Ken Polk '91, President, Alumni Executive Council
Remarks at Inauguration of President William L. Fox
October 24, 2009

President Fox, Board of Trustees, Honored Guests, St. Lawrence students, faculty, staff and alumni:

As President of the Alumni Executive Council, I would like to welcome you to the inauguration of William L. Fox ’75 as the 18th president of St. Lawrence University.  It is truly an honor and privilege to stand before you and share my best wishes for Bill’s success on behalf of 24,000 alumni.    

Our mission as a Council is to serve as a liaison between the University and its alumni…to help with admissions, fund raising, internship opportunities, alumni event planning, reunion and young alumni engagement.  It is our goal to have a more informed, engaged and committed group of alumni who can serve the University as volunteers as they build a stronger connections with today’s St. Lawrence.  For the past 10 years, we have had a very strong relationship with the Board of Trustees and Senior Staff, along with the President of the University, who once called us the best alumni group in the country!  It is this successful partnership – built on trust, respect, and a true sense of service – that has created a win/win for the University and its alumni volunteers. 

When we, as an Alumni Council, had a chance to meet with Bill and Lynn Fox as the presidential search process was near completion, we were thrilled to find out that Bill was an alum…one of us!  We asked Bill what his thoughts were regarding the role of alumni volunteer boards and were very happy to hear that he was already aware of the strong relationship that we’ve built with St. Lawrence.  It is our goal to continue to build on that relationship…by offering both our time and talent to serve as a sounding board or by helping execute some critically important strategic initiative.  Whatever it is, always know that we, the Alumni Executive Council, are here to help because, as we celebrate the authentic St. Lawrence experience this weekend, please remember that we are all truly “Laurentians for Life.”