The Lehigh of today, the Lehigh of tomorrow

We asked faculty, staff, students and alumni to share their thoughts on the university’s strengths and challenges, as well as their vision for the future. Here’s what they had to say.

Based on what you know about Lehigh and its history, what are the university's greatest strengths?

“Strengths remain with the quality of the undergraduates Lehigh attracts. The institution has built an incredible reputation in areas like business and engineering, and some science fields. But it also attracts strong graduate students in some programs and the strength of these programs carries Lehigh's reputation forward. The doctoral graduates of our programs continue to be strong contributors in many fields.” – Edward Shapiro, professor of school psychology and director of the Center for Promoting Research to Practice

“I think its greatest strength is the application of its academic strengths to a practical and applied educational experience.  This enables its graduates to “do something” rather than just to “think something.”  The university also is providing the opportunity for a much broader educational experience than has been available in the more distant past.” –Edward Hummers ’58

“Our biggest strengths are not just our quality education or the campus and surrounding area—it is truly our people. The many individuals that I met during my undergraduate and graduate experiences have fostered and grown me as a young man and into the well-rounded individual I am today.” –Jarred Barnes ’13 

“Based on my experiences here at Lehigh I've discovered that Lehigh really gives you the opportunity to pursue anything you could ever want to do. From creating your own major, interning around the globe through Iacocca, or researching a topic of your own choosing at mountaintop the opportunities are limitless. The ability to constantly work with students in different schools really fosters a rich intellectual environment as well.” – Dakota DiMattio ’17

What are the biggest challenges we face today and will face in the future?

“One of our biggest challenges rests in one of our strengths—as an institution we will continue to face the issue of tradition versus progress and evolution in the pursuit of excellence. Once we realize that continuing to hold the tradition of being an excellent educational institution is at the forefront of all that we do, we'll be able to confront some of the world's largest issues and adjust our practices to meet the needs of the changing demographics and world growth.” –Tyrone Russell, Director of Multicultural Affairs

“Lehigh, like any institution, is driven by the world around it. The world we entered as graduates, whenever we did so, is materially different from the one we occupy today. Fields of knowledge that didn’t exist when we were students now drive the world, and today’s students need a far larger personal and professional toolkit when they enter and leave Lehigh.

Lehigh faces two fundamental challenges: making certain that its graduates know how to continue to teach themselves as their lives and careers progress, and continuing to instill (or reinforce) in its graduates the values, ethics and humanity so necessary for any decent human being to make his/her way in the world.

A related challenge is keeping a Lehigh education available to a broad variety of students, and being able to show why a college education, especially a Lehigh education, is worth the time, trouble and money.” – Helen Richardson ’77

“Diversity and inclusion have been pressing issues at Lehigh recently and have been addressed in many capacities. I think continuing to raise the bar with high caliber diversity programs and an inclusive culture will continue to ensure we create a welcoming environment for all students. Our world and college campuses are becoming more diverse in every sense of the word, and as a community we need to not only be open to diversity, but learn from each other and provide an environment that allows all members of the Lehigh community to succeed.” –Kerry Mallett ’15

“Speaking from the graduate education perspective, I believe our biggest challenge is attracting the best and brightest graduate students to Lehigh. We aim to compete against much larger and heavily resourced research institutions and that often is difficult with more limited resources in terms of graduate student support.  Graduate students and graduate education are extremely important to the university if we are to meet our aspirations in being a major research university across many disciplines.  I think garnering the resources to fully support graduate education and cutting edge research will continue to be our biggest challenge moving forward.”—George DuPaul, professor of school psychology

Where do you think Lehigh needs to go from here, 150 years after the founding of the university?

“Lehigh will continue to seek out problems to solve, not just wait for them to land on their doorstep.  The University’s commitment to curiosity will serve it well in the future and, in order to succeed in our rapidly changing world, Lehigh must continue to find applications and integrations of knowledge to fully unleash its potential. True to its nature, Lehigh should never just examine a case for the simple academic exercise, but rather to continually ask the question ‘what's next?’” – Scott Wojciechowski ’09 ’10G

“Lehigh needs to strengthen its research profile through strategic investments that enhance our capabilities to compete nationally and globally in solving contemporary technological and societal challenges. Lehigh has always been recognized as a top research institution that is also firmly committed to student-centric educational experiences. However, other institutions in the US and abroad are not resting on their laurels. In this competitive environment, Lehigh must advance a unique research footprint that will enable the same quality of education that Lehigh has been known for since its founding 150 years ago.” – Mayuresh Kothare, R.L. McCann Professor of Chemical Engineering

“Double down on interdisciplinary; we've got it in our DNA far more than most places, and the truly interdisciplinary programs we do have are national class; they attract great students and great faculty. We can't do everything, but we can focus building from strength.” – Todd Watkins, professor of economics and executive director of the Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise and Microfinance Program

“We need to dream big, but start small. We need to begin in our own neighborhood and connect with our local communities in sustainable, productive and mutually beneficial ways. We then need to expose our students to real-life 21st century concerns and work with them on diverse sets of solutions. Dreaming big means extending our reach internationally and partnering with our alums, other universities and organizations around the globe in key areas where Lehigh can make a substantial impact.” –Susan Kart, assistant professor of the arts of Africa

"With Lehigh being a prestigious and renowned university, every student that is admitted is deserving, hardworking and intelligent. However, once arriving at campus, some students adopt a shallow perception and fall victim to the social culture. Even for students who do not focus on that, the majority of students fall victim to the “Lehigh look-away.” Rather than give a friendly hello to passersby, the average Lehigh student avoids greeting others by pretending to look at their phone or staring off into the distance. College is supposed to be the time to “find yourself” and become a better version of yourself. I highly doubt Lehigh innately accepts unfriendly students. So how can we students become better versions of ourselves if we are all accepting the “Lehigh look-away” as the norm and allowing ourselves to unlearn qualities of chivalry and kindness that we learned for 18 years prior to coming here? Of course, there are many times when Lehigh’s shining school spirit is evident and when students are very friendly. This love for Lehigh and friendly attitude should be transferred into our thoughts when we are all walking to class. At some time during Lehigh’s first 150 years, the “Lehigh look-away” was established. While it may have taken many years for this to become an established act, it could just take one year to do away with it." -- Rachel Sholder ’16

What does the Lehigh of tomorrow look like?

“I don't think there's a drastically different Lehigh in the future—I think Lehigh has a history of doing forward-thinking work in all fields, so Lehigh is agile and prepared to adjust to different trends and issues. The spirit of this institution I think will allow us to maintain who we are while adjusting to the challenges ahead of us.” –Jessica DeSantis '03, '13G, Senior Associate Director, Office of Admissions

“The Lehigh of tomorrow is full of state-of-the-art facilities, professors who are on the cutting edge of their chosen fields(s), and students and student-athletes who continue to show and prove how special it is to be a member of the Lehigh family.” –Mason Beckman ’16

“The Lehigh of tomorrow is an equal partner in creating a better world for our community, locally and globally defined.  If we harness a bit of humility, collaborative spirit, and intentional action, Lehigh can be a catalyst for great things that are larger than the individual or institution.” –Sarah Stanlick ’15G, Director, Center for Community Engagement/Professor of Practice, Sociology and Anthropology

“I hope that the Lehigh of tomorrow will look like a thriving campus alive with students, faculty, and staff who are living and learning together in diversity and community, and who will continue to love Lehigh far into the future.” – Heather Johnson, associate professor of sociology

“The Lehigh of tomorrow looks promising. Throughout my past 3 years at the university I have seen more and more changes every year, and there is not one year where I felt that the university was stagnant. Though progress may be slow, there are changes going on and I appreciate every change that is made in bettering our community.” –Paul Lyons Jr. ’16

“If I knew that I would be a wiz!” –Edward Hummers ’58