New leadership, familiar values

As your new Alumni Association president, I want to extend my appreciation to the thousands of alumni who consistently support our alma mater. I want to assure you that one of my goals as president is to continue to strengthen the ties among Lynchburg College, the alumni board, and our alumni constituency.

Your campus involvement, advice to students, alumni event attendance, and financial support truly make a positive impact on the quality of education the College provides students, as well as its financial stability and national reputation.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Alumni Association president, Phil Mazzara ’70, for his many contributions to the board and the College throughout his eight-year tenure. Phil’s service as president of the Alumni Association and his leadership came at a critical time, as the Alumni Board reshaped the way the College serves current and former students. Phil’s legacy — and that of dozens of other alumni leaders — is a treasure for Lynchburg College. I intend to perpetuate not only the goals and objectives of their work, but also the unifying spirit with which it was done.

So it is, then, that I greet you in the familiar and warm LC style and invite you to be part of the phenomenon that is, in the words of beloved past College president Carey Brewer ’49, helping Lynchburg College “become” the full manifestation of our founders’ vision.

I pick up on this theme for two reasons. First, it’s always useful to remind one another of, and honor, the core values upon which LC was created. I appreciate the sense of motion, continued pursuit of excellence, and possibilities these words evoke. We have done great things together, and yet the best is ahead for the College if we all pull together. Thousands of alumni and students have benefited from new services including the Internet communities (lynchburgalumni.org; Facebook; and LinkedIn), networking events hosted by regional Alumni Clubs; and campus student networking events and career development talks. But so much more is not just needed, but possible.

Second, if LC is to best serve our community and our nation, we alumni have to give freely our talent, time, and financial gifts to our alma mater! It is the responsibility of all of us alumni to do our part to help LC fulfill its mission, because ultimately, our degrees all become more valuable as LC’s prominence rises.

So, in the same tone of excitement and hope I opened with, let me close by inviting you back home to LC. Whether planned or spur-of-the-moment, one day, one weekend, or longer, with your full family, or with a prospective student, I encourage you to be part of helping LC become even greater. I look forward to seeing you back on campus and encourage your continued input and suggestions as to how the LC Alumni Association can better serve your needs.