In a June message to the Lehigh University community, President John Simon ’19P and Board Chair Kevin Clayton ’84 ’13P affirmed the goal of making Lehigh an actively anti-racist institution. In accepting responsibility to make the changes that are needed, university leaders acknowledge that they cannot do this job alone; Lehigh’s success in achieving this transformative goal must include the active participation of the entire campus community.
The university is now soliciting proposals from across the campus community that will contribute to our efforts: “Creative Ideas to Transform Lehigh into an Anti-Racist Institution.” We welcome proposals from all members of our community. Dr. Henry Odi, ’98G ’23P, deputy vice president and associate provost for academic diversity, has been charged with leading this initiative, and he has assembled a dedicated group of students, faculty, and staff to assist him.
If you have a thought, an opinion, an idea about something Lehigh can and should do to truly and permanently become anti-racist, now is the time to make your voice heard. Submitted proposals will be divided into three categories:
Category #1: students (undergraduate and graduate). A total of $5,000 will be awarded to the best ideas in this category. Proposals can be submitted by individuals or by small teams of up to five people. All teams must consist fully of undergraduate or graduate students.
Category #2: faculty (tenured and non-tenured/PoPs/adjuncts). A total of $5,000 will be awarded to the best ideas in this category. Proposals can be submitted by individuals or by small teams of up to five people. All teams must consist fully of tenured faculty or non-tenured/PoP/adjunct faculty.
Category #3: staff (exempt and non-exempt). A total of $5,000 will be awarded to the best ideas in this category. All teams must consist fully of exempt staff or non-exempt staff.
Proposals will be accepted in written form (maximum of 750 words) or as a video (maximum of 5 minutes in length). Your proposal should identify the problem or situation you are focusing on, give example(s) of how it is experienced and reasons why it needs to change, and offer a potential solution or alternative. No idea is too far-fetched or ambitious; we want to hear your thoughts on how to make Lehigh a more equitable community for all its members.
The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2020. Assessment teams comprised of staff, faculty, and undergraduate and graduate students will judge the proposals. All good ideas will be presented to the administration for consideration. Even if a proposal does not earn a cash award, it can still impact Lehigh in a meaningful way.
You can download a copy of this information at this link.
Proposals should be submitted using the following links:
- Undergraduate Students
- Graduate Students
- Tenured Faculty
- Non-Tenured, PoP, and Adjunct Faculty
- Exempt Staff
- Non-Exempt Staff
Any questions can be directed to Dr. Odi at dvpec@lehigh.edu.
This initiative has been launched as the university continues work on other key commitments, including a review of the LUPD, outreach and engagement with our community, and an evaluation of policies and procedures across the institution.