A Message from Stephanie Cooper '65, MFA '76, Your Alumnae/i Board President

This is a historic moment in the life of the College. We are preparing-girding ourselves, perhaps-for the departure of our president and dean. At the same time we are anticipating the arrival of our new president. This is a turning point when we should take time both to reflect on the extraordinary gifts of wisdom and leadership that Michele Tolela Myers and Barbara Kaplan have given to the Sarah Lawrence community and also to anticipate what will be, by definition, a new era.

As a former trustee and now an ex officio member of the Board, I have had the privilege to watch both of our departing dynamos at fairly close range. Thanks to their dedication, Sarah Lawrence is at a peak of strength. Its intellectual mission is intact from my own time here in the 1960's; its finances are stronger not only than when Michele first arrived but probably than ever before; its diversity has grown significantly. The students and teachers remain incredibly impressive-gifted in their disciplines and committed to issues of fairness and justice in the outside world. Yet there is much to accomplish, and strong as we are, the College faces significant challenges that we as alumnae/i must understand and help to surmount.

I want to look ahead as well as back, so I now call your attention to Karen Lawrence. Having met our president-elect, I can say without qualification that we have chosen another remarkable woman. She has the finest academic credentials and an easy grace with everyone she meets, and her record as Dean of the School of Humanities at U.C. Irvine is beyond impressive. As alumnae/i, I hope you will make an effort to meet her and to pay attention to her tenure and to her accomplishments on our behalf.

This next era is one in which we on the Alumnae/i Association board will be working hard to connect alums with the larger College community. Hopefully, we will help put the Sarah Lawrence vision into practice, individually and together, to make a difference in the world. Karen Lawrence, I predict, will lead the way in exemplary fashion. Please watch.

Stephanie Cooper can be reached at scooper@stephaniercooper.com