-10 — Jenny Boyar ’08 [A.B. English/psychology], Amanda Pisetzner ’10 [A.B. English/equality and social justice], and Bradley Williams ’10 [A.B. multimedia design and marketing]
• 2008-09 — Kristen Lahoda ’08 [A.B. international affairs], Ricardo Rodriguez ’09 [A.B. international affairs], and Elizabeth Roman ’09 [A.B. psychology/French]
• 2007-08 — Deirdre Maher ’08 [A.B. English/art], Stephanie Morillo ’08 [A.B. creative media and social justice], Michael Zboray ’08 [A.B. German/economics & business], Danielle Horowitz ’08 [A.B. government & law/Spanish], Diana Galperin ’08 [A.B. international affairs/French], and Karen Bouldin ’08 [A.B. international affairs]
• 2006-07 — Danielle Bero ’07 [A.B. creative mediums and social justice], Lisa Lovallo’07 [A.B. Spanish/economics and business], Adam Callaghan ’07 [A.B. English/German], and Briana Niblick ’06 [B.S. civil engineering/A.B. German]
• 2005-06 — Emily Groves ’05 [A.B. English], Matt Verbyla ’06 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2004-05 — Hart Feuer ’05 [A.B. economics and business/German], Teva Miller ’04 [A.B. English/German]
• 2003-04 — Shara Gregory ’04 [A.B. international affairs/German (also awarded a Fulbright Austrian Government Teaching Assistantship in English)], Tarik Ghanim ’03 [B.S. electrical and computer engineering; A.B. international studies], Michael Lestingi ’04 [B.S mechanical engineering; A.B. international studies/Russian & East European Studies], Gregory Domber ’97 [A.B. history/philosophy]
• 2002-03 — Jessica Coakley ’03 [A.B. international affairs/economics & business]
• 2000-01 — Sarah Glacel ’01 [A.B. Russian & East European Studies/international affairs]
• 1999-2000 — Sarah Eremus ’00 [A.B. Spanish/Japanese studies]

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship

• 2008-09 — Frank Sabatini ’09 [A.B. English]
• 2007-08 — Chiquita Palha De Sousa ’08 [A.B. art/B.S. biology]
• 2004-05 — Hart Feuer ’05 [A.B. economics & business/German]
• 2003-04 — William Simmons ’04 [A.B. English/philosophy]

Jacob K. Javits Fellowship

• 2006-07 — Julie Phelan ’05 [A.B. art/psychology]
• 2003-04 — Amanda Roth ’04 [A.B. philosophy/women’s studies]

James Madison Fellowship

• 2000-01 — Shannon Tyburczy ’01 [A.B. history/Russian & East European studies]

Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme

• 2011-12 — Scott Kominkiewicz ’12 [A.B. history/anthropology and sociology]

National Defense Science/Engineering Graduate Fellowship

• 2007-08 — Meredith White ’06 [B.S. biochemistry]
• 2000-01 — Steve Ryder ’01 [B.S. mechanical engineering]

National Institutes of Health-Cambridge University Scholarship

• 2004-05 — Alyssa Picchini ’04 [B.S. neuroscience]

National Institutes of Health Post-baccalaureate Fellowship

• 2003-04 — Alyssa Picchini ’04 [B.S. neuroscience]

National Institutes of Health-Intramural Research Training Award

• 2010-11 — Natalia Ibanez ’10 [B.S. neuroscience]
• 2006-07 — Melissa Kirk ’05 [B.S. biology]

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

• 2012-13 — Ashley Juavinett ’11 [B.S. neuroscience] and Ashley Kaminski ’13 [B.S. chemical engineering]
• 2011-12 — Brian Carey ’11 [B.S. civil engineering/A.B. economics], Alicia Clark ’11 [B.S. mechanical engineering], Matthew Verbyla ’06 [B.S. civil engineering], and Heidi Verheggen ’12 [B.S. mathematics/A.B. economics]
• 2010-11 — Robert Elliott ’11 [B.S. civil engineering], Melissa Gordon ’11 [B.S. chemical engineering], and Lauren Huyett ’11 [B.S. chemical engineering]
• 2009-10 — Alyssa Batula ’09 Ashley Cramer ’10 [B.S. chemical engineering], Scott Crown ’08 [B.S. chemical engineering], Ryan McGinnis ’09 [B.S. mechanical engineering]
• 2007-08 — Christine Moore ’08 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2004-05 — Katelyn Connell ’04 [B.S. biochemistry], Gabriella Engelhart ’05 [B.S. chemical engineering], Elizabeth Ponder ’04 [B.S. biochemistry/A.B. cultural biomedicine]
• 2003-04 — Lauren Sefcik ’04 [B.S. chemical engineering]
• 2002-03 — Jessica Molek ’03 [B.S. chemical engineering]
• 1999-2000 — Ian Rippke ’00 [B.S. electrical engineering]

National Society of Professional Engineers Steinman Fellowship

• 2007-08 — Meghan Vellotti ’08 [B.S. mechanical engineering]

NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

• 2007-08 — Jaryd Freedman ’08 [B.S. biochemistry]
• 2004-05 — Stephen Bono ’05 [B.S. civil engineering]
• 2003-04 — Meghan Ramsey ’04 [B.S. neuroscience]

Socrates Fellowship

• 2011-12 — Ashley Juavinett ’11 [B.S. neuroscience]
  

Tau Beta Pi Fellowship

• 2006-07 — Nikolce Gorevski ’07 [B.S. chemical engineering]

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship

• 2011-12 — Samantha Jordan ’13 [A.B. international economics and commerce]

Victory Scholarship

• 2011-12 – Sarah McGorry ’12 [A.B. economics], Jim Mower ’12 [A.B. government and law]
  

The plaza is named in honor of Edward W. Ahart ’69, chair of the Board of Trustees, and Catherine Ahart P’97 ’03 in recognition of their commitment to the development of the Williams Arts Campus and in tribute to the family’s devotion to the College over several decades. Cathy is an active and enthusiastic partner and participant in service to Lafayette, and the family members are benefactors of the College’s Ahart Family Scholarship Fund.

Their daughters, Amy ’97 and Alison ’03, married to Thomas DiGiovanni ’96 and Shaw Williams ’03, gave special remarks during the event. Gary A. Evans ’57, trustee emeritus, and President Daniel H. Weiss also spoke.

The plaza received a Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Commercial Real Estate Development Award last year. In 2010, it was one of several architectural projects selected to represent the United States in the prestigious Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space.

The plaza is part of the Williams Arts Campus, which will also include Lafayette’s film & media studies and theater programs with a black box theater, state-of-the-art film theater, sound stage, costume and scene shop, rehearsal studio, and high-tech media and teaching lab.

On opening night of Reunion Weekend, President Daniel H. Weiss devoted his last State of the College address to recapping a period of remarkable growth in which he occasionally sat in the hot seat.

“During a time of duress and challenge in higher education nationally and internationally—financially, educationally, and otherwise—this college has gotten demonstrably stronger on almost every measure,” Weiss said. “We have pushed forward and advanced our strategic objectives in ways that have made a difference and that will endure.”

Steps to strengthen Lafayette’s academic core include increasing the size of the faculty. The College, he noted, has hired 20 of a proposed 35 new professors, an impressive feat at a time when many higher-education institutions are freezing or reducing faculty sizes. Teachers already on staff have been kept on with support ranging from higher salaries to lower classroom loads under the Faculty Excellence Initiative.

Faculty and students will benefit from a host of academic improvements made on Weiss’ watch. He pointed to curricular revitalization, new engineering endowments, and several new academic programs. He said if the new center dubbed IDEAL, an initiative to integrate engineering with the liberal arts, “prospers in the way I expect it will, it will be a defining characteristic for us.” Buildings that will be completed include the Williams Arts Campus on North Third Street and the Oechsle Center for Global Education. The former project extends the College’s expanding commitment to the arts and to revitalization in Easton; the latter is part of a growing investment in global citizenship.

During Weiss’ tenure the campus has become more recreational and cultural. Replacing driveways with walkways in the central campus has made the Quad more human and humane. Every athletic facility but one has been renovated. Issues surrounding the College’s commitment to athletics, including the issue of athletic scholarships, were worked through. Providing scholarships is “the right thing over the long term,” Weiss said. “We were able to achieve a result that allows us to compete effectively in the Patriot League, which is exactly the right place for Lafayette.”

On-campus activities have elevated Lafayette’s off-campus reputation, including a 2012 conference on the future of the liberal arts college in America and visits this spring by Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist-conservationist; Jimmy Carter, the former president turned global humanitarian; and Tony Blair, the ex-British prime minister and current Middle East peace ambassador.

The question-and-answer session was, as usual, all over the map. Weiss explained that there are not enough ROTC participants for Lafayette to resume hosting the military program. There are not enough resources, he pointed out, for the College to become a university. Small colleges like Lafayette, he added, already represent “the gold standard” in American education.

Perhaps the most intriguing question came from Dave Thomsen ’61, who asked why so many speakers at Lafayette and on other campuses are liberal. Weiss said, “Higher education in America today is much more friendly to liberal points of view than to conservative ones. These environments are not nearly as tolerant and open to all views on the political spectrum as they should be. I think Lafayette is better than many on this front, but’s something we need to keep an eye on.”

Weiss received a new chair, a gift from the Alumni Association for eight years of service beyond the call. It was presented by David Reif ’68, association president. The group also presented him with another gift: a donation in his late father’s memory to a research foundation for colon cancer. Weiss personalized his first present by sitting in it right way. He seemed very comfortable in his new chair; suddenly, Colton Chapel became his living room.

“I’m very grateful to many of you for all of your support over the years. This is indeed a very difficult and bittersweet time for me. I believe very strongly that institutional leadership needs to remain vibrant and healthy, and it’s always best to leave an institution at a time of prosperity and progress,” Weiss said. “Alison Byerly and I have worked closely together over the last six months or so, and I believe that she’s very well prepared to continue the work. She has outstanding values, she understands Lafayette well, and she’s very smart. I think she’ll do a wonderful job.”

President Daniel H. Weiss opened the ceremony and Michael Whitman ’82, co-chair of the society with his wife, Linda Tedori Whitman ’83, gave the dedicatory remarks.

The society was founded in 2006 and named in honor of Cyrus S. Fleck Sr. ’20, long-time Lafayette supporter, volunteer, and trustee. Alumni who make gifts for five or more consecutive years qualify for membership. There are more than 4,200 members.

Those who have provided at least 10 years of consistent support are recognized with bricks.

Staff members helped attendees locate their bricks along the new walkways. Instructions are also available on the development website.

The award, which spans seven collegiate divisions, will be presented to McCutcheon Saturday during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 48th Annual Convention in Orlando.

Now in his 12th year at the helm of Lafayette athletics, McCutcheon has orchestrated a far-reaching upgrade to athletics facilities, bolstered the coaching staffs and other personnel, played a key role in the development of a visual identity program, implemented a comprehensive leadership development program for student-athletes, and built upon Lafayette’s long-standing tradition of scholar-athlete excellence.

Early in his tenure, McCutcheon spearheaded the creation of an athletic facilities master plan, which resulted in a $23 million renovation of Fisher Stadium, the construction of a stadium for baseball, the renovation of the soccer stadium, and the construction of a new softball stadium.

Additionally, the track and field program relocated to Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex, where a new track opened for competition in 2009 and hosted the Patriot League Championships in 2011.

Also in 2011, McCutcheon introduced the Oaks Leadership Academy as a comprehensive program to develop, challenge, and support Lafayette student-athletes and coaches in their quest to become effective leaders in academics, athletics, and life. Lafayette’s scholar-athletes have excelled under McCutcheon’s watch, with graduation rates among the nation’s best, prestigious postgraduate scholarships awards, and Academic All-America and Patriot League academic honors.

Recently, McCutcheon led the effort to have Lafayette host the 150th meeting of college football’s most-played rivalry, Lafayette vs. Lehigh, at Yankee Stadium. McCutcheon also serves on the Football Championship Subdivision’s Athletic Directors Association Executive Committee and serves as chair of the Patriot League’s Committee on Athletic Administration.

All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada ,and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty, and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments.

Additionally, each AD’s institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.

Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents, and conference commissioners. Special selection committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former commissioners, and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award.

More than 1,200 alumni returned June 7-9 to enjoy Reunion Weekend with their classmates. Here’s an inside view of the groups marking key anniversaries: 5^th, 25^th, and 50^th.

Read or watch the annual State of the College address
Read about the special event on Gettysburg, Lafayette, and the Civil War
Read about the Reunion College session with Class of ’63 physicians discussing medicine
Read about the rededication of Fleck Society bricks
Read about the dedication of Ahart Plaza

Photo galleries and video will be featured Tuesday.

They came to Reunion 2013 for usual reasons: to greet best friends from their best years; to share old pictures and new stories. They returned to campus for unusual reasons: to share a program with a former teacher; to build a case for convincing a nephew to attend Lafayette. They reunited in usual ways in an unusual way, mixing with members of other classes through a new food-and-drink incentive called the Campus Crawl.

CLASS OF 2008

Allison Quigley ’08

Standing on Anderson Courtyard’s grass esplanade, Allison Quigley ’08 described her agreement with her fiancé, Jason Brenner ’07, to not attend each other’s five-year reunions. Since they live together, she explained, they already see enough of each other. More important, going stag means that Quigley has much more time to see people “I haven’t seen forever.”

Chris Johnston ’08 and Sarah Kolb ’07 have another kind of reunion pact. She agreed to attend his fifth-year reunion because he attended hers. Another member of the pact pack is Lai Huang ’07, who celebrated reunion by lunching with Michiko Okaya, director of Lafayette art galleries including the one in Williams Center for the Arts, where Huang worked as an undergraduate.

Lamar Smith (L-R), Danielle Bero ’07, Sarah Kolb ’07, Lai Huang ’07, and Chris Johnston ’08

Kolb was joined by her maid-of-honor, Danielle Bero ’07, Pepper Prize winner. Bero was accompanied by Lamar Smith, with whom she worked in the Kids in the Community program run by the Landis Community Outreach Center. Their friendship exemplifies the College’s expanding partnership with the City of Easton, its closest local partner.

This improving town-and-gown alliance impressed Johnston, grandson and great-grandson of Lafayette graduates. He was especially impressed by the College’s plan to develop a Third Street arts complex and by the first-rate restaurants in Easton.

More than 170 members attended, a healthy turnout for a class of about 600. Class president Carolyn Romney relished a panel on broadcast journalism where she discussed her role as a political analyst during the student-run telecast of the 2006 elections. It was one of many memories of “a magical time.”

CLASS OF 1988

Reunion chair Beth Freebairn stressed the importance of enduring campus friendships as her classmates partied on Pardee Terrace, where Campus Crawl attractions included a Long Island iced tea advertised as “almost CHT [College Hill Tavern].” Freebairn thanked her sorority sisters for helped her navigate a tricky course as a pioneer computer science major. No wonder she tells her children to choose a college that fits them socially as well as academically.

Beth Freebairn ’88

Tightening old school ties led Jonathan Conner to travel from Geneva, Switzerland, where he is headquartered as head of J.P. Morgan’s private bank for Middle Eastern clients. He especially wanted to meet fellow members of the “McKeen gang” who once lived in the resident hall’s basement.

Conner bonded by spending the weekend in McKeen’s basement. He bonded in College Hill Tavern by sharing more than 400 old photos, transferred to his iPad, with nearly 30 fellow Delta Tau Deltas.

Amit Mohindra ’88

Like Conner, Amit Mohindra came from a great distance (California). Like Freebairn, he ran in a Reunion 3K; in fact, four of the 10 runners were ’88ers. His reflections ranged from rowing crew to taking pivotal courses in labor economics and econometrics. He praised his professors for preparing him for his job as a workforce intelligence analyst, predicting health-care trends in a new field known as “Big Data.”

Mohindra returned to campus partly to compile information to persuade his nephew to accept Lafayette’s invitation to join the Class of 2017. He plans to strengthen his campaign by citing the College’s alliance with Engineers Without Borders, a worldwide humanitarian group, and a new initiative to integrate engineering with the liberal arts. Mohindra also recruited a half-dozen of his former teachers to serve as his nephew’s mentors.

Jonathan Conner ’88

Class correspondent Tim Hylan could serve as a reunion role model. He grew up in a reunion-friendly family. He has a natural curiosity for observing how classmates change and don’t change over the decades, how reunions unfreeze “frozen moments of time.” He’s particularly curious why some graduates “drop off the planet” while others “bleed maroon.”

A 25^th reunion, Hylan continued, is a superior source of material for class notes. Here’s another possible item: I met Beth Freebairn for the first time since 1979, when I co-directed her youth group at First Presbyterian Church in Easton, where her father Harry is still minister.

CLASS OF 1963

Buck Crebs ’63

One of the reasons that Clyde “Buck” Crebs missed ALL of his previous reunions is that he was too busy traveling the world as a managing director for a secure-transportation company. One of the reasons he attended his first reunion was the chance to see Bill McClure, his former football teammate. In fact, it was McClure who helped coax Crebs to finally play the reunion game.

Crebs was interviewed in Skillman Library, where he was waiting to hear three physician classmates discuss the last 50 years of medicine. His own half-century was shaped by two very different Lafayette leaders. He was mentored by the late George McGaughey–freshman football coach, director of intramurals, a “stand-up man” who trained young athletes to stand up.

Crebs received another valuable lesson in responsibility from the late K. Roald Bergethon, Lafayette’s president from 1958 to 1978. “Look to your right, look to your left,” said Bergethon on Crebs’ first day on College Hill, “because at least one of these people will be gone after this year.”

Mark Shyman, a fellow English major, gave his Lafayette MVP award to the late William W. Watt, the fabled literature professor and humorist.

Mark Shyman ’63

Shyman noted that Watt “set me up” to understand the importance of communicating, passionately and properly. Shyman thanked Watt in a poem that was published in a College literary magazine.

Stan Wetschler, another funny classmate, recalled saving the dignity of his fraternity in an annual athletic-academic competition among social organizations. Alpha Chi Rho had zero points, he pointed out, until he earned a point by winning an Ugly Man contest. “It’s the only thing in my life that I won,” said Wetschler with a deadpan look. After a comic pause, he added: “I continue to carry on the tradition of being ugly.” Another beat. “So that was worth something.”

Ron Garfunkel ’63

Yes, at times the ’63 reunion resembled a comedy convention. Ron Garfunkel, reunion chair for 40 years, envisioned 60^th-reunion uniforms as hospital gowns with paper slippers, “because by then walking will be optional.” Don Miller predicted he would attend his 75^th reunion “in an urn.”