Dear Parents and Families,
What a challenging summer this has been for us all. We want to assure you that we are here to support you and your student during this time of transition, and we are excited to welcome you to the Lehigh family and orient everyone to campus.
Family Orientation will be virtual this year and will be available on the Office of the First-Year Experience Family webpage the week of August 17, 2020. Family Orientation will include pre-recorded videos to help you learn more about the resources at Lehigh, introduce you to Lehigh staff, and help you think about what your role can be as a partner in your students’ success. You can see our Parents and Families as Partners philosophy on our Family webpage.
We told you earlier this summer we would not send you every email we send to the students, as we want to help ensure they will become self-reliant, independent learners. However, we would like to let you know a little bit more about what we are planning for their Orientation so you can be informed. We believe it is critical and we expect that all students complete their Orientation on their own. If you are one of the family members logging into their account to see their checklist or checking their email -- now is the time to let them know it is up to them! For their success, they must start this journey on their own (and don’t worry, we’ll be guiding them along the way). See copied email below.
We look forward to the day we can all come together!
Office of the First-Year Experience
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This was not the welcome any of us were hoping for. What a stressful and challenging world we are living in. We are, however, so honored to welcome and orient you to campus! We know this is not the start you ever anticipated, but we promise that we are working hard to help you get your Lehigh career started in the best possible way we can. We are in this together! And when the day comes that we can ALL be on campus together in the same space, we will make sure you get to experience the amazing Lehigh pride and traditions that we know and love.
All of that being said, we want to share with you some details about Orientation. We are still working on final details especially as things have had to be adjusted throughout the summer with this evolving pandemic, but we’ll share the basics and follow-up with you soon to share more.
Orientation 2020 will be virtual and held Friday, August 21st through Sunday, August 23rd. As a reminder, all incoming students must complete Orientation. We’ll discuss important information and resources to ensure your success.
Orientation Schedule
You will be able to find the full Orientation 2020 schedule on the Office of First-Year Experience website in the upcoming weeks. Through email the week of August 17, you will receive your Orientation group information. Your group will not only help you know what sessions to attend and when, but will also provide you with an immediate connection to other new students and your Orientation Leader. Get ready for some small group meetings with your peers and Orientation Leader to make connections, introductions to your college leadership, fascinating faculty workshops, and discussions about how you will shape your Lehigh journey.
Guidebook
We will be using the smartphone app, Guidebook, as a way for you to be able to find your customized Orientation Schedule, get to know the Orientation Leaders, understand Lehigh Lingo, and more.
Course Site
We will be utilizing Course Site to upload videos and campus resources that allow you to navigate parts of Orientation at your own pace. You will also use Course Site for many of your classes, so you can use your Orientation 2020 experience as a way to get comfortable with the platform before you begin classes. You can find Course Site through Connect Lehigh and use your Lehigh email and password credentials to log in.
Although this might not be the Orientation you imagined, we are excited to introduce you to campus resources and opportunities that are available to you, as well as connect you to other incoming students, in a safe manner.