We are in the midst of a busy time with finals signaling the end of the fall semester, and with the official start of winter just days away. The upcoming holiday season should be wonderful, but can also be a stressful time, particularly for our staff, faculty and students who have many other responsibilities beyond the Lehman campus. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you do to make our community as vibrant and special as it is and continues to be.

Some of you may recall what I mentioned at the start of our academic year at Convocation, about an invocation from my father, a religious man, with a simple - but not simplistic - understanding of life. Every morning for years, he repeated the same prayer as we sat down to breakfast, "Lord bless this new day, as yet untouched and undiscovered."

That poignant sense of a new beginning has certainly guided me throughout this fall semester, and I hope it has also served as a good model for you this year, whether you are religious or not. As we prepare to end the year and this decade, my wish for all of us now is the same as it was in September: May we begin this new, as yet unspoiled and undiscovered year with fresh eyes and open hearts and minds. May it surprise us. May we arrive here next year with another set of remarkable accomplishments, some planned and some unexpected – all with the goal of furthering the Lehman College mission to our students, our borough, our city and our world.

Wishing you and yours happy holidays and best wishes for a joyful beginning to 2020.

Daniel Lemons
President