President's Letter

July 1, 2020—Today as I work from my home in New Orleans preparing to make the journey to Annville, Pa., and take on the responsibilities as the 19th president of Lebanon Valley College, I reflect on how different that leadership task is now compared to just a few months ago when I accepted the position. Our country struggles with the spread of the novel coronavirus, which presents particular challenges for higher education institutions. Faculty and staff have worked extraordinarily hard over the spring to ensure students could continue their education and have invested significant time and effort this summer, helping prepare for the future. I could not be more proud or grateful for all these efforts on behalf of LVC.

Before starting this summer at LVC, I held academic and administrative positions at Tulane University in New Orleans and Saint Xavier University in Chicago. I was in New Orleans at Tulane University in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina closed the campus and city for the fall. While this pandemic is different in many ways from the challenges presented by Katrina, the principles for planning for the future are not. What I learned in 2005 is because of uncertainty, there is a need to plan carefully for different scenarios to address the immediate, while also taking time to think strategically for the future— since disruptions provide new opportunities.

I have worked closely with President Thayne and LVC’s leadership team on Fall 2020 planning. Together, we have worked through the many interconnected challenges resulting from COVID-19. Out of this work, we created a publicly available plan that summarizes how we envision the College’s operations for the coming year, should we be fortunate to return to campus. The plan outlines the steps being taken to protect our community’s health and safety following the guidance of state and federal public health agencies and ensuring a high-quality education that is the LVC hallmark. Whether in-person or virtual, our campus will feel different. An in-person experience will require physical distancing and masking and incorporate online learning to give us as much flexibility as possible, given the pandemic uncertainties. A community covenant will unite around health and safety practices and principles and care and concern for one another.

Recent events have also made us painfully aware of the pernicious systemic racism affecting our country and the need to take meaningful action to address it beyond words. LVC is committed to creating a more inclusive campus that values and respects differences. While progress has been made in recent years, it is clear there is more work to do. I see the areas of (1) improving the diversity in our faculty and staff hiring and (2) creating equity in learning outcomes as measured by first-to-second-year retention and four-year graduation rates for students of color as critical issues to address. Faculty and staff have made several additional recommendations that we can take to advance diversity and inclusive excellence. A dedicated committee has been charged with continuing this work in earnest. LVC alumni, families, and friends can find anti-racism resources on the College’s website. I encourage all to keep learning, dialoguing, and moving our society toward equity and inclusion.

Though these are difficult times, I am enthusiastic and optimistic about the future. The tenacity and closeness of the LVC community, the College’s mission, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the passion and commitment of our students and alumni are the very traits that will carry it through the pandemic to emerge an even stronger institution. I look forward to meeting as many of you when I can as soon as that becomes safe. In the meantime, I hope everyone stays safe and well.

Go Dutchmen!

Dr. James M. MacLaren, President