Welcome to the family

By Jill Spotz

Thanks to Welcome Events held across the U.S. this past summer, many first-year students arriving at Lafayette for Move-In will have already had a chance to meet each other.

Thirteen events were held from California to the Lehigh Valley in July and August with more than 400 incoming students, alumni, and parents in attendance. Not only do welcome events offer incoming students the opportunity to form bonds with classmates before they arrive on campus, but families are also able to connect with each other to learn more about living and learning on College Hill.

“It was such fun to host a Welcome Event for incoming students and vacationing alums and their families on a beautiful summer evening on Nantucket in late July,” said Betsy Hughes Phillips ’85. “We learned about the new Simon Center for Economics and Business from Mark Crain, William E. Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of the policy studies program as well as other campus updates from Janice Egan, director of parent engagement and philanthropy. Trustee Wynne Whitman ’86 also shared information about the College’s Bicentennial in 2026. We hope to make it an annual event!”

Special thanks to the following families for hosting events this summer:

Matt ’97 and Megan ’98 (Cooper) Rutt – Philadelphia area 

Robert ’77, P’13, Helen P’13 Young and Megan Young ’13 – New Jersey (shore)   

Adam ’14 and Amanda ’13 Grey – Lehigh Valley, Pa.

David Tesher ’84, Anita Tesher P’16, ’19, Taylor ’16, and Haley Tesher ’19 – Long Island

Paul ’90, Christine Doherty P’19, and Hannah Doherty ’19 – New Jersey (northern)

Michael ’82 and Jenny ’82 Weisburger – Westchester, N.Y.

Tom ’67 and Sharon Smith – New Hampshire

Barbara ’88, Todd ’87 Shegog P’25, and George Shegog ’25 – Boston

Rochelle Jacobs Silpe P’25 – the Hamptons and New York City 

Meg ’84 and Tony ’84 Rodriguez – Minnesota

Charles and Betsy ’85, Caroline ’21, and Leslie ’23 Phillips – Nantucket (MA)

Loretta and Mark Phillips P’26 and Lucas Phillips ’26 – Southern California

Nancy and Jason Rosenthal P’26 and Andrew Rosenthal ’26 – Northern California