Make it Together
Foster belonging, cultivate connections, and heighten Lehigh’s global and regional impact to strengthen community.
The future we make together is better than the one we make alone. Lehigh’s mission describes our responsibility to impact society through service for others. As a leader in higher education, we need to have the humility to recognize that we don’t always know best. Working together with our broader communities helps us to better understand and prioritize the work that we do in research and education.
We seek to form a deeply connected community built on trust and belonging for our diverse students, faculty, staff and alumni. We will recruit and retain talented people from all backgrounds. We will connect and engage our alumni and friends who are integral to Lehigh’s future. And we will establish deep partnerships in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley, regionally and globally to understand the issues, challenges and questions where we can make a difference.
To do this, we will:
Broaden Lehigh’s global perspective and impact.
Our students, faculty and staff come from around the world and our educational and research activities span the globe. A global lens is essential in all that we do. We seek to expand our reach and visibility through targeted efforts that leverage our existing strengths and relationships. As a trusted global partner to our local, national and international programs, we will collaborate to discover solutions that drive societal change and advance experiential learning and real-world application.
Enhance access and equity, develop trust and ensure a sense of belonging for all members of the Lehigh community.
We must support a living, learning and working environment in which all members of our communities and teams feel comfortable in bringing their full selves to the work, and in which everyone can benefit from the opportunities that we create. Lehigh will enhance a culture of belonging and foster a welcoming and equitable environment. We will expand scholarship and fellowship support so that the most transformative and innovative aspects of the Lehigh education are available to all. We will encourage faculty and staff to support students and one another—strengthening our sense of community—and we will recognize and celebrate those who do this work. We will welcome our alumni back to the campus community and build more opportunities for alumni to learn and reconnect throughout their lifetimes.
Strengthen and grow community engagement and service, and partnerships within Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh is a part of the fabric of the South Bethlehem community. The Lehigh Valley is one of the fastest-growing places in the Northeast for living and working. Lehigh has the opportunity to contribute to this growth and vibrancy, strengthening our university community by becoming more closely connected with our broader region. We value local residents and community partners in the vibrant Bethlehem South Side neighborhood and are committed to being a great neighbor. Through investments of time, leadership and resources, Lehigh will work to strengthen our community engagement and service, and strategic partnerships.