Founded in 1865 by the businessman and railroad pioneer, Asa Packer, Lehigh University is a private research university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
With almost 7,000 students and offering more than 2,300 degree programmes, Lehigh describes itself as an internationally recognised research university with the atmosphere of a small college.
The university is made up of four distinct colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, the college of Education, and the P.C. Rossin college of Engineering and Applied Science.
Lehigh sits within 2,300 acres of picturesque woodland, on what is one of the largest private university campuses in the country.
Located less than a 100 miles from both Philadelphia and New York City, the university comprises three separate sites on and around South Mountain: the main Asa Packer campus, the Mountaintop campus and the Murray H. Goodman campus, where most of its athletic facilities, including a 16,000-seat stadium, can be found.
The university prides itself on having an entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary approach to learning. With nearly 2,000 employees, it is the largest employer in Bethlehem and receives roughly $74 million a year in grants and scholarships.
Lehigh was only the sixth university in the world to receive NGO status from the United Nations Office of Public Information. The university works with the UN through what is called its United National Partnership, offering 56 UN-related programmes each year.
There are an additional 250 study abroad programmes for students to choose from in 80 countries worldwide.
Lehigh’s motto is ‘Homo Minister et Interpres Naturae,’ which translates as ‘Man, the servant and interpreter of nature,’ is taken from the works of Francis Bacon and reflects the university’s principle of combining scientific and classical education.
Prior to 1995, Lehigh’s athletic teams were known as the Engineers, reflecting the university’s early ties to the railroad industry. In 1996, its athletic teams became the Mountain Hawks – and their mascot, a hawk, that goes by the name of Clutch.
