MAKING HISTORY AND KEEPING PROMISES

In his Inaugural Address on May 7, 2006, Albright’s 14th President Lex O. McMillan III, Ph.D., said “…In this Sesquicentennial year, we recall and celebrate what we have been for the past 150 years…But we also look to the future, to what we can become in the years ahead, and here I think that all will agree: We have promises to keep!”

The 2005-2006 academic year did indeed prove to be one full of celebration, keeping promises and looking ahead to the future.

Albright’s 15-month-long Sesquicentennial Celebration kicked off on October 21, 2005, during Homecoming. The Celebration, aimed at bringing to life the history and heart of Albright by telling the myriad stories of Albright, its people and places in a variety of ways, opened with a focus on our history, and now, as it draws to a close, is focused on our future. Please visit our Sesquicentennial web site for Sesqui Stories, photos of events, historical information about the College and much more.  The site received 4,046 hits from June 2005-May 2006.

One of many kept promises was the dedication of the new Gene Shirk Stadium on September 24, 2005.

This 5,000-seat multi-sport stadium, which is the first project in the College’s 10-year master plan for athletic facilities, sports a new field house/ grandstands building, new stands, new locker rooms, press box and main entrance/concessions building. The new artificial turf field is designed for football, field hockey, soccer, rugby and lacrosse.

Reading School District, which has used the stadium for football since at least the early 1940s, contributed $2 million to the $6 million facility. A $1 million gift from Albright alumnus and former star athlete John D. Scholl ’69, added to College funds, allowed Albright to move the project quickly forward.

Looking to the future, President McMillan convened a committee representing all of the College’s constituencies to review, evaluate and update the College’s 2002 Strategic Plan. Led by trustee John Baily ’65 and professor Thomas Brogan, the committee asked for feedback from faculty, administrators, staff, students, alumni and others, and is drafting a plan that focuses on four key areas:

• Fostering Academic Excellence
• Strengthening our Residential Learning
  Community
• Enhancing Community Relations
• Achieving Financial Stability

The Board will approve the final plan at their winter meeting in February 2007.

On the following pages, among the many names of Albright’s generous donors, are highlights of the past year. From faculty and student accomplishments, to technological upgrades and on-campus events, Albright College really has made history and kept promises in 2005-2006.