Lehigh University

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Lehigh University
Motto: Homo minister et interpres naturae (Man, the servant and interpreter of nature)
Established: 1865
Type: Private
Endowment: US $1 billion[1]
President: Dr. Alice P. Gast
Staff: 597
Undergraduates: 4,720[2]
Postgraduates: 2,116[2]
Location: Flag of the United States Bethlehem, PA, USA
Campus: Urban & Suburban; 1,600 acres (6.5 km²)
Athletics: NCAA Division I
25 varsity teams
Colors: Brown and white            
Mascot: Mountain Hawk
Website: www.lehigh.edu

Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States.

It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school. The university comprises over 4,600 undergraduate students, 2,000 graduate students, almost 600 professors, and almost 1,500 administrative professionals.

The university has four colleges: the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, and the graduate-only College of Education. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college, home to roughly 40% percent of the university's students.[3]

The colleges offer a variety of degrees, including Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy.

Contents

[edit] Campus

Main article: Lehigh University Buildings
Alumni Memorial Building on the Packer campus
Alumni Memorial Building on the Packer campus

Lehigh encompasses 1,600 acres (6.475 km²), with 150 buildings with more than four million square feet of floor space. It is organized into three contiguous campuses:

  • the Asa Packer Campus, Lehigh's main campus;
  • the Mountaintop Campus, featuring an intramural sports field as well as Iacocca Hall; and
  • the Murray H. Goodman Campus, where a 16,000-seat stadium and other sports facilities are located.

Lehigh's main campus is built into the side of South Mountain.

[edit] Academics

Lehigh's average class size is 25-30 students;[4] over 80% of classes have fewer than 30 students.[5] The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1.[2]

The 2008 edition of US News & World Report's Best Colleges ranked Lehigh in its "Most Selective" admissions category and 31st in the "National Universities (Doctoral)" category.[6] The The Princeton Review classifies it among the "Best Northeastern Colleges."

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

See also: Lehigh university engineering highlights

Students from Lehigh's Materials Science and Engineering department were chosen to assist in the analysis of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

The 2008 edition of US News & World Report's Best Graduate Schools voted Lehigh 42nd in top engineering schools. Lehigh has been voted best engineering graduate school by US News & World Report for the last couple years as well.

Graduates of Lehigh's engineering programs invented the escalator and founded Packard Motor Car Company and the companies that built the locks and lockgates of the Panama Canal. Roger Penske of Penske Racing is an alumnus.

Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors society, was founded at Lehigh.

[edit] College of Business and Economics

In 2008, BusinessWeek ranked Lehigh's College of Business and Economics 25th in the nation among undergraduate business programs.[7] Lehigh's accounting program is particularly strong, ranked as the number one undergraduate accounting program in the nation by BusinessWeek.[8] Accounting and finance majors at Lehigh are heavily recruited by Big Four auditors, consulting firms, and investment banks.

Most business college classes take place in the Rauch Business Center, which includes four computer labs. The Rauch Business Center also includes a financial services lab where students have access to premium investment research equipment.

[edit] College of Arts and Sciences

See also: Lehigh University Music

Based in the Zoellner Arts Center,[9] Lehigh offers a variety of performing and visual arts programs. In particular, it has many music programs, including its Marching 97,[10] the Wind Ensemble and the Philharmonic orchestra. It has a dedicated Humanities Center, which is an active center for discussions in philosophy, literature, religion studies, and other subjects.[vague]

Lehigh also has a program called ArtsLehigh,[11] oriented towards enhancing interest in the arts on campus.

The College of Education's logo:Bold, Connected, Innovative
The College of Education's logo:
Bold, Connected, Innovative

[edit] College of Education

College homepage: http://www.lehigh.edu/education

The College of Education offers graduate programs in Counseling Psychology, Educational Leadership, School Psychology, Special Education, "Teaching, Learning, and Technology", and Transcultural Comparative International Education.[12] More than 6000 students have received one of these degrees as of 2007, with some of them going on to receive awards such as MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year.[13]

[edit] Faculty

See also: Lehigh University faculty

As of 2007[update needed] Lehigh has 614 total instructional faculty, 443 of which are full-time. Over 99% of the faculty has a Ph.D. or the highest terminal degree in their field.[2] About three-quarters (74%) of them are male.

Faculty members are required to have a minimum of four office hours per week.

[edit] Athletics

Main article: Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Lehigh University Mountain Hawks logo

Called the Engineers until 1995, Lehigh's teams are now officially known as the Mountain Hawks, although teams prior to 1995 may be referred to by the older title. They mostly compete in the Patriot League as part of NCAA's Division I.

Lehigh competes in 25 different NCAA Division I sports. Despite the rigor of its academic programs, its 2006 student-athlete graduation rate of 97% ranks 12th among all 326 NCAA Division I institutions. 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 student-athletes' success on the field and in the classroom has resulted in Lehigh being one of the 20 Division I schools included in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best College Sports Programs." 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. Most known for its wrestling team, Lehigh commonly finishes above the well known big schools in the NCAA Championships. Lehigh graduates have even competed in the Olympics and the Super Bowl.

[edit] The Rivalry

Main article: Lehigh-Lafayette football games (The Rivalry)

Lehigh University is notable for their rivalry in sports and academics with nearby Lafayette College. Since 1884, the two football teams have met 142 times, making "The Rivalry" the most played in the history of college football. It is also the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football, with the teams playing at least once every year since 1897. The Rivalry is considered one of the best in all of college athletics and ESPNU recently ranked The Rivalry #8 in their Top Ten College Football Rivalries. This game is sold out long before gameday each year.

[edit] History

Asa Packer
Asa Packer
Main article: Lehigh University History

Asa Packer named his university 'Lehigh' after his other passion, the railroad, despite suggestions from some to call it 'Packer University'. It was founded to provide a well-rounded education for young men, combining a liberal and scientific education with the technical skills necessary to increase the prosperity of the region. According to William Bacon Stevens, the first president of the board of trustees, Asa Packer's founding gift of $500,000 was the largest single endowment for a literary institution at that time.[14]

From 1871 to 1891, Packer's endowment allowed the institution to offer its education free of charge by competitive exam.[14] This, plus its blend of engineering and liberal arts, attracted some of the nation's brightest students, many of whom went on to distinguished careers in industry and engineering.

Unlike other engineering schools of the day, Lehigh was envisioned as a university instead of an "institute of technology," offering an education that was rooted in both scientific and classical traditions as espoused by John Amos Comenius.[14] Initially there were five schools: four scientific (civil engineering, mechanical engineering, mining and metallurgy, and analytical chemistry) and one of general literature. Over time, additional areas of the arts and sciences were added and engineering curricula were both merged and expanded.

Lehigh's seal
Lehigh's seal

The stock market crash accompanying the Panic of 1893 was a major financial blow to the university, since its endowment was largely invested in stocks, particularly shares of Lehigh Valley Railroad donated by the founder.[14] As a consequence, Lehigh decided to drop its Episcopal Church affiliation in 1897, allowing it to qualify for state and federal government aid.

Based on the experience of Lehigh engineers who went into industry[15] a College of Business & Economics was added in 1910. Lehigh's business curriculum was unique[15] in that it combined both the abstract emphasis on Economics seen in the Ivy League with the practical skills of management seen in more common business administration degrees given by other universities.

A similar emphasis on the well-rounded graduate can be seen in Lehigh's approach to education degrees. Lehigh's respected School of Education started as (and remains) a solely graduate-level program. This is based[15] on the principle that you need to learn primary subject matter well before you can learn how to teach it to others. Thus future teachers at Lehigh often take a five year program earning both a Bachelors Degree in a specialized field and a Masters Degree in Education.

[edit] Presidents of Lehigh

  1. Henry Coppée (1866-1875), soldier, author, and engineer
  2. John McDowell Leavitt (1875-1880), Episcopal clergyman
  3. Robert Alexander Lamberton (1880-1893), lawyer
  4. Thomas Messinger Drown (1895-1904), chemistry professor
  5. Henry Sturgis Drinker (1905-1920), the only alumnus to serve as president
  6. Charles Russ Richards (1922-1935), presided over the first graduate degrees awarded to women
  7. Clement C. Williams (1935-1944), civil engineer
  8. Martin Dewey Whitaker (1946-1960), who worked to develop the atomic bomb
  9. Harvey A. Neville (1961-1964), the only faculty member ever elected president
  10. W. Deming Lewis (1964-1982), presided over the admission of undergraduate women
  11. Peter Likins (1982-1997), civil engineer
  12. William C. Hittinger (1997-1998), electrical engineer
  13. Gregory C. Farrington (1998-2006), chemist
  14. Alice Gast (2006-present), Lehigh's first female president, chemical engineer

[edit] Greek Life

Nearly all of Lehigh's fraternities and sororities have their own houses which are owned by the university; most of the fraternities and seven of the sororities are located on the "Hill" along Upper and Lower Sayre Park Roads. The remaining sorority, Pi Beta Phi, is located in the Centennial complex near Rathbone Hall. Just off-campus there is one full fraternity, multiple "satellite" fraternity houses, and many sports team have residences off campus.[16]

[edit] Fraternities

[edit] Sororities

[edit] Spirit and traditions

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.

Following the death of Asa Packer in May 1879, the University established "Founder's Day" to be held in October to remember and recognize those have contributed to the success of the University. The event remains an annual tradition.

Freshmen are traditionally inducted into the University in a convocation in Packer Chapel and welcomed at a Freshman-Alumni Rally where their class flag is given to them by the class from fifty years before.

Until the 1970s, freshmen wore small brown hats with their class numbers called "dinks" from the beginning of the fall semester until the Lafayette football game. The week leading up to the big game was full of festivities created to unite the students and fuel spirit. In one of these events, "The Pajama Parade," the freshmen were led across the penny toll bridge in their pajamas singing "We Pay No Tolls Tonight" to the Moravian College dormitories where they would serenade the women. The week before the game still involves decoration of the Greek houses, a bonfire, parties, rallies and the Marching 97 performing unexpectedly during classes the Friday before the game.

While the riots to rip down the goal posts in Taylor Stadium are a thing of the past, many alumni return for the Lafayette game (which is usually sold out a month in advance) to root Lehigh on, to attend parties at their former fraternities and sororities, and to see old friends.[15]

[edit] Detailed rankings

[edit] US News & World Report

The 2008 edition of Best Colleges from US News & World Report's ranked Lehigh as "Most Selective" in admissions and 31st in the "National Universities (Doctoral)" category. It ranked as follows among the 126 top-tier universities:[6]

  • 8th in Alumni Giving.
  • 16th in Classes with fewer than 20 students.
  • 28th in Best value.
  • 30th in Retention rate.
  • 32nd in Student selectivity.
  • 32nd in Graduation rate.
  • 36th in Percentage of students in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
  • 36th in Average standardized test scores.

The magazine also included Lehigh in its "America's Best College Sports Programs" list[6]

[edit] BusinessWeek

BusinessWeek ranked Lehigh's undergraduate College of Business & Economics 25th overall in the nation in 2007. The school was ranked 21st in academic quality, 11th in median starting salaries for its graduates and 1st in accounting programs.[7]

[edit] The Princeton Review

The 2008 edition of the The Princeton Review included Lehigh among its "Best Northeastern Colleges."[17] On its scale of 60 to 99, Princeton Review scored Lehigh as:

  • Selectivity: 96
  • Academics: 89
  • Financial Aid: 88
  • Quality of Life: 69[18]

It was also ranked in the following social life categories:[18]

  • # 9 in the "More to do on Campus" category.
  • # 13 in the "Homogeneous Student Population" category.

[edit] Photo gallery

Packard Laboratory, home of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science

Rauch Business Center

The Fairchild-Martindale Library

Packard Lab windows

Christmas Saucon Hall, home of the Department of Mathematics

Stairs Leading to Alumni Memorial Building

A statue of founder Asa Packer, by the Admissions Building

Above an entrance to Packer Memorial Church

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ News article from Thursday, May 31, 2007
  2. ^ a b c d Lehigh at a Glance
  3. ^ Class of 2011 Summary
  4. ^ AAO Manual FAQ p. 27
  5. ^ Did You Know
  6. ^ a b c Lehigh University at a Glance from US News & World Report.
  7. ^ a b BusinessWeek rankings.
  8. ^ BusinessWeek Undergrad B-School Specialty Rankings: Accounting Rankings
  9. ^ Zoellner Arts Center website
  10. ^ The Marching 97 website
  11. ^ ArtsLehigh from the Lehigh website
  12. ^ Academic Programs from Lehigh's website
  13. ^ COE Alumni page
  14. ^ a b c d Yates, W. Ross. An Institution is Born, A Tradition Begins. Lehigh University. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
  15. ^ a b c d Plotnicki, Rita M., Looking Back: A Lehigh Scrapbook, Lehigh University, 1991
  16. ^ Lehigh: Student Life: Housing: Fraternities and Sororities
  17. ^ Princeton Review
  18. ^ a b Note that The Princeton Review Quality of Life and social life rankings are based on self-volunteered (not random sampled) student opinions and vary considerably from year to year.

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 40°36.43′N, 75°22.74′W

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Colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley
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