Messages

A Community Update

A Message from President Harring to the Muhlenberg Community

 Monday, March 17, 2025 11:01 AM

Dear Muhlenberg Community,

As we begin the second half of the spring semester, I want to thank you for your continued commitment — to our community and to our core values. Our campus is known for the care and radical hospitality it shows to everyone. These are fundamental Muhlenberg values that endure and guide us forward each and every day.

I am writing to provide an update on several pertinent campus matters.

  • List of 60: Last week 60 colleges and universities, including Muhlenberg, received a letter from the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) regarding compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The letter shares the current administration’s perspective on Title VI and references institutions currently under Title VI investigation or monitoring. To our knowledge, Muhlenberg is not on the list of institutions with open investigations related to shared ancestry. In 2024 Muhlenberg entered a resolution agreement with OCR, addressing a previous complaint, and continues to execute the agreement in all regards. 

  • New Partnership: Muhlenberg College and Erie County Community College (ECCC) have announced a new transfer agreement to our School of Continuing Studies accelerated degree programs. We now have nine agreements with community colleges aimed at increasing access to a Muhlenberg education.

  • Facility Improvements: It has been exciting to watch our ongoing capital projects move forward. Despite some delays with permits, Seegers Union is on track for completion in spring 2026. We anticipate Bicentennial Park and the new north-campus softball field will be ready for competition in April. Through live video, you can watch the progress on both projects through the Bicentennial Park feed and the softball field feed. Please stay tuned for updates about dedications for both fields, slated for the fall.

  • Difficult Dialogues: Muhlenberg is deeply committed to freedom of expression and inquiry. The academic curriculum and college life programs provide opportunities for students to hone the liberal arts skills necessary to engage in conversations across different perspectives. I encourage everyone to participate in the robust programming and lectures offered throughout the semester. I continue to be impressed with how our students come together to advance meaningful and constructive dialogue in the midst of disagreement. That leadership is especially important now as we see deep divisions in our communities and society. How we respond says a lot about us.

Last year, I joined College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, “a coalition of over 100 campus leaders from diverse ideologies, backgrounds, and institutions … committed to preparing students for active civic engagement.” The organization has three commitments: educating for democracy; preparing our students for a vibrant, diverse, and contentious society; and protecting and defending free inquiry. 

In the face of extraordinary events in our history, each of these is vitally important. They are reflected clearly in Muhlenberg’s mission and core values. We will not waver in our own dedication to these principles, each of them critical to educating the next generation of leaders and, in doing so, advancing the common good. 

Sincerely,

Kathleen E. Harring, Ph.D

President