February 27, 2026

Celebrating Lafayette’s Bicentennial across America: Miami, Fla.

The Lafayette community came together in support of baseball and recognition of faculty mentorship as part of “Students, Faculty, and the Power of &” Bicentennial event series.

Leopard spirit was in full force last weekend when alumni, parents, and friends gathered at the University of Miami’s Watsco Center for Lafayette’s “Students, Faculty, and the Power of &” event. Guests learned how student-athletes excel with the help of advising and mentoring from Lafayette faculty. Susan Averett, Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics, shared her insights from her many years mentoring student-athletes and serving as the College’s NCAA faculty athletics representative. Baseball coach A.J. Miller ’11, a former mentee, highlighted the positive influence Professor Averett and the Lafayette faculty had on him as a student.

President Nicole Hurd and Director of Athletics Sherryta Freeman, as well as other staff members from the College, were in attendance to welcome alumni, family, and friends.

“I was thrilled to bring Lafayette’s Bicentennial event series, “The Power of &”, to Miami, where we had the opportunity to meet alumni, parents, and friends while supporting our baseball program,” shared President Hurd. “There is no better way to showcase the impact of faculty mentorship than hearing, firsthand, how baseball coach A.J. Miller ’11 was positively impacted by Susan Averett, Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics during his time as a student. It is full-circle moments like these that illustrate the power of a Lafayette education.”