Lehigh’s College of Business and Xavier University of Louisiana jointly announced a new 4+1 partnership agreement that calls for four years of undergraduate studies at Xavier plus one year of graduate management education at Lehigh.
Students at Xavier University (XULA) in liberal arts or STEM field majors can enter Lehigh’s MS in Management (M2) program, earning the master’s level degree in 10 months. The combination of liberal arts or STEM with business training further enables the XULA graduate to be workplace ready as they look to enter a variety of industries ranging from health care to consulting to banking to brand marketing to pharma, just to name a few.
“What an honor it is for Lehigh to be able to partner with a historically Black college of the caliber of Xavier,” said Georgette Chapman Phillips, Kevin L. and Lisa A. Clayton Dean, Lehigh College of Business. “Our goal is to ensure all students have what they need to succeed.”
Phillips added, “This partnership with Xavier is part of a concerted effort by our college faculty and university leadership to not only attract the best and brightest students, but in the process, to elevate the importance of having a learning setting that is diverse, inclusive and equitable. The combination simply makes for a more enriching student experience.”
Said Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, “Xavier is proud to join Lehigh University in partnership to provide opportunities that further develop the talents of our students as they enter the workforce. Lehigh’s and Xavier’s commitment to educating the leaders of tomorrow is exemplary of the more just and humane society that we teach our students to seek.”
Accepted XULA students will be guaranteed generous scholarship in support of their graduate educational endeavors. Additionally, each year, a XULA rising senior who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities will be invited to participate in Lehigh’s spring and summer international immersion experience as a “global villager” in the Lehigh Iacocca Global Village Immersion program.
The Iacocca Global Village brings together students and business leaders from around the world. Global Village consists of activities both in a virtual, intimate online global community in the spring, as well as in a summer campus residency held on Lehigh’s campuses as villagers are immersed in a five-week, intensive, full-time program from late June through the end of July.
“Partnering with Lehigh University is a win-win,” said Anderson Sunda-Meya, acting dean, College of Arts & Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana. “It brings a combination of big company access and new paths in business for career development to our Xavier students. Lehigh’s reputation for excellence in experiential learning and its nurturing alumni network and job placement record benefits our gifted students in so many ways.
"Now, interested Xavier students in liberal arts and STEM looking to widen their career choices can complement their undergraduate studies with business management training. This means exceptional placement and thus a better future for our Xavier graduates.”
For more information on the Lehigh MS in Management Program, contact Alyssa Clapp, M2 program director at business@lehigh.edu or call 610-758-4450. To apply, visit the MS in Management site. The application deadlines for the 2021-22 cohort are June 1, 2021 for domestic U.S. applicants, and May 15, 2021 for international applicants.
