Join our tour guides Kavya Famolari '28 and Michael Wakely '27 as they take you through all three campuses—Asa Packer, Mountaintop and Goodman—while sharing highlights from each location.
Welcome to Lehigh University. My name is Kavya Famolari, a junior in the College of Engineering studying bioengineering and molecular biology through the Integrated Design Engineering and Arts and Sciences program as well as minoring in health policy. And I’m Michael Wakely, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying economics with a minor in real estate. We will be your tour guides today. We are excited that you have stopped by for a visit, and we hope you enjoy our classic college campus and your time in Bethlehem! At the end of each stop you will hear walking directions to the next stop. You may also want to refer to the campus map in your Campus Guide for the walking route. To begin the self-guided tour, please walk back towards the parking garage, through the archway and make a left onto the pathway before the garage entrance. Continue down this path as you curve around the Alumni Memorial Building and stop once you have reached Leadership Plaza featuring the statue of our founder, Asa Packer, at the back entrance of the building.
Lehigh University was founded in 1865 by Asa Packer. About 6,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students call this university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, "home." With five distinguished colleges - the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business, the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Education, and the College of Health - Lehigh strikes the perfect balance: It's an internationally recognized research university with an ideal student-to-faculty ratio that allows students and faculty to collaborate in and out of the classroom. Join us to learn about the facilities and opportunities that teach our students to tackle tomorrow's challenges.
Your visit, as with most prospective students, starts at the Alumni Memorial Building. Constructed in 1924, the Alumni Memorial Building was built to honor the 1,921 alumni who served in World War I and the 46 who died. The building was designed by Theodore G. Visscher, Class of 1899, and James Lindsey Burley, Class of 1894. The plan, as Ross Yates notes, was for the building to be an “architecturally unique memorial.” The building currently houses some of the university’s administrative offices, including the offices of the President, Provost, Inclusive Excellence and Belonging, Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar, and Registration & Academic Services.
Our next stop is the Clayton University Center at Packer Hall. Please walk through Leadership Plaza, passing stone benches on either side, and continue down the path lined with iron benches and greenery. You’ll notice the President’s house on your right. Once you have reached the end of the walkway, make a right onto University Drive and follow the sidewalk until it ends. Then turn left onto Library Drive.
Affectionately referred to as the “UC,” the Clayton University Center at Packer Hall is a hub of campus activity. As the second oldest building on campus, the UC was once home to almost all of Lehigh’s classrooms and facilities. Today, the UC houses student services such as Academic Support, the Gender Leadership and Empowerment Center, the Center for Cultural Engagement, and the Pride Center. There are seven dining options in the UC consisting of a wide variety of cuisines, including pizza, pasta, mediterranean, and vegan options. In front of the building, the UC Front Lawn is home to a variety of events throughout the year such as the Student Activities Fair at the beginning of the fall semester, the International Bazaar during the spring, and one of our most-loved traditions, the First-Year Rally. During The Rally, our newest incoming class is welcomed to the Lehigh family and is adopted by the alumni who matriculated to Lehigh 50 years prior. Thanks to a generous $20 million gift from Kevin Clayton—an alumnus from the Class of ’84 and Lehigh parent who served on the board of trustees for 22 years, including as chair--and his wife Lisa, the UC renovations were completed in 2025. The renovations preserved the building's historic character while creating a dynamic, state-of-the-art environment for student life.
To reach our next stop, Linderman Library, continue walking down Library Drive, where you will come to the front of Linderman Library.
Built in 1877, Linderman Library is recognized as one of the most beautiful university libraries in the country. Known for its iconic stained glass rotunda and reading room, Linderman holds 1.2 million volumes, including a rare book collection that features first editions of English and American literature from the 17th to 19th centuries. Widely used by the student community, Linderman is open until 2 a.m. most nights and is home to plenty of collaborative group study rooms. It’s the perfect location for a long study session, or to relax and enjoy a good book.
Our next stop is Williams Hall. Take a left and go down the steps to meet up with the brick pathway of Memorial Drive. On your left, you will pass one of our emergency blue lights, which is connected to our Lehigh University Police Department, referred to as LUPD, and part of our larger campus safety infrastructure, and Chandler-Ullmann Hall. Chandler-Ullmann underwent a $31 million renovation in 2019. It also won a gold medal for its modern-like design in 1889 at the Paris Exposition and was called the best chemistry building in the world. Shortly after passing Chandler-Ullmann you will see a large, two-tiered staircase on your right-hand side. At the top of this staircase sits Williams Hall.
Williams Hall was recently renovated to serve as the global hub of campus. The Silver LEED-certified building features the Herbert A. Roemmele ’53 Global Commons, a two-story atrium with video feeds that live-stream news stories from around the world and serves as a meeting space for large groups. The building is also home to offices including Student Affairs, Residence Life and Academic Support Services.
Continue down the brick pathway of Memorial Drive one last time as you head to our next destination, Taylor Gym and Welch Fitness Center. Along the path, you will pass a number of sculptures on either side, a few of many sculptures featured across our campus, as well as the Sherman Fairchild Center for the Physical Sciences on your left. As you get to the end of the pathway, you will find Taylor Gym and Welch Fitness Center directly ahead.
Taylor Gym is the main recreation center and one of the most active buildings on campus. Taylor’s Welch Fitness Center features weight and cardio equipment, racquetball courts, basketball courts, dance and fitness class studios, the Lane rock climbing wall, and the Jacobs and Morrissey Pools. It’s open 16 hours per day and is open to all students. Many of our student athletes also take advantage of their own athletic facilities and equipment on Goodman Campus. This helps ensure that Taylor’s Welch Fitness Center is not overcrowded and provides a comfortable space for all students to use the facilities as they please. Taylor Gym is also home to the Lehigh athletic offices, Campus Athletics, Sports Medicine and the Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame.
Once you are ready to head to our next destination, the Zoellner Arts Center, please cross Taylor Street so that you are standing in front of Taylor Gym. Make a left and head down the hill on Taylor Street. On your right, you will see an archway; head through that to the courtyard of our Zoellner Arts Center.
A premier performing arts center, the Zoellner Arts Center showcases the arts at Lehigh and also hosts world-class performers from around the globe. Within Zoellner, you’ll find three theaters –the 1,000-seat Baker Hall, the Diamond Theater and the Black Box Theater, an experimental performance space. Performers and speakers such as Pete Buttigieg, Leslie Odom Jr, Steve Wozniak, Morgan Freeman, Arianna Huffington and more have all taken the stage in Zoellner. One great perk is that students and faculty have the opportunity to attend all shows, both Lehigh-run and traveling, for free with their Lehigh ID. Other facilities include two of the eight on-campus LU Art Galleries, a music library, practice rooms, a woodshop and a costume shop. Zoellner is also home to Lehigh’s Theatre and Music departments. Students across all colleges and majors are able to participate in the various performance ensembles and student-led groups as well as take voice and instrumental lessons with professional musicians on campus.
Located next to Zoellner is our next stop, Rauch Business Center.
Approximately one-fourth of Lehigh’s undergraduate students are enrolled in the College of Business, currently housed in Rauch Business Center. The building houses state-of-the-art classrooms, auditoriums and meeting areas, as well as the "Common Grounds" eatery. Additionally, Rauch is home to Lehigh’s MBA program, the Clayton Conference Center and the Financial Services Lab. At the FSL, undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from across campus can gain a better understanding of the financial world through the meeting of theory, practice, and research with the state-of-the-art classroom designed to simulate the Wall Street trading environment.
For our next stop, cross Packer Avenue and head straight to the Business Innovation Building on the right side of the street.
Opened in 2023, the Business Innovation Building, typically referred to as BIB, is a state-of-the-art expansion for the College of Business. The building represents a massive leap forward in how business is taught, intentionally designed to mirror real-world corporate environments rather than traditional classrooms.
Inside, the focus is entirely on immersive, hands-on learning. The building features an incredible "classroom-in-the-round" equipped with massive, curved LED ceiling displays for team-based problem-solving, as well as the expanded Bosland Financial Services Lab, which brings Wall Street energy to campus with its 35-foot double-sided stock ticker visible from the street. It also hosts a Behavioral Lab and the offices for Lehigh’s interdisciplinary programs. Our intercollegiate interdisciplinary programs include Computer Science and Business (CSB), Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts and Sciences (IDEAS), Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) as well as Integrated Business and Health (IBH). Beyond these programs, all students are given the flexibility to customize their own unique Lehigh experience.
BIB also serves as a launching pad for student professional success and entrepreneurship. It houses the Lehigh Ventures Lab, a high-tech incubator space where student founders receive workspace and coaching to launch their own startups, alongside the Rauch Center for Business Communications, which provides dedicated spaces for mock interviews and career presentation prep. It is also home to the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research. All of this connects back to the sunlit Tauck Family Lobby—a massive networking hub featuring a 13.5-foot interactive video wall where students can collaborate between classes and connect directly with visiting employers.
Next up we’ll see Wilbur Powerhouse. Continue down Packer Ave and at the intersection of Webster Ave, come to a stop and you will see Wilbur Annex on your left-hand side. Make a left and continue up the stairs around the path to the back of the building.
The Wilbur Powerhouse is a 17,000 square foot facility in the heart of campus designed to give students and faculty the tools and resources to go from idea to physical concept. Programs and departments from across all four undergraduate colleges use the open space of the Powerhouse and its unique set of resources, which include the Additive Lab featuring 3D printing, design labs, computing labs and the creativity lab. You’re bound to find students collaborating and discovering here around the clock. Lehigh values collaboration, and offers many unique interdisciplinary programs
Our Health, Science and Technology Building is up next. To get to our next stop, cross Packer Avenue and head down the left side of Webster Street. Walking down Webster Street, you will first pass Whitaker Laboratory. At the intersection of Morton Street, turn left and continue down. You will see the Health, Science and Technology Building on your left.
The new Health, Science and Technology building (HST) serves as the home of the College of Health. The 195,000-square-foot building houses faculty and staff, key labs and resources, and dramatically increases Lehigh’s capacity for interdisciplinary research. The facility will promote a new, innovative model of research. Interdisciplinary teams utilize the space, while undergraduates will engage in high-impact, hands-on learning experiences, working alongside graduate students and faculty researchers in an atmosphere of constant innovation and change. The HST building features open-concept labs, transparent walls, staggered staircases, integrated workspaces and a community forum, laid out in a way that prompts unexpected meetings among students and colleagues. The HST building redefines innovation as a community health space by allowing Lehigh to forge important new partnerships with local organizations, schools and churches.
Once you are ready to head to the next stop on our tour, continue down Morton Street passing the Farrington Square apartment complex on your left. At the intersection of Morton Street and New Street, you will come to our next stop, Farrington Square.
Farrington Square resides on the border of campus and acts as Lehigh’s gateway to South Bethlehem. It features a residential complex for upperclassmen with two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments. It’s also home to the University Bookstore, the Campus Mail Center, and several eateries, including The Cup, a Bethlehem tradition for homemade ice cream, and Johnny’s Bagels. Farrington Square’s plaza hosts the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market each Thursday from May to October, which provides students with an opportunity to buy local produce and support local eateries and food trucks while enjoying live music.
Next up you’ll see Maginnes Hall. Make a left into Farrington Square and walk up the center staircase. Cross over Asa Drive, through the archway and up the stairs into the plaza, where you will see Fairchild-Martindale Library on your left. Take the set of stairs on the right-hand side, bringing you to the top of the plaza. Once at the top, you will see Maginnes Hall and the STEPS building on either side of the STEPS lawn on your right-hand side.
Maginnes is home to the College of Arts & Sciences and features many classrooms and computing spaces. The College of Arts & Sciences, which includes approximately one-third of Lehigh's undergraduate population, offers over 50 different majors of study. In Maginnes, you’ll find art from LU Art Galleries displayed throughout the halls and our Center for Career and Professional Development, which provides robust support to the student body through career coaching and career education, connecting students with internship and job opportunities, and mobilizing support from alumni and employer partners.
STEPS stands for Science, Technology, Environment, Policy & Society and is one of the many buildings, along with Maginnes, utilized by the College of Arts and Sciences. A gold-status LEED-certified facility, the state-of-the-art STEPS building features an open design facilitating interdisciplinary work across the departments housed within it. On the other side of the courtyard from STEPs and Maginnes, you’ll find Lehigh’s other library: The E.W. Fairchild-Martindale Library. It is home to five floors of collaborative and innovative work spaces, classrooms, private and semi-private study nooks, group meeting rooms and open study areas. It is also home to the Visualization Lab, Digital Media Studio, and a one-touch DIY Video Recording Studio. Throughout this library, you’ll find the space brightened by art created by students and from the LU Art Galleries. The recently opened Grind Cafe offers coffee, tea, baked goods, sandwiches and sushi to help sustain students as they study and work together.
That concludes our tour of the Asa Packer Campus. To head back to the Alumni Memorial Building parking garage, cross over Packer Ave and follow the path up to the flagpole. Then turn right on Memorial Drive and follow the path toward the stone Lehigh sign. Directly ahead, you should see the beautiful Alumni Memorial Building once again.
Thank you so much for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed your time on campus, and will join us for a formal Information Session and tour, or a virtual visit opportunity. For more information, please visit us online at lehigh.edu/admissions.
Located at the top of South Mountain, Mountaintop contains major research facilities, including ATLSS, a national center for research and education on structures and materials of the infrastructure. Mountaintop is home to the College of Education, which offers graduate degrees and certifications, and the Art, Architecture, and Design Department, which is housed in Building C, a renovated building previously owned by Bethlehem Steel. Mountaintop also serves as the inspiring backdrop for the Mountaintop Summer Experience—where students, faculty, and external partners come together to work on interdisciplinary projects that lead to transformative new innovations and new questions.
Goodman Campus is Lehigh’s athletic campus. It includes our 16,000 seat football stadium, Goodman Stadium; the 6,000 seat Stabler Arena, which is used for basketball games and concerts; Rauch Fieldhouse; and Cundey Varsity House. Goodman is also home to acres of playing fields and cross country trails. Lehigh has 26 Division I Varsity sports, as well as many Club and Intramural sports programs, and our students are active in participating and cheering on our teams, especially in the famed Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry match, America's most played college football match-up.
Thank you for taking the time to do a self-guided tour of Lehigh. We hope to continue our conversation with you, so please sign up for our mailing list, come back for an event, connect with us on socials and submit your application!
