Priority: Improve Institutional Infrastructure

Our goal is to evaluate and reimagine Lehigh’s institutional infrastructure to ensure progress in achieving its diversity, inclusion, equity and antiracism goals.

Over the past year, we gathered specific input from hundreds of representatives across the Lehigh community. The feedback we received highlights the need for further action and change. All of our actions demonstrate a commitment to the academic and professional advancement of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students, faculty and staff.

Goals

  • Create and sustain an institutional infrastructure that is accountable for achieving central and distributed diversity, inclusion and equity goals
  • Sustain and increase university-wide efforts designed to provide the resources needed to advance our diversity, inclusion and equity goals

Select Progress

  • Established antiracism task force consisting of senior leaders of the majority of university operations
  • Secured $2.5 million endowment to create the Marcon Institute for research and study on social injustice
  • Solicited “Creative Ideas to Transform Lehigh into an Anti-Racist Institution” from students, faculty and staff, and selected a number of proposals for further development
  • Reexamined guidelines for prioritizing diversity, inclusion and equity commitment in processes, such as the contractor selection process
  • Expanded mental health and wellness staff, as well as increased accessibility to services, in order to support a neurodiverse student body

Continue Exploring the 2021-2026 Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Plan