Monday, April 9, 7:30-9 p.m.

During the past several years the higher education sector has experienced dramatic change, both in terms of basic economic assumptions and the strategic environment in which colleges and universities operate. Precipitated in large part by the economic downturn in the fall of 2008, these changes transcend finances, and they are likely to endure well beyond the eventual recovery in the capital markets and the overall economy. Such an environment imposes significant challenges for all institutions, but so too does it provide the opportunity for increased organizational effectiveness and improved service to our shared educational mission.

Daniel H. Weiss
President, Lafayette College

Daniel H. Weiss became the 16th president of Lafayette College July 1, 2005. In the fall of 2007, the trustees and faculty of the College unanimously approved a new strategic plan for Lafayette following a yearlong process led by Weiss. In the first four years of implementation, the College has increased the size of the permanent faculty by more than 10 percent, revised the Common Course of Study for the first time in 18 years, and developed interdisciplinary programs in Environmental Science; Health and Life Sciences; Film and Media Studies; Theater; Women’s and Gender Studies; and Bioengineering. [more]

Eugene M. Tobin
Program Officer, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Eugene M. Tobin is the program officer for the Higher Education and the Liberal Arts Colleges Program at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. His grant-making responsibilities encompass the areas of faculty and curricular development, presidential leadership, undergraduate teaching and learning, educational effectiveness, and institutional collaboration. [more]