Dear Lawrentians:
Welcome to a new academic year at Lawrence! Before I share with you some important updates for the coming year, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a deep loss to our community. As many of you know, Professor Garth Bond passed away earlier this summer. Professor Bond joined the Lawrence community in 2005 as a visiting instructor in the English department. Over the past two decades, Garth’s passion and enthusiasm inspired hundreds of Lawrentians – students, faculty, and staff alike. This is a momentous loss for our community, and Garth will be sorely missed. The university will be hosting a memorial service to celebrate the life and legacy of Professor Bond on October 4th at 10:00am. Please stay tuned for more information from the Office of the Provost and the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life.
Each fall, our campus is reinvigorated with energy, possibility, and community, and I am so grateful to share this journey with all of you. Thanks to everyone who planned and participated in Summer Institute, new student move-in, the President’s Welcome, Welcome Week activities, and returning student move-in. A special thanks, also, to Joe King, Senior Assistant Vice President of Facilities Operations, and the entire Facilities Services team for their ceaseless efforts in preparing and beautifying our campus for the coming year.
This summer, we were thrilled to welcome two new members to the university’s senior leadership team: Dr. Christopher Jenkins and Brian Foss.
Dr. Jenkins, a forward-thinking leader in music higher education, joined us as the new dean of Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music in July. In this role, he will oversee all aspects of Lawrence’s music degree programs and contribute significantly to the university’s academic mission.
Brian Foss, who comes to Lawrence after serving in higher education for more than 20 years at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, joined us in August as our new Vice President for Finance and Administration. He will play a key role in sustainably stewarding the business of the university in ways that will continue to strengthen our financial foundation and serve students for generations to come.
I’m also excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth Becker, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, to Special Assistant to the President. In this role, Elizabeth will work closely with members of our campus community to develop new summer programs and advance our Early College initiatives, expanding the ways we are able to connect with the Lawrentians of tomorrow.
Campus was abuzz in other ways this summer as well. 40 members of our faculty participated in our annual Lawrence University Research Fellows (LURF) program, providing hands-on research opportunities for 83 students! Programs like this are just one of many ways we work to equip our students for success in life after Lawence – thanks to all the faculty who curated transformative summer experiences and to the Office of the Provost for supporting yet another spectacular cohort of LURF opportunities.
Our senior staff and faculty leadership team gathered in August for our annual retreat, where we reflected on our mission, celebrated recent successes, and aligned on priorities for the year ahead. We will be sharing out takeaways from this retreat in various forums throughout the year, including Senior Staff, Chairs and Directors, All Staff and Faculty Meetings, and look forward to reconvening the leadership team in December to continue to align our work around a shared vision for success.
Congratulations to Dr. Melissa Range, Associate Professor of English, on being awarded the 2025 Vanderbilt University Literary Prize for her outstanding work Printer’s Fist — an honor that reflects the depth of creativity and scholarship at Lawrence.
Applause as well to Kristin Roach, Assistant Professor of Music, who has been recognized by The American Prize in not one, but two categories for Opera Conducting. Her artistry enriches our community and inspires our students.
I would also like to congratulate Noemi Delgado, Director of Accessibility Services, and Garrett Singer, Deputy Chief of Staff, for being recognized by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce as part of this year’s cohort of Future 15 Young Professionals. Recipients are selected based on their professional dedication, strong sense of vision for the future of the Fox Cities, and personal commitment to philanthropy in the community. This marks the 6th such recognition of Lawrence employees in as many years, and I’m incredibly proud of the way our employees reflect our institutional values in both their personal and professional lives.
It is also my immense pleasure to report the openings of several new campus facilities this fall:
On August 28, we opened the third floor of Fox Commons, cutting the ribbon on Lawrence’s new Pre-Health Commons, additional apartments for juniors and seniors, common areas, and a third-floor patio overlooking College Avenue. Thanks to all of those involved in preparing these spaces for our community, and a special thanks to Dr. Beth De Stasio, Professor of Biology and inaugural director of the Pre-Health Commons, for transforming an innovative vision into an inspired reality.
On September 5, we celebrated the completion of our new academic space in the west campus facility. The West Campus building is the first on our campus intentionally designed for interdisciplinary collaboration and learning, and our first new academic building in nearly 30 years. It includes eight state-of-the art classrooms, a digital humanities laboratory within our Humanities Center, a music production studio, a math commons, and space for over thirty faculty from both our College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music on the second floor. West Campus was built in collaboration with the Trout Museum of Art. The museum occupies the first level of the building while the top two floors of the building house market-rate apartments that are currently available for rent to the public. Thanks to all who played a role in developing this innovative space.
The second floor of the Seeley G. Mudd Library is home to a new academic center. Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Sattler, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, and Becky Frank, Director of the Seeley G. Mudd Library, we have officially opened a Quantitative Resource Center, designed to provide additional support in the areas of quantitative reasoning and interpretation. Dr. Wöden Kusner, visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, will serve as the inaugural director.
Across from the Viking Room, students can now enjoy a new alcohol-free lounge — a welcoming space designed for fun and connection. The lounge features board games, ping pong, and plenty of comfortable seating, plus a projector for movie nights or presentations. This new lounge is part of our campus-wide initiative to create additional space for students to just “be”. The newly installed outdoor furniture across campus, including our Adirondack chairs and the refurbished plaza outside of the library are also part of this campus project. Thanks to all those in Student Life and Facilities Services who collaborated to bring this vision to life.
Looking ahead, I could not be more excited to welcome alumni, parents, families, and friends of Lawrence back to Appleton for Homecoming Weekend on October 17–18. In addition to seeing our new facilities and cheering on our student athletes (Go Vikings!), we are hosting our first Greek Reunion to celebrate the long and vibrant 166-year history of fraternity and sorority life at Lawrence.
I am continually inspired by the ways our community comes together—in the classroom, on the stage, on the field, and in the many traditions that make Lawrence special. Each of us brings unique talents and perspectives, yet it is our shared commitment to one another that makes this place truly extraordinary. Let us celebrate our successes, support one another through challenges, and embrace the joy of being part of this remarkable community.
Together, We are Lawrence.
Onward Lawrentians,
Laurie A. Carter
President