A reception and celebration to honor Ƶ President Lester A. Lefton was held Friday, April 4, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Ƶ Student Center Ballroom. The event, hosted by the Ƶ State Board of Trustees, was open to all faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the community.
Ƶ State President Lester A. Lefton thanks artist Shane Neal for his official presidential portrait, unveiled the evening of April 4 during the Celebration of Leadership event.
Lefton, who will retire as Ƶ State’s 11th president on July 1, has served as the university’s chief executive officer since July 1, 2006. The university achieved significant accomplishments during his time as Ƶ State president, including record student enrollment, retention and graduation numbers; the town-gown partnership that resulted in the revitalization of downtown Ƶ; the university’s Centennial Campaign that raised a record-breaking $265 million; and the “Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future” campus improvement program that is transforming Ƶ State’s campuses to meet world-class standards.
“This year, and for the past seven years, President Lefton has delivered on his primary goal – ensuring in every way possible that we improve retention and develop the quality experiences and facilities that are appropriate for the aspirations of our students,” Ƶ State Board Chair Jane Murphy Timken said at the most recent Ƶ State Board of Trustees meeting. “We’ve grown our enrollment by more than 26 percent and raised our profile as a university of choice, and it has been instrumental to our academic and financial health. We believe his tenure will be remembered as a dynamic time for Ƶ State.”
The afternoon reception featured a video presentation and remarks from Todd Diacon, Ƶ State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost; Alfreda Brown, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion; and Evan Gildenblatt, the university’s special assistant for Federal Relations in Washington, D.C., and a former executive director for Ƶ State’s Undergraduate Student Government. Lefton also made remarks at the event.
An evening reception also took place April 4 in the Erdmann-Zucchero Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts. The Celebration of Leadership event included a special performance by 14 Ƶ State senior theatre students and remarks from Charlene Reed, Ƶ State’s vice president and university secretary; Sandra Harbrecht, who served two terms as board chair and chaired the presidential search committee that led to the appointment of Lefton as the university’s 11th president; and Lefton. In addition, artist Shane Neal unveiled the official presidential portrait of Lefton.