President's Letter, September 2005

We are now well launched into the new academic year at Lewis & Clark College. It is always a refreshing change to have the students return to campus, bringing with them their energy, their enthusiasm, and their latest technological gadgets.

I am now beginning my second year as President of Lewis & Clark, one of the finest liberal arts colleges in America. The first twelve months here seemed so full, so energetic that it still feels brand new. And what I have learned is that my initial assessment of the tremendous quality of Lewis & Clark was right on target. It is clear that we do an outstanding job of preparing young men and women to lead lives of leadership and service. It is evident across campus and among the many alumni I have had the chance to visit.

I want to bring you up to date on a significant achievement from the past year. For too long now Lewis & Clark College has been dogged by the hangover from the ill-advised investment of $10.5 million in Environmental Oil Processing Corporation (EVOP). I am pleased to be able to report to you that the Board of Trustees has completed the task of restoring those reserves. This was accomplished through legal judgments, the liquidation of assets, and, most importantly, through the generosity, leadership, and commitment of the members of the Board and other friends of Lewis & Clark. The financial loss has been rectified.

We have learned a great deal from this incident. The Audit Committee of the Board, for example, has instituted tighter controls with regard to their oversight of institutional fiscal and investment practices. We in the administration have moved to establish limits on signature authority with regard to budgets and spending, and we have initiated an ongoing process of updating our day-to-day business and financial procedures. More importantly we have gained a shared recognition that we must always serve as ever-vigilant stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Lewis & Clark today is a well managed enterprise poised to move forward.

It has been an eventful start to the year.

Certainly Hurricane Katrina garnered the lion’s share of our attention (and yours, too) for several days. In our own way we have tried to be helpful to those “displaced students”, providing 20 of them with a school to call home while our sister schools in the Gulf States put their campuses back together. Faculty, staff, and alumni have risen to the challenge with offers of free housing, assistance in relocating, and countless offers of help as these students get to know Portland. I am gratified to be associated with such a thoughtful, generous, and compassionate community.

With our most recent matriculants, the quality of the student body has risen to new heights. The number of students has likewise increased somewhat this year due to the growing appeal of Lewis & Clark College and to growing retention rates among those already here. Such statistics bode well for the future.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the “Rogers Summer Research Program” poster night, a chance for our students who spent the summer engaged in serious scientific research to present their work and their findings. It was an impressive display and many of the projects this year, as in past years as well, lead to publication credits for many students, a significant advantage in gaining admission to top flight graduate schools later on. Incidentally, the latest issue of Newsweek’s “Hottest Colleges” includes a very positive story about undergraduate research, and features Lewis & Clark.

The fall semester is full of events just like the Rogers Poster Night. We will have visiting lecturers, concerts, panel discussions and celebrations. One of the most important nights of the year is in conjunction with Homecoming. It is the Alumni Honors Banquet, a night where we celebrate the lives and accomplishments of alumni who have distinguished themselves in their work. This year’s honorees include Paul Barker ’71, Jamie Forman ’81, and Aaron Meyer ’95. These are remarkable people, and it is right and fitting that we honor their lives’ work.

One of the most important things we will do this year is begin developing our strategic plan. I am in the process of convening a task force to move us forward. This process will take the better part of the year to complete, and I am hopeful that each of you will take the opportunity to let us know your thoughts as this plan begins to take shape. I will report to you as directions start to take shape and as priorities begin to be identified. It is important that this process of designing our future be informed by those who have lived our past.

Our beautiful campus is on Palatine Hill. But the Lewis & Clark community is spread the world over. You are a student for a few short years, but you are an alumnus or alumna forever. We need to know that our aspirations are consistent with our heritage, and we look to you to help ensure that our mission remains at the core of what we do.

In the next several weeks I will be visiting with alumni, parents, and friends in cities across the country. I am hoping to hear from you at these events and discuss with you Lewis & Clark’s opportunities and challenges in the years ahead.

You will be receiving a copy of our Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors within the next month or so. I hope you will enjoy reading in more detail all of the highlights from 2004-2005, as well as learning more about the remarkable difference your gifts can make in the lives of our students and the work of our faculty.

Thank you and best wishes always,

Thomas J. Hochstettler

President