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SPECIAL BULLETIN
January 31, 2004
To the Members of the Lafayette Community:
Today I advised the Board of Trustees of my intention to complete my service as President at the conclusion of the coming academic year, in June 2005. As of that date I will have served in this position for 12 years.
As all of you know, my connections to the College are long and deep. I have been privileged to be a Lafayette student, alumnus, trustee, and president, and I can say without hesitation that I have never been prouder of my alma mater than I am today.
Lafayette is blessed with outstanding undergraduates, highly competent and dedicated faculty and staff, a loyal and generous alumni body, a Board that is focused on the academic aspirations of the College, and first-rate academic, residential, and recreational facilities. We have played a major role in the revitalization of Easton and in bringing town and gown closer together, and our financial situation has remained stable through both good and difficult economic times. These accomplishments should be a source of genuine pride to all of us because they reflect our shared commitment to the advancement of the College, to the education of its students, and to their development as thoughtful, caring, and responsible citizens.
The past several years have been the most professionally and personally satisfying of my career, and Barbara and I would like to thank all of those in the Lafayette community (on campus and off) as well as our many friends in Easton and throughout the Lehigh Valley for being so welcoming and supportive throughout our stay here. Although we plan to return to living in the Washington, D.C. area, we will always cherish the friends we have made here and will remain in close touch with them and with the College.
Over the next 17 months I intend to focus on implementing the ambitious goals contained in Lafayette’s strategic plan. The plan’s eight broad initiatives are designed to solidify Lafayette’s reputation as one of the nation’s premier undergraduate institutions, and I look forward to your continuing support and assistance as we work toward that important goal.
I vividly recall the chorus of the Lafayette fight song we sang so often as undergraduates that includes the words “On, on to greater deeds, Lafayette.” I am confident that greater deeds and greater days are still to come for our college.
Sincerely,
Arthur J. Rothkopf