President’s Message: Community Engagement

Strengthening our ties with the City of Easton remains a key objective and commitment of the College. I believe that, over the long term, the quality of our relationship with the community in which we operate is a fundamental determinant of the quality of our experience and what we can achieve. We are pleased to bring Lafayette’s human, intellectual, and institutional resources to bear in a variety of ways as we work with Easton to revitalize the city socially, economically, and in terms of the quality of life enjoyed by its residents and visitors.

As I told alumni who returned to campus for the recent Reunion weekend, I am proud to say that our relationship with Easton is the best relationship I’ve ever seen between a college and its community. An important dimension of this relationship is the engagement of students and faculty with our community through curriculum-based service-learning initiatives, the co-curricular service programs conducted by the Landis Community Outreach Center, and the service activities of other groups and individuals. In addition to contributing to the city’s revitalization, these efforts enable students to benefit from experiential learning beyond the classroom. We place great value on offering students a vibrant campus where learning is an all-inclusive, holistic activity that occurs in meaningful outof- classroom endeavors as well as in serious academic pursuits. Students and faculty also embrace our community as a vibrant learning environment.

Of course, Lafayette’s excellent ties with Easton extend beyond these mutually beneficial service activities; our partnership has allowed us to accomplish many things with trust, good will, and shared resources. Just one example is what is currently happening on North Third St. at the base of College Hill, where we are renovating facilities in our gateway to campus to prepare them to take on new programs and new opportunities for our campus that also serve the community.

This issue of Lafayette Magazine includes stories that focus on the College’s engagement with communities in Easton, the Lehigh Valley, and far beyond. I hope you will find them of interest.

Daniel H.Weiss