With a month left in our fall semester, I am delighted to write to you from a campus full of active students, faculty, and staff. After 20 months the pandemic is still not over, but we have largely adjusted to its challenges. More than 95% of our campus community is fully vaccinated against COVID and we’ve had only a handful of positive cases this fall. I hope in Lake Forest College’s long history last year’s remote semester represents a singular event that the College never has to experience again.

Thanks to the dedication and generosity of our alumni, trustees, parents, and friends, the College today is stronger than ever:

· With 1650 students, our student body is the largest in the history of the college.

· Our beautiful campus has never looked better. At Homecoming last month, we celebrated the grand opening of Brown Hall, simultaneously our oldest and newest building. We also toasted the terrific new Oppenheimer Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and the Jean and Frank Mohr Playing Field, where our new men’s and women’s varsity lacrosse teams are set to play.

· Our endowment has risen to $105 million, and major gifts continue to increase its value.

· Our students can choose from a veritable alphabet of great academic programs. We offer 34 majors and 50 different minors from African American Studies to Finance to Neuroscience to Theater. Our innovative Health Professions Program, jointly run with nearby Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, now enrolls some 200 students.

· Our national rankings are higher than ever: #3 for social mobility, #36 most innovative college, and #82 best national liberal arts college (U.S. News), and #14 for internships (Princeton Review).

· Campus-wide strategic planning this year will yield promising new directions and priorities for the College that will drive our momentum still further. To support these directions and priorities, I plan to announce an exciting campaign to increase the endowment in the very near future.

On behalf of our faculty, staff, and students, thanks again for supporting our progress.

Sincerely,

Stephen D. Schutt

President

Stephen Schutt has served as the president of Lake Forest College for 20 years, and under his tenure, the campus has developed, diversified, and flourished. As President Schutt moves into retirement, Lake Forest College is committed to finding a leader who will not only build on our traditions and connect with our community, but help shape the future of our institution.

The presidential search committee is chaired by William A. Lowry ’84, who is joined by Trustees David Castagnetti ’84, Jessica Coleman ’89, Geoffrey Curtis ’97, Robert D. Krebs, Randy Lauer ’81, Robert Murley, and Dr. Angelique Richard ’85. The committee also includes faculty members Associate Professor of Philosophy Daw-Nay Evans, Professor of Economics Jeff Sundberg, and Associate Professor of Chemistry Dawn Wiser, administrative staff Associate Dean of Students Erin Hoffman and Associate Interim Associate Vice President for College Marketing Jackie Hoefler, and students Gabe Anzeze ’23 and Ashlyn Pope ’23.

The search committee will be meeting throughout the search to discuss progress and consult on candidates recruited by Storbeck Search. The search committee will interview the most promising candidates and determine a group of finalists to be invited for confidential campus visits. Appointment to the Office of the President is finalized by the Board of Trustees.

Lake Forest College is partnering with Storbeck Search in order to recruit candidates who support our institutional vision, values, and needs. Storbeck Search has extensive experience with recruiting presidential candidates for higher education institutions and a proven track record of actively selecting prospects for a diverse and changing world. The Storbeck Search team is working directly with the Lake Forest College community to determine the qualities, background, and experience of the ideal candidate.

The partners and associates at Storbeck Search have led almost 200 searches for institutions of higher education at the president or chancellor level. This firm’s values align with ours in their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Nearly one-third of Storbeck’s leadership placements have come from underrepresented groups, and women have comprised more than half. Over the past decade and a half, 87 percent of Storbeck’s presidential placements are either still in office or served for at least five years.

Learn more at www.storbecksearch.com.