Planning for a brighter future

Spring is coming to our beautiful campus on South Mountain, and this year, it will truly herald a time of regeneration.
In May, we will begin a number of beautification and enhancement projects designed to preserve open spaces and restore the campus to its historical origins—a campus that embraces its community, is friendly to foot traffic, showcases our venerable buildings and walkways, and retains abundant green spaces at the heart of the university.
Those of us who have been entrusted with this exquisite campus have a profound responsibility to leave it better than we found it. The enhancements we are about to undertake will ensure that the campus meets the needs of the broader Lehigh community for years to come.
Linderman Library, an innovative library design for its time and one of the oldest buildings on campus, will be transformed into a 21st century intellectual center for the university. Yet it will retain the awe-inspiring grandeur that has captivated generation upon generation of Lehigh students, faculty and visitors. The Linderman project will begin in May and is scheduled to be completed in January 2007.
(To read an article on the Linderman renovations that appeared in the Fall 2003 issue of the Lehigh Alumni Bulletin, click here.)
If you’ve ever hunted for a parking space on a visit to Lehigh, you’ll be glad to know that a new parking garage will rise by the Alumni Building, and a new entry plaza will be built to create a more welcoming campus entrance on the Brodhead Avenue side of the building. We expect both projects to be completed by next February.
Renovations are already underway in Lamberton Hall to create a new student center including a 24-hour diner offering students such healthy fare as cheeseburgers and French fries. The inaugural burger should be flipped by early in the spring semester 2006.
Finally, the entrance road in front of Packer Memorial Church will be closed to traffic and converted to a foot-friendly zone in the style of Memorial Walk and Alumni Walk. The sidewalks that currently parallel the road will be transformed into green lawn. We expect this project to be completed in September.
In addition, extensive renovations will be made this summer to virtually all of our Greek houses on the Lehigh Hill, and new streetlights will be installed on Packer Avenue, Webster Street, and Brodhead Avenue. To learn more about all of our plans and see before and after photos of previous projects, click here.
Yes, the coming months will be the season of dust and mud and some noise as construction goes on around us. And, as you probably have guessed, parking will be more challenging for several months. But when all of these projects are complete, our jewel of a campus will be even more gorgeous and functional, and Lehigh will shine brighter than ever before.
Greg and Jean Farrington
Lehigh University President’s Office
March 2005