Welcome to a new academic year at Lehigh Carbon Community College as we celebrate our 60th anniversary. I am thrilled to greet each of you as we come together for Convocation—an opportunity to reflect, reconnect and reignite our shared purpose.

Whether you’re returning after a well-earned summer break or joining our college community for the first time, I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication to our students and community. Every one of you—faculty, staff, and administrators—plays a vital role in transforming lives through education, support and innovation. Our students’ success depends on the work we do together, and I am confident that with your continued dedication, this year will be one of progress, achievement and community impact.

This year, we will continue to focus on the strategies identified in our strategic plan. Together, we will continue to foster a campus culture where students feel supported, inspired and equipped to meet their goals. The State of the College forum will be held during Convocation at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 19, and will focus on student success, enrollment, new initiatives and partnerships. In addition, we will provide an update on the State Board of  Higher Education and the first Statewide Strategic Plan for Higher Education.

All the documents related to the return to the semester are available in a shared drive, including the schedule of events. Please note the coordinator’s meeting, division meetings, other pre-semester meetings and Adjunct Convocation will be identified on the Convocation drive with an email sent from Academic Services on August 11. The schedule is revised as events are confirmed, please check this link for updates.

Convocation is more than a tradition—it is a celebration of our collective mission. As we gather, I encourage you to share ideas, build connections across departments and embrace the energy of new beginnings. Let the day remind us of why we chose this work: to empower, to uplift and to educate.

Thank you for your service and your commitment to our college community. I look forward to the year ahead and to the many successes we will achieve together.

The Fall Open House is scheduled for October 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. (with set-up and dinner starting at 3 p.m.). Please mark your calendars, as we want all departments and programs represented.

The Intramural Soccer league season will take place from September 8 to October 3, with playoffs and championships being on Monday, October 6, and Tuesday, October 7. Teams are 6v6 on the field with up to 8 people per team (6 on the field, 2 in reserves.

Both competitive and leisure options are available.

Register as a team or as an individual to be placed on a team.

All teams must have a Team Captain. The Team Captain is responsible for facilitating all communication between Intramurals and team members. All players will need to sign a waiver and provide emergency contact information.

Practice time for teams available starting Monday, August 25.

This event is open to all faculty, staff, and students. Any questions, contact intramurals@lccc.edu or 610-799-1181. Registration closes Thursday September 4.

Congratulations to the Dirty Baggers (Rick Christ, Emmalee Loch, Eric Minnich) on their best of 3 victory over the Cornhole All Stars (Justin Brosious, Ann Ehret) to claim the title of 2025 LCCC Cornhole Champions!

The Intramurals Department would also like to recognize a few special awards:

Best Dressed: Fae Schrack

Best Spectator: Stacey Betz

Most Improved Player: Joellen Rooney

Coolest Name: GrantTurismo

Do you feel sluggish and need a sweet treat mid-morning?

The Spirit Committee is here to the rescue!

The Spirit Committee welcomes faculty and staff to join us in “Making Your Own Trail Mix” on 9/18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in SSC 120.

Please register for this event

Zachary accepted the role of Manager of Wellness, Intramurals, Recreation, and Sports Clubs. Zachary graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine. Zachary has a number of years of experience with health, well-being, physical fitness, and strength coaching. Zachary, working alongside Lacey Timony, will be launching new activities and intramurals for students, staff, and faculty members this Fall. Zachary’s office space is located in Berrier Hall, where you can find him supporting students and staff in our Wellness Center and Cougarcade, as well as the aforementioned wellness, recreation, and intramural planning and implementation.

Please consider volunteering for the Wayfinding Program, which is part of the Welcome Week events for new and returning students!

As a Wayfinder, you will be greeting students, answering questions, providing directions to classes and campus services. There will be a welcome tent set-up in the mall area in front of the Student Union. We are looking for one or two volunteers per shift.

We will have resources on hand to help you best serve our students and answer their questions. We will also be distributing student planners, pens, maps, and of course, LCCC giveaways!  Most importantly, students will have a quick point of contact to help ease the stress and uncertainty of the first week of classes. There will be lots of festivities each day: a “game of the day,” a DJ, snow cones served on Monday and Tuesday, hot dogs served on Wednesday and Thursday, and free water each day!

As an incentive and thank you to our dedicated volunteers, each person that signs up for two shifts will receive a voucher to be able to make an LCCC tye-dye t-shirt the week of Sept. 15!

To see the full schedule and sign up, click here (simply type your first and last name in the time slot(s) in which you’d like to volunteer). All questions can be directed to Daniel Melin, Director of Student Life, at dmelin@lccc.edu. Thank you for your participation in this program, and best wishes for the fall semester!

Nicholas accepted the role of Grant Writer. Nicholas graduated from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, with a degree in Middle Childhood Education. Before that, Nicholas was a community college student in Ohio. Nicholas comes to us with a number of years of experience in grant writing, project management, and partnership development throughout the local non-profit sector. Most recently, Nicholas worked for the Wildlands Conservancy as a coordinator and previously as a grant manager. Nicholas also worked as an Education Coordinator with PBS39/Lehigh Valley Public Media. Nicholas appreciates everything outdoors, and when he is not hiking, exploring, or flying Drones, he enjoys what the Lehigh Valley has to offer. Nicholas’s office space is located in the Student Services Building, Academic Services Suite, where you can find him researching and writing away.

Since the beginning of 2025, there have been over 20 accidental 911 calls placed from our campuses.

These calls, while unintentional, place an unnecessary strain on the 911 center and our responding police departments.

When placing a call to an outside line (including long-distance calls), you only need to dial nine and then your number.

If you dial 911 inadvertently, let the dispatcher know it is a misdial and also let Public Safety know (we will be calling and visiting you to verify).

If you have any questions, please contact Eric in Public Safety

Fall is right around the corner and with fall comes crisper days and beautiful fall foliage. Why not spend Saturday, October 4 with LCCC alumni and friends on a bus trip for a three-hour hike at Dingmans Ferry State Park followed a visit to two wineries?

Faculty and staff tickets are limited to 20 seats.

For more information and to purchase your seat, click here.

First Year Experience is hosting a New Student Welcome event coming up on Wednesday August 20th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Community Services Center Ballroom.

The event is a great opportunity for new students starting classes to have an opportunity to meet staff and faculty from LCCC.

Please consider making sure your office or department is represented at the Services & Resources Fair that starts at 9 a.m. in the Ballroom.

Volunteers are also needed to assist with welcoming students to the event, helping students get swag bags, and staffing the check-in table.

Please reach out to the Director of First Year Experience at pwhalen@lccc.edu to discuss specifics.

There will be Food trucks outside in the CSC parking lot starting at 8:30 a.m.

The Office of Communications, Marketing, and Student Life is pleased to present an updated policy regarding bulletin board postings around all campuses. Please review carefully. If your department is responsible for a bulletin board, please be sure to keep it updated regularly. Contact Daniel Melin, Director of Student Life, at dmelin@lccc.edu or ext. 1146 with questions. Read Policy

Dean Tonisha Taylor’s latest publication, “Visualizing My Mother in Three Acts,” will be published by Demeter Press in the anthology Mothering and Inter/Generational Trauma, edited by Lamees Al Ethari and Maria Lombard. From the press release: This volume examines experiences and meanings of motherhood impacted by displacement and intergenerational trauma. The collection builds upon Marianne Hirsch’s concept of postmemory and contextualizes this concept through the perspectives of the mother, the mother/child relationship, and the mother/society dynamic. Through research, personal narratives, and creative and artistic reflections, the chapters construct diverse interpretations of postmemory in relation to mothering. The scheduled release date is October 2025.

More information about this publication can be found here.