Dear Members of the Saint Joseph’s College Community,

I’m extremely pleased to have been selected as interim president and look forward to serving the campus community as we go forward. I have come to know the College well over the last 21 months and have very much enjoyed working with our outstanding faculty, staff and student body.

Over the summer, we welcomed our new vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Randall Krieg, and our new vice president for enrollment management, Reis Hagerman ’79. In addition, Lynn Brown began as dean of student affairs on June 1. (See Old monk, new monk for more about these appointments.) They, along with all of our administrators, are committed to excellence for Saint Joseph’s – and to honoring its Mercy tradition and continuing its growth on all levels.

During June and July, Saint Joseph’s hosted hundreds of adult learners in our three summer sessions. Their great enthusiasm for learning and instant sense of community with their peers always inspires us. When alumni returned for Reunion Weekend in July, we truly enjoyed another highpoint – complete with the lake, lobster and laughter.

Over the summer, we also hosted groups that enrich the campus with music and song: the New England Suzuki Institute, Musica de Filia and the Portland String Quartet. In addition, the Advanced Placement Summer Institute brought together high school teachers who teach AP courses and the Sebago Leadership Camp brought Catholic teens and pre-teens here for workshops. And August wouldn’t be August without the MS Bike-a-thon, which uses our campus to launch an annual fundraiser in the fight to cure multiple sclerosis.

In summary, the campus in summer is not only beautiful, it’s busy. Our summer sports camps for children have grown to include soccer, baseball, basketball and cross country. And, of course, we can’t forget to mention that we welcomed our incoming freshman class during two orientation weekends. We’ll see these first-year students again soon, and we look forward to the excitement of fall semester.

I would like our alumni, parents of students and our wider circle of friends to know they can call me at any time. The phone number is (207) 893-7711. I look forward to hearing from you – and to meeting as many of you as possible. Saint Joseph’s is a strong, vital community, and you are always welcome here.

Sincerely,
Joseph Lee, Ph.D.
President