Learning What Makes Lehigh Tick

Recently, two programs that allow Lehigh staff members to better understand what makes the university run celebrated the graduation of their 2012-2013 classes. 
 

Learning the Institution (LTI) is so popular it often has a waiting list for its 25 spots. Every other week during the academic year, the LTI class meets and hears from a range of Lehigh leaders. Presenters appreciate sharing information and insights about their respective areas with such an engaged group of Lehigh staff and do so year after year.  

This year’s LTI class was the 20th anniversary class. The group enjoyed a luncheon in the Tower Room to mark the end of their year.   

Peggy Plympton, Vice President, Finance and Administration, offered congratulations to the class. She noted that learning about how your work fits into the bigger picture at Lehigh helps you do your job better.

Janet Cole, Development, agreed with Peggy. “As someone who meets with donors to the university regularly, gaining knowledge and building my network to all parts of Lehigh has already helped me in my work.”      
 

The 2013 Learning The Institution Class:

Achieving Excellence: The Business Perspective
Achieving Excellence: The Business Perspective is a program aimed at business managers across the university to develop and enhance a cadre of Lehigh administrative staff to build on best strategies and practices for sound management of university resources.  

In 2003 a planning committee, with input from the larger business managers group, planned for an integrated curriculum presenting the larger context of where Lehigh fits within the world of higher education administration and the rationale for our administrative strategies and policies.  The program was successfully launched in 2003-2004 with the business manager and department administrator in mind and offered for a second year in 2004-2005.  Since the turnover in these ranks is low we waited to resume the program until 2012-2013 in order to have a sufficient cohort of participants. 

This year’s planning committee  included Kathy Miller, Controller’s Office; Bob Eichenlaub, Internal Audit, Jackie Matthews and  Mary Jo McNulty, Human Resources. 

Human Resources Associate Vice President Jackie Matthews welcomed the graduates to a luncheon and re-capped the wide range of subjects covered in the eight sessions. She praised the group for leveraging each others' knowledge and perspectives while expanding their awareness of changes, trends, and issues shaping business management at Lehigh University and in higher education in general.

As with Learning the Institution, The Business Perspective pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of the university. Jackie noted that participants learned about the many facets of stewardship  – financial, reputational, research, and facilities.

For business managers, knowing how the different offices and systems of Lehigh work is especially important. Lynn Chermansky, Risk Management, said, “It was one of the best programs I’ve done since I got to Lehigh. We all got connected. I met a person I’ve wanted to find for a while whose assistance I need in my work.”

Provost Pat Farrell gave the graduates an update on what is happening at Lehigh, including recent building acquisitions and the campus master plan. He thanked the graduates for taking the extra effort to attend a year-long program. “Your collective activity,” he said, “is what makes Lehigh successful.”
 

The 2013 Business Perspective Class


 

Artistic “Diplomas”
Each graduate of LTI and The Business Perspective  received a special limited edition print created by Lehigh retiree Marvin Simmons. For LTI, Marvin creates a variation on a print he created for the original class entitled “Knowledge Takes Flight.” Each year’s print represents different aspects of Lehigh’s character and power of the educational process.

For The Business Perspective, Marvin created a special design. “I’m honored to have been able to have worked on this for you,” he noted as he joined the graduates to present the print and describe its meaning. 

Marvin explained that images of animals of the land, sea and air can be seen in the foreground of the piece, demonstrating the environment at Lehigh is diverse and includes many fields. Below these are a rendering of one of Linderman Library’s spires. An abstracted abacus represents the business functions that graduates of the program perform to keep the balance of the cycle of education healthy and strong at Lehigh.