The Maidas have a tradition: Every child receives money for a college education on the condition that, when the time comes, they will pay it forward.
“My grandfather promised my father,” James Maida ’85 P’17 P’19 shares, “my father promised me, and I promised it to my kids.”
Now he and Sharon Maida P’17 P’19 are inviting more Lehigh families to join in.
With a $5 million gift to Lehigh, the Maidas and their family foundation established the Maida Family Scholars, providing up to four students enrolled in one of Lehigh’s four intercollege programs with a merit scholarship, covering their financial needs for an entire year. The scholarships will offer opportunities for more students to form a cohort, share experiences, and mentor one another during their time at Lehigh.
“Lehigh has a long history of excellence. Our hope is that students receiving these scholarships will also benefit from the vast networking opportunities available to them,” Sharon says.
But that’s only the beginning. The remainder of the gift will launch the Maida Family Match. For every $150,000 gift to create a new merit scholarship fund for students in Lehigh’s intercollege programs, the Maidas will contribute an additional $100,000, up to a total of $1 million. Donors who participate will be able to name their scholarship fund, establishing their own promise to support generations of Lehigh students.
I am deeply grateful to James and Sharon [...] they are bringing awareness to programs that will make Lehigh a leader when it comes to providing a radically interdisciplinary education for its students. - Joseph Helble ’82
When complete, the match will result in 10 new scholarships at a time when college affordability and competitiveness are pressing concerns for families and administrators. Roughly 58% of Lehigh undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, 20% of undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college, and 18% are Pell Grant recipients. These numbers will grow as the university admits students from increasingly diverse and expanding applicant pools.
“I am deeply grateful to James and Sharon,” says President Joseph Helble ’82. “Not only are they supporting one of Lehigh’s essential priorities by establishing both the Maida Family Scholars and the scholarship match, they are bringing awareness to programs that will make Lehigh a leader when it comes to providing a radically interdisciplinary education for its students. I am thankful to James, as board chair, for bringing an unprecedented amount of focus and support to these programs.”
A Natural Fit
The Maida Family Scholars will empower high-achieving students enrolled in Lehigh’s interdisciplinary degree programs, equipping them to become tomorrow’s most adaptable innovators.
Expansion of Lehigh’s four intercollege and other interdisciplinary programs is a key initiative of Lehigh’s strategy, Inspiring the Future Makers. These programs remain highly sought after and enrollment has grown 50% since 2021. In 2025, Lehigh launched its latest collaborative degree between the College of Business and the College of Health, training future health industry leaders in core business principles as well as health economics and policy.
For the Maidas, supporting these rigorous programs is a natural fit. Both see an interdisciplinary education as essential to addressing complex challenges. Higher education works best, James maintains, when students are encouraged to learn a range of interconnected subjects deeply and apply them. “I wish these degrees were available when I was at Lehigh,” he adds.
Starting this fall, the Class of 2030 will experience an interdisciplinary focus from their first days on campus through Explore Lehigh — a semester-long experience enabling students to discover their interests and build connections between disciplines. These students will be natural candidates for the intercollege programs.
It’s a Match
The Maida Family Match will inspire others to use what they can to help others succeed. “It turns philanthropy into a team sport,” James says.
A matching challenge like this offers direct benefits to those interested in supporting financial aid. The family’s generosity effectively lowers the barrier to creating a named scholarship, providing more community members the opportunity to begin their own family promise to reshape student lives forever.
Matching challenges make you feel like everyone is working together, and with how close the Lehigh community is, it is incredibly important to show that its leaders, board members, and alumni are united in helping more students gain access to a great education.
“James and Sharon are phenomenal advocates for our students. Their gift demonstrates not only their generosity to the institution, but also the value they place on its distinctive education,” says Carol Packard, vice president for development and alumni relations. “This is an exceptional moment for Lehigh. I am excited to work alongside James as we rally our community to grow support for a key priority in GO Beyond”
As chair of Lehigh’s Board of Trustees, James also hopes to convey his and the board’s commitment to prioritizing access and opportunity for all talented Lehigh students.
“If the board chair is not in it to win it,” he says, “how can I ask others to support Lehigh?”
“Matching challenges make you feel like everyone is working together,” he adds. “And with how close the Lehigh community is, it is incredibly important to show that its leaders, board members, and alumni are united in helping more students gain access to a great education.”
The match and the community built around scholarship are deeply personal for the Maidas.
“Sharon and I wanted to offer this challenge because we have a motto in our family: We must help those who, through no fault of their own, cannot do something they want to do or do not have the means to help themselves,” James says.
He adds, “If Sharon and I can help more first-generation students attend college, receive an excellent education, and pay it forward to their children, then we’ve done our part to make a transformative college experience accessible and affordable.”
The challenge is on.
If you are interested in the Maida Family Match, please contact Jen Nelson '90 M'92 P'22 P'23 P'25 at jlj490@lehigh.edu.
