Letter to Lehigh University Alumni

Dear Alumni,

Almost four years ago, I had the honor of being named Lehigh’s 14th president. It’s been a fast-moving and rewarding experience to lead this great institution. We just welcomed the Class of 2022 to campus. Move-in day brought the opportunity to meet our new students and their families, and the first-year rally was a high-energy event that continued the timeless tradition of the adoption of the new class by the class that will celebrate its 50th reunion upon their graduation. Many graduates from the Class of 1972 participated, with Ollie Foucek ’72 ’05P ’09P delivering an inspirational speech to the first-year students. In the wake of this excitement, I am writing to share some perspectives on my time at Lehigh and to provide you with an update on our path forward for this great university.

In a message to the campus community on my first day, I described my initial impression of Lehigh as “an extraordinary institution, one whose excellence has been built upon the hard work, creativity, and intellectual vitality” of its community. I can say with absolute conviction that my appreciation for Lehigh has only deepened, as I have come to know so many of you and sense your passion and loyalty, as well as your excitement for the potential for Lehigh to continue to evolve.

My years as president have taken me all over the country – and the world – forging partnerships with other educational institutions and organizations and representing Lehigh at conferences and forums. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and interact with thousands of alumni at campus events and in your hometowns and cities. What I consistently hear from so many of you is a conviction that your Lehigh experience was integral to your success. You fully embrace the ethos of a hard-working, highly motivated Lehigh student who never shies away from a challenge and is eager to face obstacles head-on. You are solution-oriented, determined, and pragmatic, and you willingly take on leadership roles. You have been and, I hope, will continue to be strong allies in our work toward shaping the Lehigh of the future.

In 2016, we outlined Lehigh’s future in an institutional planning document, “The Path to Prominence,” which builds on our existing strengths while positioning Lehigh for what lies ahead. At the core of this ambitious, multidimensional plan is a commitment to academic excellence. We are expanding our student and faculty population, creating a fifth college focused on health that will serve the needs of this fast-changing, fast-growing sector, and undergoing a physical transformation of our campus as we construct new residential communities and a state-of-the-art science and research building. We are also reimagining some of our older structures into more functional spaces, supporting education and student life as its exists today with an eye toward the future, while retaining Lehigh’s historic beauty.

I’m pleased to be able to report that we are making great progress and I want to share just a few highlights:

• This past spring, we hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the SouthSide Commons student life complex on Brodhead Avenue, which will be ready for occupancy for roughly 420 students who will be entering in fall 2019. Pre-construction work has begun on a new, 720-bed Bridge West complex that will replace the outdated Trembley Park units and create a physical connection with the University Center. The UC will be the focus of an extensive interior renovation, reactivating the facility as a student center in the heart of our beautiful campus.
   
• Chandler-Ullmann is undergoing extensive renovations to create more functional, contemporary classrooms. The former Bethlehem Steel research facilities on our Mountaintop Campus are being transformed into 21st century learning spaces that allow for creative collaboration and discovery.
   
• We are currently searching for the inaugural dean of Lehigh’s new College of Health, aided in large measure by the efforts of two Lehigh alumni – former trustee Vince Forlenza ’75, CEO of Becton Dickinson, and current trustee Stephen Klasko ’74, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health – who have been particularly supportive of this venture and have provided invaluable leadership. We are designing a state-of-the-art science and technology building, to be located on the northeast corner of campus that will be the home of our College of Health.
   
• Lehigh has undertaken a number of initiatives to expand access and help support students, with a goal of substantially diversifying and growing our undergraduate population. Our participation in the American Talent Initiative joins Lehigh with top universities nationwide in an effort to attract students from more diverse backgrounds. We are partnering with the New York–based Posse Foundation to recruit a cohort of high-achieving, lower-income students from the San Francisco Bay Area. More recently, Lehigh joined the Mentor Collective, another national program that pairs incoming students with upper-class students who can help guide their educational journey and assist them in acclimating to an often-challenging new academic and social environment.
   
• We have developed a presence on the West Coast to create new opportunities for current and prospective students and forge greater connections with industry. With more than 5,000 alumni in California, Oregon, and Washington, our Western Regional Office in San Mateo, California, serves as home base for educational and career opportunities for students and provides a platform for corporate and industry partnerships. The Lehigh@NasdaqCenter – launched in 2016 and created in partnership with the nonprofit Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center – provides the university with a crucial presence in San Francisco and extends Lehigh’s educational experience to more students. The acclaimed LehighSiliconValley program immerses students in the dynamic world of startups and entrepreneurships. A number of successful pilot programs were launched this summer, including Startup Academy and the Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive – Silicon Valley. Featured in the Wall Street Journal, Startup Academy immersed students from the College of Business & Economics in the innovation ecosystem of San Francisco, where they spent 10 weeks interning with early- to mid-stage startups while taking a course at the Center taught by real-world entrepreneurs and tech executives. In August, the Iacocca Institute piloted the Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive – Silicon Valley at the Nasdaq Center. The program, modeled on the version the Institute has offered in Bethlehem for 18 years, hosted students from the US, China, India, and Japan. They learned about entrepreneurship and leadership, while delivering value to clients in Peru and Ukraine through consultative projects. I’ve been encouraged and excited about the level of enthusiasm I’ve encountered on the part of our alumni in the Western region; they are very supportive of our presence there and very open to creating additional opportunities.
   
• We established a new partnership with Ashoka University of Haryana, India to expand opportunities for faculty and students and increase our international footprint. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in late 2017 that will lead to exciting new academic and research programs. We signed an MOU with the Innova Schools, based in Lima, Peru, in June 2018. Innova is considered one of the most significant innovations in school design in Latin America. Dr. Brook Sawyer and Dr. Craig Hochbein are currently leading the College of Education projects focused on school leadership training programs as the first joint activities under this new agreement.
   
• This past spring, Lehigh established three Interdisciplinary Research Institutes: the Institute for Functional Materials and Devices; the Institute for Data, Intelligent Systems, and Computation; and the Institute for Cyber–Physical Infrastructure and Energy. Engaging both graduate and undergraduate students, these institutes are designed to create communities of scholars and to catalyze crucial research in areas in which Lehigh can take a leading position on the national and international stage. Importantly, these are areas that will make lasting societal contributions. These institutes deepen Lehigh’s commitment to research, following on the creation of the Nano/Human Interface Presidential Engineering Research Initiative in 2016 and the DataX initiative in 2014.

This past June, I had the pleasure of addressing the alumni who attended their 2018 reunion, and spoke about the enduring value of a Lehigh education. As I’m sure you are aware, colleges and universities are struggling to adequately prepare students for such a rapidly changing and complex world. I am confident that Lehigh is one of the institutions that excels in providing an extraordinary living and learning experience that lays the groundwork for success. It is clear that our graduates are highly sought after by recruiters and employers and are deeply valued for their academic accomplishments; and they are also valued for their unique and inventive problem-solving approaches that were honed at Lehigh.

Just one example of how Lehigh fosters inventive problem-solving skills is our Mountaintop Experience, which is now in its fifth year. This program provides Lehigh students working across disciplines a chance to pursue creative and innovative approaches to open-ended questions and challenges. It offers students an experience that is unlike any other they encounter at Lehigh. This year’s projects range from developing a highly immersive virtual reality learning environment to the creation of a theatre piece on social reform. I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing this energetic and inspiring environment firsthand, and of talking with the students and faculty members involved. Many students say this is the most significant experience of their time at Lehigh.

Our students in the Mountaintop program were joined this summer by students from Pratt Institute in New York and from Ashoka University. This was the third year of Pratt’s partnership with Lehigh, which underscores our efforts to bring students with different skills, backgrounds, and mind-sets to these projects and to provide a diversified team approach that will most effectively mirror those they may encounter over the course of their careers.

There are many examples of our incredibly bright, talented, and well-rounded students and the inventive and inspiring ways they are creating a one-of-a-kind Lehigh experience. Not surprisingly, they often outperform their peers at colleges and universities across the country. This year, an interdisciplinary team of Lehigh undergraduate students was one of only five to make the final round of a $1 million competition sponsored by entrepreneurs and philanthropists Anu and Naveen Jain. When they accepted their award at a United Nations ceremony, the students discussed their motivation, which was to use engineering and technology to solve real-world problems. These students will no doubt go on to successful careers, and I fully expect they will bring their extraordinary drive and passion to any field they pursue.

I encourage those of you who have not been back to campus lately to make the trip for two primary reasons: One, to meet with our students and see how they are realizing their own Lehigh experience, which may be very different than yours, though every bit as affirming and life-changing. And two, to see how our campus is evolving and how our progress on the Path to Prominence is physically manifesting itself.

You can also stay informed about Lehigh by visiting the website at www.lehigh.edu, or by going to our dedicated Path to Prominence website, which is chronicling our progress.

Finally, plans are shaping up for our Campaign launch this fall. There will be three launch events: The first will be on campus on Thursday, October 25th; the second in New York City on Friday, October 26th; and the third in San Francisco on Saturday, October 27th. The campus event will take place on the UC Lawn & Memorial Walkway, while the New York event will be held at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and the San Francisco event will be at the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. Detailed information about these events will be announced in the near future. The Campaign will be led by co-chairs Maria Chrin ’87 ’10P, Jordan Hitch ’88 ’20P ’21P, James Maida ’85 ’17P ’19P, and Mark Yeager ’81.

These are exciting times for Lehigh. Over the next five to seven years, we fully expect to cement our position as one of the world’s leading research universities. The momentum on our campus is palpable, and we would not be able to move forward on our shared goal of creating a more dynamic and impactful university without your support. I thank you for your dedication to Lehigh and I look forward to working together to ensure a bright future.

John D. Simon ’19P
President