A Changing, But Enduring, Campus

My first visit to Lehigh came on a rainy, gloomy and altogether miserable February day back in 2013. As a then-candidate for the editor’s role here with the Bulletin, I was to report that morning to the University Center for an interview with my future boss, as well as a few of the folks I am now proud to call my colleagues.

The drive up from my suburban Philly home is just over an hour even on a good day, and with the weather not cooperating that morning, I made sure to leave early enough to get to campus well ahead of schedule. I certainly didn’t want to be late, and I also was hoping to have enough time to explore campus a bit before the interviews began.

As it turned out, that plan was a good one.

Despite the weather, I did arrive about an hour early. I did have the opportunity to explore campus. And because I did, by the time I got to the interview, I was absolutely convinced that this was the place I wanted to work. I remember thinking, as the cliché goes, “Wow, this is what a college is supposed to look like.” Even today, four years later, I still consider myself fortunate to work in a place so beautiful.

Yes, our campus here at Lehigh is truly special.  But as you have likely heard by now, it’s also changing.

President John Simon’s “Path to Prominence” plan is now moving forward, and as part of that plan, major changes and exciting new building projects are beginning to reshape the infrastructure of our three campuses. New dormitories are set to rise, renovations to the University Center and other historic buildings will soon get under way, the evolution of Mountaintop continues, and within a few years the campus will also see the addition of critically important new academic and research facilities.

It’s an exciting time, to be sure. But amid all of these plans, one may naturally wonder: When the building is all complete, will Lehigh be as beautiful as ever?

In this issue of the Bulletin, you will learn that the answer to that question is a resounding yes. As University Architect Brent Stringfellow explains in our campus building feature (Page 20), the university leadership is committed to carrying out this ambitious infrastructure initiative with the dual aims of creating a campus that will support the needs of a 21st century institution of higher learning, while at the same time renovating our most beloved and historic buildings and reinforcing our historic campus core.

Are these big changes for Lehigh? Undoubtedly.

But as the new buildings rise, and the Lehigh of tomorrow takes shape, it seems clear that the beauty of this place—a beauty that has long impressed first-time visitors—will endure well into the future.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Bulletin and, as always, we thank you for reading.

Sincerely,
Tim Hyland, Editor