To further Lehigh University’s strategy to grow research and lead in educational innovation, Lewis (Lew) Hay III ’77 ’08P ’11P and Sherry A. Hay ’78 ’08P ’11P have made a commitment of $7.5 million to benefit the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. The gift creates an endowment that will support the dean of the Rossin College and will formally name the Lewis Hay III ’77 ’08P ’11P and Sherry A. Hay ’78 ’08P ’11P Deanship.
“When Lehigh receives gifts of this magnitude, we are better able to make a future where interdisciplinary, real-world problems are solved, students experience even better outcomes, and our reputation for innovation and creativity grows,” says President Joseph J. Helble ’82. “The Hays’ generosity will advance the Rossin College’s agenda by providing support for strategic research priorities and initiatives and enhancing Lehigh’s ability to think creatively without constraint and innovate in engineering education.”
The commitment from the Hays comes as Lehigh pursues the ambitious goals of its Inspiring the Future Makers strategy, including doubling the university’s research activity, expanding interdisciplinary programs, and creating educational innovations to drive outcomes for undergraduate and graduate students. Lehigh was also recently given R1 status, denoting the highest level of research activity in the Carnegie Classification system — a prestigious honor held by a select few of the nation’s colleges and universities. By supporting areas like seed funding for new programs, infrastructure, and faculty recruitment and development, the Hays’ endowment will help the dean continue this momentum and take advantage of emerging opportunities, boost cutting-edge research, and support outstanding researchers and scholars.
"The Hays’ generosity represents a transformative investment in the future of Lehigh engineering education and innovation" — Stephen P. DeWeerth
"The Hays’ generosity represents a transformative investment in the future of Lehigh engineering education and innovation," says Stephen P. DeWeerth, professor and dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. "It empowers us to attract visionary leaders, drive groundbreaking research, and create even more opportunities for Lehigh to shape the next generation of engineers. This enduring support from the Hay family enhances our ability to address global challenges, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and drive excellence across all of our programs.”
DeWeerth will formally be installed as the Lew and Sherry Hay Dean of Engineering as part of the university’s Founder’s Weekend tradition in October. “I am grateful and honored to serve as inaugural holder of this endowed deanship — a testament to the commitment of our alumni community in advancing Lehigh's mission of inspiring future makers," he says.
When asked about the inspiration for their gift, the Hays emphasized the importance of supporting people and connecting to Lehigh’s history.
For Lew Hay, it was a chance to honor his time at Lehigh and the education he received as an electrical engineer. “I went from a fresh-faced first-year showing up and learning at Lehigh, a top-tier engineering school, to many years later having the opportunity to help. Having our name associated with the engineering deanship excited me the more I spoke with Dean DeWeerth, Provost Nathan Urban, and President Helble,” he says. Similarly, Sherry Hay hoped that naming “the deanship would reflect Lew’s time there especially and also remind others that Lehigh was and is a powerhouse of engineering.”
Urban noted that the naming of a deanship is a special event in the life of the university. “It's unlike naming a building or a room. While a building is more tangible and visible, we build new buildings much more frequently than we create new colleges and deanships,” Urban said. “I think that it is highly appropriate that this deanship be named for the Hay family, given Lew's critical leadership in the energy industry and in areas of energy policy for this country.”
Naming the deanship also underscores the value the Hays place on preserving Lehigh’s interdisciplinary and welcoming culture. “At Lehigh, I took a whole bunch of economics courses, much to the chagrin of my electrical engineering adviser at the time. I also took accounting and finance, and I explored other electives in the arts and sciences,” says Lew Hay. Sherry Hay remembers that she also had the freedom to explore other colleges and classes. “Lehigh gave you the opportunity to change the curriculum if you showed them that you were interested in doing it,” she says.
Lew Hay was particularly taken by DeWeerth’s vision for a new First-Year Rossin Experience. By exposing more students to engineering and technology earlier in their education, Lehigh could see “a smaller percentage of students leaving engineering or Lehigh altogether. His vision to make engineering education exciting and approachable to more students resonated with both of us,” Hay reflects.
About the Hays
Lew and Sherry (Kratovil) Hay met while students at Lehigh. “We had an open house at Pi Kappa Alpha for rushing, and Sherry was invited over, and we started chatting,” remembers Lew. “After the open house was over, we went out to dinner — nothing special; it was McDonald's. The rest was history." The two were married in 1978.
Lew Hay hails from Grove City, Pennsylvania. At Lehigh, he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity and Eta Kappa Nu engineering honor society. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, graduating with highest honors. After graduation, Lew Hay worked for U.S. Steel before going on to earn a Master of Science degree in industrial administration from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business in 1982, where he graduated first in his class and was the Ford Scholar. He became one of the youngest partners at Strategic Planning Associates, where he worked from 1982–1991. While at Strategic Planning Associates, Hay was one of the leaders in the creation of US Foods (formerly known as U.S. Foodservice and before that, JP Foodservice). From 1991–1999, he was chief financial officer and director of U.S. Foodservice, Inc.
In 1999, Hay joined NextEra Energy, Inc. (formerly FPL Group), one of the nation’s leading electricity-related services companies and the largest renewable energy generator in the U.S., as chief financial officer, going on to become president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board before retiring at the end of 2013. Under Hay’s leadership, NextEra Energy earned numerous awards for its innovations and corporate sustainability and was lauded for its clean energy growth strategy. Since 2013, Hay has been an operating adviser at private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice and has served on the boards of directors of Capital One, L3Harris Technologies, and Elevance Health as well as other nonprofit boards.
A native of Jeanette, Pennsylvania, Sherry Hay matriculated to Lehigh in the fall of 1974, becoming one of Lehigh’s first women undergraduate students. Graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics with a double major of Accounting and Marketing and a minor in Russian, Sherry then went on to work at Dravo Corporation in Pittsburgh. She obtained her MBA from Duquesne University in 1982 and, upon moving to Washington, DC, worked at the Washington Hospital Center.
After the Hays moved to Florida in 1999, Sherry supported The Benjamin School, which their children attended; Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure; and Maltz Jupiter Theatre. For 15 years, Sherry has been a committee member and former chair of Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, which provides housing, financial aid, education, employment support, and STEM-based after-school care for children of housing-insecure families. She recently joined Bella’s Angels, which provides financial and emotional support to Palm Beach County families with children who have severe medical conditions.
The Hays have three children, Daria (Georgetown ’06), Matthew ’08, and Nathan ’11. They have long supported the university’s top priorities through the Lehigh Fund and have one of the longest records of consecutive giving among graduates. Both are also active in Lehigh’s Tower Society, which recognizes those who have provided for Lehigh through a confirmed bequest intention, life income gift, or endowed fund.
Sherry and Lew Hay enjoy spending time with their four young grandchildren and hope some of them will follow in the Lehigh tradition. Looking back fondly on their Lehigh years, they continue to appreciate the excitement of attending Lehigh-Lafayette football games in the company of lifelong friends.
