Remarks to Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce

Thank you, Anne, and thank all of you representing the Greater Lehigh Valley and the Chamber of Commerce for this honor.

As many of you may know, I’m fairly new to this area. In my relatively short time in this role, I’ve developed an appreciation for the resiliency of the Lehigh Valley. This region has continued to adapt, evolve, and thrive in a rapidly changing and oftentimes challenging environment.

Right here in Bethlehem, for example, we saw the rise and fall of one of the greatest industrial powers not only our country but the world has ever seen: Bethlehem Steel. It’s no exaggeration to say that “the Steel” helped build the spine of this country through the railroad system, fortified some of the most iconic structures in the world, and provided the Allies with the ammunition to win the Second World War.

When the steel mills went quiet, the city continued to evolve, creating a vibrant arts and entertainment center that is enriching the lives of those who live in the Lehigh Valley and the hundreds of thousands who visit from all over the world every year. It nurtured new businesses and tech ventures, revitalized downtown areas, and expanded educational opportunities so that future generations of students could challenge themselves intellectually and make lasting contributions to their communities.

The same spirit of resolve and reinvention is in Lehigh University’s DNA. We are proud of our legacy of leaders, inventors, explorers, and problem-solvers. Many of you know of Lee Iacocca and his well-deserved reputation for bold leadership in the automobile industry. But Lehigh has produced many others who were behind some of the world’s greatest engineering marvels: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Panama Canal. Lehigh alums are Academy Award–winning filmmakers, creators of the electrically powered artificial heart, inventors of the escalator and the iron lung, and developers of the Packard, the finest American-produced luxury automobile of its time. They are among the first astronauts in space and the most legendary achievers on Wall Street. They have served as U.S. senators and congressmen, won Pulitzers, and are behind medical marvels such as creating bone from glass and devising revolutionary methods for diagnosing and treating cancer.

And with every passing year, we send out into the world another graduating class that will no doubt make us proud in unique and extraordinary ways.

As we celebrate this 150th milestone, we’re reminded of our long-standing partnership with the community, and our similar paths of evolution and regeneration as we continue to rise to meet the challenges that come before us. I believe in the notion that we can accomplish more together than we can separately, and the relationship between Lehigh University and the city of Bethlehem is testament to that.

I also believe that now, more than ever, we are poised for even greater success. We have much to offer each other, and much to learn from each other – in business, the sciences, education, the arts, community health, crime prevention, quality of life, sustainability, economic development. We are already seeing the fruits of our shared efforts in each of these arenas, as well as the promise of even more significant accomplishment.

So I accept this honor on behalf of Lehigh University, with deep gratitude, and with a sense of great optimism about the future, and about the community we share and call home. Thank you.