Dear Faculty and Staff,
I hope you are having a wonderful semester so far and enjoying the spectacular beauty of our campus as we move into autumn. It has been a delight to encounter so many of you out on the Quad and across campus during this gorgeous and exceedingly busy time for everyone.
As we pass the midpoint of the fall semester, I am pleased to share with you an update on several important projects that continue to move forward, most notably our strategic and campus master planning processes, which will conclude at the end of this semester. I also want to share more news of our Bicentennial plans and of our early preparations for the College’s new comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Strategic Planning
I’m grateful to the many faculty, staff, and students who attended the recent listening sessions around the proposed priorities and action steps for the strategic plan. Feedback has been positive, and we are moving forward to complete the official plan with the community’s insights in mind. If you did not have an opportunity to attend a listening session or provide feedback, a recording of the October 2 virtual listening session and links to the slides and feedback form remain available.
Many of the comments and questions thus far have emphasized the importance of the plan’s focus on both new initiatives and persistent issues brought forward by the Campus-Wide Working Groups and other meetings and surveys conducted during the planning process. These concerns underscored the importance of recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, compensation, and opportunities for professional growth. As I announced to the Board of Trustees at the most recent meeting, and have shared with a number of you, in keeping with the strategic plan, in the coming weeks I will be establishing a task force devoted to developing a sustainable and long-term strategy for competitive compensation.
Next month, we will release the strategic plan narrative document for your review, and subsequently will ask the community to endorse the final priorities and action steps through an online process.
Campus Master Plan
The campus master plan has made significant progress in recent months, and we look forward to bringing this iterative work to a close in conjunction with the strategic plan. As discussed during the strategic planning listening sessions, the master plan and strategic plan have strong synergy in several areas, including emphasis on infrastructure improvements, including an extensive planned renovation of Pardee Hall. Other areas of alignment include an emphasis on collaborative academic and living spaces; and reimagining Metzgar as a campus that includes athletic, recreation, and wellness opportunities while also acting as a “living laboratory” where learning, research, and creative activity connect with the natural world.
Our partners in the campus master plan process, the SmithGroup, will host two virtual meetings for the Lafayette community on Wednesday, October 23, from 6-7:30 p.m., and on Monday, November 11, from 10-11:30 a.m. These sessions represent the final opportunity to review the campus master plan before it is presented to the Board of Trustees for approval. You can register for a session. An email and calendar invite will follow with the virtual meeting details.
Bicentennial Program and Plans
Over the last year, our devoted planning teams of faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, and parents have been working hard to build a comprehensive set of programs and opportunities to celebrate the 200th birthday of this exceptional college.
As I have shared previously, the Bicentennial program will kick off during Homecoming 2025 and conclude in the fall of 2026. Today I am announcing that during this time, thanks to the work of the Bicentennial Planning and Management Group and the related task forces, as well as the many ideas contributed from across our College community, the Bicentennial will feature an array of events, learning opportunities, cultural programs, celebratory occasions, engaging publications, and special moments. A hallmark of the Bicentennial events will be a momentous celebration of Founders’ Week 2026 in honor of the official date of our founding (March 9, 1826), including events of service and community on campus, across the country, and beyond.
Please explore the new Bicentennial website for more information and ways to get involved. This site will function as the information source for Bicentennial programs and activities as the details of these plans come together and additional opportunities unfold.
Campaign Planning Underway
The initial phase of our new Lafayette College campaign is officially underway. This means that across this year and the next several, we will be working closely with our donor community to identify meaningful ways their love for and philanthropic intentions for the College can best support the strategic, academic, experiential, residential, capital, and other goals that will define our strategic plan and lift Lafayette to a new era of excellence and distinction. To kick off this historic campaign, the Board has appointed a campaign planning committee chaired by Trustee J.B. Reilly ’83 to assess our fundraising priorities, reach out to donors we know are interested in investing in the College with extraordinary gifts, and begin the many steps of operational planning that make any campaign successful. These plans will include a feasibility study to assess our College community’s philanthropic capacity and ultimately set an overarching campaign goal and subgoals aligned with the emerging strategic plan once it is finalized.
We begin this momentous effort with great enthusiasm and optimism, buoyed by the knowledge that across generations, our donor community has always been extraordinarily generous in providing meaningful support to lift our students’ academic and cocurricular experiences and help prepare them for lives of meaning and purpose. We look forward to the good conversations ahead with our alumni, donors, and other friends as this private phase moves forward.
We are truly at an exciting moment for the College. While completing these planning processes is only the first step of significant work ahead, thanks to the involvement of this community, these efforts are reaching a major pivotal stage and promise to strengthen and elevate our beloved Lafayette far into our third century.
To great things ahead!
President Nicole Hurd