Lehigh has long been committed to fostering a community where all members are valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential. A strong sense of belonging is foundational to individual and collective success, helping to create an environment where everyone can thrive personally, academically and professionally.
Belonging remains a priority in the university’s Inspiring the Future Makers strategy, through the “A Lehigh for Everyone” initiative, and is central to our Future Makers goal of being a leader in student outcomes by creating an environment in which students can engage fully in their education, develop intellectually and socially and make the most of the transformative learning experiences that prepare them for the future. Building on this longstanding commitment and efforts underway across campus, Lehigh is developing the Belonging Roadmap: a coordinated, institution-wide framework for strengthening belonging as an integral part of how we learn, teach, work and live together.
The roadmap is a natural evolution of past efforts, building directly on outcomes, feedback and momentum generated by previous initiatives. It operationalizes the Principles of Our Equitable Community, serving as the engine that embeds, measures, and sustains our core values across daily campus life. It also aligns with the focus of the Anti-Discrimination Working Group and other efforts undertaken over the past year. Rather than duplicating this work, the goal is to build on it and create a coordinated approach designed to be sustained over time.
The roadmap represents the next step in a broader institutional effort. By integrating belonging into everyday experiences, structures and relationships that shape life at Lehigh, we create an environment in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive. To do this most effectively, we have committed to strengthening our approach and continuously assessing progress.
Belonging Roadmap Steering Committee
The development of the Belonging Roadmap has been shaped through sustained engagement across Lehigh, with student groups, faculty, staff and senior leadership. It is designed to align efforts across every division of the university under a shared definition, consistent metrics and collective accountability, fully integrating belonging into Lehigh’s culture.
A group of faculty, staff and students have formed the Belonging Roadmap Steering Committee to guide development and implementation of the roadmap. The committee has been engaged in this process for several months.
The Steering Committee serves as a strategic body guiding institutional belonging priorities, while “A Lehigh for Everyone” will champion mission-aligned initiatives that bring the Roadmap to life across campus.
Throughout the spring semester and summer, the Committee has provided input and made progress on several action items. Detailed information about the structure and substance of this work will be shared in the coming weeks.
How You Can Be Involved
This work is intentionally designed to be pursued together, in community. Over the course of the semester, we will share information on ways you can participate, including:
- Opportunities to take part in facilitated campus conversations
- Fall programming connected to the Chicago Principles and community dialogue
No matter the structure, programs or offices the university has in place, it is ultimately up to each of us to uphold a culture of belonging in our community. We have an obligation to ourselves, our peers, our colleagues and the university to embrace The Principles of Our Equitable Community and to support and treat one another with respect and compassion—especially when we disagree.
We are grateful to everyone who has contributed so far. We look forward to continuing this work with you.
Donald Outing
Vice President for Equity and Community
The Belonging Roadmap Steering Committee
