Lehigh University

Coordinates: 40°36′25.8″N 75°22′44.4″W / 40.607167°N 75.379000°W / 40.607167; -75.379000
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Lehigh University
LUwithShield-CMYK.svg
MottoHomo minister et interpres naturae (Latin)
Motto in English
Man, the servant and interpreter of nature
TypePrivate research university
EstablishedJuly 27, 1865; 157 years ago (1865-07-27)
Academic affiliations
NAICU
Space-grant
Endowment$1.37 billion (2020)[1]
PresidentJoseph J. Helble
ProvostNathan Urban
Academic staff
540 (full-time)[2]
Administrative staff
1,196
Students6,953 [2]
Undergraduates5,178 [2]
Postgraduates1,775[2]
Location
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
,
United States
CampusUrban and suburban, 2,350 acres (950 ha)
Colors   Brown & white[3]
NicknameMountain Hawks
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I –
   Patriot League
   
MascotClutch the Mountain Hawk
Websitewww.lehigh.edu
Lehigh University text.png

Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been coeducational since the 1971–72 academic year.[4] As of 2019, the university had 5,047 undergraduate students and 1,802 graduate students.[2]

Lehigh has five colleges: the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Health. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest, with 35% of the university's students.[2] The university offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Engineering, Master of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. It is classified among "Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity".[5]

Lehigh alumni and faculty include Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright Fellows, members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and of the National Academy of Sciences, National Medal of Science winners, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[citation needed][not verified in body]

Campus[edit]

Main article: List of Lehigh University buildings
Lehigh University campus, 1907.
Alumni Memorial Building, November 2019

Located in the Lehigh Valley, the university is a 70-mile (110 km) drive from Philadelphia, and an 85-mile (137 km) drive from New York City.[6]

Lehigh encompasses 2,350 acres (9.5 km2), including 180 acres (0.73 km2) of recreational and playing fields and 150 buildings comprising four million square feet of floor space. It is organized into three contiguous campuses on and around South Mountain, including:

  • the Asa Packer Campus, built into the northern slope of the mountain, is Lehigh's original and predominant campus;
  • the Mountaintop Campus, atop South Mountain, featuring an intramural sports field as well as Iacocca Hall; and
  • the Murray H. Goodman Campus, immediately south, where a 16,000-seat stadium and other sports facilities are located.

In May 2012, Lehigh became the recipient of a gift of 755 acres of property in nearby Upper Saucon Township from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation. The gift from the estate of the long-time benefactor allowed the university to expand its footprint to now[when?] comprise 2,350 acres across all its campuses, and to consider its long-term potential uses.[7]

Admissions[edit]

In 2023, U.S. News & World Report classified Lehigh's selectivity as "Most Selective" with a 46% acceptance rate.[8] Lehigh neither requires submission of SAT nor ACT scores.[8] For the Class of 2027 (enrolled fall 2023), Lehigh received 18,414 applications and accepted 5,246 (28%).[9][better source needed]

Rankings[edit]

Academic rankings
National
Forbes[10]67
THE / WSJ[11]55
U.S. News & World Report[12]51
Washington Monthly[13]65
Global
ARWU[14]701–800
QS[15]591–600
THE[16]601–800
U.S. News & World Report[17]850

U.S. News & World Report ranked Lehigh tied for 51st among "National Universities", tied for 26th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching", and 24th for "Best Value Schools" in its 2024 edition of "Best Colleges".[8] In 2015, The Economist ranked Lehigh seventh among national universities in its ranking of non-vocational U.S. colleges ranked by alumni earnings above expectation.[18]

Lehigh was a 2020 recipient of the Campus Sustainability Achievement Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for its participation in the Solar Collaboration Project along with Dickinson College, Muhlenberg College, and Lafayette College.[19]

Academics[edit]

Sayre Observatory, a donation to Lehigh University, 1896
Iacocca Hall at Lehigh University, September 2010
Packard Laboratory at Lehigh University, November 2015
Williams Hall at Lehigh University, built in 1904, November 2019
See also: Lehigh University faculty

As of 2019, Lehigh has 540 full-time faculty members, with 95% holding a doctorate degree or the highest degree in their field.[2] Faculty members are required to have a minimum of four office hours per week.

Lehigh's average class size is 28 students; the student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1.[2]

Lehigh University offers undergraduate enrollment in all colleges but the College of Education. Students are able to take courses or major/minor in a subject outside of their respective college.[20] The university operates on a semester system.[21]

P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science[edit]

See also: Lehigh University engineering highlights

Graduates of Lehigh's engineering programs invented the escalator[22] and founded Packard Motor Car Company[23] and the companies that built the locks and lockgates of the Panama Canal. Other notable alumni include Roger Penske, Lee Iacocca, John W. Fisher, and Terry Hart. Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, was founded at Lehigh.[24] George Tamaro graduated with a master's degree in civil engineering; he became the 2005 recipient of the John Fritz Medal awarded by the American Association of Engineering Societies.[25]

College of Business[edit]

In 2012, BusinessWeek ranked Lehigh's College of Business 31st in the nation among undergraduate business programs.[26] In 2012, Business Week ranked Lehigh as the seventh overall undergraduate finance program in the nation, and ranked the accounting program as the 21st best undergraduate program in the nation.[26] In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lehigh's part-time MBA 20th in the nation.[27] In 2012, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review named Lehigh the 24th best undergraduate college for entrepreneurship.[28]

College of Arts and Sciences[edit]

Based in Maginnes Hall,[29] Lehigh offers a variety of humanities courses and visual arts programs and many music programs, including a marching band, the Wind Ensemble, and the Philharmonic orchestra. It has a dedicated Humanities Center, which is the site for many literature and other arts-based programs, including the DWS, or Drown Writers Series.[30][vague]

Lehigh also has a program called ArtsLehigh,[31] oriented towards enhancing interest in the arts on campus.

College of Education[edit]

More than 7,000 students have received master's, education specialist, PA Department of Education teaching certificates and certifications, doctoral degrees, and professional certificates from Lehigh's College of Education as of 2018.[32]

College of Health[edit]

Lehigh's College of Health offers classes in biostatistics, epidemiology, population health data science, and others related to population health.[33] The college opened on August 21, 2020, and was the first in the world to offer undergraduate, graduate, and executive degrees in population health. It is based at the Health, Science, and Technology (HST) building which opened in January 2022.[34]

Athletics[edit]

Main article: Lehigh Mountain Hawks
See also: Lehigh Mountain Hawks football, Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball, Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's lacrosse, and Lehigh Mountain Hawks women's basketball
The Lafayette–Lehigh MVP Trophy plaque prior to the 144th meeting of "The Rivalry" in 2009. The series between the two colleges, which are 17 miles (27 km) away from each other in the Lehigh Valley, is the most-played rivalry in college football history with 158 meetings since 1884.
Philadelphia Eagles training camp at Lehigh University, August 2009
Goodman Stadium at Lehigh University, October 2007

As a member of the Patriot League, Lehigh competes in 25 different NCAA Division I sports. Lehigh's 2006 student-athlete graduation rate of 97% ranked 12th among all 326 NCAA Division I institutions.[35] In 2002, it won the inaugural USA Today/NCAA Foundation Award for having the nation's top graduation rate of all Division I institutions.[35]

Lehigh graduates have gone on to professional careers in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the National Basketball Association as players, scouts, coaches, and owners. Lehigh graduates have competed in the Super Bowl and won gold medals for the US at the Olympics. And while not a school sport, a number of graduates such as Roger Penske, Al Holbert, and John Fitch went on to successful careers in auto racing.

Basketball[edit]

Main article: Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball

Lehigh's fifth trip to the NCAA tournament in 2012 proved to be their most notable to date, thanks to its first-round game as a #15 seed on March 16, 2012, against the #2 seed Duke Blue Devils. Despite being a heavy underdog, thanks to CJ McCollum's 30-point heroics, the Mountain Hawks pulled off the stunning upset, defeating the Blue Devils 75-70 and making it only the sixth time that a 15th seed had defeated a second seed.[36]

Wrestling[edit]

The most storied athletic program at Lehigh is its wrestling team. The program began in 1910. Over the past several decades it has turned out 158 All-Americans and had numerous squads finish with Top 20 NCAA national rankings, including the highest finish at the NCAA tournament as second in 1939.[37] Under coach Greg Strobel, Lehigh dominated the EIWA (The Patriot League does not sponsor wrestling). On April 15, 2008, the athletic department announced the hiring of a former assistant coach and two-time national champion and two-time winner of the EIWA Coach of the Year (2009, 2012) Pat Santoro as Lehigh's next head wrestling coach.[38] Home dual meets and tournaments take place on campus at the Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.[39] Grace Hall has historically been the site of Lehigh's matches, but in 2013 the building had been converted into the Caruso Wrestling Complex, with a visiting area and a 'Wall of Fame'. The latter lists various Lehigh National Champions, in their respective weight class. In 2017, Lehigh wrestler and Bethlehem native Darian Cruz won the NCAA national wrestling tournament,[40] becoming the team's first National Champion wrestler since Zach Rey won the heavyweight title in 2011.

"The Rivalry"[edit]

Main article: The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh)

Lehigh University is notable for its rivalry in sports and academics with nearby Lafayette College. Since 1884, the two football teams have met more than 150 times, making "The Rivalry" the most played in the history of college football.[41] As of their last game, played on November 17, 2018, Lafayette holds the series lead, with a record of 78-71-5, although Lehigh has won the previous four matchups (2015-2018). It is also the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football, with the teams playing at least once every year since 1897. This game is sold out long before gameday each year. For the 150th meeting, the teams played in Yankee Stadium in New York City on November 22, 2014; Lafayette won, 27–7.

Greek letter organizations[edit]

A large majority of Lehigh's social fraternities and sororities have their own university-owned houses; most of the fraternities and sororities are on the "Hill" along Upper and Lower Sayre Park Roads. Approximately 34% of undergraduates are members of a fraternity or sorority. During new member education, Greek membership rises to almost 45%. There are 13 fraternities,[42] all of which are housed on campus, and 8 sororities, all of which are housed on campus:[43]

Student traditions[edit]

Lehigh students have several lasting traditions: Lehigh's school colors, brown and white, date back to 1874, and the school newspaper of the same name was first published in 1894.

The week leading up to the big football game against Lafayette was and is full of festivities. They involve decorating fraternity houses, parties, rallies and the Marching 97 performing unexpectedly during classes the Friday before the game.[44]

The Clery Act[edit]

Main articles: Clery Act and Jeanne Clery

On April 5, 1986, Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh freshman, was raped and murdered in her dorm room; the perpetrator was apprehended, tried and sentenced to death. The backlash against unreported crimes on numerous campuses across the country led to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The Clery Act requires that colleges reveal information regarding crime on their campuses.[45][46]

20 years after the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act took effect, thought leaders on campus safety came to Lehigh to discuss critical safety issues for colleges and universities. The event, "Proceeding in Partnership: The Future of Campus Safety," was held on the Lehigh campus in September 2011, and was co-sponsored by Security on Campus (SOC), which was founded by Connie and Howard Clery following the death of their daughter, Jeanne Clery. The conference represented the first cooperative effort between Lehigh and the organization since Jeanne Clery's death.[47]

Notable people[edit]

Alumni[edit]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Lehigh University alumni.

Notable alumni include:

Faculty[edit]

Notable faculty members include:

Honorary degrees[edit]

Bill Cosby was awarded an honorary degree in 1987 when he delivered the university's commencement address. Lehigh revoked the degree in October 2015 following the allegations of sexual assault by more than 40 women.[49]

Donald Trump was awarded an honorary degree in 1988 when he delivered the university's commencement address. Lehigh revoked the degree in January 2021 following the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[50][51]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "University Statistics". Lehigh University. July 4, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "About: Hallmarks & Traditions Brown & White - Lehigh University". www1.lehigh.edu. May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  4. ^ "They Broke the Coed Barrier". lehigh.edu. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  5. ^ "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. Center for Postsecondary Education. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Driving Directions to Lehigh from New York, Philadelphia". Google Maps. January 1, 1970. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  7. ^ "Message from the President on Stabler Foundation Gift". lehigh.edu. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c "Lehigh University Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "Class of 2027's acceptance rate drops to 28%". The Brown and White. April 24, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "Forbes America's Top Colleges List 2022". Forbes. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings 2022". The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "2022-2023 Best National Universities". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "2022 National University Rankings". Washington Monthly. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  15. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2023: Top global universities". Quacquarelli Symonds. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  16. ^ "World University Rankings 2023". Times Higher Education. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  17. ^ "2022-23 Best Global Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  18. ^ Graphic detail Charts, maps and infographics (October 29, 2015). "The value of university: Our first-ever college rankings". The Economist. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "2020 AASHE Sustainability Award Winners Announced". The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  20. ^ "Chart Showing Undergraduate Enrollment". .lehigh.edu. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  21. ^ "Lehigh University – U.S. News & World Report". Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  22. ^ "Stairways to Heaven: Escalators in the Vernacular". Terrastories.com. May 16, 2007. Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  23. ^ "Packard, James Ward – Lehigh Engineering Heritage Initiative". Heritage.web.lehigh.edu. April 20, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  24. ^ "Tau Beta Pi Founder, Dr. Edward Higginson Williams, Jr". Tbp.org. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  25. ^ "Award recipients" (PDF). American Association of Engineering Societies. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  26. ^ a b BusinessWeek rankings Archived May 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ^ "The Best Part-Time MBA Programs". www.usnews.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  28. ^ Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 25 Undergraduate Colleges Archived October 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
  29. ^ "College of Arts & Sciences". Cas.lehigh.edu. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  30. ^ "Department of English". Lehigh.edu. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  31. ^ ArtsLehigh Archived July 10, 2012, at archive.today from the Lehigh website
  32. ^ "COE Alumni page". Lehigh.edu. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  33. ^ "College of Health home". Lehigh University. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  34. ^ "At a Time of Global Health Crisis, Lehigh Opens an Innovative College of Health," Lehigh University, Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020
  35. ^ a b "Graduation Home Page". lehighsports.com. January 28, 2013. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013.
  36. ^ Housenick, Tom (March 16, 2012). "NCAA basketball: Lehigh pulls off monumental upset of Duke". MCall.com. The Morning Call. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  37. ^ "LU Wrestling History" (PDF). Lehigh University Athletics. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  38. ^ "LU Wrestling Pat Santoro Bio". Lehigh University Athletics. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  39. ^ "LU Wrestling Arena". Lehigh University Athletics. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  40. ^ Fierro, Nick (March 19, 2017). "Lehigh's Darian Cruz captures NCAA wrestling championship at 125 pounds". The Morning Call. Morning Call. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  41. ^ "7 of the most-played college football rivalries of all time | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  42. ^ "Message Regarding Unrecognized Groups". Lehigh Greek Community. Lehigh OFSA. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  43. ^ "Fraternities and Sororities". Lehigh University Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  44. ^ "About Lehigh: Marching 97 Campus Tour". Lehigh University. May 26, 2015. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019. The march is called "Eco-flame" because in the '70s Professor Rich Aaronson asked the band to play for his ECO 001 class.
  45. ^ Gross, Ken (February 19, 1990). "After Their Daughter Is Murdered at College, Her Grieving Parents Mount a Crusade for Campus Safety". People.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  46. ^ "Complying With The Jeanne Clery Act". Securityoncampus.org. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  47. ^ "National campus safety issues are focus of summit". 2011. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  48. ^ "Obituary". Featheringill Mortuary. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  49. ^ "Lehigh rescinds Cosby's honorary degree – The Brown and White". October 14, 2015.
  50. ^ "Board of Trustees Honorary Degree Decision". January 8, 2021.
  51. ^ "Lehigh University revokes President Trump's honorary degree 2 days after U.S. Capitol siege". January 9, 2021.

External links[edit]

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