Letter from the President

Dear LVC Community,

Consistent with LVC’s vision and value proposition statement, our faculty and staff continue implementing innovative ways to prepare students for lifetime success. Last fall, to increase retention, strengthen academic support, and career success for all students, the faculty proposed a day off from classes this spring to concentrate on these goals. This “Academic Advising Day” morphed into the LVC Advising and Career Exploration Day on March 21. The day was so forward-thinking and successful that local and national media outlets featured it.

In addition to focused faculty advising, Dr. T Horning, executive director of the Edward and Lynn Breen Center for Career and Professional Development, and her team reached out to the campus community to create a full day of programming dedicated to helping students and graduates of the past five years become successful young professionals.

The LVC Success Expo featured professional development workshops and presentations, drop-in mentoring with alumni in various careers, and an all-majors jobs and internships fair featuring over 50 potential employers. Students could also meet with Graduate & Professional Studies staff to learn more about our programs and receive an instant decision.

There were sessions to prepare students and recent graduates for the next phase of their journey through professional development topics like Financial Literacy that addressed Car Loans, Credit Cards, and Common-Sense Investing Advice; Grit & Perseverance; Entrepreneurship—What They Don't Teach You in School; and wellness programming. These often-overlooked topics were well-received by the numerous attendees and will help develop well-rounded graduates. I extend a special thank you to Trustee Ed Breen and his wife, Lynn, whose generosity enabled us to create a world-class career center, which also supports you, our alumni.

Thanks to the generosity of another trustee, Kathy Bishop, who established the Katherine J. Bishop Fund for Global Study last fall, we have a record number of students studying abroad this summer. Many of these students, 50 in total, can only participate because of support from the Bishop Fund and will learn and grow in several locations in Europe and South America.

These faculty-led programs provide opportunities for students to compare and examine Italy’s education system in Perugia, the Netherlands’ criminal justice and European Union’s business structures in Maastricht, healthcare rehabilitation practices throughout Poland, and Spanish language and culture in Costa Rica.

For those of you who have studied or traveled abroad, you know that it is a life-changing experience. It opens doors to new careers, friendships, knowledge, and cultural understanding, benefiting society beyond measure. It helps make our students more marketable to employers and graduate schools. Thank you, Kathy.

On another note, please mark your calendar for October 13–15 to help us celebrate Homecoming 2023. I look forward to seeing many of you there and on campus next fall.

Finally, I couldn’t have said it better, so I will quote Dr. Horning here: “A college education is worth more when everyone in a higherlearning community comes together to build cohesive experiences for our students and has a heart for their success.”

Best regards,

James M. MacLaren, M.A., Ph.D.

President of Lebanon Valley College