Keynote Title: Shaping Relationship-Rich Campus Cultures: Implications for Learning and Wellbeing

Leo M. Lambert, Ph.D., is a professor of education and president emeritus of Elon University, where he served as president from 1999-2018. During his tenure as president, Lambert led two, ten-year strategic plans for the campus that propelled Elon to a place of national distinction. Today Elon is recognized widely throughout the U.S. for excellence in undergraduate teaching and experiential learning, including its programs in study abroad, undergraduate research, civic engagement and community service, and interfaith cooperation. More than 100 buildings were added to Elon’s campus during Lambert’s presidency. Lambert is the coauthor of The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on What Matters Most (Jossey-Bass), Relationship Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College (Johns Hopkins University Press), and Connections Are Everything: A College Student’s Guide to Relationship-Rich Education (Johns Hopkins University Press). He also founded the Future Professoriate Program at Syracuse University, which recently celebrated its 30^th anniversary. A recognized leader in higher education, Lambert has served on the boards of the American Council on Education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Campus Compact, the Association of Governing Boards, The Washington Center, and the John N. Gardner Institute. In 2009, he received the inaugural William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education from the National Society for Experiential Education. He holds honorary doctoral degrees in humane letters from the State University of New York, Alfred University, and Jacksonville University.