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Lehighlights

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the Director
Incoming Student Sendoffs
Boston Presidential Reception
Wall Street Council

Lehigh/Lafayette Telecasts
Career Networking Receptions
Club Spotlight
Volunteer Spotlight

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

 

Fall Greetings
from Lehigh University!

Dear Lehigh Alumni, Family, and Friends,

Greetings from the world of Alumni Clubs! It has been a fabulously busy season!

Through the summer months, more than 30 very successful Incoming Student Sendoffs took place nationwide, including events in Vermont, Houston and San Francisco. At these wonderful events, the incoming students received their first of many memorable inductions into the Lehigh family.

An exciting new initiative that the Alumni Clubs Office is pioneering is the Call to C.A.R.E. program, which seeks to connect Lehigh alumni to the university, each other, and a charity of their choice. This past year’s spotlight was on the American Cancer Society, with particular emphasis onthe Relay for Life fundraiser. Participants in Relay for Life gathered at schools, playgrounds and parks to take turns walking or running laps in support of those whose lives have been touched by cancer. Call to C.A.R.E. has a new and improved Web site, www.lehigh.edu/calltocare, which has been updated to include contact information for many alumni who are active in particular charities and community outreach programs. The Web site also spotlights philanthropic organizations of interest.

As Fall gets underway, so does the 2007 football season. Lehigh beat Princeton 32-21 on Sept. 15, in the first away game of the season. A tailgate before the game, catered by Goosey Gander and sponsored by Mark Bovenizer ’93 and Community Liquors, brought more than 150 current students and alumni together to enjoy the beautiful day and cheer the Lehigh team to victory. And THE GAME is right around the corner!

Sincerest thanks to all of the alumni and friends who have helped to make this summer so very successful. We look forward to this autumn, for it surely promises to be a great season!

Warmest Regards,

Jill Anderson ‘91
Director, Regional Alumni Clubs

QUARTER IN REVIEW

 

Class of 2011
Incoming Student Sendoffs

All throughout the months of July and August, the Class of 2011 was welcomed with open arms by current students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends at Incoming Student Sendoffs in more than 25 locations across the country. Many incoming students and their families were welcomed into the homes of alumni, which gave them an even greater Lehigh family feel. Attendance at these events was at an all-time high of more than 1,300 alumni, incoming students and family members.

You could feel the excitement and anticipation about the first days at Lehigh! The personal stories and fond memories of everyone at these events let our newest members know that they were about to embark on the greatest years of their lives and begin their lifelong relationship with the Lehigh family!

 

Lehigh Club of Boston
Presidential Reception

Board of trustees Chairman Daniel E. Smith, Jr. ‘71 and the Lehigh Club of Boston welcomed President Alice P. Gast into the Lehigh family with a cocktail reception Sept. 25 at the Downtown Harvard Club. Mr. Smith formally welcomed President Gast into the family, and guests were able to hear from President Gast on her initiatives for the university as well as how her first year on South Mountain has been.

The evening was a great success due in large part to the organizational efforts of university Trustee Jane P. Jamieson ’75 and her staff at Pyramis Global Advisors in Boston. More than 100 Lehigh alumni, family and friends were in attendance for this wonderful evening, where alumni got a chance to talk to President Gast one-on-one, reconnect with old classmates and reminisce about their Lehigh days.


Wall Street Council
Social Networking Event

Wall Street Council welcomed the newest members of the Lehigh Alumni family — the Class of 2007 — at a social networking event Sept. 20 at the Playwright Tavern in midtown. More than 70 alumni attended an event that Wall Street Council Treasurer Charlie Blades '03 '04G called ”the most successful social networking event in the history of the Wall Street Council.“ Attendees enjoyed food, drinks and conversation with fellow alumni of all ages.

“We are very pleased with the progress the WSC has made during the last year and we are exciting to expand and take it to the next level,” Charlie said.

The WSC's next endeavor, an on-campus Financial Services Forum held in conjunction with the Alumni Association, the College of Business and Economics, and the Perella Department of Finance will be held this Saturday, Nov. 3, featuring keynote speaker Fred Fraenkel ’71. With more than 200 alumni and students registered for this event, it promises to be an exciting day for all involved. For more information on the Wall Street Council and other upcoming events, visit http://www.lehighwallstreet.org.

SAVE THE DATE

 

Lehigh/Lafayette Telecasts

Mark your calendars: the 143rd meeting of college football”s most played rivalry will be held Nov. 17 at Lehigh! Participate in the excitement of the day by attending one of more than 60 telecasts that will happen throughout the country! Register for a telecast near you by visiting http://www.lehighalumni.com/go/telecasts07. Go Lehigh! Beat Lafayette!


 

Career Networking Receptions

One of the greatest strengths of a Lehigh education is the power of the alumni network! Career Networking Receptions (CNRs) provide a phenomenal opportunity for alumni to network with each other and current students. Please visit www.lehighalumni.com/go/cnr for more information on dates, times and locations, and to register online!

CLUB SPOTLIGHT

 

Lehigh Club of Pittsburgh

Cindi Crookston ’04 has recently risen to the position of president of the up-and-coming Lehigh Club of Pittsburgh, replacing longtime President Greg Casten ’87.  The 2006 Incoming Student Sendoff, hosted by Laura Kronk ’82, was the event that first got Cindi involved with the club.  She recalls how the alumni welcomed her in as a young member of their club, and their dedication to the area inspired her to participate.  She joined the board of directors in 2006 and is currently in her first year of her presidency. Cindi leads a group of alumni that is diverse in age and interest.  This past summer’s events have showcased the club’s different tastes, and all that the city of Pittsburgh has to offer.

One of the Club’s most recent events was a Lehigh and Friends Golf Scramble at Butler’s Golf Course in Elizabeth, Pa. The event was hosted by Laura Plunkett ’05 and Kurt Lesker IV ’05, whose high energy made the event a well-attended, rousing success.  The club also hosted a book review for Lehigh alumni Robert Rudzki ’75’s book Beat the Odds.  You can visit the book’s website, www.BeatTheOddsBook.com to learn more about Rudzki’s work.  The Club of Pittsburgh board meeting took place Oct. 2 at the Six Penn Kitchen in downtown Pittsburgh.  And the club will gather Nov. 17 for that long-celebrated rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette. The 143rd meeting of the two teams will be telecast to Hi-Tops restaurant, next to the PNC Bank ballpark. 

The Club of Pittsburgh features a cast of devoted alumni, who come together to make the club truly unique. The club’s volunteers are central to the great success of the events, and the club thanks all Lehigh alumni, family, and friends who came out in support of Lehigh this past year. Cindi makes special mention of the dedication of John Broscious ’55, who serves as the club’s spirited secretary.  She also notes the contributions of President Emeritus Greg Casten ’87, whose five-year tenure was marked by several successful events, including many Lehigh/Lafayette telecasts and networking pub nights at local restaurants.  Greg’s contributions were extraordinary, and we are confident that Cindi will do a tremendous job taking over the reins. 

With its eyes towards the future, the Lehigh Club of Pittsburgh is looking to increase alumni participation and also include more sports-based events, like softball games and crew races on Pittsburgh’s great rivers.  There will also be quarterly club board meetings at local area restaurants and more positions on the board of directors to encourage and reward involvement in the club.  We applaud the members of the Lehigh Alumni Club of Pittsburgh, both for their present success and their excitement for what is to come. 

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

 

Sandy Stelling '91

Sandy Stelling Sandy Stelling’s dedication to the Alumni Club of the Pacific Northwest is truly outstanding.  Sandy lives in Seattle, Wash., with her husband, Cliff, and two stepdaughters, Lauren (19) and Audrey (18).  Her contributions to the Alumni Club of the Pacific Northwest have been countless since she joined in 1991. She has hosted many freshman acceptance and Sendoff events, alumni happy hours and Lehigh/ Lafayette telecasts, and has even hosted Lehigh professor visits with alumni. Sandy has reached out to her community as well through involvement with the Washington State Women’s Soccer Association since 1994, and the Big Sisters of King County since 1998.  She has also attended the American Association of University Women's Expanding Your Horizons Conference in 1997 and 1998. 

Sandy earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, graduating from Lehigh in 1991.  During her four years at the university, she established herself by serving as the president of Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honor society. She was also an active member of the national engineering fraternity Tau Beta Pi, the Society of Women Engineers, and the Lehigh women’s soccer team.  She chose Lehigh for its outstanding reputation for engineering, and she remembers feeling extremely comfortable with both faculty and students on her visits to Lehigh’s beautiful campus.  Although she notes that many faculty members enriched her time at Lehigh, Sandy remembers three in particular that have resonated in her educational and personal life.  Professor Robert Wei’s mechanics class provided a challenging lesson, teaching Sandy how to really “think like an engineer.” She also credits her experience in Professor Perry Zirkel’s law class as an informative and liberating break from the engineering curriculum, and she has a strong personal relationship with Professor Terry Hart '68, who currently teaches at Lehigh.

Graduating on South Mountain on a warm early June day is one of Sandy’s fondest Lehigh memories.  “The personal sense of accomplishment was overwhelming,” she says. In her time as an alumna, Sandy has experienced a similar feeling of achievement when she ran a half-marathon in San Francisco in 2005.  Sandy speaks to the power of the event, noting, “The confidence that comes with accomplishment, after much hard work, is so empowering.” These memories would not have been possible without the contacts that she made during her time at Lehigh, many of whom continue to be some of her closest friends. 

In her professional life, Sandy currently works with Alaska Airlines as a director of operations strategy and support.  She worked for the Boeing company for eight years, and believes that her education has proven to be an invaluable tool in her “professional adventure.”  The Lehigh experience instilled in her many diverse talents and a belief that she can do anything she sets her mind to.  Sandy finds Lehigh students and graduates to be exceptionally hardworking and driven people who are nurtured in a unique environment.  She entered the professional world with “a superior education and a sense of responsibility to contribute (or do good) in our world.”  She believes Lehigh has prepared her well for this role. 

The Lehigh Club of the Pacific Northwest and the Alumni Association are certainly grateful for all of Sandy’s time and efforts.  Her devotion to the club has allowed the members of the Lehigh family in Washington and Oregon to connect and reminisce.  Even though she is thousands of miles from campus, Sandy Stelling’s pride and spirit are strong and infectious, bringing some of the best things about Lehigh to the Pacific Coast.

 
Dalai Lama Visit