Thank You to the Adelphi Community

As I prepare to leave Levermore Hall as president for the last time, I want to express my gratitude for the honor of serving you.

It is a rare privilege to be the leader of a college or university, but to be the leader of Adelphi is rarer still. Adelphi is a not just any institution: it is a special place, with a unique heritage and special opportunities because of its historic strengths.

Adelphi was founded by progressive citizens who advocated for the principles of democracy; the power of the liberating arts, humanities, and sciences; the importance of an educated citizenry, and a commitment to equal opportunity for all.
These are core tenets and key to Adelphi’s character, where students are known by their names and we are known to them in a culture of mutual respect.
I like to think of Adelphi as not only “large enough to count” in the world, given the breadth and depth of its reach, but also “small enough to care,” challenging students for sure, but also taking care that success is possible. This is the key to student satisfaction and graduation at Adelphi.

During the past few months there have been numerous celebrations of Adelphi’s progress in the last 15 years. While what we have achieved has been cited, it was not sufficiently noted that progress is a team effort. We as a community came together to focus on values and goals, and together we accomplished a great deal to make Adelphi the caring and engaged institution it is today. There is more to be done, for sure, but we know how to work toward what counts.

I will be off the campus on sabbatical for the coming year, but will return to teach in fall 2016. I will be “radio” silent while serving as an Allen Room Scholar at the New York Public Library for the year and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford for its fall term, but you and Adelphi will never be far from my thoughts.

Thank you all for the privilege of being one with you.
Bob

» Download Dr. Scott’s “Thank You” as a PDF