For many current and former students, it’s hard to picture Elon University without President Leo Lambert. His leadership and dedication to this campus transformed our school and pushed us to greater heights than anyone could have imagined.

Lambert has always had a vision for Elon, and over his almost two decades of service to this university, he watched this vision come to life.

Throughout his presidency, Elon grew from a small private college to a nationally acclaimed university. More than 100 buildings were built since Lambert took office, and enrollment has grown from 4,000 to 6,700. Elon went from being ranked as the No. 16 school in the South to No. 1 by the U.S. News & World Report, which ranks colleges on various factors, including academic offerings, activities and access to financial aid. Lambert oversaw the completion of the Ever Elon campaign, which raised more than $107 million for the university.

The list of accomplishments goes on and on.

This growth in both infrastructure and student body has opened up opportunities for students, making our university a leader in experiential learning and academic experiences.

But Lambert’s impact on this campus is far greater than buildings and fundraising.

Perhaps most importantly, Lambert’s dedication to diversity and inclusivity on campus is unprecedented. His care for underrepresented groups will leave a lasting legacy on our campus.

The percent of diverse students in the freshman class in 1999 was just 8 percent. Today that metric has more than doubled, with this year’s freshman class 20 percent racially and ethnically diverse.

Lambert also recognized that diversity inclusion is about far more than variety in racial and ethnic identities.

When Lambert came to Elon, our mascot was the Fighting Christians. Now, almost 20 years later, Elon is a leading university in multifaith engagement and education, with 17 different religious affiliations represented on campus. Lambert honored this commitment by creating the Numen Lumen Pavilion, a building dedicated to providing a space for students to engage in interfaith dialogue.

During his leadership, we also watched as Elon became nationally acclaimed as a university that supports LGBTQIA-identifying students. He helped to create Elon’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center and took a strong stance against House Bill 2, showing his dedication to ensuring that LGBTQIA-identifying students feel safe on campus.

Lambert helped to implement the Odyssey Scholars Program, dedicated to granting access to racially and socioeconomically diverse students. He prioritized socioeconomic diversity in the Elon Commitment Strategic Plan, launched in 2010, promising to double financial aid within ten years.

Lambert not only concentrated on recruiting diverse students to this university, but also emphasized the importance of making Elon a university where students from diverse backgrounds would feel safe and welcome.

Lambert has been more than just a leader for Elon — he has transformed this university and made it a place so many of us are proud to call home.

Thank you, President Lambert, for everything you have done for this university. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for you.