New Landis Center director

Dear Colleagues,

When she started working at the Landis Center for Community Engagement over five years ago, Chelsea Cefalu had an immediate impact and repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to working collaboratively with community partners and supporting community-based learning and research. She also demonstrated a knack for designing effective reflection and assessment processes for community-engaged work. She was a leader from her first day at Landis, and I am delighted to announce that effective Jan. 1, 2022, Chelsea will become the director of the Landis Center.

In addition to strengthening partnerships on and off campus through collaborative, outcomes-oriented programs and initiatives, Chelsea was instrumental in the development of Connected Classrooms, LafKid Connect, and Lafayette Votes, all of which connect members of the campus community with each other and the broader community.

The Landis Center is a hub of community-engaged activity at Lafayette, building on a history that includes community service efforts in the 1980s and the first Alternative School Break trips. The work of the center is partially supported by a generous endowment from John W. Landis `39 and Muriel T.S. Landis. Chelsea becoming the director is a cardinal moment in the history of this mission-focused center, and her leadership will certainly continue to build on the positive trajectory of the Landis Center for Community Engagement.

I want to thank Professor Arthur Kney, who will be stepping back from the role of director. Art coupled an ambitious vision for the Landis Center with seemingly inexhaustible energy and dedication. To paraphrase a note that Chelsea wrote: Art may be stepping out of this role, but he will always be a member of Team Landis.

John Meier, Provost