Terrain V01 - Journal - Page 5
Sterling College | 3
Pete Chehayl
Alumnus Parent ‘06
Board Chair
Dear Sterling Community,
Over the last decade, the aspirations of Sterling College have been fueled by President
Emeritus Matthew Derr’s inspired inquiries—how can higher education be a force that
strengthens the human relationship with the natural world? How does Sterling honor
its legacy while making room for evolution? What is the world calling for and how do
we answer that call? How can we improve access to the Sterling experience and lean
into our aspirations to be an anti-racist institution?
Sterling has been able to dig into these important questions because of the mission-aligned philanthropy contributed to Nourish the Roots—the largest comprehensive campaign in our history—where together we raised over 20 million dollars. Under
the strategic initiative adopted in 2019, Sterling is looking ahead to the next decade
with an expanded vision in order to address critical eco-social problems: fossil fuel
dependence, rapid climate change, destruction of biodiversity, loss of wild places,
promotion of harmful agricultural practices, persistence of structural oppression, and
estrangement from community, nature, and place.
Meeting our aspirations will require the careful identification of the College’s 12th
president. This paramount responsibility of the Board of Trustees will be led by the
Executive Committee. More information about the search committee composition,
selection process, timeline, and how community members can engage will be shared
as soon as that information is available. Until an appointment, Dr. Lori Collins-Hall will
serve as interim president. Her deep experience in higher education and her commitment to experiential pedagogy will serve us well.
Thank you for your ongoing and steadfast support of Sterling.
Pete Chehayl