Inauguration booklet 121114

CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE

CHAMPLAIN WELCOMES ITS EIGHTH PRESIDENT

The Inauguration of Donald J. Laackman October 18, 2014

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The

‘Laackman Factor’ C

hamplain College President Donald J. Laackman boldly predicted that, within a decade, the College will be viewed as a national leader and model for best practices in higher education.

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“Champlain has a history of pushing itself to create new programs, new majors, and new approaches to meet the needs of students. Because of the efforts of faculty, staff, trustees and former presidents, we are on the brink of greatness, close to being That ambitious goal and vision, described in detail in Laackman’s inaugural speech by using an account of an ideal day for Champlain’s President in 2024, captured the tone and enthusiasm Champlain College’s eighth president since its founding in 1878. faculty, students, alumni, trustees and staff of the College. A full contingent of Laackman family and friends were on hand to join the celebration, including his wife Allyson, daughter Emily and his parents.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, taking a break from the campaign new home in Vermont. “I can’t tell you how important this moment incubator for job creation in the state and beyond.

Shumlin spoke highly of the reputation Champlain College has with local employers as the place to go to hire graduates who are ready for the workforce. He enumerated various Vermont-based companies started by Champlain graduates, adding, “Champlain is a place that is educating students in line with the needs of

to the ceremony held in the IDX Student Life Center that included a full academic procession led by the bagpipes of St. Andrews Society of Vermont.

SPIRIT OF GIVING Michael Kelly, president of the Faculty Senate, welcomed attendees and those watching the live simulcast to the inauguration ceremony. He then presented a faculty gift to Laackman, a piece of art by Toni-Lee Sangastiano, associate professor in the Division of Communication and Creative Media, that she created while on sabbatical in Italy.

President Donald Laackman with his daughter Emily and wife Allyson at the reception at Perry Hall following his inauguration ceremony.

Sophomore and President of the Student Government Association (SGA) Dylan Cullen ‘17 spoke about his meetings and other encounters with Laackman in recent months that revealed his thirst for learning and feedback. Cullen described Laackman’s blog, Don’s Desk, noting it further demonstrates his eagerness to learn, where the President wrote about his love of reading. “I am fractured between my wish to read more and by well-known authors, some of which Laackman favors, before revealing the intention of the SGA cabinet to gift the President with a collection of books to accelerate his learning and embrace adventure and boldness.

Marguerite Dibble ‘12, alumna and newly appointed member of the College’s Board of Trustees, spoke of the College’s agility.

Her Burlington-based company, Game Theory, created a website at Champlain College and what they hope to see in the College’s future. A database of entries from alumni produced a word-cloud featuring key adjectives to describe Champlain—past, present and future.

MEET DON LAACKMAN

The entire ceremony encompassed the spirit of giving, as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees Mary Powell, CEO of Green Mountain Power, praised Laackman and expressed gratitude

These special presentations were followed by a heartfelt introduction from Allyson Laackman, the wife of President Laackman. Along with his professional biography, she shared some crowd-sourced personal testimonials from family, friends and

passionate and dedicated to higher education as Laackman. “He is really about friends and family, and has an intimate approach to

she said. “He applies the same core values to his professional and

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colleagues about his ability to inspire others to do more and be better at what they do. A natural leader, he tends to lead by example and never asks something of someone that he wouldn’t roll up his sleeves and do himself. Other words to describe Laackman include thorough, thoughtful, generous, humorous, an incredible listener, and a hybrid word especially for him— humiligence—combining humble, humility and intelligence.

“He loves hearty debates, backing up his words with passion, about music, cycling, and his family.

She held back tears of joy when she read her children’s words supported by anecdotes of love and admiration from times when Laackman has been an incredible father to his two grown children.

Allyson Laackman noted something of her husband’s character to making sure students have every opportunity for success and to campus this fall, Laackman has made a point to sit with them in the cafeteria, attend a variety of student life events, and even help families carry boxes into residence halls on move-in day.

“I hope that by sharing his personal story here today, it helped Allyson Laackman concluded. “Understanding Don and knowing what drives him—one can’t help but see why he is so excited,

A TRIP TO THE FUTURE President Laackman took the stage; “The boldness of

“We are on the brink of greatness...”

and that standing still means falling behind. Champlain has a history of pushing itself to be new, creative and distinctive, he The Atlantic in 2013.

Laackman then asked the audience to join him on a journey into the future as seen through the Champlain spyglass. “I take you on a journey through an ideal day in the life of the President at

At right, President Donald Laackman delivers his inaugural speech setting the course for the College’s future.

At left, President Laackman helped with the move-in day as the Class of 2018 arrived on campus.

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Above: Champlain College Trustees and invited speakers welcome President Donald Laackman on Oct. 18.

Below: President Laackman leads a seminar at Sophomore Symposium. from now.

travel and integrated studies. LEAD, the Life Experience & Action

Life in the future is no less busy, according to Laackman, in part because of Champlain’s continued success. In 2024, the College would receive great national press as the greatest place to work.

internships and work-study positions on day one.

England Association of Schools and Colleges’), where Champlain was studied as the leading example for other institutions.

Student learning outcomes, retention and admissions numbers were off the charts, and there were great demands for more space and the newest technology from the greater-Champlain community and businesses. These businesses were concerned with recruiting Champlain’s top students, graduating from the most current, applicable programs and continuing their studies through new graduate programs.

Students were grateful for the College’s human touch, still

our faculty, staff, trustees and friends to dream big and write our College, and pride in what we have done and continue to do for students. Our people are thirsting for the opportunity to invent our SYMBOLS OF THE PRESIDENCY At the conclusion of the inaugural address, the investiture of the President was presented through three gifts from past, present, and future Chairs of the Board of Trustees. Laura Dagan, former Board of Trustee chair, with the help of Michael Kelly, Faculty Kerr, College Marshal, presented Laackman with the College and Presidential Maces, to show the College’s commitment to working with the faculty as Champlain moves forward.

Current Chair Mary Powell delivered the College’s Medallion, a gift from former President Robert Skiff’s family, around Laackman’s neck. The brass chain includes the names and dates of the seven Champlain presidents that precede him.

Peter Stern, vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, endowed Laackman with the authority to carry on one of the College’s newer traditions—to present each Champlain graduate with a wooden spyglass representing the College and its namesake, explorer Samuel de Champlain.

On behalf of the Champlain College Staff Council, Sustainability Director Christina Erickson picked up on the explorer tradition.

Saying she hopes that the Laackman family would learn to love she presented him with a “Burlington Sap do that celebrate life in Burlington and Vermont.

And with a few more short closing remarks, the sounds of the bagpipes signaled the end of the ceremony and time for the at Champlain College.

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Top left: Trustees present President the emblems of Above: The Laackman family and friends applaud after the inaugural speech.

Left: President Laackman thanks event organizers at the Inaugural Dinner in Argosy Gym.

Left: Carol Ransom, Nancy Gasink (President Bader Brouilette’s daughter), former VP of Advancement Shelley Richardson and President Emeritus Robert Skiff attended the Inuaguration of Champlain’s 8th President Donald J. Laackman on Oct. 18.

Right: Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin Allyson Laackman to Vermont.

HISTORIC DAY AT CHAMPLAIN page 5

Inauguration Speech President Donald J. Laackman Champlain College October 18, 2014 College delegates, colleagues, our Presidents Emeriti, Trustees and Trustees Emeriti, faculty, staff, students, and other friends of Champlain College—thank you for being here today. I especially want to welcome my family and friends—my wife, who you have just met, her parents, my mom and dad, my sisters—one of whom, Jane, is celebrating her birthday today—my daughter, my son (who is watching the live stream from Los Angeles) and our many friends who join us today in this celebration of Champlain College.

Your presence honors Champlain College’s 136-year history.

Your presence shows your dedication to the future of higher education’s role in transforming the lives of young people and supporting adults as they strive to remain competitive in today’s global economy. And your presence today reinforces

considered the possibility of leading Champlain College.

As we have since our founding, we are committed to ensure the business community to understand what skills our students in educating today’s students to become skilled practitioners, Champlain’s agile and entrepreneurial approach to higher education blends technology leadership, market savvy, liberal learning, community involvement and “the human relevant, rigorous student-centered programs in business, arts, applied technology and public service.

Champlain, I have engaged our community in discussions about the future of Champlain College. These discussions were grounded in what people love about Champlain today, and what they hope for our future. I asked people to ‘Dream through surveys. I interviewed almost 100 people one-on-one. discussions about our possible futures.

Last year, a record number of students applied for admission to Champlain College. And while we have enjoyed successes, we are aware that higher education is increasingly competitive and beset by forces that threaten the existence of some colleges and universities.

Standing still means falling behind.

Champlain has a history of pushing itself to create new programs, new majors, and new approaches to meet the needs of students. Because of the efforts of faculty, staff, trustees and former presidents, we are on the brink of greatness, close to

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Through these discussions, I started to envision what the future Champlain College may look like. In one brainstorming session, a team created a concept of using the spyglass—we give one to each graduating senior—as a metaphor for looking at Champlain’s future.

For the next few minutes, I ask you to join me in looking through this spyglass that sees into one possible version of Champlain College’s future. And please indulge me if I use the only because it made the exercise easier to envision.

The date is Thursday, Oct. 18, 2024—a short ten years from today. I take you on a journey through an ideal day in the life of the president of Champlain College.

After my morning workout, I sit down to breakfast and notice in the upper right-hand corner of my glasses two alerts on articles

Laackman Inauguration Speech

about Champlain. I double-blink and my glasses project an has become the top job-creating state in the country for the second year in a row.

The Governor attributes much of the success to Champlain College’s focus on ensuring the state has skilled professionals “Here in Vermont, Champlain College partnered with industry to identify high-growth sectors. Champlain developed and I’ll admit we are adjusting to a few hundred-thousand new jobs I then double-blink my glasses over to the Chronicle of Higher Education and am pleased to read that Champlain College year in a row.

Thanks to the intellectual curiosity of our faculty, student learning outcomes and retention are off the charts. The accreditors are here today to learn more and to help us plan for our May Collaborative.

This year, the Collaborative will include faculty presentations from around the world want to understand how and why our faculty is so effective in teaching our students.

My glasses are blinking an insistent alert that I am late for my appointment at career services. I run over to meet with many companies want to make visits to the College; we are interview rooms with holographic projection capability, but they are at 95% capacity.

Here’s what the Chronicle says about Champlain: • In 2014, the College re-committed itself to achieving the 1) Achieving academic excellence 2) Enriching student life 4) Exciting, engaging and empowering faculty and staff 5) Fostering an inclusive and diverse community • Champlain’s leadership believed that an engaged faculty and staff who brought the mindset of greatness to all the challenges of higher education would be best able to execute the strategic pillars • Their talent, energy, dedication and pride led to action. anywhere else. The competition for faculty and staff

accreditation team. Accreditors still visit institutions in person every ten years, just to be sure that the descriptions and appraisals match what they can see for themselves.

So even though they loved the virtual Champlain game environment that students, faculty and staff co-created instead of a self-study report, they seem really pleased to see that our campus overlooking the lake is just as beautiful as the virtual Champlain they experienced in our game environment.

The accreditors visited a year ago to meet with our Provost.

They wanted to study Champlain’s innovation culture as a model for other leading institutions to replicate. Our Provost has fostered a culture of collaboration and innovation among our faculty and deans. She worked with faculty to incorporate emerging knowledge about brain-based learning to ignite their teaching practices, both in brick-and-mortar classrooms and online.

is experiencing bandwidth constraints. Between the constant hologram visits of employers wanting to talk to students and the demands our technology and creative media programs are making on the bandwidth, we may need another petabyte line soon to stay ahead of demand. big data analytics major. She is entertaining offers from top local and national marketing and social media companies. I ask her how she was so successful in getting these job offers.

Maria credits the interdisciplinary approach of her Champlain education. Employers are impressed by her professional expertise, but also by her ability to communicate ideas concisely and convincingly.

She feels her Core class in The Rhetoric of Virtual Spaces with Global Dimensions grounded her in the realities of being successful at a global corporation. I smile. Our Core faculty summits in which we engaged leading companies with our faculty to discuss the rhetorical competencies students would need in order to work effectively in our interconnected world.

Maria also credits our life-skills training, called LEAD, with Employers said her aptitude for personal branding through social media differentiated her from other applicants. And the pragmatic skills she learned in LEAD helped her create a budget so that she understands how much she can afford for an apartment. She proudly tells me that with her new salary, she will also be able to afford to get a dog. She is leaning toward staying in Burlington because of the dynamic tech scene here. Also, Maria’s community service work helped her appreciate the impact she can make in improving the lives of people in this community.

As she gets up to leave, Maria stops to tell me that she also appreciated that in spite of the changes to the College in the past four years, she is happy we have not lost our human touch. She tells me, “I came close to leaving school in my sophomore year after my mom got sick. After reaching out page 7

for help, my faculty adviser and a staff counselor personally helped get me back on track to pursue my education. I am so grateful to Champlain for caring about me. And my mom is so I thank Maria for sharing her story with me. I am impressed that our four-dimensional approach to education—professional started Maria on a path to a meaningfully better life. And our I break for lunch. I am meeting with a donor during the silent phase of our $200 million campaign. I double-blink on my glasses to review her bio before we meet. The donor believes our model of education is essential in transforming the lives of students. She is considering a gift of $50 million and would like to ensure the endowment enables high-need students to attend Champlain without loans, but she wants to ensure that alumni will step up to match the gift. be involved, and then we discuss strategies to ensure our 66% alumni giving rate will continue to complement her generosity with matching gifts.

After lunch, I meet with a CEO of a media company interested in re-locating to Burlington. She read the third version of John

and she wants to ensure Champlain will continue to supply talent to her industry and maintain our commitment to professional and global education. I take her on a journey through Champlain’s history: as Burlington Collegiate Institute and Commercial College in downtown Burlington, with a goal to prepare students for changed, successive presidents—E. George Evans, A. Gordon Tittemore, and C. Bader Brouillette—changed programs and offerings to meet the needs of Vermont businesses.

President Brouilette changed the College’s name to Champlain College and moved the college from Main Street to the Hill Section neighborhood, its current location, in 1955 and ‘56. He institution.

Under Bob Skiff and a committed board of trustees made up of Burlington business and civic leaders, the school changed from a two-year to a four-year school and expanded the campus to meet the increased numbers of students. The complexity of jobs in the emerging knowledge economy demanded more well-educated students.

Roger Perry, with the Board’s support, introduced online and global education, as well as starting graduate programs— again, to meet the ever-changing needs of businesses.

Under Dave Finney, Champlain expanded to Dublin, Ireland; Montreal, Canada; and Shanghai, China, with partnerships across the globe. The College built an innovative and

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engaging Core education division to complement the professional divisions, and introduced centers of excellence, such as the Emergent Media Center and the Leahy Center for Digital Investigations, so that students could gain real-world experience in tandem with their academic experience.

Today, in 2024, we now offer majors and graduate degrees data analytics, and three-dimensional multimedia content educate the teachers, social workers, and criminal justice net importer of talent, and we are helping to keep Vermont’s economy strong.

The CEO tells me that she has heard our students are in such high demand, companies can’t even reserve time to interview them. I promise to make 50 interview sessions available so commits to offering 10 internships to each cohort of freshmen, sophomore and junior students. She readily agrees, knowing students productive on day one.

After double-blinking my contact details to the CEO, I join the Cabinet in one of our holographic projection rooms.

Our Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration reports from our 1,000-student campus in Shanghai, China. He is negotiating the construction of a new dormitory tower. He reports that the neighbors are a little concerned with our plans because the proposed 25-story tower is too small by Shanghai standards.

Our VP of Continuing Professional Studies joins us. He reports more companies have signed up for our subscription model Journal, in an article that credits Champlain College’s approach to education to contributing $100 Billion to our corporate partners’ stock market value.

The VP of Enrollment reports that last year’s undergraduate

Champlain, not losing focus on our proud history of serving Vermont high school students with the opportunity to get the skills necessary to enter the workforce. The international recruiting efforts we started in 2014 have borne fruit, with has been boosted by a recent employer survey that named Champlain College as the top professional school in the nation. Our faculty are featured in publications around the country as exemplars of a student-focused professional education.

Our Board Secretary reports on the action items coming out recruiting alumni who are eager to give back. They now make

Laackman Inauguration Speech

Our VP of Student Life reports that our graduation rate has again topped 90%, and retention is on track to improve this result in future years. She also proudly reports that over 90% of our graduates from traditional undergraduate studies were students and alumni have also accelerated. Our data indicate that two-thirds of adult students are promoted or change jobs with a higher salary within six months of program completion.

Our alumni network is among one of the most robust around, and alumni report great success in recruiting Champlain graduates to their companies.

Our head of HR reports from Ireland on her efforts to recruit an international director located in Europe to coordinate the 700 student visits each year to Dublin, Montreal, Asia and our partners in Africa.

Since our consortium alliance partners provided us with more language learning opportunities, demand for overseas language immersion has exploded. In turn, employer demand for bi- and multi-lingual skills has skyrocketed.

My glasses remind me that we need to head over to Aiken Hall for our dinner with former board chairs. The Cabinet members in Burlington join me in one of our favorite events of the year.

I report on the successes of our latest class, the growth in Graduate and CPS, and the new partnerships we have struck with companies across the country for internships and jobs for our students and continuing education for their employees.

and pride in what we have done and continue to do for students. Our people are thirsting for the opportunity to invent our future and be empowered to make great things happen here.

To build this future, we will build on the nimble culture of today to continue to deliver the most complete education possible.

modeling for higher education.

Champlain’s distinctive approach that ensures our students become fully engaged, competitive, successful professionals in a global workplace.

And so I ask each of you to dream with me. My discussions with many of you in this audience helped create the vision I just shared with you. And based on those discussions, I know there is more potential out there. If we are to meet our goal of own vision of Champlain’s future.

Pick up your own spyglass, and stare intently. Share what you see in our future. Engage with others. Dream big. Talk about and push for your vision for Champlain College. The more people who invest in our vision, the bigger it can be.

A trustee asks what our results are with the campus we have

Imagine the power and focus of a thousand spyglasses peering into Champlain’s future. I call upon you to join me in this journey. I call upon you to take risks, to contribute ideas, to help us build on our past successes, and to use your own spyglass to envision our future. Because if Champlain College

students there, we have attracted a record number of applicants.

That is a goal worthy of your time, your energy, and your commitment. Join me, and together we will transform lives.

Another asks about our efforts to update our vision, given

Thank you.

globally focused college in the United States. I talk about our strategic planning efforts, and how we have engaged faculty and staff from around the world in conversations about the future of Champlain. To date, everyone agrees that we remain committed to our mission. It has served us well, and has been the anchor for faculty, staff and students to guide our possible futures.

The dinner continues with conversations at every table marveling at how much has changed at Champlain over the past ten years, and yet how much has remained true to our future holds for the college and for our students.

OK—Thank you for letting me take you on a journey into the future of Champlain College. I ask that you now time travel back with me to the present. among our faculty, staff, trustees and friends to dream big and

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Faculty Presents Unique Gift to President Laackman Capitoline Ariadne represents learning and teaching alongside faculty Mike Kelly, assistant professor of Rhetoric and President of the Faculty Senate, presented a unique gift to Laackman on the day of his inauguration on behalf of the faculty.

Capitoline Ariadne, a piece of art created by associate professor Toni-Lee Sangastiano, represents charging through a myriad of challenges in higher education and learning and teaching alongside faculty. Sangastiano created the piece while on sabbatical in Italy as she re-learned the fundamentals of drawing. The piece’s medium is Graphite on Canson Mi-Teintes. It was displayed at the inauguration dinner on Saturday evening so everyone could admire its detail.

Introduction by Mike Kelly: On behalf of the faculty of Champlain College, I have the honor this afternoon to welcome everyone and present President Laackman with a gift—a piece of art called Capitoline Ariadne, created by our very own Toni-Lee Sangastiano.

In Greek mythology, Ariadne heroically provided the Athenian hero Theseus with a ball of thread that allowed him to escape the labyrinth and slay the mighty Minotaur.

For that she’s often associated with mazes and puzzle-solving.

In the context of American higher education, college presidents are often associated with similar mazes and puzzles.

While it is certain that figuring out what to do about the myriad of challenges facing contemporary higher education will require more than some yarn, Ariadne’s face depicted in this piece of art represents a reminder.

A reminder of how the need for ingenuity in problem solving has remained a constant for the better part of 2000 years. On behalf of the faculty, we look forward to working with you, Don, to meet these challenges and negotiate these mazes.

But this piece of art is more than just the face of a character in a Greek myth. Looking more deeply into the drawing, you’ll see a series of shapes and images resting inside Ariadne’s hair. If you look closely, you’ll see a rat’s tail, a lobster claw and other images.

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Capitoline Ariadne (after Charles Bargue), by Toni-Lee Sangastiano. Graphite on Canson Mi-Teintes.

Now, a cynical interpretation of the message here might be “good luck dealing with the faculty—they’re a bunch of zoo animals.” Read more generously though, what this aspect of the piece can represent are the hidden talents and layers of complexity that make Champlain a vibrant, quirky and ambitious place. If we take the time to look carefully, we can see beyond what’s on the surface and embrace the subtle richness that’s strikingly visible if we know how to look.

The last symbolically important aspect of this gift is the process Professor Sangastiano used to create Capitoline Ariadne. While studying in Italy last year, Toni-Lee made the piece while re-learning how to draw and returning to the foundation of what it meant to be a student.

This reflexive relationship between teaching and learning and this perpetual sense of wonder are hallmarks of what it means to do the work of higher education well and we look forward to doing it alongside President Laackman.

On behalf of the faculty of Champlain College, I congratulate President Don Laackman on his inauguration as Champlain’s President.

SAP BUCKET LIST Here’s a sample of the suggested things for the Laackman family to do or see in Burlington and beyond: At Champlain Local & Regional Events or Entertainment to Attend A Spark Arts Improv Comedy show Queen City Ghostwalk for a little Burlington history and spookiness UVM hockey game Lake Monsters baseball game Spielpalast Cabaret Various shows at the Flynn Theater Various summer concert series at vineyards and parks Recreational Activities Ride the entire length of the Burlington Bike Path and the Colchester Causeway, including taking the bike ferry to South Hero

SPIRIT OF GIVING

On behalf of the Champlain College Staff Council, Sustainability Director Christina

E. George Evans, Champlain’s second President, in his address to the Class of 1897, said: “Lose no opportunity for particular line of duty, but also in the

student body, I think it also applies in our case of a new president. There is much to learn about Champlain; about Burlington; about Vermont and all that surrounds us in the Champlain Basin.

I would wager that for most people in this room who live in Vermont, they traditions, and the deep love of place that keeps us here. Eva Sollberger, who works for local media outlet, Seven Days, has a video blog called “Stuck in

here. might offer as part of this ceremony, we thought there could be no better thing than to give you the gift of exploration. a document through Google, we as a staff put together a Burlington Bucket List for you, Don, and your family. And, this being Vermont with our love of all things maple, we are delivering this as a Burlington Sap Bucket List.

This list demonstrates the Champlain College staff’s love of place, of the culture of our place, and of the profound caring and connection to our community.

As you work your way through this list, Vermont too.

Cross-country skiing (Craftsbury Outdoor Center or Trapp Family Lodge) Dog sledding in Eden Hills, VT Run a leg of the Vermont City Marathon Sleigh rides at Shelburne Farms Swim in the Bolton potholes Hike a piece of the Long Trail foliage season Eat Sugar on Snow at a local sugar house Vermont Brew Tour Eat cider donuts and drink cider at Cold

Eat your way around the cheese sampler table at Cabot Creamery Movie night at Sunset Drive-in Penguin Plunge in Lake Champlain Pick apples at Shelburne Orchards Prepare a community dinner at Spectrum Drop-In Center Participate in the Lake Champlain Dragonboat Festival Flynn Ave

Board Chair Mary Powell presented Don Laackman with the College’s Medallion, a gift from former President Robert Skiff’s family. The brass chain includes the names and dates of the seven Champlain presidents that precede him.

Laackman was also presented with the College and Presidential Maces and the authority to practice one of the College’s newer traditions—the ability to present each Champlain graduate with a wooden spyglass.

Be a Vermonter Become a master at recycling Take your tie off and get Vermonty with a Get to know VT outside of Chittenden County—there is something to the old saying, “The great thing about page 11

Flashback to January 10, 2014

Champlain College Trustees Announce New President Champlain College announced on January 10, 2014 that College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, will become the College’s eighth president succeeding President David F. Finney who is retiring after nine years on June 30, 2014.

Allyson, were formally introduced to the campus community in January by Champlain College Search Committee Chair and Trustee Scott Carpenter and Chair of the Board of Trustees Mary Powell. He will begin as President of Champlain College on July 1, 2014.

“I am thrilled with the selection of Donald Laackman as the next President of Champlain College. Our search attracted an unprecedented number of incredibly Champlain College experience. Don will bring incredible intellect, emotional engagement and vast professional experience to the role. I cannot think of a person who could better embody Champlain College’s ‘radically making the announcement to the campus community.

Founded in 1878, Champlain prepares its students to become skilled practitioners, effective professionals, that combines professional development in cutting life management skills, with extensive opportunities for community service and global engagement.

The College enrolls 2,000 traditional undergraduate students in residence and 1,300 graduate and continuing professional studies students, primarily online. Residential students come from 39 states and 13 countries. A pioneer in online education, Champlain has been incorporating technology into its programs for two decades, providing its graduates with a competitive Laackman told the faculty, students and staff gathered at Alumni Auditorium that, “Higher Education is at a of a college degree. Champlain College’s approach to education is re-writing the rules. Champlain prepares students for careers today while giving them the skills to Laackman Inauguration | page 12

adapt to a rapidly changing job market. I am excited by the opportunity to lead this entrepreneurial, innovative College and to deliver on the promise of higher a recent article about Champlain College in Atlantic comprehensive approach to education. one of the City Colleges of Chicago, since March 2011. students each year. Before his appointment, he was a principal at Civic Consulting Alliance, where he managed workforce and education programs that included improving career and technical education for 25,000 high school students in Chicago public schools. He was also a managing director at Accenture, a global technology, Laackman received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Laackman is married to Allyson Laackman, in Chicago. They have two children, Donald and Emily.

“Champlain’s entrepreneurial faculty and nimble approach to programs enable the College to rapidly

Above: President Emeritus David F. Finney hands over the key to the College to Donald J. Laackman on July 1, 2014.

Below: President Laackman speaks at a press conference held in January in Aiken Hall following the announcement of his selection to the Champlain community.

Left: Donald and Allyson Laackman visit Champlain in January 2014 for the announcement of his selection as the eighth president of Champlain College.

“Students get early education in their chosen career with the soft skills necessary to succeed in careers. I am “Don’s extensive business experience will help further Champlain’s work in providing an outstanding academic experience that is directly connected to developing high functioning members of society. The Board will be forever grateful to David Finney, whose leadership was critical to get Champlain College to the high level of performance and national recognition it has received president of Champlain College on July 1, 2005.

Champlain President Finney added his endorsement to the Board’s choice, “My decision to retire after nine years stems from my belief that the College has much to gain from the energy and vision that will accompany a new president. I know that the skills, depth of experience, and leadership Don Laackman brings to Champlain will build on the great momentum and innovative programs

trustees and leadership representatives from faculty, staff and student government narrowed a pool of more than 100 candidates down to four, and brought those interviews and meetings with stakeholders on campus.

The Presidential Search Committee recommended Laackman to the Board of Trustees during a Special Meeting of the Board on Thursday, Dec. 19 at which time Laackman was selected as President-Elect.

“I can’t thank the search committee enough for their hard work and inclusive process to choose the next leader of Champlain. The voices and opinions of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members all played a vital committee.

Champlain College began its search for its eighth president in April 2013 after President Finney announced plans to retire on June 30, 2014. A national search for his replacement commenced with assistance from The Presidential Search Committee, consisting of eight page 13

LEADING UP TO THE BIG DAY In his time at Champlain leading up to inauguration, President Donald Laackman: Met with the Student Government Association and its president, sophomore Dylan Cullen. The SGA gifted Laackman with a collection of books, selected from their most cherished pieces of literature and ones noted in Laackman’s blog post A Remembrance of Books Past from his blog Don’s Desk.

Tweeted @champlainedu to automatically signal the laser cutter that cut in the Emergent Media Center. (He was a little confused as to why Ann DeMarle asked him to send the Tweet while at the podium.)

as the player name and included the number eight for eighth president of Champlain College.

Attended the Vehicle for a Better Life event, a fundraiser for Champlain’s scholarship programs, including First American, Single Parent Program, Veteran’s...., and Vermont First. prepare for various types of job interviews.

Read to visiting campers from the King Street Center.

Participated in the dedication of Boardman Hall, where Champlain honored more than 50 years of service by David M. Boardman to the College by renaming Main Street Suites at 381 Main Street in July.

Completed the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with student leaders and nominated Vermont Consortium partners Middlebury College and Saint Michael’s College, as well as Cheryl L. Hyman, Chancellor of his former college—the City Colleges of Chicago and its Presidents to follow his lead.

Conferred four Masters of Science in Emergent Media degrees to graduate students from Shanghai, China. “Our students are learning how to create ideas, incorporate technology into art, interface design with all types of media. They are learning how and honestly we, the staff and faculty, are learning how education is different in different cultures, how values affect learning and working, and how to work together as we broaden our perspectives to create an educational experience beyond our

Laackman Inauguration | page 14

President Laackman has a great social media

@DonLaackman Aug 22 • Chris carries the Heaviest.

Suitcase. Ever. #cco14 @ChamplainEdu move in day.

PRESIDENT LAACKMAN SELFIE Compiled by Olivia Werenski ’17 Prior to Freshmen Orientation, the Champlain Class of 2018 Facebook group for

@DonLaackman Sep 19 • Thanks to @ChamplainEdu Public Safety’s Sean for the ride along. The team does a great job working with our students. @DonLaackman Oct 24 • Cody Carlson and Mary Burbridge dominate in Smite!

What’s a word or phrase you’re guilty of using too often?

“At the end of the day...“ What is your favorite place to hang out on campus?

Vista Room in Miller Information Commons. It is one of the reasons I decided to come to Champlain College.

Ski or snowboard?

Ski. Looking forward to downhill and cross country.

What’s your go-to song to listen to in the car alone (sing along)?

What’s your all-time favorite book?

Describe your perfect day.

Coffee. Afternoon messing around.

Dinner with friends.

You’ve created a new, wacky major for Champlain! What is it?

“Sophocles, Steinbeck and Louis CK: Tragic Applications in a Game

Above, left: President Laackman and his family take a selfie to celebrate the news of his new appointment as president of Champlain College.

Below: One of Laackman’s first duties upon arriving was to read a story to visiting campers from the King Street Center.

Why did you pick Champlain? professionally and globally focused college in the United States.

Our motto is “Let Us Dare.” What was the last thing you dared to do?

Leave the best job in the world for an even better job.

More of Laackman’s Q&A and other Champlain Tell Me About Yourself(ie)’s can be found at the Champlain News Blog: news.champlain.edu page 15

Board of Trustees Mary G. Powell, Chairsperson Peter Stern, M.D., Vice Chairsperson Daniel M. Boardman Robert Dean Botjer George Carleton Burrill, Ph.D. Scott D. Carpenter Tom V.S. Cullins Laura P. Dagan Derrick Davis Marguerite Dibble ‘12 Molly Dillon Mary Evslin Joan L. Gignoux Charles Kittredge Donald J. Laackman

Catherine L. Morgan, Ph.D. Emily Morrow

Kenneth Palm, DDS Julie Snow ‘86 David P. Stiller ‘12 Michael J. Sullivan, Jr. Jane Swift Rich Tarrant, Jr. Sarah Gentry Tischler

Thank you to the Inaugural Steering Committee for your tireless effort to make this historic day a reality: Linda Murphy Shaylea Scribner ‘10 Janet Cottrell Stephanie Dion Melissa Hersh Kristi Jovell Stephen Mease Carol Moran-Brown Conor O’Brien Roland Palmer ‘90

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Painting Design by

Booklet Design Kayla Hedman ‘14

Photography Stephen Mease Rajan Chawla Find more Inauguration coverage