Inclusive Excellence and Belonging at Lehigh

At Lehigh, you belong. Every member of our community deserves to feel safe, valued and genuinely welcome.

Group of excited young adults in colorful shirts and foam fingers cheer outside building.

Our Commitment to Belonging

Lehigh is committed to being an institution that strives to enhance a sense of belonging for all members of our community. Our ongoing goal is to ensure that our community members feel safe, valued and welcome.

Our Belonging Roadmap is a coordinated, institution-wide framework for strengthening belonging as an integral part of how we learn, teach, work and live together at Lehigh. The roadmap is a natural evolution of past efforts, building directly on outcomes, feedback and momentum generated by previous initiatives. It operationalizes the Principles of Our Equitable Community, serving as the engine that embeds, measures, and sustains our core values across daily campus life.

See Action Items & Progress

Lehigh’s Office of Inclusive Excellence & Belonging

The Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging (OIEB) plays a central role in advancing A Lehigh for Everyone, a foundational initiative of the university’s Inspiring the Future Makers strategy, dedicated to creating a campus where all individuals feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

OIEB collaborates across the university—partnering with students, faculty, staff, senior administrators, trustees, alumni and community leaders—to foster a culture of belonging, remove barriers to success, and champion equitable opportunities for all.

Nathan Urban

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

The diversity of people and perspectives on our campus is critical to our success as we work on the hardest, most complex problems, and as we prepare our students to succeed in a complex world.

HEED Recipient

6

consecutive years voted HEED recipient

Proudly recognized for Higher Education Excellence in Diversity for 6 consecutive years. (Insight into Academia)

Advocacy Centers

Part of Lehigh’s commitment to enhancing inclusivity is done through nurturing a welcoming campus environment that celebrates differences and is built upon a foundation of mutual respect. Community members hail from all over the United States, and the world, and represent all walks of life. We value this diversity and recognize the essential role it plays in contributing to our rich, vibrant and engaging campus culture. Our community members are supported through five advocacy centers which are part of Lehigh’s Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging. Visit the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging

The Pride Center @ LU exists to build a just, equitable world through community building and the pursuit of change. We work to create a world where all people are able to thrive as their full, authentic selves.

The Gender, Leadership, and Empowerment Center works with faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the Lehigh Valley community to create a gender equitable campus by exposing and eliminating barriers based on sex/gender and providing the resources necessary to create inclusive excellence.

The Center for Cultural Engagement offers resources designed to engage, develop and empower Lehigh's students, staff, faculty and alumni in building their intercultural competencies. The CCE is committed to cultivating an inclusive campus community that promotes mutual respect and intersectional dialogue through an intercultural lens.

The Chaplain’s Office and the Center for Spirituality and Dialogue serve the educational mission of the university by providing space and resources designed to enhance the ethical and spiritual development of those who live and work at Lehigh. Recognizing that people of good will disagree with one another on topics involving ethical analysis, spirituality and religious interpretation, the center seeks to promote the values of open and free inquiry, engaged dialogue and respect.

The Center for Student Access and Success seeks to expand access to university resources for all students, with a focus on first-generation and limited income students. The Center for Student Access and Success is responsible for ensuring that strategic support systems are in place at Lehigh to enable students to have an enriching, successful college experience.

Report Bias & Harassment

Lehigh does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, national origin or ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Faculty, staff, and students who experience or witness harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or sexual misconduct are strongly encouraged to report such conduct.

Make a Report
See All Resources for Reporting

Community Resources

Connecting Lehigh community members with resources, organizations and programs aligned with creating an inclusive and diverse institution.

Networks and Communities

Discover organizations that help to connect and engage our diverse Lehigh community.

Academics, Programs and Services

Tap into the many resources available to support Lehigh’s diverse students and scholars.

Upcoming Events

 
Volunteer in blue shirt with "STAFF" written on back reaches for a jar on a shelf of canned goods.

Helping Bethlehem Thrive

Lehigh University is part of the broader community and works with partners and organizations to increase access to services and improve quality of life for those living in South Bethlehem.

Visit the Community Service Office website

Advocacy Centers in Action

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Student Access Success

The Lehigh University Student Scholars Institute (LUSSI) is a year-long program that strives to support all our F1RST+ college students throughout their four years at Lehigh University. Coordinated through Student Access and Success, F1RST+ students are those that identify as first generation college students, underrepresented minorities, and/or are Pell-eligible or from a low income family.

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Pride Center

A training model launched by the Pride Center for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in 2016, LUally delivers skills-based, educational opportunities for the Lehigh community.

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The Center for Spirituality and Dialogue

Lehigh’s Center for Spirituality and Dialogue fosters interfaith reflection, while the annual Baccalaureate service honors graduates with interfaith traditions, music and inspiring addresses.

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Center for Cultural Engagement

Lehigh’s Donning of the Kente through the Center for Cultural Engagement celebrates graduating students of color, bestowing woven Kente stoles to honor heritage, community and personal academic achievement.

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Gender Leadership Empowerment Center

"In My Birthday Suit," a standout piece in Lehigh’s Feminist Magazine, explores body positivity, self-love and breaking societal expectations with candid confidence - brought to you by the Center for Gender Equity.