18 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | FROM THE NEST Alice P. Gast served as Lehigh’s 13th president from 2006 to 2014 and was the first woman to lead the university. Alice P. Gast, who served as Lehigh University’s 13th president from 2006 to 2014, passed away on October 27, 2025, following a nearly four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. During her tenure, Gast led a comprehensive strategic plan, oversaw a $500 million capital campaign, and expanded Lehigh’s footprint through the addition of the 750-acre formerly named Stabler Campus in partnership with the City of Bethlehem. She was the first woman to lead Lehigh and guided the university through a period of growth in research, academic innovation, global engagement and stronger community ties. “I am deeply saddened to learn of Alice’s passing,” President Joseph J. Helble ’82 said. “I first met Alice when I was at Dartmouth and she was at MIT, and I was immediately struck by her intellect, her deep curiosity, her thoughtfulness and her commitment to advancing education and research. We had a long discussion around opportunities for innovation in engineering doctoral education, a conversation that extended into the early part of her presidency at Lehigh,” Helble said. Helble continued, “I was grateful for her graciousness in sharing her perspectives on all that makes this university special as I was preparing to return to Lehigh as president. She was a steadfast champion of Lehigh University and our pursuit of excellence, and I know the university community joins me in honoring her remarkable legacy and extending condolences to her family and loved ones.” Born on May 25, 1958, in Houston, Texas, Gast earned her B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California, where she graduated valedictorian, and went on to earn her M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. Before coming to Lehigh, she taught for nearly two decades at Stanford University and later served as vice president for research and associate provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Leading Lehigh At Lehigh, she championed student-directed learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainability, and strengthened the university’s global ties, launching partnerships and exchanges that expanded Lehigh’s reach abroad. Under her leadership, automotive executive Lee Iacocca ’45 provided transformational support for the creation of a new initiative, the Iacocca International Internship Program. She was a driving force behind projects such as the STEPS building—Lehigh’s hub for interdisciplinary research in science, technology, environment and policy—and the Mountaintop Initiative, which reimagined former Bethlehem Steel facilities as spaces for open-ended, student-led innovation. Former Board Chair and Trustee Emeritus Daniel E. Smith, Jr. ’71 shared these sentiments: “I am profoundly sorry to learn the news of the passing of Alice. This is an immense loss for her family, Lehigh and all who knew her. I was blessed to have been given the opportunity to work closely with her while Chair and serving on the Board of Trustees. “She became president of Lehigh at a pivotal moment, setting an ambitious path for the future with many achievements that can be seen in Lehigh today. Her contributions to Lehigh are immeasurable. While too numerous to list, among these were her leadership in the creation of Lehigh’s first strategic plan, the renewal of Lehigh’s focus on research, the Remembering Alice P. Gast Lehigh’s 13th president led the university through a period of growth, global engagement and community partnership. By Kristen DiPrinzio and Carina Sitkus THEO ANDERSON
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