To the Parents of Sarah Lawrence College students:

Welcome, parents of new students; welcome back, parents of returning students. I hope you are as excited as I am about the start of a new academic year—my first at Sarah Lawrence. As the College’s newly appointed president, I take real delight in seeing the campus come to life, and look forward to encouraging students to embrace the intellectual challenges of the coming year. I also look forward to keeping you apprised of our planning for the future development of the College.

Education at Sarah Lawrence is based on three fundamental values. The first is an intense focus on the individual. The second is an education that nurtures the creative spirit in all of us. The third is the belief that individuals make a difference in the larger world. What sets Sarah Lawrence apart from so many fine colleges in this country is that the faculty give life to these three values by the way they teach and conduct their everyday interaction with students and with one another. These values may be the reason your son or daughter chose Sarah Lawrence. In turn,much is demanded of our students, who are expected to learn from one another as well as from their professors.

Sarah Lawrence is a place that encourages individual voices. It is a place that takes seriously what students have to say.When you listen closely, you hear a common theme among all these individual voices: an abiding respect for others, whatever they believe and whoever they are. You hear a respect for intellectual and creative work, whatever form it takes; a respect for differences, in whatever shape they come; and a belief that learning comes best when students are engaged.

A word especially to parents of new students: As a parent of two young adults who now have both left the nest, I know it will be a bittersweet moment when you leave your daughter or your son with us. Remember that we are a caring community, and that these young people are moving toward independence; take comfort in knowing that we understand how precious they are to you—and are becoming to us.

I am eager to know you, and to meet many of you during Family Weekend in early November. Sarah Lawrence is an immensely exciting place that transforms the lives it touches—and it will make a difference in your student’s life.

With best wishes,

Karen R. Lawrence
President