President-Elect Daniel H. Weiss is on campus today, joining members of the Board of Managers in a weekend of meetings and conversations about strategic planning.
Since Lafayette announced his successor, Alison Bylerly, in January, Weiss has been busy juggling two presidential transitions. On the interim, he’s been traveling a few times a month meeting with alumni and members of Haverford’s Board and corporation. Last month, he joined members of the Board’s international council for a meeting in Hong Kong, his first time in Asia.
Weiss is adamant about his dedication to finishing his full-time work at Lafayette. But he’s also ready to stop being President-Elect and meet the Haverford community. “I’m restless,” he said.
“The conversations have been different – my conversations at Lafayette have been thanks and farewell,” Weiss said. “At Haverford, I’ve been meeting with alumni, members of the Board, Corporation, international council – people who have something to teach me.”
Although his inauguration isn’t until October, Weiss officially starts as President of Haverford College on July 1st. That’s also the day he hands over the reins to Byerly, a former provost at Middlebury and once a top candidate for the presidency at Haverford.
While so far Weiss hasn’t had much face-time with students, he considers himself very accessible and says students can expect the same at Haverford.
“I’ve never had official open office hours but I’ve always been available to students,” said Weiss. “I meet with the editor of Lafayette’s newspaper once a week, and she has my home and cell phone number.”
Move-in day for Weiss will be mid-June, shortly after the US Open has ended. In addition to his wife, mother-in-law and two sons, students can look forward to appearances by Weiss’s golden retriever, whom he confidently compares to Lassie.
“She’s the best,” Weiss said. “Probably the most likable of all of us.”
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