Mountaintop Campus Performs Wonders as Circus Comes to Lehigh for Activation Event

Building C was abuzz with excitement as over 350 students, faculty, and staff welcomed Montreal-based Cirque Kikasse for Lehigh’s inaugural Mountaintop Activation Event on September 17.

“Transforming the Mountaintop Campus” is one of six Key Initiatives in Lehigh’s Inspiring the Future Makers strategy. Through this initiative, the university aims to fully activate the 740-acre Mountaintop Campus into a vital destination and resource for the Lehigh community and beyond.

A few months ago, while discussing upcoming events at Zoellner Arts Center, Provost Nathan Urban asked Mark Wilson, Zoellner Arts Center's executive director, whether any musical performances coming to Zoellner might be appropriate to bring to the Mountaintop for a university-wide event. Wilson joked that he didn’t know about music, but Lehigh did have a circus coming to town. Cirque Kikasse at Mountaintop was conceived.

“Bringing a circus to Mountaintop was not in my initial plan for the semester, but this event is only possible because of the unique possibilities of our Mountaintop Campus,” said Urban. “I think you’ll have a hard time finding another university that could hold a circus inside an academic building. This is what makes Mountaintop unique: we can do big, messy, loud things, but we can also host seminars, lectures, receptions, and outdoor events. I don’t want people to think that any event that they plan must require death-defying acrobatics. Still, it’s a unique challenge and opportunity to know that we are limited by neither imagination nor space should an opportunity arise.”

For Wilson, this event allowed for connections that would not have happened otherwise.

“What excited me about having Cirque Kikasse perform on Mountaintop were the interactions that I had with a staff member and a student,” said Wilson. “Both told me that it was their first time coming to the Mountaintop Campus. A third staff member who works at Mountaintop thanked me for bringing excitement to the bay. I love finding ways to help make new discoveries in our own backyard.”

For Mark Erikson, interim vice president of strategic planning & initiatives, seeing the Inspiring Future Makers strategy come to life set the tone for future events.

“Cirque Kikasse is a perfect example of how we can use space on our Mountaintop Campus to host exciting events,” said Erickson. “We look forward to future events with Zoellner and other campus partners.”

Originally built in 1961 as the Homer Research Laboratory, the Mountaintop Campus housed approximately 1,000 scientists, engineers, and technicians who conducted research and patent work for Bethlehem Steel, the second-largest steel producer in the world at the time.

Lehigh first explored purchasing the properties in 1986 to connect the Asa Packer and Goodman campuses and expand research space, finalizing the acquisition of five buildings in 1987. While the Mountaintop Campus has transformed significantly over the years--including housing the College of Education, the Art, Architecture & Design, Biological Sciences, and Computer Science & Engineering Departments, as well as the ATLSS Research Center, Small Cities Lab & Ben Franklin Technology Partners--it remains the Lehigh University asset with the most untapped potential.

“The academic and research programs on Mountaintop are thriving,” said Nancy Trainer, associate vice president for facilities and campus planning & initiative lead. “One thing we hear over and over is ‘anything seems possible here.’ Hosting creative programs like Cirque Kikasse at Mountaintop helps ignite in a very visible way the inclusive culture of entrepreneurship, creativity, and research outlined in Lehigh's Inspiring the Futuremakers strategy.”

As part of this undertaking, the Office of Strategic Planning & Initiatives hired a programs manager to facilitate and implement new experiences at Mountaintop. The goal is to include a year-round planned schedule that incorporates internal collaborations, as well as partnerships with local and regional community organizations.

"I am excited to support the activation and transformation of Lehigh’s Mountaintop Campus,” said Ruth Traldi, programs manager for Mountaintop Campus. “We are lucky to have this fantastic resource with boundless potential, and I look forward to collaborating with partners across campus to utilize it for more innovative events like Cirque Kikasse!"

For groups interested in learning more about the exciting ways that the Mountaintop Campus could support your next event, please contact Ruth Traldi at rst224@lehigh.edu.

Story by Jessica Jackson