An Ideal Partner

Terry Lahti knows how to throw a party. When, because of family obligations, only a hundred faculty and staff showed up the first year for the reception that she and Richard Cook host at the beginning of each academic year, she hired babysitters. Now, more than 350 faculty and staff members attend this party adults in the backyard, sixty to seventy children in the front with their Allegheny student chaperones. This past September, Lahti brought in a giant inflatable giraffe for the children to bounce on.

"It was so cool," she says, remembering how excited the kids were.

Lahti has hospitality running through her veins. "I hope anyone who comes to our home or to an Allegheny event feels affirmed and recognized and, above all, welcome." She credits her experiences growing up and at college for her hosting ease. "I am the oldest of eight and from the time I was ten, I was the one organizing the birthday parties," she says in her tumbling laugh. She earned her undergraduate degree from the College of Saint Benedict, a Minnesota college run by the Benedictine order which holds hospitality as one of its central rules.

Anyone interviewed about Richard doesn't take long before mentioning Terry. They call her a tireless contributor to College life, open, unpretentious, and a kind of ambassador for the College. "Terry is a wonderful person and has been a very good influence on campus," asserts economics professor Earl Adams, who has attended her presentations before student and faculty groups.

Lahti has spent her entire professional life in higher education: she's worked as an admission officer at four institutions and now runs her own executive search firm specializing in high-level enrollment-officer placements. She has a remarkable memory not only for names but also for alma maters and even majors, and was connecting like-minded people personally before she began doing so professionally.

Saundra Tracy, president of Alma College, knows Allegheny's first couple. She came to know Lahti when she hired her to find a new vice president for enrollment at Alma. "Terry is the consummate professional. She knows the field and was quickly attuned to our needs. Plus, she was helpful in identifying areas we needed to have strengthened."

"Terry is just as high powered and capable as Richard," says Dave McInally, secretary of the College. "And yet she slides into her presidential spouse role as easily as can be. Like Richard, she is very good at putting ego aside." At times, Cook accompanies Lahti in her professional role. "He doesn't mind being 'Mr. Lahti,'" says McInally.

Lahti has been under the hood of dozens of colleges and knows a strong institution when she sees one. "There's something extraordinary about Allegheny," she says. "There's a warmth and a civility in the culture here. It's open, not closed, resilient, not negative. People have a strong work ethic, and the faculty are impressive scholars."

A native Minnesotan, Terry keeps in close touch with her seven siblings (two of whom work for her firm) and her fourteen nieces and nephews. Last year she took two nieces to Nashville, where they and she had a great time. "She's planning the next family reunion while she's in the middle of the current one," Cook teases.

Lahti gets a standing ovation from the board of trustees as well. "Terry is a vibrant, articulate, intelligent, and personable professional," says Bob Vukovich '65 "She keeps Richard on his toes with all cylinders firing. We love Terry for what she does for Richard, and, I suspect, Richard is equally supportive of Terry in all of her endeavors. They are an asset to the Allegheny community."

It's clear when you meet Allegheny's first couple that they share a rare symbiosis. "Terry is a tireless, upbeat partner," Cook testifies, "and I am grateful that she loves Allegheny every bit as much as I do."