Lehigh Sports Forum

don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Let's conduct a proper search my some core Lehigh people to find a legit replacement instead of the Board of Woke making the decisions.

Simon has been an excellent President. Rather than snarky comments, I would hope that we get a new one as good.

Drexel's president would be an excellent choice. Just don't know if Lehigh is considered a step up?

RichH wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2020 11:57 am Simon has been an excellent President. Rather than snarky comments, I would hope that we get a new one as good.

As far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out as to whether he has been an excellent President. I will say this, he certainly hasn't played it safe. He and the Board of Trustees have taken some large risks, including adding a College of Health and increasing the undergraduate student enrollment by 20%. Those may turn out to be turn out to be brilliant decisions, but at this point, it's to early to tell one way or the other.

True enuf 74. Standing pat was and isnt an option. Tbe classes of graduating seniors has been shrinking which will continue to 24/25. There will be smaller pools of qualified students . Makes sense to increase offerings. Health technology is a growth which other Us are exploring also. Have we done it right? Time will tell.

The Pres who let Asa Packers other institution, St Lukes Hospital System unite with another university, Temple, is the one who F...ed up.

Richb-3 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2020 8:00 pm The Pres who let Asa Packers other institution, St Lukes Hospital System unite with another university, Temple, is the one who F...ed up.

Where do you see a synergy between Lehigh University and St. Luke's? Temple has a fully functioning medical school.

I do however see a real potential partnership between Lehigh and St, Luke's or LVHN with regard to Lehigh's health college. in the future. Thomas Jefferson is another alternative given that the current President/CEO is a Lehigh grad.

Just this past year, i read that Asa Packer provided the founding money fo St Lukes about a decade after he founded the University. A littlr less money. Just seems like a natural connection. And now that we have the health college.

I assume Alice let St Luke slip away while she was going for her Muslim studies thing.

Alice did such a terrible job at Lehigh that she was offered the presidency of Imperial College London (#9 university worldwide).

A couple of thoughts, regardless of which president/board is/was responsible:

-- The cost of attendance at Lehigh continues to rise -- like other universities -- to a point where education is unattainable/unaffordable to many regardless of the financial aid the U offers. As people start to figure this out, it will be a growing challenge for private universities.

-- If you are not in a key major, the ROI of a Lehigh education is highly questionable.

-- Adding students and the health school (a good idea, but ... ) was a huge risk. The good news is adding students would seem to spread the massive overhead this university has, given its massive campus. But when applications go down, that's a sign of trouble. The quality of students and the education must remain high.

-- The effects of COVID-19 -- the increasing popularity and (cost) effectiveness of distance learning, the economic troubles and more -- will hamper many institutions. Given the massive challenges on the horizon, Lehigh needs a much more effective leader than the past presidents I've seen. Tuition must be controlled, or rolled back. Increasing distance learning targeting folks who will never come on campus -- like Mitch Daniels and his team have done at Purdue -- can be a win, increasing revenue and showcasing top teaching talent.

-- The past year or two have been troubling, from application numbers to the mess over buildings not being completed so students could move in. I know a number of parents who have not been happy (and surprised) about a) the fact their children have to sign off-campus leases a year or two ahead of time; b) confusion over when new dorms would be open; c) confusion until very late on fall plans this year. While COVID was a challenge no one could have foreseen, the fall plans -- parents I know say -- could have been handled better, including from a communications standpoint.