Making a bLUeprint: What is college for?

Learning and student growth happen in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in club meetings in college, but students often don’t have the time or means to connect what they learn in one place to what they learn in another. That is where bLUeprint, Lehigh University’s developmental curriculum for students, comes in.

bLUeprint draws upon five foundations to help students create a draft about who they are and what they want to get out of their Lehigh experience.  By identifying personal values, support systems and goals, students are able to better learn about themselves while also making more intentional decisions about what they do during their first year and beyond.

In Fall 2013, Lehigh’s Class of 2017 became the inaugural first-years to use bLUeprint. The program was infused into the orientation program and Gryphons facilitated the first writing of a draft during the same weekend. Two years later, half of the undergraduate student population has utilized the program, and many student organizations are beginning to integrate it into their work as well.

Each first-year student is required to attend five programs or events, one in each of the foundations, in their first 10 weeks on campus. These programs – collectively known as the 5 x 10s – range from a female engineers mixer to a talk by the author of the summer reading book for the class. First-year students have found that the 5x10 programs have helped them better understand the university’s resources and be more social during the first few weeks of college.

"I greatly benefitted from the 5x10 event requirement; it enabled me to attend campus events and talks that I wouldn't have considered going to otherwise,” said Eden Weinflash ’17.

“Lehigh offers so many great presentations and discussions, and the 5x10 events encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and learn something new. These events also served as a great time for my hall to bond; we attended 5x10s as a group and would get dinner afterward."

Beyond programming, bLUeprint allows  students to build upon their original draft book plans created during orientation and revise as necessary as their interests change and their personal goals evolve.

As part of the bLUeprint program, Gryphons organize community dinners with their halls and individual G-chats with residents, sometimes over coffee, to foster discussion about how students are progressing with their bLUeprint.

"I have used bLUeprint extensively in my role as a Gryphon, both as a tool to help my residents and as a resource in my own personal development,” said Anna D’Ginto ’16, the head Gryphon of Lower Centennials. 

“As a Gryphon in a first year area, bLUeprint has enabled me to help my residents define what they want to get out of their Lehigh experience, and connect them with resources to help achieve their goals. Through bLUeprint, I have been able to connect with my residents on a deeper level, and learn more about their backgrounds, passions, and goals.”

While many universities have development programs or designated core areas where students should develop, bLUeprint is distinctive because of its integration across the university and student experience, according to Allison Gulati, associate dean and director of strategic initiatives.

Student organizations have also used bLUeprint to supplement their work. Many Greek chapters have started to use bLUeprint in their strategic planning and goal setting or to plan and present their yearly Accreditation presentation.

Alpha Gamma Delta sorority was the first chapter to utilize bLUeprint, and did so with the help of Taran Cardone, who was the chapter’s Accreditation liaison. 

“By using bLUeprint as our Accreditation template, we were able to sit back and think about the purpose behind the events we do,” said Rachel Sholder, the former vice president of operations for the chapter, who was in charge of the Accreditation presentation.

“We noticed that some events fit strongly with one of the five foundations of student success while other events demonstrated multiple foundations. Since there are five accreditation metrics and five bLUeprint foundations, each accreditation metric was paired with a bLUeprint foundation. By doing this, members were truly able to see the connection between chapter operations and the purpose behind them.”

bLUeprint has also been integrated into club officer training, student leader programming, and the conduct process. 

Moving forward, a task force is working on developing a cohesive program for sophomores and is discussing what the sophomore experience should look like at Lehigh.

“We are looking into building unique traditions for sophomores and building some of that identity in the sophomore class,” Gulati said, “whether it is help with resumes, internships, study abroad, getting into their major, or social events with professors. It is a good time for emerging leadership in terms of students who are thinking of taking on roles in campus organizations.”

Also on the horizon for bLUeprint is a website and mobile application for students to further engage with the framework.  Cardone said she is working with Library Technology Services to develop the website and app.  Features include connecting to the HUB, the campus club database, and university calendar of events.  Students can create their own blueprints on there and identify experiences and resources that they may not know about but would connect to their learning goals.

The hope is that bLUeprint can be integrated into all elements of campus life so that students can make connections among all of their experiences.

“It should frame the entire experience at Lehigh and help students think of every single thing, good, bad or in between, as connected to learning. It is about being intentional about your time while here,” Gulati said.

Cardone said that this intentionality is what guides bLUeprint: “bLUeprint helps answer the questions, ‘What is college for? Is it supposed to be transformational? Are we helping our students clarify what they are doing, instead of cashing in and calling it a day?’ “

By Kerry Mallet