Brown and White Vol. 128 no. 4

              The Brown and White
Vol. 128 No. 4
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
‘All the Lehigh News First’
Relay For Life, a nationwide movement dedicated to celebrat­ing survivorship, remembering
The 2015 commencement speak­er has been selected, and now it is time to start preparing for the celebratory year of Lehigh’s sesqui­centennial – the 150th year.
Commencement is an import­ant part of university life where a prominent guest is invited each year to speak to the graduating class and academic community.
“This individual should reflect the goals and values of Lehigh
Search begins for 2016 commencement speaker
Committee looks to celebrate sesquicentennial year
By ALI KAMINETSKY
B&W Staff
University,” according to Lehigh’s nomination website. “Nominees should be someone whose work and achievements reflect our value sys­tem at Lehigh and whose message is one that will serve as a capstone to our graduates’ educational expe­rience.”
The May 2016 ceremony will be more “high-profile” according to the website. The 2016 Commencement has a bit more weight to it, as it represents the official closing of Lehigh’s sesquicentennial year. Nominators are encouraged to dream big and consider nominating a speaker who will be fitting for the sesquicentennial year commence­ment.
“Every year, we try to select a speaker who will have a broad appeal and offer an appropriately inspiring and relevant message to our graduates,” said Bill Whitney, executive assistant to the president, in an email. “But for 2016, we are including some additional stake­holders in the feedback process, primarily the planners of Lehigh’s sesquicentennial activities, and are maybe more focused on bringing in a widely-known name, someone who may draw attention from the broader region and nation.”
Whitney described the multi-step process of selecting a speak­er as difficult, but rewarding. The process begins approximately 18 months prior to the commencement ceremony when the campus and Lehigh community are solicited for their nominations.
The commencement speaker nomination committee reviews the nominations and then provides a list of recommended nominees to the president who further consid­ers the available nominees. The
loved ones and fighting back against cancer, is celebrating its 10th anniversary at Lehigh and 30th anniversary nationwide.
At Lehigh, Relay For Life is organized by Colleges Against Cancer—a Lehigh organization that works directly with the American Cancer Society. The students involved in Colleges Against Cancer work to promote advocacy, mission and survivor­ship through their involvement with the organization and Relay For Life.
This year’s Relay For Life will be held in Grace Hall on March 27.
Building off last year’s relay, the CAC executive board has made changes to improve the event. This year’s monetary goal is $60,000, which was adjusted from last year’s goal of $65,000 after falling short of the desired amount. So far, Relay For Life has raised just under $14,000.
CAC is also hoping to raise awareness around campus with a goal of 1,000 participants and 55 teams—so far, 270 people are registered.
Last year, the organization is challenging every participant to raise at least $100 with the incentive of being inducted into the Hope Club—a membership that is awarded with a free 2015 commemorative Relay For Life T-shirt.
Aside from monetary goals, CAC also wants to expand its campus reach. Caroline Heitmiller, ’14, CAC’s team development chair,
Courtesy of Flickr.com
By ANDREA WROBLE
B&W Staff
See RELAY Page 3
See SPEAKER Page 2
Relay for Life to celebrate 10 years at Lehigh
president will then approach the board of trustees for its feedback. After the board gives its view, the President’s Office will reach out to possible candidates.
“We want there to be a rich list of people to choose from this year, someone people can really get excit­ed about,” said Dave Anastasio, a professor of earth and environ­mental sciences and the chair of the commencement committee. “A speaker that is going to galvanize this excitement.”
The Commencement Speaker Nomination Committee is com­prised of the faculty chair Anastasio, the chairman of honorary degree committee, a staff member from the Dean of Students Office, a staff member from advancement, the undergraduate and graduate
To mark the end of Lehigh’s 150th year, the university hopes to invite a
“high-profile” speaker for commencement
is determined to reach a wider network of Lehigh students. Heitmiller said that year after year, Relay For Life is largely populated by students in Greek life.
“Slowly we’ve been building interest here and there with other clubs and organizations on cam­pus,” Heitmiller said. “It’s hard because this is the first year that we’ve reached out to other organi­zations besides Greek life.”
To further incentivize for cam­pus-wide involvement, CAC has shortened the length of the over­all event. In previous years, Relay For Life ran for 15 hours. This year, to accommodate the Lehigh culture and raise attendance, the
Infographic by Laura Casale/Made with Canva