Lehigh Beats Lafayette
Lehigh’s 160th Rivalry game against Lafayette resulted in its 73rd win in the historic matchup. The Mountain Hawks clinched their 13th Patriot League football championship, earning an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 2017. The result was pandemonium in Goodman Stadium and the perfect retirement gift for Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett '76 '78G, '03P, '05P, '07P, '09P. This year marked his 53rd Rivalry game as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator. Sterrett was honored during the game and received the game ball postgame.
A Snow Day on South Mountain
When 10 inches of snow fell on Bethlehem, students were given a good ol’ fashioned snow day, allowing them to build snow friends and break out their snowboards, skis, and sleds.
Lehigh In Action
Lehigh’s alumni volunteers are in no short supply. The launch of Lehigh in Action offered some of our most committed alumni partners the opportunity to call on their alumni network to help in areas they are passionate about. They fed communities, cleaned the shorelines, and picked up trash on the greenway in Bethlehem. Stay tuned for the next call to action in 2025!
Lehigh Oceans
There is no river too wide or ocean too deep for Lehigh research! In January, the College of Arts and Sciences held an inaugural symposium to launch an ocean science research center. Lehigh Oceans features expertise in deep-sea ecology, geochemistry, and cnidarian biology, with lots of opportunities for growth through fieldwork, laboratory, and computational approaches.
Inclusive Excellence
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations earned recognition for its authentic and dedicated efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity through the Lehigh community. It was honored with the 2024 Alumni Association Inclusive Excellence Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine.
Lehigh Enters the Shark Tank
While she didn't leave the "Shark Tank" with a deal, Ali Kaminetsky ’16 didn’t let its “no” stall her Modern Picnic brand. On her episode that aired in February, Kaminetsky said, “I was 22 years old when I came up with the idea for Modern Picnic and was able to successfully launch a company within two years with absolutely no prior experience, connections, funding — highlighting my ability to make things happen not only for myself but most importantly for the company.”
Reunion
Over 1,000 alumni and their families accepted the invitation to return to campus for Reunion’s fun and traditional events. Every year brings new excitement to Reunion weekend — and new alumni and families to experience Hawktoberfest, the Block Party on the Hill, and the Parade of Classes for the first time. Haven’t been there yet? Save the date for Reunion 2025!
Lehigh Rallies for GivingTuesday
The Lehigh community responded in big numbers through crowdfunding support in 2024. A massive success came during the 24-hour, nationally recognized GivingTuesday campaign. Lehigh’s philanthropic network showed up and over $125,000 was raised in support of students and their continued success! Continue showing your support by exploring other giving opportunities at Lehigh.
Graduating Future Makers
With parting words from commencement speakers Scott P. Willoughby ’89 (undergraduate ceremony) and Stephen S. Tang ’85G ’88 Ph.D. ’22P (graduate ceremony), the Class of 2024 kickstarted a new chapter in their lives. The 2024 Grads looked ahead to their new adventures, but not before celebrating the opportunities they unlocked at Lehigh at the Scholarship Dinner and First Gen Celebration.
Hurricanes, Wildfires, and Floods
James N. Stanard ’70 made a major contribution in 2024 that will propel Lehigh forward in its cutting-edge research of disaster prediction and resilience planning. The Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resistance, established in 2021, explores innovative approaches to help governments, industries, and communities better prepare for what’s to come.
International Momentum
Thanks to a $2 million endowment from Sharon and James Maida ’85 ’17P ’19P, Lehigh announced the Maida Education Abroad Grants, enhancing global education access for students with financial need. The gift also counts toward unlocking a $4 million matching gift from the Iacocca Family Foundation and an additional $1 million to support Lehigh’s overall global initiatives, giving exceptional momentum to global education access at Lehigh.
Compelling Perspectives Continues
Leon Panetta, Katie Couric, and Marty Baron ’76 ’76G ’14H all appeared on stage with President Joseph Helble ’82 on separate dates to engage in open conversations on challenging topics as part of Lehigh’s Compelling Perspectives program. Panetta continued the discussion on national security, while Couric and Baron tackled the role of media in contemporary society.
Lehigh in Pop Culture Yet Again
In 2020, comedian Pete Davidson sparked excitement in the national Lehigh community when he wore a Lehigh Athletics sweatshirt during a Saturday Night Live sketch. Did he get the shirt in 2015 as a guest performer at Baker Hall? We may never know, but apparently he likes the brown and white enough to keep it in his rotation because he was spotted wearing it again on November 19 while attending a Brooklyn Nets game with his mom, igniting proud alumni across social media — just in time for Rivalry 160.
The Big UC Reveal on the Horizon
The renovations of Clayton University Center at Packer Hall is nearing completion, with a formal dedication expected in fall 2025. The project, launched with a $20 million gift from Kevin L. Clayton ’84 ’13P and Lisa A. Clayton ’13P, gained momentum thanks to gifts from dozens of alumni and friends. View the progress inside, and learn how to support this hub of campus and Lehigh’s student experience by contacting GOcampaign@lehigh.edu.
Small Cities and Alley Houses
Small Cities Lab provides an interdisciplinary learning opportunity to find ways to effect change in urban areas with smaller populations. Community partners and alumni partners like Christine Ussler ’81 are engaged in different ways that will tackle issues like affordable housing, food insecurity, community health, pollution, and urban ecology and green space. Ussler is working with fellow architecture faculty member Wes Hiatt on the first project launching under the lab’s umbrella, the Alley House program.
Summer Research Expo
In August, the Summer Research Expo brought students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni to Building C to learn about the research happening all year long. In addition to projects from the Hatchery, Marcon Institute, Mountaintop Summer Experience, and STEM-SI, there was a poster project competition judged by alumni volunteers.
More CHOICES for Young Girls
The Lehigh CHOICES program, run by the Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, continues to be an enriching summer opportunity for middle school-aged girls. Offered as a one-day program in the spring and a weeklong summer day camp, CHOICES is designed to prove that science is accessible to everyone and allows girls to participate in a variety of fun engineering and science experiments that foster an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Summer 2024 camp showed more young minds that Lehigh is a place where innovation is in action.
Civic Duty
Lehigh students were given off on Election Day to engage in civic activities without missing classes or assignments, officially marking November 5 as Civic Engagement Day. When the lines at polling places exceeded expectations, students stayed in line to exercise their right to vote — up to six hours in some cases — and made national news.
WNBA Sets Records
With Lehigh’s 2018 Commencement speaker Cathy Engelbert ’86 ’23P as commissioner, the WNBA delivered its most-watched regular season in 24 years, finished with its highest attendance in 22 years, and set records for digital consumption and merchandise sales. Engelbert’s success earned her the Excellence in Industry Award at the Distinguished Alumni Awards.
“The Bear” Wins Big
Hulu series The Bear dominated awards season. Executive producer Josh Senior ’08, the show, and its actors won big at (among others) the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Giving Day + March Mania
Two great giving challenges merged to create one annual giving day event. The combined campaign raised more than $2.1 million from more than 3,800 alumni. Mark your calendar because Giving Day + March Mania is back again for 2025!
Lehigh Wrestler in Paris
Darian Cruz ’18 represented Puerto Rico at the Paris Summer Olympics, following in the footsteps of mentor Bobby Weaver ’83 '84 and becoming Lehigh’s second wrestling Olympian. Check out Lehigh’s legacy of Olympic hopefuls.
Young Alumni Stand Out
After the success of the inaugural 10 Under 10 in 2023, The Young Alumni Council recognized its 2024 list of 10 Under 10, including a tech trailblazer, an equity champion, and “NASA’s Rising Star.”
Soaring Together Takes Off!
As the inaugural class of Soaring Together scholars began their Lehigh journey in fall 2023, we followed them through 2024 to events and experiential learning opportunities, and now they are fully acclimated to the program and mentoring the latest group of scholars — the Class of 2028.
