Hanover College Inaugurates 16th President
(PRWEB) October 03, 2015 -- On a bluff overlooking the Ohio River, a milestone event took place in the history of Hanover College with the inauguration of Lake Lambert, Ph.D. as its 16th president. The installation ceremony took place at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 3 at The Point on Hanover’s campus. Lambert is the sixth president the College has inaugurated in the past century.
The ceremony — part of the college’s Homecoming festivities — featured an academic procession of Hanover's faculty, trustees and representatives from each of the College’s current classes as well as past graduating classes. The procession included dignitaries from colleges and universities from across the country and around the globe, including the oldest institution represented, Harvard University.
Lambert’s inaugural address, “Education for ‘A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart’,” inspired by a sermon from Martin Luther King Jr., focused on how a liberal arts education does more than simply teach a skill set, it refines students and turns them into leaders.
“Hanover is and will continue to be a place where callings are heard and where callings are responded to,” said Lambert. “Where young men and women are transformed so that they might — with tough minds and tender hearts — become agents of transformation in the world, in their workplaces, in their communities, and in the natural environment and global society that connect us all.”
Additional speakers included Madison, Ind., mayor Damon L. Welch, Jeffrey E. Arnold, from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Richard L. Ludwick, from the Independent Colleges of Indiana, and Mark A. Levett, chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees, as well as representatives from Hanover’s student body, faculty and alumni. Each person stated their confidence in Lambert’s leadership abilities and charged him with bringing excellence to Hanover College from their unique perspectives.
Leading up to the inauguration, the college held a service challenge encouraging students, employees and alumni to give back to their communities, with the goal of completing at least 1,827 hours prior to the installation ceremony. The groups performed a combined total of 3,655 service hours.
Prior to his arrival at Hanover, Lambert served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., from 2010-15. It is the largest of Mercer’s colleges and schools with 1,500 students, 143 faculty and staff, more than 40 academic programs and a budget exceeding $52 million.
During his tenure there, undergraduate enrollment grew by 15 percent. Lambert also chaired a university task force on undergraduate retention and established a student-success grant program for academic departments. Additionally, he created a strategic planning committee and developed the first strategic plan for the college.
In academics, Lambert designed and implemented a new general education program and assessment system, developed four new interdisciplinary academic majors, implemented a new faculty evaluation system and created a new global and international studies department. He also expanded guaranteed admission programs, including physical therapy and law, established the McDonald Center for America’s Founding Principles with $3 million in private gifts and launched the Center for Collaborative Journalism with $3.7 million in grant support.
Prior to joining Mercer, Lambert served as a professor of religion and Board of Regents Chair in Ethics at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, from 1996 to 2010. During his last two years, he served as assistant dean of academic planning at Wartburg and directed the college’s strategic planning process.
Additionally, Lambert was the founding director of the Center for Community Engagement, a $2.5 million program funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., providing professional development, student vocational discovery, support and expansion of experiential learning, and mutually beneficial external relationships. He also taught courses in ethics and theology.
An active scholar, Lambert’s research has focused on workplace spirituality, professional ethics, and church-related higher education. He is the author of “Spirituality, Inc.: Religion in the American Workplace,” (NYU Press 2009) which surveys the role of spirituality in business from medieval guilds to industrial company towns, right up to current trends in the contemporary business environment. Lambert has also authored several articles and essays in academic journals.
He earned his doctorate at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1997. He holds bachelor of arts (economics and history) and master of theological studies degrees from Emory University (Georgia).
His family includes his wife, Kelly, daughter, Bailey and son, Zack.
Located on 650 acres overlooking the Ohio River in southeastern Indiana, Hanover is an independent, liberal arts college offering a challenging curriculum with 33 major areas of study. Founded in 1827, Hanover is the oldest private, four-year college in Indiana and offers students a premier, private, liberal arts education on one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses. Students are prepared for their careers through independent research, off-campus study and close faculty/student interaction. Hanover has core strengths in the sciences, education, and business.
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For more information, contact Rhonda Burch at (812) 866-7014 or burch(at)hanover(dot)edu
Joe Lackner, Hanover College, http://www.hanover.edu, +1 8128667190, [email protected]
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