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Lehigh University

{{short description|Private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}

{{Infobox university|

| name = Lehigh University

| image = Lehigh University seal.png

| image_upright = 0.6

| motto = Homo minister et interpres naturae (Latin)

| mottoeng = "Man, the servant and interpreter of nature"

| type = Private research university

| accreditation = MSCHE

| founder = Asa Packer

| endowment = $2.20 billion (2024)As of June 30, 2024. {{cite report |url=https://www.pionline.com/endowments-and-foundations/lehigh-university-endowment-returns-105-fiscal-year |title=Lehigh University endowment returns 10.5% for fiscal year |publisher=Pensions & Investments Crain Communications |date=November 12, 2024 |access-date=November 19, 2024}}

| president = Joseph J. Helble

| provost = Nathan Urban

| city = Bethlehem

| state = Pennsylvania

| country = United States

| established = {{start date and age|1865|7|27}}

| total_staff = 1,997 (2023) {{cite web |url=https://data.lehigh.edu/employee-profile |title=Employee Profile |publisher=Lehigh University |access-date=2024-12-21}}

| students = 7,692

| undergrad = 5,911{{cite web |url=https://www2.lehigh.edu/about/university-statistics |title=University Statistics |publisher=Lehigh University |access-date=October 21, 2024}}

| postgrad = 1,781

| faculty = 681 (2023)

| coordinates = {{Coord|40|36|22|N|75|22|38|W|type:edu_region:US-PA|display=inline,title}}

| campus = Small city{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Lehigh&s=all&id=213543|title=IPEDS-Lehigh University}}

| campus_size = {{convert|2350|acre|ha}}

| sporting_affiliations = {{hlist|NCAA Division I FCS – Patriot League|EIWA|MARC|ACHA|IHSA|USCSA}}

| colors = Brown and white{{cite web|url=http://www1.lehigh.edu/about-hallmarks-traditions-brown-white|title=About: Hallmarks & Traditions Brown & White - Lehigh University|website=www1.lehigh.edu|date=May 26, 2015|access-date=December 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220181052/http://www1.lehigh.edu/about-hallmarks-traditions-brown-white|archive-date=December 20, 2016|url-status=live}}
{{color box|#663700}} {{color box|white}}

| sports_nickname = Mountain Hawks

| mascot = Clutch the Mountain Hawk

| academic_affiliations = {{hlist|NAICU|ORAU|LVAIC|UNAI|Space-grant}}

| website = {{URL|www.lehigh.edu}}

| logo = LUwithShield-CMYK.svg

| logo_upright = 1.0

| free_label = Newspaper

| free1 = The Brown and White

| religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian; historically Episcopal Church

}}

Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been coeducational since the 1971–72 academic year.{{cite web|url=http://www.lehigh.edu/~in40yrs/features/alumnae/they-broke-the-coed-barrier.html|title=They Broke the Coed Barrier|work=lehigh.edu|access-date=September 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015204121/http://www.lehigh.edu/~in40yrs/features/alumnae/they-broke-the-coed-barrier.html|archive-date=October 15, 2014|url-status=live}} {{as of|2022}}, the university had 5,911 undergraduate students and 1,781 graduate students.

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 38% of the university's students. The university offers Interdisciplinary Studies, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Engineering, Master of Education, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Education degrees.

The university is classified among "Doctoral Universities R1: Very High Research Activity".{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institution/lehigh-university/ |publisher=Center for Postsecondary Education |website=carnegieclassifications.iu.edu |access-date=12 September 2020 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030160726/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=213543 |url-status=dead }}

Campuses

{{Further|List of Lehigh University buildings}}

File:LehighUniversityLibrary.JPG in 1907]]

File:Alumni Memorial Building Lehigh University.jpg

Lehigh University is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the historically industrial Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Lehigh encompasses {{convert|2350|acre|km2}}, including {{convert|180|acre|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, the university's original and primary campus;
  • The Mountaintop Campus, atop South Mountain, including intramural sports fields, Imbt Laboratories, and Iacocca Hall; and
  • The Murray H. Goodman Campus, immediately south, where a 16,000-seat stadium and some of Lehigh University's sports facilities are located.

In May 2012, Lehigh was the beneficiary a gift of 755 acres of property in nearby Upper Saucon Township, Pennsylvania from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation. The gift from the estate of the long-time benefactor allowed the university to expand to its current size of 2,350 acres across all its campuses, and to consider new long-term potential uses for the university's new properties.{{cite web |url=http://www4.lehigh.edu/president/speeches/speech.aspx?Channel=%2FChannels%2FPresident&WorkflowItemID=1ea82489-13df-46e0-896e-f55b3dab40a3 |title=Message from the President on Stabler Foundation Gift |publisher=lehigh.edu |access-date=2012-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802065028/http://www4.lehigh.edu/president/speeches/speech.aspx?Channel=%2FChannels%2FPresident&WorkflowItemID=1ea82489-13df-46e0-896e-f55b3dab40a3 |archive-date=August 2, 2014 |url-status=live }}

Administration

As a private institution, Lehigh University is governed by its board of trustees, established 1866. The board can have no less than 18, nor more than 35 members at any given time. The board selects the university president, as well as their vice presidents who operate as "executive agents" of the board.{{cite web |title=1 UNIVERSITY BYLAWS |url=https://www.lehigh.edu/~inis/trustee/PDF/Lehigh_BOT_bylaws.pdf |website=Lehigh University |access-date=9 October 2023}}

=Presidents=

File:W. Deming Lewis.png was the university's tenth president from 1964 to 1982 and was in charge of the construction of most of the modern campus]]

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
No.

! Name

! Tenure

! Notes

1.

| Henry Coppée

| 1866–1875

| Mexican–American War veteran and President of the Aztec Club of 1847. Christmas Hall renovated, Packer Hall and President's house constructed.{{cite web |title=Presidents of the University |url=https://catalog.lehigh.edu/overviewfrompastandpresent/presidentsoftheuniversity/ |website=Lehigh University |access-date=9 October 2023}}

2.

| John McDowell Leavitt

| 1875–1880

| Episcopal priest, lawyer and journalist. Linderman Library constructed.

3.

| Robert Alexander Lamberton

| 1880–1893

| Lawyer. Coppee Hall and Chandler-Ullmann constructed. Phi Beta Kappa founded.

4.

| Thomas Messinger Drown

| 1895–1904

| Created MIT's chemical engineering program. Led school through Panic of 1893. Williams Hall constructed.

style="background:lightgrey;"

| -

| William H. Chandler

| 1904–1905

| Chandler, a professor at the university, served as acting president after Drown's sudden death during a surgery.

5.

| Henry Sturgis Drinker

| 1905–1920

| Class of 1871, first alumnus to hold position. Fritz Lab, Drown Hall, Coxe Lab, Taylor Hall, Taylor Gym, Taylor Stadium, and Lamberton Hall constructed. Split school into colleges.

style="background:lightgrey;"

| -

| Natt M. Emery

| 1920–1922

| Drinker resigned in 1920. His vice president, Natt M. Emery, served as acting president until 1922.

6.

| Charles Russ Richards

| 1922–1935

| Graduate school opened to women, Alumni Memorial constructed.

7.

| Clement C. Williams

| 1935–1944

| University of Iowa's dean of engineering, Richards and Drinker dorms built. Retired in 1944.

8.

| Martin Dewey Whitaker

| 1946–1960

| Manhattan Project alumni. Dravo, McClintic-Marshall, and Centennials I dorms built. Whitaker Lab built.

9.

| Harvey A. Neville

| 1961–1964

| First and only elected president.

10.

| Deming Lewis

| 1964–1982

| Bell Labs alumnus. Maginnes Hall, Whitaker Lab, Mart Science and Engineering Library, Sinclair Lab, the Seeley G. Mudd Building, Neville Hall, Rathbone Dining Hall, Centennial II, Brodhead, Trembley Park, Saucon Village dorms, and the Philip Rauch Field House, and the Stabler center constructed.

11.

| Peter Likins

| 1982–1997

| Purchased Mountaintop Campus from Bethlehem Steel. Demolished Taylor Stadium to make room for Rauch and Zoellner Halls. Resigned to become an advisor to George H.W. Bush.

style="background:lightgrey;"

| -

| William C. Hittinger

| 1997–1998

| Class of 1944. A 22-year veteran of the board of trustees. Selected as interim President after Likins resigned.

12.

| Gregory C. Farrington

| 1998–2006

| Helped raise $250 million for the endowment of professors as well as another $75 million for the recruitment of new professors.

13.

| Alice P. Gast

| 2006–2014

| First female president. Opened Lehigh's Stabler Campus. in 2010 named to the post of science envoy by Hillary Clinton. Resigned to be named President of the Imperial College London.

style="background:lightgrey;"

| -

| Kevin L. Clayton

| 2014–2015

| Alumnus from large family of alumni, 22-year veteran of the board of trustees.

14.

| John D. Simon

| 2015–2021

| Former provost of the University of Virginia. Established the College of Health. SouthSide Commons, Singleton, Hitch, and Maida dorms constructed.

15.

| Joseph J. Helble

| 2021–present

| Class of 1982. Renamed Packer Hall to Clayton Hall. Lehigh's Business Innovation Building constructed.

=Student governance=

In 1988, a student senate was created at the university to act as a governing body for undergraduate students, though it is empowered only to offer recommendations to the university's board. Still, the student senate still has an impact as it determines which clubs receive funding and which are authorized to be listed as official university clubs.{{cite web |title=What We Do |url=https://studentsenate.lehigh.edu/content/what-we-do |website=studentsenate.lehigh.edu |access-date=9 October 2023}}{{cite web |title=Our Structure |url=https://studentsenate.lehigh.edu/content/our-structure |website=studentsenate.lehigh.edu}}{{cite web |last1=Tomaszewski |first1=Samantha |title=The responsibilities of Student Senate, explained |url=https://thebrownandwhite.com/2016/10/06/lehigh-student-senate-explainer/ |website=The Brown and White |access-date=9 October 2023 |date=6 October 2016}} A separate student senate exists for graduate students, known as GSS, which focuses on advocacy for grant procurement and graduate student travel costs to visit sites.{{cite web |title=Officers & Representatives |url=https://grad.lehigh.edu/node/183 |website=grad.lehigh.edu |access-date=9 October 2023}}{{cite web |title=Graduate Student Senate |url=https://grad.lehigh.edu/student-life/graduate-student-senate |website=grad.lehigh.edu |access-date=9 October 2023}}

Academics

{{See also|Lehigh University faculty}}

File:Sayre Observatory 1896.jpg

File:Lehigh University Mountain Top Campus.jpg]]

File:Conferences lehigh.jpg

File:Lehigh University Williams Hall.jpg

{{as of|2022}}, Lehigh has 584 full-time faculty members, with 95% holding a doctorate degree or the highest degree in their field. Faculty members are required to have a minimum of four office hours per week.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Lehigh's average class size is 28 students; the student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1.

The university offers undergraduate enrollment to all its colleges except its College of Education. Students are permitted to take courses or major and minor in subjects outside of their respective college.{{cite web |url=http://www4.lehigh.edu/admissions/undergrad/glance/academics.aspx#Enrollment |title=Chart Showing Undergraduate Enrollment |publisher=.lehigh.edu |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009153843/http://www4.lehigh.edu/admissions/undergrad/glance/academics.aspx#Enrollment |archive-date=October 9, 2011 |df=mdy-all }} The university operates on a semester system.{{Cite web |title=Lehigh University – ''WSJ'. |url=https://www.wsj.com/rankings/college-rankings/best-colleges-2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=}}

=Colleges=

{{See also|List of Lehigh University engineering highlights}}

== College of Arts and Sciences ==

Based in Maginnes Hall,{{cite web |url=http://cas.lehigh.edu/casweb/default.aspx?id=1 |title=College of Arts & Sciences |publisher=Cas.lehigh.edu |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20121210015202/http://cas.lehigh.edu/casweb/default.aspx?id=1 |archive-date=December 10, 2012 |df=mdy-all }} the College of Arts and Sciences 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 Drown Writers Series.{{cite web |url=http://www.lehigh.edu/~indrown/ugrad/activities.html |title=Department of English |publisher=Lehigh.edu |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607151438/http://www.lehigh.edu/~indrown/ugrad/activities.html |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}{{Vague|date=March 2008}} Lehigh also has a program called ArtsLehigh,[http://cas.lehigh.edu/artslehigh ArtsLehigh] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120710142543/http://cas.lehigh.edu/artslehigh |date=July 10, 2012 }} from the Lehigh website oriented towards enhancing interest in the arts on campus.

== College of Business ==

Lehigh introduced business and economics classes in 1893, with the first dedicated classes in economics being offered in 1897 and the first professor of economics being hired by the school, John L. Stewart, in 1898. Stewart is credited with creating the College of Business in 1918, establishing its original courses and teaching most of the classes himself. The college's inaugural class of 1922 numbered just 77.{{cite web |title=History of the College of Business Administration |url=https://www.lehigh.edu/library/speccoll/business_history_2.pdf |website=lehigh.edu |access-date=28 February 2024}} Through the 1930s the College of Business Administration stayed consistent, with around 10 professors and 350 students, and in 1938 was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, with enrollment that year jumping to 465, or 25% of the total student body. In 1952 the College of Business Administration began offering a five-year course in Industrial engineering and business, as well as graduate courses for Master of Business Administration degrees and was expanded to include Master of Science degrees by 1964. In 1957 the college moved from Coppée Hall to the purpose-built Drown Hall.

== College of Education ==

More than 7,000 students have received master's, education specialist, Pennsylvania Department of Education teaching certificates and certifications, doctoral degrees, and professional certificates from Lehigh's College of Education {{as of|2018|lc=y}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.lehigh.edu/education/alumni/index.html |title=COE Alumni page |publisher=Lehigh.edu |access-date=2011-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503060757/http://www.lehigh.edu/education/alumni/index.html |archive-date=May 3, 2009 |url-status=live }}

== P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science ==

Graduates of Lehigh's P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science invented the escalator{{cite web |url=http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/stairways-to-heaven-escalators-in-the-vernacular |title=Stairways to Heaven: Escalators in the Vernacular |publisher=Terrastories.com |date=May 16, 2007 |access-date=2011-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008101940/http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/stairways-to-heaven-escalators-in-the-vernacular |archive-date=October 8, 2009 |url-status=live }} and founded Packard Motor Car Company{{cite web |url=http://heritage.web.lehigh.edu/index.php/Packard,_James_Ward |title=Packard, James Ward – Lehigh Engineering Heritage Initiative |publisher=Heritage.web.lehigh.edu |date=April 20, 2011 |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619152951/http://heritage.web.lehigh.edu/index.php/Packard,_James_Ward |archive-date=June 19, 2010 |df=mdy-all }} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.tbp.org/pages/About/History/Founder.cfm |title=Tau Beta Pi Founder, Dr. Edward Higginson Williams, Jr |publisher=Tbp.org |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025034336/http://www.tbp.org/pages/About/History/Founder.cfm |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |df=mdy-all }} In 2005, George Tamaro, a Lehigh University master's degree in civil engineering alumnus, was the John Fritz Medal award recipient, issued by the American Association of Engineering Societies.{{Cite web|title=Award recipients|url=https://www.aaes.org/files/aaes_awards_description_2020.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.aaes.org/files/aaes_awards_description_2020.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=February 13, 2021|website=American Association of Engineering Societies}}

== College of Health ==

Lehigh's College of Health offers classes in biostatistics, epidemiology, population health data science, and others related to population health.{{Cite web|title=College of Health home|url=http://health.lehigh.edu/home|website=Lehigh University|language=en|access-date=2020-05-31}} 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.[https://www2.lehigh.edu/news/at-a-time-of-global-health-crisis-lehigh-opens-an-innovative-college-of-health "At a Time of Global Health Crisis, Lehigh Opens an Innovative College of Health," Lehigh University, Wednesday, August 26, 2020.] Retrieved August 27, 2020

=Admissions=

Admission to Lehigh University is classified as "more selective" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.{{cite web|url=https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institution/lehigh-university/ |title=Lehigh University |publisher=American Council on Education |access-date=September 24, 2024 }} The Princeton Review gives Lehigh an "Admissions Selectivity Rating" of 95 out of 99.{{cite web |title=Lehigh University |publisher=The Princeton Review |url=https://www.princetonreview.com/college/lehigh-university-1023596 |access-date=September 24, 2024 }}

In 2024, Lehigh University received 20,396 applications and admitted 5,289 students, resulting in an acceptance rate of 25%. Of those admitted, 1,501 students enrolled, yielding a matriculation rate of about 28%.{{Cite web |title=Admission Statistics |url=https://www2.lehigh.edu/admissions/admission-statistics |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=Lehigh University |language=en}} Among the incoming Class of 2028, 50% of students submitted standardized test scores. For these students, the middle 50% SAT scores ranged from 1420 to 1520, and the ACT scores ranged from 32 to 35.

In 2023, the university received 18,415 applications. It extended offers of admission to 5,389 applicants, or 29%, after holistic review that includes examination of academic rigor, performance and admissions test scores. 1,531 accepted students chose to enroll, a yield rate of 28%.{{cite web|url=https://data.lehigh.edu/sites/data.lehigh.edu/files/Final_CDS_2023-2024_Revised_7.12.2024.pdf |title=2023-2024 Common Data Set |publisher=Lehigh University Office of Institutional Data |access-date=September 23, 2024 }} Of the 33% of incoming students in 2023 who submitted SAT scores, the interquartile range was 1370–1480; of the 10% of incoming students in 2023 who submitted ACT scores, the interquartile range was 31–33.

=Rankings=

{{Infobox US university ranking

| THES_W = 601–800

| THE_WSJ = 14

| QS_W = 591–600

| USNWR_NU = 46

| USNWR_W = 850

| Forbes = 64

| Wamo_NU = 29

| ARWU_W = 701–800

}}

U.S. News & World Report{{'s}} Best Colleges Ranking ranked Lehigh tied for 46th{{Cite web |title=Lehigh University - Profile, Rankings and Data {{!}} US News Best Colleges |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/lehigh-university-3289}} among "National Universities", tied for 25th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching", 26th for "Best Value Schools", 51st for "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs", and 45th for "Most Innovative Schools" in its 2024 edition of "Best Colleges".{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/lehigh-university-3289/overall-rankings |title=Lehigh University Rankings |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=June 10, 2023}} 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.{{cite news |author=Graphic detail Charts, maps and infographics |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/10/value-university |title=The value of university: Our first-ever college rankings |newspaper=The Economist |date=2015-10-29 |access-date=2016-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720062952/https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/10/value-university |archive-date=July 20, 2017 |url-status=live }} In its 2024 ranking of best U.S. colleges, The Wall Street Journal ranked Lehigh the 14th-best overall.{{Cite web |title=Best U.S. Colleges 2024 - WSJ / College Pulse Rankings |url=https://www.wsj.com/rankings/college-rankings/best-colleges-2024 |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}

Along with three other Pennsylvania colleges, Dickinson College in Carlisle, Lafayette College in Easton, and Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Lehigh was a 2020 recipient of the Campus Sustainability Achievement Award issued by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education in commemoration of its participation in the Solar Collaboration Project.{{Cite news|title=2020 AASHE Sustainability Award Winners Announced|language=en-US|work=The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education|url=https://www.aashe.org/news/2020-sustainability-award-winners-announced/|access-date=2021-07-04}}

Lehigh University is nationally ranked 1st in "Best Science Lab Facilities", 10th for “Best College Library”, and 15th for "Most Beautiful Campus" according to The Princeton Review.{{Cite web |title=Lehigh University - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews |url=https://www.princetonreview.com/college/lehigh-university-1023596 |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=www.princetonreview.com}} Additionally, it holds the 2nd spot for "Best College Newspaper", 3rd in “Their Students Love These Colleges”, 16th in “Best Career Placement (Private Schools)”, 24th in “Top Green Colleges”, 30th in “Best Value Colleges (Private Schools)”, and ranks 4th for "Lots of Race/Class Interaction".

According to PayScale's 2024 report, Lehigh ranks 1st among schools nationally for business majors by salary potential, with an early career median pay of $95,300 and a mid-career median pay of $194,900.{{Cite web |title=Best Business Schools |url=https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/best-schools-by-majors/business |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Payscale}} Lehigh ranks 12th among universities for bachelor's degree salary potential, with a mid-career median salary of $147,300.{{Cite web |title=Best Universities and Colleges |url=https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/bachelors |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Payscale}} Lehigh University ranks 26th among schools nationally for computer science majors by salary potential{{Cite web |title=Best Computer Science Schools |url=https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/best-schools-by-majors/computer-science |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Payscale}} and 34th among schools nationally for engineering majors by salary potential.{{Cite web |url=https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/best-schools-by-majors/engineering |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=www.payscale.com |title=Best Engineering Schools }}

In the 2024-2025 Forbes rankings of America's Top Colleges, Lehigh is ranked 64th overall, 44th among private colleges, 49th among research universities, and 28th among institutions in the Northeast.{{Cite web |title=Lehigh University |url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/lehigh-university/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

Lehigh University's College of Business is ranked 23rd in Poets&Quants' 2023 list of Best Undergraduate Business Schools.{{Cite web |last=Bleizeffer |first=Kristy |date=2024-01-22 |title=Poets&Quants' Best Undergraduate Business Schools Of 2024 |url=https://poetsandquants.com/2024/01/22/poetsquants-best-undergraduate-business-schools-of-2024/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Poets&Quants |language=en-US}} This reflects a rise from 27th place in 2022. Additionally, the university's part-time, online FLEX MBA program is ranked 13th among online MBA programs by Poets&Quants for 2025.{{Cite web |title=FLEX MBA Ranking {{!}} Lehigh Business |url=https://business.lehigh.edu/academics/graduate/masters-programs/flex-mba/mba-ranking#:~:text=Online%20MBA%20#13-,Lehigh%20University's%20part-time,%20online%20FLEX%20MBA%20has%20been%20ranked,the%20Poets&Quants%20report%20for%202025.&text=2%20in%20Pennsylvania-,Lehigh%20University's%20part-time,%20online%20FLEX%20MBA%20has%20been%20ranked,the%20Poets&Quants%20report%20for%202025. |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=business.lehigh.edu}}

In 2023, U.S. News & World Report has identified Lehigh University’s 1-MBA program as ranking 5th in the United States in salary-to-debt ratio.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-10 |title=Lehigh's 1-MBA Ranks in Top 5 Nationally on Starting Salary-to-Debt Ratio |url=https://news.lehigh.edu/lehighs-1-mba-ranks-in-top-5-nationally-on-starting-salary-to-debt-ratio |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Lehigh University News |language=en}} The publication recently evaluated MBA programs by the highest return on investment by examining starting salary-to-debt ratio from its 2023-2024 Best Business Schools (MBA) ranking.

In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lehigh's part-time MBA program 20th in the nation.{{cite web |title=The Best Part-Time MBA Programs |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/part-time-rankings?int=aa6b09&int=a06908 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902093102/https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/part-time-rankings?int=aa6b09&int=a06908 |archive-date=September 2, 2017 |access-date=2017-09-01 |publisher=www.usnews.com}}

In 2012, BusinessWeek ranked Lehigh's College of Business 31st in the nation among undergraduate business programs.[http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/top_undergrad_bschools_by_specialty_2012.html BusinessWeek rankings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523203013/http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/top_undergrad_bschools_by_specialty_2012.html |date=May 23, 2013 }}. In 2012, BusinessWeek ranked Lehigh the seventh-best overall undergraduate finance program in the nation, and ranked its undergraduate accounting program the 21st-best in the nation.

In 2012, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review named Lehigh the 24th- best undergraduate college for entrepreneurship.[http://www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges/undergrad/1.html Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 25 Undergraduate Colleges] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003165443/http://www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges/undergrad/1.html |date=October 3, 2012 }} Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved 2012-10-08.

Student life

=Fraternities and sororities=

A large majority of Lehigh's social fraternities and sororities have their own university-owned houses; most of the fraternities and sororities are located along Upper and Lower Sayre Park Roads in a region known as "The Hill".

Lehigh has one of the highest levels of student participation in fraternities and sororities; approximately 34% of undergraduates are members of a fraternity or sorority. During new member education, Greek life membership rises to almost 45%. There are 10 fraternities,{{cite web |title=Message Regarding Unrecognized Groups |url=http://lehighgreeks.blogspot.com/2018/08/message-regarding-unrecognized-groups.html |website=Lehigh Greek Community |date=August 30, 2018 |publisher=Lehigh OFSA |access-date=October 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030035738/http://lehighgreeks.blogspot.com/2018/08/message-regarding-unrecognized-groups.html |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |url-status=live }} all of which are housed on campus, and eight sororities, all of which are housed on campus.{{cite web |url=http://www.lehigh.edu/ofsa/fs_info.shtml |title=Fraternities and Sororities |publisher=Lehigh University Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs |access-date=2013-03-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107180654/http://www.lehigh.edu/ofsa/fs_info.shtml |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}

Lehigh's "golden age of fraternities" came in the mid-1980s when there were 36 fraternities on campus, all located on "The Hill". Sororities were notably forced to operate off campus. When the drinking age was increased to 21, fraternities started to run into frequent hazing incidents and disciplinary issues which resulted in many of them being forced by the school to disband in the 1990s. Many of their former houses were transitioned to sorority houses and a few were demolished to make way for more dorms. As of 2024, some of the houses on "The Hill" remain vacant.{{cite web |last1=Smerconish |first1=Michael |title=Modern college drinking policies not working |url=https://www.thestate.com/opinion/op-ed/article13958609.html |website=The State |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |access-date=27 February 2024}}

=Traditions and student newspaper=

Lehigh's school colors, brown and white, date back to 1874, and the school newspaper, The Brown and White, has been continuously published since 1894.

Lehigh University is home to several unique and cherished traditions, particularly during the annual Spirit Week leading up to the Lehigh-Lafayette football game.

One of the highlights is the Bed Races, where students form teams, decorate beds, and drag race them down Packer Avenue. Initially, students constructed their own beds to demonstrate their engineering skills.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-07 |title=Bed Races |url=https://blog.lehigh.edu/bed-races |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Students of Lehigh Blog |language=en}}

Orientation Week also features class flag presentations at "The Rally," where each class is represented by an official flag passed down by their adopting class, 50 years their senior. The oldest surviving class flag dates back to 1889.{{Cite web |title=The Rally {{!}} Lehigh Alumni |url=https://alumni.lehigh.edu/the-rally |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=alumni.lehigh.edu |language=en}}

The Lehigh-Lafayette football rivalry, which began in 1884, is one of the most celebrated in college football, with the two schools having met more times than any other rivalry in the nation.{{Cite web |title=Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry |url=https://www2.lehigh.edu/about/lehigh-lafayette |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Lehigh University |language=en}}

The Marching 97 band also plays a key role in Le-Laf Week, performing traditional Lehigh fight songs as they parade through campus. The "Eco-flame" tradition, originating in the 1970s when Professor Rich Aaronson invited the band to perform for his ECO 001 class, remains a staple of the week.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=Eco-Flame |url=https://news.lehigh.edu/eco-flame |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Lehigh University News |language=en}}

Campus-wide events such as Lehigh After Dark’s carnival and the GO campaign launch, which featured a Halsey concert, bring students from various class years and interest groups together, further enhancing the community spirit.{{Cite web |title=Student Life at Lehigh |url=https://www2.lehigh.edu/admissions/student-life-at-lehigh |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=Lehigh University |language=en}}

=ROTC=

{{main|Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps}}

Since 1919 Lehigh maintains a unit in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps, the Steel Battalion of the 2nd ROTC Brigade, which is headquartered in Jordan Hall on the mountaintop campus.{{cite web |title=Institutional Partnerships |url=https://www.steelrotc.com/schools |website=steelrotc |access-date=12 December 2024}}

Athletics

{{Main|Lehigh Mountain Hawks}}

{{See also|Lehigh Mountain Hawks football|Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball|Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's lacrosse|Lehigh Mountain Hawks women's basketball|Lehigh Mountain Hawks softball}}

Image:Lafayette Lehigh MVP Trophy.JPG–Lehigh most valuable player trophy plaque prior to the 144th meeting of The Rivalry in 2009; the series between the two colleges, which are {{convert|17|mi}} away from each other in the Lehigh Valley, is the most-played rivalry in college football history with 158 meetings since 1884.]]

File:Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen at 2009 training camp.jpg training camp at Lehigh in August 2009]]

File:Goodman Stadium.JPG at Lehigh in 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.lehighsports.com/info/graduation/default.aspx|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128121342/http://www.lehighsports.com/info/graduation/default.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Graduation Home Page|date=January 28, 2013|archive-date=January 28, 2013|website=lehighsports.com}} In 2002, it won the inaugural USA Today/NCAA Foundation Award for having the nation's top graduation rate of all Division I institutions.

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 U.S. at the Olympic Games. While it is not a school sport, a number of Lehigh alumni, including Roger Penske, Al Holbert, and John Fitch, went on to successful careers in auto racing.

=Basketball=

{{Main|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.{{cite web | url=http://www.mcall.com/sports/college/lehigh/mc-ncaa-basketball-lehigh-duke-gamer-0316-20120316,0,6364456.story | title=NCAA basketball: Lehigh pulls off monumental upset of Duke | publisher=The Morning Call | work=MCall.com | date=March 16, 2012 | access-date=March 16, 2012 | author=Housenick, Tom | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310044820/http://articles.mcall.com/2012-03-16/sports/mc-ncaa-basketball-lehigh-duke-gamer-0316-20120316_1_mccollum-3-pointer-gabe-knutson-lehigh | archive-date=March 10, 2014 | url-status=dead }}

=Football=

{{Main|The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh)}}

Lehigh University and nearby Lafayette College are rivals in sports. Since 1884, the two football teams have met over 150 times, making the game between the two programs, known as The Rivalry, the most played in the history of college football.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2017-09-17/7-most-played-college-football-rivalries-all-time|title=7 of the most-played college football rivalries of all time {{!}} NCAA.com|website=www.ncaa.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730183631/https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2017-09-17/7-most-played-college-football-rivalries-all-time|archive-date=July 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

The rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette is also the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football; the teams have played annually since 1897. For the 150th meeting, the teams played before a sold-out Yankee Stadium in New York City.[https://lehighsports.com/sports/150th-lehigh-lafayette-game "150th Lehigh-Lafayette Game"] at Lehigh Sports

The week leading up to the game features traditional festivities, including decorating fraternity houses, parties, rallies and the Marching 97 performing unexpectedly during classes the Friday before the game.{{cite web |title=About Lehigh: Marching 97 Campus Tour |date=May 26, 2015 |url=https://www1.lehigh.edu/about-hallmarks-traditions-marching-97-campus-tour |publisher=Lehigh University |quote=The march is called "Eco-flame" because in the '70s Professor Rich Aaronson asked the band to play for his ECO 001 class. |access-date=August 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819170016/https://www1.lehigh.edu/about-hallmarks-traditions-marching-97-campus-tour |archive-date=August 19, 2019 |url-status=live }}

=Wrestling=

The most storied athletic program at Lehigh is its wrestling team, which began in 1910. Over the past several decades, the Lehigh wrestling team has produced 158 All-Americans and had numerous squads finish with Top 20 NCAA national rankings, including finishing second in the nation in 1939.{{cite web|title=LU Wrestling History|url=http://www.lehighsports.com/custompages/Record%20Books/Wrestling/Wrestling%20Record%20Book%2092613.pdf|publisher=Lehigh University Athletics|access-date=2014-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222001754/http://www.lehighsports.com/custompages/Record%20Books/Wrestling/Wrestling%20Record%20Book%2092613.pdf|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=live}} In 2008, the athletic department hired Pat Santoro, a two-time national champion and two-time winner of the EIWA Coach of the Year (2009, 2012) as Lehigh's head wrestling coach.{{cite web|title=LU Wrestling Pat Santoro Bio|url=http://www.lehighsports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1483&path=wrestling|publisher=Lehigh University Athletics|access-date=2014-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222002212/http://www.lehighsports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1483&path=wrestling|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=live}}

Home dual meets and tournaments take place in Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, on the university's main campus.{{cite web|title=LU Wrestling Arena|url=http://lehighsports.com/sports/2013/6/4/GEN_0604132035.aspx|publisher=Lehigh University Athletics|access-date=2014-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222001844/http://lehighsports.com/sports/2013/6/4/GEN_0604132035.aspx|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=live}} Commonly known as "The Snake Pit", it has been the home of Lehigh wrestling since 1942.{{Cite web |last=Spey |first=Andrew |date=2018-06-04 |title=Final X Lehigh Will Be Held In Historic Grace Hall |url=https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/6212291-final-x-lehigh-will-be-held-in-historic-grace-hall |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=FloWrestling |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Scovel |first=Shannon |date=September 30, 2019 |title=The 5 best places to watch college wrestling, according to fans |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2019-09-30/5-best-places-watch-college-wrestling-according-fans |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=www.ncaa.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-12-13 |title=Lehigh Valley Flashback Dec. 13: Emmaus' Berta, Liberty's Hartenstine named high school All-Americans |url=https://www.mcall.com/2020/12/13/lehigh-valley-flashback-dec-13-emmaus-berta-libertys-hartenstine-named-high-school-all-americans/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=The Morning Call |language=en-US}} In 2013, Grace Hall was converted into the Caruso Wrestling Complex, including a visiting area and Lehigh's College Wrestling Wall of Fame.

In March 2017, Lehigh wrestler and Bethlehem native Darian Cruz won the NCAA Division I national wrestling tournament,{{cite web |last1=Fierro |first1=Nick |title=Lehigh's Darian Cruz captures NCAA wrestling championship at 125 pounds |url=https://www.mcall.com/sports/college/mc-ncaa-wrestling-0318-20170318-story.html |website=The Morning Call |date=March 19, 2017 |publisher=Morning Call |access-date=March 3, 2019 |ref=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111536/https://www.mcall.com/sports/college/mc-ncaa-wrestling-0318-20170318-story.html |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |url-status=live }} becoming Lehigh's first national champion since Zach Rey, Lehigh's current assistant wrestling coach, won the title in the heavyweight division six years earlier, in 2011.

= Lacrosse =

Lehigh University's lacrosse program is a prominent part of Lehigh's athletic offerings, with both men's and women's teams competing at the Division I level.{{Cite web |title=Men's Lacrosse |url=https://lehighsports.com/sports/mens-lacrosse |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Lehigh University Athletics |language=en}} The men's team and women's team compete in the Patriot League.

The men's lacrosse team has achieved historic success over the years, including four Patriot League Championships.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-18 |title=Lehigh Men's Lacrosse Team: Four-Time Patriot League Champs |url=https://www2.lehigh.edu/news/lehigh-mens-lacrosse-team-four-time-patriot-league-champs |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Lehigh University |language=en}} The team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 after rallying to defeat Boston University 11–10 in the championship game.

The Clery Act

{{Main|Clery Act|Murder of Jeanne Clery}}

On April 5, 1986, Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh freshman, was raped and murdered in her Lehigh dorm room; the perpetrator, a Lehigh student, was apprehended, tried, and sentenced to death. In 1990, the backlash against unreported crimes on numerous campuses across the country led the United States Congress to pass the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, known as the Clery Act, which requires that colleges reveal information regarding crime on their campuses.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20116872,00.html|title=After Their Daughter Is Murdered at College, Her Grieving Parents Mount a Crusade for Campus Safety|last=Gross|first=Ken|date=February 19, 1990|magazine=People.com|access-date=2011-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604122642/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20116872,00.html|archive-date=June 4, 2009|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.securityoncampus.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=271&Itemid=60|title=Complying With The Jeanne Clery Act|publisher=Securityoncampus.org|access-date=2011-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213104921/http://www.securityoncampus.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=271&Itemid=60|archive-date=December 13, 2009|url-status=live}}

Notable people

File:LUwithShield-CMYK.svg |date=February 15, 2002 |access-date=30 April 2024}}]]

= Alumni =

{{Main list|List of Lehigh University alumni}}

Notable alumni include:

=Faculty=

Notable past or present faculty members include:

=Honorary degrees=

  • Bill Cosby (issued in 1987 and rescinded in October 2015){{cite web| url = https://thebrownandwhite.com/2015/10/14/lehigh-rescinds-bill-cosby-honorary-degree/| title = Lehigh rescinds Cosby's honorary degree – The Brown and White| date = October 14, 2015}}
  • Donald Trump (issued in 1988 and rescinded in January 2021){{Cite web|url=https://www2.lehigh.edu/news/board-of-trustees-honorary-degree-decision|title = Board of Trustees Honorary Degree Decision|date = January 8, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2021/01/lehigh-university-revokes-president-trumps-honorary-degree-2-days-after-us-capitol-siege.html|title = Lehigh University revokes President Trump's honorary degree 2 days after U.S. Capitol siege|date = January 9, 2021}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Lehigh University}}

  • {{Official website|http://www.lehigh.edu/}}
  • [http://www.lehighsports.com/ Lehigh Athletics website]
  • {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Lehigh University |year=1905 |short=x}}

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