Address to campus launching Go: The Campaign for Lehigh

Welcome! There is energy in the air. 

It is wonderful to look out from this stage and see faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, our Dean’s Advisory Council, University Alumni Association board members, lifelong friends and supporters of this great institution, and students. The Lehigh idol bands were fantastic and soon we will know who the winner is, and that group along with the raffle winners will get to personally meet Halsey.

We are all here tonight, as a united Lehigh community, to publicly launch GO: The Campaign for Lehigh.

GO will ensure student access and promote student success.

GO will enable projects like the renovation and expansion of the University Center and the new Bridge West residence hall.

GO will provide new opportunities for distinctive, high-impact learning experiences, including a new College of Health.

GO will fuel research and thought leadership by our faculty, students, coaches, and staff, bringing distinction to the university.

GO will raise more than $1 billion to support our aspirations –and more than half has been raised through our campaign quiet phase. 

It is perfectly fitting that we are launching the public phase on Founder’s Day. A campaign launch is as much a celebration of those who have supported and advanced Lehigh, since its founding in 1865, as it is about the future we envision.

Just walk around our campus. Think about the names you encounter: Packard Lab, Zoellner Arts Center, Rauch Business Center, Linderman Library, Stabler Arena, Iacocca Hall, the P.C. Rossin College, the Murray Goodman Campus. These names and others are individuals who shaped Lehigh at different points in its history, with compelling vision and financial support.

To my right is Leadership Plaza. The benches that sit along the walkway are etched with the names of our most generous donors. 

Many in our community have established fellowships, professorships, and scholarships that support students and faculty.

Our donors who made Lehigh what it is today envisioned opportunity, sought ways to make an impact, and took action. 

They all had what I call a “GO” moment – a moment when their passion for this great institution led them to make a gift so that from that moment on, students, faculty, and staff would be assured that Lehigh will continue to provide excellence in education.

This great past creates the foundation upon which we can confidently launch GO: The Campaign for Lehigh. 

So, on this Founder’s Day, I would like to thank everyone who has stepped forward to bring Lehigh to this moment. 

To our alumni, donors, friends, and volunteers – your love of Lehigh and your passion and commitment enable us to be our best. You all GO bananas over Lehigh.

To our faculty and staff – you define who we are as an institution and in the competitive world of higher education; you always GO one better, you GO the distance every day in your pursuit of excellence.

To our students – (or should I say our future alumni) – you inspire us, you are why we are here; we are committed to providing you with the education and experiences needed so that you can GO from this mountain and lead our world.

GO: The Campaign for Lehigh embodies our forward momentum; our path is strategic and individualistic; and through this campaign, we will further differentiate ourselves among the best schools in the nation.