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Letter from Our President

"It is a great honor to lead this institution forward into ever brighter days as we are lighting the way for our students, their future, and the next generation."

Dear fellow alumni, families, and friends,

Because of your incredible generosity, Moravian University and Theological Seminary continue our mission to prepare each individual for a reflective life, fulfilling careers, and transformative leadership in a world of change. Our students are prepared with an excellent education and surrounded by a supportive community. They are positioned to meet whichever challenges appear and overcome any obstacles—at hospitals and schools, on Wall Street and Main Street, in churches and communities—wherever they engage with the world.

It is a great honor to lead this institution forward into ever brighter days as we are lighting the way for our students, their future, and the next generation. This October, we celebrated the kickoff of Lighting the Way: The Campaign for Moravian University. Based on our motto, Via Lucis, "the way of light," and inspired by the teachings of John Amos Comenius, our Lighting the Way campaign will transform the education Moravian can provide its students with a goal of $75 million in philanthropic support.

An ever-present need for our community is student scholarships to offset the increasing costs of higher education and theological education. Many alumni and friends have started endowed scholarships to help pay it forward. Through these gifts, our endowment has grown to nearly $150 million over the past few years, putting us in the nation's top 25 percent of endowments. Most Moravian students receive financial support. Endowed scholarships not only provide a permanent legacy for the supporter but forever change recipients’ lives.

Besides a rigorous academic program, Moravian focuses on students actively engaging in their education to learn skills to prepare them for the workforce, graduate or professional school, or a life of service. During their Moravian experience, our students bring their learning to life with experiential opportunities and intentional programs. The Elevate program increases experiential learning by adding global trips, required internships, clinicals, student teaching or undergraduate research, and programs to develop teamwork and leadership skills. Many supporters have chosen to fund these experiences to defray costs for the students and Moravian.

Athletics is also a student experience that builds leadership, teamwork, and ethics, among other skills. As Comenius said, “Much can be learned in play that will afterwards be of use when the circumstances demand it.” Donors to the campaign have upgraded seating in Johnston Hall and locker and team rooms in the ARC, making recruiting easier for our coaches and Moravian more competitive in the NCAA.

New buildings play an essential role in being able to best serve our students and community. Five years ago, we decided to build the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences to better prepare our nursing, public health, and health science students for the world they will experience in hospitals and clinics. Through the continued generosity of the Breidegam family and numerous alumni, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends, we were able to build this 100 percent donor-funded building one year ahead of plan. Now our nursing program has been ranked the number one program in Pennsylvania by nurses.org, and we are helping to resolve the regional nursing shortage through deliberate collaborations with community partners to increase the number of Moravian nursing graduates by 25 percent. This building, and the philanthropy that enabled it to happen, have made all the difference for Moravian students and our community.

The signature project of the campaign is the new Haupert Union Building. Funded initially by students, the HUB has not been significantly transformed since its inception as the first student union in the Lehigh Valley in 1962. However, as the student body has grown, the capacity of the HUB no longer serves the needs of a growing and diverse student body. I am excited to unveil the plans to convert our cherished HUB into a three-story student union that will better serve students now and well into the future. This innovative and expanded space will continue to demonstrate our focus on the needs of current and future students.

Click to view renderings of the new HUB

Our seminaries in Bethlehem and Lancaster continue to flourish. A campaign priority for Moravian Theological Seminary supports scholarships for students seeking graduate theological education and for international students enrolled in seminary programs. Seminary supporters are focused on keeping connected to students so that our offerings can form and equip students in service of the church and the world.

I encourage you to continue lighting the way for our students—as generous supporters, engaged volunteers, and enthusiastic ambassadors. Countless Moravian graduates and friends leave their legacy on our campus through naming opportunities on buildings, scholarships, programs, and athletics. Our graduates are proud of their education and alma mater, and I am humbled to be part of such a great, historic institution that lights the way for so many.

—President Bryon L. Grigsby ’90, P’22, P’26