Resilience and Action

Dear L&C Community,

I am going to be candid—this is a particularly challenging moment for higher education. As a sector, we were already grappling with a decline in the number of college-age students and high costs due to inflation. Now, in the first few months of 2025, we are facing a growing wave of dramatic policy shifts and inflammatory rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C.

In terms of the national discussion, I’ve joined more than 550 higher education leaders in signing “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” a statement from the American Association of Colleges and Universities. It’s more important than ever to reaffirm our commitment to academic freedom, inclusion, and the transformative power of education.

During these uncertain times, it is our amazing community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni that keeps me optimistic about the future. Our cover story focusing on the many threats to our forests is a great example of what gives me that hope. It heartens me—and does not surprise me—that our alumni and faculty are on the front lines of the fight to protect our natural resources. Courage and resilience are hallmarks of our community. We care about the urgent issues affecting our world—and, more importantly, we take action.

One such action in support of our students is the launch of the Lewis & Clark Career Accelerator, a transformational approach that integrates career competencies and work-ready skills into every undergraduate’s journey. I am happy to announce that Board of Trustees member Heidi Hu BS ’85 and her husband, Dan Hsieh, are jump-starting this important initiative with initial seed funding. They have also made a generous $5 million commitment to endow the Career Accelerator, ensuring it will have a positive impact both today and tomorrow.

It’s more important than ever to reaffirm our commitment to academic freedom, inclusion, and the transformative power of education.

In another bold move, we recently announced a partnership that substantially advances the strategic goals outlined in the road map for our future, The L&C Advantage. Lewis & Clark is collaborating with Albina Vision Trust (AVT), a community-driven nonprofit organization that aims to rebuild Portland’s Albina neighborhood, which was once home to 80 percent of the city’s Black population. We are joining forces with AVT to help create educational and economic empowerment programming for the residents of the rebuilt community. This powerful alliance will also provide opportunities for our students, staff, and faculty to learn alongside the residents and work together to generate community-based knowledge as well as economic development that will benefit the residents and the greater Portland area.

These initiatives would not be possible without your support and encouragement. I want to thank you for being a part of the Lewis & Clark community. Together, we will continue to champion curiosity, integrity, and the pursuit of knowledge—ideals that have always defined Lewis & Clark and that the world needs now more than ever.

Robin H. Holmes-Sullivan, PhD
President