24 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | FROM THE NEST When Jack Lule, Iacocca Professor Emeritus and Fulbright Specialist in Journalism in the Department of Journalism and Communication, decided to announce his retirement from Lehigh on LinkedIn last November, he never expected to receive more than 400 responses and 145 comments from students and colleagues, past and present, sending congratulations and sharing the profound impact he had on them during his 34 years on staff. “I noted in my LinkedIn announcement that it has been a wonderful life at Lehigh because of wonderful students, faculty and staff,” said Lule, whose teaching career included serving twice as chair of the department (from 1994 to 2002 and again from 2011 to 2020), a period of time as director of the global studies program, and the publishing of three books on journalism and communications and more than 50 journal articles and book chapters. While there were many comments about Lule’s skill as a teacher and writer, the ones that discussed Lule’s remarkable compassion and warmth touched him most. “I was particularly struck by how many students talked about kindness and caring. That was never conscious on my part, but can you ever wish for more than that?” Lule said. “I consciously taught writing and journalism, but the fact that they picked up that there’s a way to live and a way to treat people that can make life and learning just a little easier and more enjoyable—that was an added surprise.” A ‘Bookend Moment’ Tori Penske Aitchison ’92 ’20P ’26P, director of parent and family giving in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, learned about Lule’s retirement from a former journalism classmate at the same time Lule emailed an invite to Aitchison, asking her to join him for one of his final classes. It was a full-circle moment, as Aitchison was a student in the first class that Lule taught when he joined the faculty in 1990 after working for several years as a journalist, author and assistant professor at the University of Tulsa. “Tori joined my senior seminar on making connections and trying to find your own path, and I invited her to speak to the students about her own experiences,” Lule said. “As I was listening, it dawned on me: Here was a student from my first class talking to students from my last class. It was a 34-year bookend moment.” As a student, Aitchison said she found an “unexpected mentor” in Lule. At the time, Aitchison said Lule was a young father and new professor, who brought “funny stories of fatherhood into the classroom, along with a huge Dunkin’ coffee and a genuine, warm smile.” She added, “Jack always found a way to encourage us to bring our full selves to our writing. I wasn’t surprised to see the same energy and compassion 30 years later. He FACULTY Honoring a 34-Year Career at Lehigh Last December, Jack Lule retired from his position as Iacocca Professor and Fulbright Specialist in Journalism, but his legacy and impact are forever written in Lehigh’s history. Jack Lule, former professor of journalism, was photographed in Bethlehem. He retired from Lehigh in December 2024. CHRISTA NEU
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