They are significant participants in recruiting freshmen all over the country. They're significant in that members of the association are very supportive financially. About half of Lehigh's alumni contribute dollars every year. There is a sense of deep involvement. I regard that as very healthy.
Alumni are a major factor in building pride.
I will, in the course of my presidency, do everything I can to strengthen my relationship with the Alumni Association and with alumni acting individually. I believe in a president getting out there among the troops, on the line. I don't believe in a strict hierarchical management in which the president speaks to the vice presidents and the vice presidents speak to deans or other officers and work strictly through a chain of command. I like to have a relatively small number of people report to me directly, and I like to be able to work through their organizations. I want individual managers throughout the organization to be comfortable and trusting of a president who permeates the boundaries of the organization.