President’s Monthly Message: Mid-Fall 2026

On this page, you will find the October 20, 2026 communication from President Dr. Lisa Lambert.
Mid-Fall 2026 Newsletter
By Lisa Lambert / 20 June 2026
 
Hi everyone,
 
To say last week was busy is an understatement! Thank you all for the support (and patience) you demonstrated for the Inauguration. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our progress together as a community, and to show off our spirit and beautiful campus to many visitors. A special thanks to our new VP of Advancement, Michael Braxton, who quickly got to work and raised over 2 times the amount needed for the event.

Board of Trustees Meeting (and Raises!)

Last Friday was also the Board of Trustees meeting. We’ll be scheduling a Town Hall meeting soon for an update, but in the meantime, the Board approved the budget, including our request for a 3% increase to the pool, with effects retroactive to July 1. More to follow on exactly how that will work, but I appreciate the Board’s support and recognition of how essential raises are, even as we still battle the deficit. We will not have all of the details worked out in time for November 1, but more information will be coming soon.
 

Enrollment Update

Once again, I want to thank everyone who helped with our recruiting efforts this year, especially the Admissions and Financial Aid team.
 
While we celebrate our new incoming undergraduate enrollment (a record 516 students!), graduate enrollment remained relatively flat at 285 (down 4 from last year). One of many topics for the upcoming strategic planning process is to ask ourselves: What does the “right size” for Chatham look like? There are no unoccupied dorm rooms, and we still need to address deferred maintenance issues in dorms on both upper and lower campus. We need to determine the best mix of graduate, undergraduate, and NDS students that is sustainable, from both the financial and student experience standpoints. I look forward to our discussions.

Middle States Update

Reminder: Kathy Feith, VP for Institutional Field Relations from Middle States, will be on campus Thursday, October 29 to explain how the follow-up visit in March will work (“Commission Liaison Guidance Visit”). This visit will include an open forum with students at 11 am, and an open forum with faculty and staff at 11:45 am, both in Mellon Board Room. We do not present any information at this time, but a written report updating our financial status (relating to Standard VI) is due February 16, 2027.

Athletics

Fall sports are well past mid-season and approaching PAC Tournament time. One highlight includes a victory over Thiel for the Women’s Volleyball team on Senior Day, extending their streak to four consecutive wins. Winter sports are starting soon, including the debut of Chatham Wrestling. The first men’s home match will be November 24 in the AFC. Women’s wrestling also starts in November, with the first home match scheduled for December.

Advancement

Searches are underway to fill empty positions, including a Director of Alumni Engagement. We are also moving the annual Day of Giving date earlier, to Tuesday, February 23. This day helps us connect with alumni and the whole Chatham Community, while raising funds needed to support operations. The new date allows us to get our case out even earlier in the year. 
 

Events and News

October and November are peak months for events. Last week included a book talk for The Last Free Women: A Daring Escape from Afghanistan and Coming of Age in America, featuring the authors and two of our students (https://community.triblive.com/news/4161268).  
 
This week, Student Health is celebrating the soft opening of the “Swap Store” in the lower level of Woodland Hall. Event info: https://events.chatham.edu/event/chatham-swap-store-soft-opening.
 
Also, here’s an article about how such stores support students and support sustainability: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/college-swap-help-undergrads-and-environment-rcna228059
 
For upcoming events, use SSO to login to our events page at https://events.chatham.edu/. Please remember to read and submit your accomplishments and ideas for stories to The Pulse—we all want to hear about the great things you are doing!
 
Here’s the link to submit your news: https://www.pulse.chatham.edu/contact. If you want to cc my office, our email is presidentsoffice@chatham.edu.  
 
Thank you, and I hope you are enjoying this week’s sunny weather!
 
Lisa