Using black Sharpie markers, members of the Lehigh community left their signatures on a pristine white beam that will soon join the 468 tons of structural steel comprising the expanded College of Business.
The beam signing marked a milestone in the expansion, which is part of Lehigh’s Path to Prominence initiative to add more scholars and spark innovation. More than 30 people signed the beam in person at the site on Thursday, while another 1,500 submitted virtual signatures that will be added before the beam is hoisted into place Nov. 8.
“We will be educating our students in a building with cutting-edge technology and exciting, beautiful, new learning spaces,” said Georgette Chapman Phillips, the Kevin L. and Lisa A. Clayton Dean of the College of Business.
The building that’s catty corner to the Rauch Business Center will accommodate 16 additional teaching spaces for both undergraduate and graduate programs, all equipped for remote and hybrid learning. There will also be an expanded Financial Services Lab, a Data Analytics Lab and a Rauch Media and Communications Lab to support oral, written and digital communications classes.