Bringing Lehigh to You

There’s nothing like Lehigh’s First-Year Student Rally. I attended my first one at the start of the Fall 2016 semester, and I was awestruck: It’s an alumni director’s dream! A thousand-plus new students in their not-washed-yet brown t-shirts, crammed into Grace Hall, bombarded with music and class flags, surrounded by enthusiastic alumni and staff, getting their first taste of what it means to be part of the Lehigh family. You’ve all experienced it—you remember that magic, right?

This year, nearly 1,000 of you relived that Rally experience via a live computer broadcast, aka livestream. Of course it’s not exactly the same (you were probably sitting comfortably on your couch in your air-conditioned home vs. on the backless bleachers with a makeshift fan) but even virtually, you could probably sense the excitement and anticipation of the newest members of our family. I also hope you all stood and sang the alma mater with us?! (If not, sing it now… “Where the Lehigh’s rocky rapids…”)

We offered the livestream because Alumni Relations’ vision, in partnership with the Lehigh University Alumni Association (LUAA), is to inspire you to give back to Lehigh—either donating money, offering advice, being an advocate for higher education and Lehigh, and/or helping to nurture the 80,000-strong alumni network. Traditionally, we’ve done that by putting a lot of energy into producing in-person events such as Reunion, Back to the Classroom, Founders Day, the Rivalry, etc. that bring you back to Bethlehem. And hundreds of you do come back! Even more participate in regional events, many produced by our fantastic regional clubs and affinity groups. But for the 90 percent who don’t attend events in person, we’re working on more digital ways to bring the campus to you and inspire you, much like with the Rally and our Mountain Talk webinars featuring rock-star faculty and alumni, our LUAA’s Facebook posts, and President Simon’s Instagram.

In addition to those tactics, I’m also interested in learning how you connect with Lehigh and your Lehigh friends outside of an “official” alumni event or activity. I’ve met several hundred alumni in my eight months here, and it sounds like many of you come back to the area for work or fun, to attend weddings and mini-reunions with sorority sisters or teammates, or to show your kids or partners around our beautiful campus.

When you do come to Bethlehem, or if you arrange gatherings with your Lehigh friends in further-flung cities, my staff, LUAA Board Members and I would love to meet you and chat about how we can make Lehigh activities—digital and in-person—more relevant to you and perhaps get you involved in ways that fit your lifestyle. We’re also eager to hear your thoughts on Lehigh’s vision for the future. Please contact me or any LUAA Board member (go.lehigh.edu/luaadirectors) to share your feedback.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Cunningham, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations
Follow me on Twitter @jenlynham
Email me at Jennifer.Cunningham@Lehigh.edu