Office of the President

Dear Members of the Allegheny College Community,

Last June, I introduced “Message from the Board Chair,” a new dispatch designed to keep the Allegheny community up-to-date following our Board of Trustee meetings. I felt it would be helpful after each of our board meetings to share highlights of board activities.

Bentley Hall

The board most recently met October 11–13 and enjoyed a ceremony celebrating the beginning of the historic renovation of Bentley Hall. President Mullen, Christine Scott Nelson ’73, chair of the Fund for Bentley Hall, and other distinguished guests looked on as Henry and Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 broke a ceremonial wall — a symbolic event signifying the start of the renovation project. I am delighted to share a preview of the Bentley Hall renovation project along with recent photos and a video of the event.

It was a pleasure to be on campus for this historic occasion and to be able to interact with students throughout the weekend and learn about their accomplishments and aspirations. Board members had the opportunity to have lunch with students on Thursday and enjoyed meeting students at a festive dinner following the Bentley Hall renovation celebration on Friday. Professor Emeritus and College Historian Jonathan Helmreich H’18 spoke eloquently on “Reflections on Initiation of Bentley Hall Renovations,” and Jonathan “Jed” Miller ’69 was honored for his dedicated service to the College through his aesthetic design contributions across campus — recently, a new donor recognition wall designed by Jed was installed in the Tippie Alumni Center. In addition, Cliff Willis was recognized for his tireless commitment to Bentley through the years and detailed knowledge of the building, and Pat and Henry Tippie were honored for their continued generosity and love of Allegheny.

New Trustees

We welcomed two alumni as new trustees of the College. Thomas J. Sadvary ’75 is the former chief executive officer of HonorHealth, where he was instrumental in leading the creation of a $2 billion nonprofit organization through the affiliation of Scottsdale Healthcare and John C. Lincoln Health Network in 2013. He retired in 2017 but continues to serve as an advisor to HonorHealth. Michael R. Young ’78 is a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York City. He is chair of the firm’s Securities Litigation Practice Group and advises and defends boards of directors, audit committees, accounting firms, public companies, and company officers on issues of corporate governance and financial reporting.

Greek Life

The board received an update on Greek Life from Brittany Martin, assistant director of student leadership and involvement. The update included highlights on overall participation, academics, and philanthropy. The board also reviewed a request for a return to campus by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and approved a set of conditions that could allow their return.

Allegheny Strategic Action Plan

The Allegheny Strategic Action Plan continues to gain momentum from campus improvements to the introduction of our new integrative informatics major to the launch of our new business major last December. We also introduced a new summer academy for high school students this past summer, and it will be offered again in 2019. Our new summer Orientation programs from July through August were highly successful, with more than 450 students participating throughout the summer. We are energized by the progress of the implementation of the Allegheny Strategic Action Plan and thank every member of the community for their many contributions to this historic strategic planning effort to guide Allegheny’s future. As we advance the plan’s priorities, we will make Allegheny even stronger and more distinctive.

Enrollment Update

The board received an Enrollment Update from Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions Cornell LeSane, who reported that students hail from 346 high schools, 32 states, and 36 different countries. The top nine states from which enrolled students originate are Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, and Texas. More than one-third of the class are first-generation college students. Twenty-eight percent of incoming students identify as students of color — matching a 2016–17 record for the most diverse incoming class for the second consecutive year. And six percent are international students.

I hope you are as excited as I am for all that lies ahead for Allegheny. Is it my absolute pleasure to work with you, and I thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to our College.

Sincerely,

Mark Campbell ’82
Chair, Board of Trustees