Message to Alumni and Friends: December 2020

The holiday season is upon us. While we have much to be thankful for, the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Progress on both the treatment and vaccine fronts is exciting.

I am pleased to report that with the support, cooperation, and resilience of the entire campus community, we weathered the storm well and kept our community safe. As a community, we remained committed to our priorities of (1) protecting the health and safety of the Lincoln University community and (2) offering a robust academic experience. Our residential students have departed the campus and finished out the fall semester remotely. If you run into any of our Lions over the break, please join me in thanking them for their determination and dedication to persevere through the changes during these unprecedented times.

I feel confident when I say that Lincoln University's foundation is solid! All of us — alumni, faculty, students, and staff — have had to adjust, change, adapt, learn, and achieve in a time of deep trepidation. From my view, I can say that as a family, we came together on all fronts to ensure that our University continues to be a place where we Learn. Liberate. Lead. 

While the past eight months have been trying and even stressful for many of us, we continue to press forward in all areas.

• Students and student leaders enjoyed a robust campus experience.
• Faculty and students forged ahead to keep pace with instruction and learning. 
• Student-athletes have been competing under stringent NCAA and CIAA guidelines. Unfortunately, however, due to the recent rise in the spread of the coronavirus and other factors, the CIAA recently decided to cancel all basketball competition effective January 2021. Therefore, the CIAA Basketball Tournament will not take place in 2021.
• We have incorporated the Lincoln University Foundation as a 501(c)3 organization, which will manage all aspects of the University's fundraising, scholarship programs from private donors, grants for educational programs, as well as fundraising and development resources to oversee other University programs and needs as requested by the University.

We recently announced that the University received a transformational $20 million gift from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. It is the largest from a single donor in Lincoln's 167-year history. This transformational gift will allow us to sustain Lincoln's legacy, reimagine the future of our University, and deepen our investments in students, who will, in turn, make positive impacts in their communities and society at large. I am very grateful to be a recipient of a gift of this magnitude. We are hopeful that Ms. Scott's gift is just the first of many that will help the University to move from our dependence on tuition and state appropriations.

Equally important, I want to thank each of you who participated in the recent Giving Tuesday event. Thanks to you, we raised over $324,000 to #ProtectThePride and support our students. Additionally, our consultants from Washburn & McGoldrick, LLC will be reaching out to some of you as they conduct a feasibility study to guide our next steps to launch a campaign to bring us closer to achieving greater financial stability in the future.

I want to close by saying how good it was to see many of you at the virtual Homecoming activities. I enjoyed participating in many of them, and I commend you for the creativity and camaraderie exhibited over the weekend. As much as we enjoyed the virtual Homecoming events, I know that you missed being on campus with your friends and classmates. We continue to be hopeful that we will welcome everyone back to the campus next spring. I am particularly excited for you to see the new renovations that are underway. Notably, significant renovations to Dickey and Azikwe Nkrumah halls are scheduled for completion before the close of the academic year.

Thank you all for your continued support and genuine love for Lincoln. Please be safe, and I hope you will take some time to relax and refresh over the upcoming holiday break.

Sincerely,