Leo Michael Lambert, Ph.D. (born June 30, 1955 in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

) is President Emeritus of Elon University, a private university located in

Elon, North Carolina Elon () is a town in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington metropolitan statistical area. The population as of the 2020 census was 11,324. The town of Elon is home to Elon University. Elon began in 1881 as ...

. Lambert served as Elon's eighth president from 1999 to 2018 and assumed the title of President Emeritus on March 1, 2018. He was succeeded by

Connie Ledoux Book Constance "Connie" Ledoux Book, Ph.D., is President of Elon University, a private university located in Elon, North Carolina. On October 9, 2017, the Elon Board of Trustees voted unanimously to elect Book as the ninth president of Elon. She bec ...

President of Elon University

During his tenure, Lambert established Elon as a

liberal arts university A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

. The academic climate of the campus was strengthened through investments in faculty development, library resources, honors and fellows programs for outstanding students, study abroad programs, undergraduate research, volunteer service and leadership education. In 2001, Elon College became Elon University, and the NewCentury@Elon strategic plan was developed under Lambert’s leadership. During his tenure, Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, was established from three formerly separate divisions , and the School of Communications and the School of Education moved from departmental to school status. In 2006, Lambert led the drive to open the

Elon University School of Law Elon University School of Law is an American law school located in Greensboro, North Carolina, occupying the former downtown public library building. Established in 2006, Elon Law is one of nine graduate programs offered by Elon University. It e ...

in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. New facilities constructed during Lambert’s tenure included Carol Grotnes Belk Library, Rhodes Stadium, Belk Track and White Field, the six-building Academic Village, Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center, Ellington Health Center, The Oaks residence hall complex, Colonnades Dining Hall and the Colonnades residence halls, and several new residence halls and a commons building in Danieley Center. The university expanded to include the South Campus.

Leadership positions

Lambert served on the national and North Carolina boards of

Campus Compact Campus Compact is a coalition of college and university presidents, committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education. Nearly 1,100 educational institutions, more than a third of all higher education providers in the United States ...

and as a founding board member and president’s council chair of Project Pericles, a national organization that encourages students to become civically engaged in their communities. Elon University has twice been named one of the nation’s top universities for community service in the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Lambert served as a member of the NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics and chairing the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification. In 2008, Lambert was appointed to the Commission on Effective Leadership by the American Council on Education. In 2009, he was named a director of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Awards and recognitions

Lambert has written extensively about post-secondary education and is co-editor of a book about university teaching, published by Syracuse University Press in 2005. His alma mater, the State University of New York at Geneseo, awarded him an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2002 .

Personal life

Leo Michael Lambert married Laurie Fordham June 11, 1977. They have two daughters.

References

External links

Elon University Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Leo M. State University of New York at Geneseo alumni Presidents of Elon University Living people 1955 births People from Schenectady, New York People from Alamance County, North Carolina