Lehigh's multimillion dollar expansion plan seeks to capitalize on research strength, opportunity

Lehigh University's 10-year expansion plan, announced this week, is a strategic, multimillion dollar proposal to grow its presence in the community.

The Bethlehem university announced details of President John Simon’s plan, called “Path to Prominence,” which was approved this month by Lehigh’s trustees.

Provost Pat Farrell shared details of the new vision for Lehigh at a faculty meeting.

“We’re a very, very good university, but we think we have an opportunity to improve,” Farrell said this morning. “We think the time is ideal for us.”

Highlights include increasing enrollment by 1,000 undergraduate students and 500 to 800 full-time graduate students over seven years. Growing the student population will add to the vitality of the campus and foster a more dynamic community of teaching, learning and research, he said.

The plans also include the start of a new college focused on health, which would be the university’s fifth college. The goal is to build on core strengths and allow Lehigh to prepare students for success in the thriving and growing health care sector.

The plan also calls for renovating the University Center, transforming it into a more modern and functional space for students.

To accommodate enrollment growth, the university wants to build new residential communities to increase on-campus housing.

On its Packer Campus, the university wants to create a science and research building and provide upgrades to research spaces and facilities across campus, including the continued renovations at its Mountaintop Campus.

Over the next decade, according to the plan, about $25 million would be added to the university’s annual operating budget, Farrell said.

“Depending on how much donor support we will get, we are looking at $300 million over 10 years in building and renovation costs,” he said.

The expansion plan occurs when a six-story office building is under construction at Third and New streets in South Bethlehem, where Lehigh will be a major tenant. Farrell said more than 150 staff will move to that site once it opens.

With this 10-year plan, the university also seeks changes to its undergraduate program, to embed interdisciplinary perspectives in every major, minor and certificate program.

Also, professional graduate programs should serve those who aim for a specific profession, not necessarily a career in research, Farrell said. He cited both the Master of Business Administration program and the Master’s in Technical Entrepreneurship as examples.

“Strategic universities concentrate on areas of research strength or opportunity,” Farrell said.

The university will continue to develop a range of undergraduate programs, with a goal of attracting and educating a diverse group of students for career-start and long-term success.

Source: LVB