Community feedback identified opportunities to reframe our approach to some of our goals.
Below are the key takeaways from year one:
- Lehigh is a complex organization. There is work to be done to connect more frequently and with a broader segment of the Lehigh campus community.
- Growing our online graduate and certificate programs is the intended primary outcome of the Cultivate a Lifelong Lehigh initiative. Campus feedback has noted that the existing title does not readily communicate intentions and should be renamed, while retaining the connection to alumni.
- Building partnerships across the Lehigh Valley to enhance our research efforts, expand our industry connections and further our economic impact are examples of the outcomes we seek in the Enhance the Shared Bethlehem Experience initiative. The emphasis on Bethlehem is necessary but community feedback has noted that it does not fully express the breadth of the intentions.
- Aligning resources with Lehigh’s goals and initiatives is essential to focusing our investments. Additional transparency on the process by which funds are allocated to support the strategy will enable leaders to understand the investments.
- Transform Mountaintop Campus is listed as a key initiative but in many ways supports the other initiatives–enabling research growth, partnership opportunities, graduate community, interdisciplinary education and experiential learning, to name a few. A new programs manager and provost fellow will help facilitate, inspire, and coordinate this work in the year ahead.