on this page:

• Pres message
• Alumnus Appointed Director of Alumni Relations

Caution: This Could be Habit Forming!

Our mission is to inspire and educate the scholar and leader in each student, building on a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences and a commitment to the best of human values, fostering a commitment to a lifetime of service and learning.

The second anniversary of my arrival at Albright is approaching as I write on a damp and cold Palm Sunday 2007—God’s little April Fools joke on all of us: last week March went out like the proverbial lamb. It’s been that kind of winter here with an unseasonably mild January followed by some truly bitter February weather and the year’s first major snow on Valentine’s Day followed by another on St. Patrick’s Day.  

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for snow and cold weather, the most recent storm gave rise to a heart-warming news story on WFMZ-TV about our student volunteers who shovel snow for elderly neighbors.

Kelly Cross, a vivacious and personable junior from East Haddam, Conn., was featured shoveling the sidewalk and visiting with an older woman who praised Kelly and the other 30 or so Albright “Snow Stoppers” for doing what she could no longer do for herself.  In the video, Kelly cheerfully shovels and tells us how much she enjoys the work and how grateful our neighbors are.  As the story closes, she cautions that once you’ve done this, it’s hard to stop.  “It’s sort of addictive,” she concludes.

Kelly is one of our “high impact” students, and we are blessed to have her here.  She’s involved with the Domino Players and our peer orientation program, is a leader of the Student Government Association, serves as a tour guide in the Admission Office, and played basketball in her first two years.  

Her playful warning about volunteerism being “addictive” made me think of our work reviewing and revising the College’s strategic plan.  Reflecting on the College’s mission, vision and values has forced us to think hard about how we best use our always limited resources to serve our students and prepare them well for a world of exponential and ultimately unpredictable change.

Kelly’s comment brought it all into focus.  Our mission boils down to forming habits of mind and spirit that will serve our students throughout their lives by empowering them to adapt to changing circumstances and unforeseeable challenges.  

The diverse achievements of our alumni illustrate the enduring value of our mission and the continuing relevance of the liberal arts.  Indeed, as we look to the uncertainties of the future, it grows increasingly obvious that students like Kelly Cross will be high-impact players after they leave Albright precisely because of the good habits that they develop here.  

I should note that getting to know students like Kelly and watching them grow is also “kind of addictive.” Cheers!

Lex O. McMillan III, Ph.D.
President

Alumnus Appointed Director of Alumni Relations

Edward J. “Ted” Isselmann ’01, who has been serving as assistant director of alumni relations for the past year, has been named director of alumni relations. Karen M. Fitzgerald, who has been leading the alumni relations team for the last year as executive director of alumni programs and services, has been appointed associate vice president of development and alumni relations.

As director, Isselmann is charged with developing and implementing diverse programs for the College’s nearly 17,000 alumni. (See page 22 in the alumni news section for a greeting from the new director.)

After graduating from Albright in 2001 with a degree in political science, French and Latin American studies, Isselmann began working as an admission counselor at Albright, and was promoted to assistant director of admission in 2003.

He joined the Alumni Relations Office as assistant director in April 2006. He also teaches an introductory course at Albright on church and state relations in the region of Latin America and serves on numerous committees including the Albright Council on Social Equality and Middle States Evaluation Committee.

Fitzgerald, who joined Albright in January 2005, will oversee both the fundraising and alumni relations functions. Fitzgerald has many years of experience as an Advancement professional in higher education. She has worked for Cabrini College, Susquehanna University, Trinity College and Washington and Jefferson College in various capacities from running the development office and coordinating annual giving programs to managing volunteers and planning events.