NH: Welcome back to campus, and to this gorgeous new podcast studio in Skillman Library. You spent the morning talking to faculty and students—why did you decide to come back?

CB: As I stepped down from being CEO at Levi’s, I’ve been reflecting on life experiences. Lafayette has a special place in my heart because of the impact it had on me. I benefited from a liberal arts education and learning in an interdisciplinary way, and that’s stayed with me.

NH: As a CEO, trustee, and somebody who loves the College, how do you think we should go into Lafayette’s Bicentennial and third century?

CB: The world is moving very quickly, and the pace of innovation is accelerating. I ran a company that is more than 170 years old. We’ve been making blue jeans for a long time, and a big piece of our [longevity] was innovation. If we don’t disrupt ourselves, we will be disrupted.

NH: We just had the biggest first-year application pool in College history, which is exciting. But, to your point, we can’t rest on our laurels.

CB: This is why I’m so excited about the strategic plan—it boldly asserts that we need to change.

NH: What are you most excited about in the strategic plan?

CB: The pillar around technology and democracy, because each one of those, independently, I can get pretty excited about, but it’s the combination of the two of them together that is very important.

NH: When thinking about technology and democracy in a liberal arts context, isn’t it our obligation to deliver an education that allows students to be critical thinkers?

CB: If students can leave here with a sense of purpose, then that has enormous spillover. There’s an importance to moral leadership and having a strong ethical backbone.

NH: Our teachers are really teacher-scholars. You see that in the Bergh Family Fellows Program—not only do they mentor, but they are bringing students into their cutting-edge research.

CB: Yes, these faculty members are committed to research and breaking new ground. We should power that through the capital campaign, and through the strategic plan. We have an opportunity to really distance ourselves.

NH: Sometimes, when people think of liberal arts colleges, they think of them as small. But I think of them as having an oversized impact. Our alumni live lives of purpose.

CB: I’m a “brand guy,” and I think about Lafayette as a “brand” and how much value it creates. My degree took me far beyond anything I ever expected I was going to do when I left the school. I am so grateful for it. We are the institution that we are because we have not been afraid to innovate.

NH: We are putting some real flags in the ground with the strategic plan. It’s bold, but if we do it together we can accomplish something amazing at this inflection moment.

CB: I’m all in.

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Get to know Chip Bergh ’79 H’22

In 2011, Bergh joined Levi Strauss & Co. as president and CEO, before retiring in 2024. Prior to that, he spent nearly 30 years at Procter & Gamble. After graduating from Lafayette, the U.S. Army officer was stationed in West Germany at the height of the Cold War. In 2019, Fortune magazine named Bergh one of the “World’s Greatest Leaders.”

Expertise

Brand management, general management, and executive leadership.

Noteworthy

In 2022, Bergh and his wife, Juliet, contributed $5.25 million to start the Bergh Family Fellows program, an initiative to improve student access to experiential learning opportunities, including study abroad, research, and internships.

For fun

Bergh, who holds a degree in international affairs, is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. He’s also chairman of the board at HP.

Tune In

Listen to Bergh’s full interview at news.lafayette.edu/third-century-conversations.