Dear Members of the
Saint Joseph’s College Community,
The spring semester has been a busy one, as I balance being accessible to the entire campus community with official duties and fundraising. While writing this message to you during Spring Break week, I’m meeting with long-time supporters of the college as well as alumni and parents in Florida, where I’m also supporting our baseball and softball teams in tournaments.
Dr. Joe Lee
It is a privilege for me, wherever I go, to tell people about the recent growth and progress of Saint Joseph's College, and to share with them our vision of its future possibilities. There is a wealth of evidence about the health and vitality of the college that I can cite when I meet with alumni and friends.
For example, I share with them how inspiring it is to see our students serving in the wider community, both locally and nationally. During Spring Break, 33 students in five states volunteered in low-income neighborhoods for several nonprofit organizations. In February, I was honored to be part of a program organized by our Campus Ministry staff and students that distributed food and clothing to homeless people in New York City.
In addition, I'm pleased to share our plans for a fundraising campaign that will result in building a new Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences and expanded labs in Mercy Hall (see the story on page 3). This is a big step in our continuing growth, as we honor our core values that embrace respect for the environment while meeting critical needs of students and faculty for quality academic space. Our science programs have been very successful, and we must keep up with technology, equipment and research/teaching space.
Looking ahead to summer, we will welcome our online adult learners lakeside for classroom experiences and the chance to meet their peers and faculty members. It's always a thrill to see their enthusiasm for learning. And for those adult students graduating in May, we look forward to celebrating with you the fulfillment of what is often a long-held dream.
I invite you to enjoy this issue of the Saint Joseph's Magazine, which covers a lot of territory – from a Sixties singing ensemble on campus to an alumna's visit to Ethiopia to a professor's choice to become an American citizen after 23 years in this country. We hope you enjoy reading about your community and will feel inspired to share with us some of the things that you appreciate about Saint Joseph's College by writing a letter to the editor or sending an e-mail to cdaniels@sjcme.edu.
Sincerely,
Joseph Lee, Ph. D.
President
