Final Thoughts with VP DeLisa

The past two decades seem to have flown by. With my retirement from Eastern this October, I have many feelings to share with you in my final letter to our alumni and friends.  

I love what I do. I have had the privilege to work with exceptional colleagues. I have worked with so many committed faculty and staff. With the appointment of Dr. David G. Carter to the CSU system office in 2006, a 17-year period of exciting growth under the leadership of President Elsa Núñez began. Her laser focus on access to all students, regardless of their socio-economic background, became our mantra.  

With Dr. Núñez’s implementation of the first of several five-year strategic plans and with the energy this required from so many of us, the process united the senior team and developed relationships that exist today across all sectors of the university community.  

President Núñez knew from the start the value of the strategic planning process. The strategic plan launched us on an upward trajectory, and we never looked back. Eastern enjoyed a heightened public image — both in Connecticut and beyond — and has achieved top rankings as a public liberal arts institution.  

I will leave behind an exceptional institution committed to a quality public liberal arts education. Perhaps my proudest moments were the evenings each May when I watched our students walk across the stage and become graduates with the knowledge that they were well-prepared to be successful in life and as contributors in the workplace, in their communities and beyond.  

Of course, the progress that Eastern and our students have enjoyed is in large part due to the excellent faculty, dedicated staff and hundreds of donors and friends of the University who have shared their time, talent and treasure because of their belief in Eastern’s mission. It is impossible to express how very important this support has been and will continue to be, as it has made it possible for thousands of students with unmet needs to remain in school and receive a four-year degree.  

I leave with confidence that my fellow colleagues will continue to make Eastern the wonderful and welcoming place that it is for students, faculty and staff. I’ll surely be cheering from the sidelines and wishing everyone continued success in the years ahead. I take this time to thank you for your commitment to Eastern and for making the past 20 years a truly rewarding part of my life.  

Kenneth J. DeLisa  
Vice President for Institutional Advancement 
and Chief Human Resources Officer