A Stronger Lafayette
The COVID-19 crisis brought unprecedented challenges and uncertainty to our nation, the world, and to Lafayette. Lafayette alumni, faculty, staff, and students continue to demonstrate flexibility, creativity, are are committed to helping each other and our communities. The campus community is thrilled to be together again!
Although it was challenging, the previous transition to remote teaching and learning, resulted a several silver lining. There were and continue to be more opportunities for alumni to engage with the College through virtual events. With distance no longer a barrier, many alumni participated in events virtually that they would have never been able to experience in person. Some of the many positive comments received from alumni include:
“I think virtual events are a great way to expand our horizons beyond our sheltering at home status.”
“I felt that the topic was relevant and provided value. I’m very interested in learning and connecting with other Lafayette grads and sharing their industry expertise. This is a unique venue to connect alumni.”
“I live in Virginia and these virtual events give me a chance to stay connected to Lafayette. Please continue them.”
For those interested in viewing a previous ConnectED session, you can watch them here.
Alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and friends were instrumental in the many successes of 2021, which was a milestone year for the College. We inaugurated a new president, Nicole Farmer Hurd, in October and welcomed alumni back to campus at Homecoming and Family Weekend. Throughout another year that was challenged by the pandemic, we were able to still offer virtual engagement opportunities for alumni across the globe. The College also announced a commitment to improve access for low-income and middle class families.
Lafayette is a place where we unleash talent and unlock potential. Where we believe we are on a lifelong journey of learning and growing and discovering. Lafayette is a place of profound community, where we are committed to seeing and hearing and valuing each other.
President Nicole Farmer Hurd, from her inauguration speech on October 1, 2021.
Attracting and Retaining Great Students
The College drew upon virtual tours, customized outreach, and an expanded virtual presence to connect with prospective students and assure them of the value of a Lafayette education during the pandemic. Lafayette was in a strong position at the start of the pandemic and continues this trajectory. Today, the student body consists of 2,700 students and more than 10,000 applications were received in 2021-22, the highest number ever received
Climbing the Hill
Like all areas at the College, Lafayette Athletics has not been discouraged by COVID-19. In 2021, our athletic programs ranked first in the nation for the second straight year in NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate. Several of our athletic teams celebrated successes, most notably volleyball earning the program’s highest seed ever in the Patriot League tournament. Andrew ’95 and Dina Wallach ’95 provided a naming gift to spearhead the Wallach Sports Performance and Lacrosse Center, a new facility to be constructed that is also supported by the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc. Our Director of Athletics, Sherryta Freeman, was featured in Sports Illustrated, and the College recently announced John Troxell ’94 as the Fred M. Kirby II ’42 Head Football Coach.
Sustaining Continued Partnerships
Today, our story continues. We are excited about 2022 and are pleased to announce a multi-weekend Reunion in June in order to welcome those classes who missed out due to the pandemic, as well as two Commencement ceremonies: one for the Class of 2020 and a second for the Class of 2022. We hope you will be able to make it back to College Hill this spring to celebrate and reconnect with former classmates.
We invite you to shape our story by supporting Lafayette as we forge a path forward to meet the needs of today’s students. When you support Lafayette, your impact will reach far beyond our campus. Through investments in financial aid, academics, athletics, and more we will shape the next chapter in Lafayette’s history.