“When you walk on campus, you see the outsides of all of the buildings, but what is going on in there?” wondered Mary Louise Powers from LTS. “I wanted to know.”
Mary Louise found out that REACH – Resources to Engage, Accomplish, Connect, and Help – was a program that could get her behind the edifices on campus and introduce her to the interesting people doing fascinating work inside. She was one of the 2013 class of graduates of the Employee Relations Advisory Committee (ERAC)-run program, some of whom gathered recently to celebrate the end of their year-long experience.
REACH Graduates In Attendance at Luncheon.
(mouse over the photo for identification)
At the graduation luncheon, Associate Vice President for Human Resources Jackie Matthewsnoted that REACH was intended to be a program driven by its participants. “REACH developed out of a desire we heard from employees for a program flexible enough that each group could design its activities and also have time for networking,” she said.
Diana Shepherd says the program offered just that through its monthly gatherings. In her role as the Director for the Pennsylvania School for Global Education (PSGE), she needs to tap into many resources at Lehigh. “This allowed me to connect,” she explained. “Career Services was my favorite of the areas we visited. And now they’re going to help with the high school students in PSGE.” Diana says she’s excited to use this new connection to improve her program.
For Associate Director of Admissions Sarah Bombard, learning about the Campus Master Plan from Pat Chase in Facilities was a highlight of the program. “I got information I can use in my work,” she noted. “It’s cool to be able to tell prospective students more about what the campus will look like when they arrive and how it might change during their four years here.”
Even for employees who aren’t working with outside audiences, REACH can offer insight into aspects of the university that provide new perspectives. Diane Hubinsky of the Registrar’s Office said “It was fascinating to learn about fundraising for Athletics.” She added, “I want to pick up something from everything I do.”
The 2013-2014 REACH class will be forming soon. If you would like to be part of it and have discussed it with your supervisor, contact Brenda Bachman via email