18 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | FROM THE NEST “[Jane Austen] is popular, versatile and global. She provides us with a dynamic cultural tool for an important public conversation about the humanities.” Michael Kramp Kramp, professor of English at Lehigh, explores how author Jane Austen’s stories might offer creative ways for communicating the value and efficacy of humanities experiences through his podcast series, “Jane Austen and the Future of the Humanities.” PODCAST SCAN TO HEAR KRAMP’S PODCAST EPISODES Lehigh has launched the LU/UN Faculty Fellows Program, a first-of-its-kind faculty initiative designed to deepen its engagement with the United Nations, made possible by Lehigh’s recent elevation to U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) accreditation. The program brings together faculty from all five of Lehigh’s colleges to build international partnerships, advance research and contribute directly to the United Nations’ work on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the LU/UN Partnership. Faculty members are chosen through a competitive process to hold full U.N. non-governmental organization (NGO) badges for a designated period. This allows them to engage directly with United Nations officials, diplomats, NGOs and global thought leaders at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. Making a Global Impact Lehigh’s new ECOSOC special consultative status provides expanded access, privileges and influence, allowing for more meaningful participation and policy impact on international economic, social and cultural issues. “We’ve always been very engaged with the United Nations, but with a lot of conferences we were sort of peering in the window,” said Bill Hunter, director of fellowship advising and UN programs at Lehigh. “The ECOSOC status changes all that. Now we have a seat at the table and have a real opportunity to make an impact globally.” About 16 faculty members will participate per year, Hunter said. Those seeking to participate had to explain how they would use a U.N. badge, how it would contribute to the SDGs, and how it would advance their teaching, research, department or college.—Colin McEvoy Record Applications Received With a total of 20,447 applications at the time of publication, this year's application pool has set a record as Lehigh's largest in its history. The new record, set by applicants for the Class of 2030, tops the previous high for most applications, set in 2024, by 51 applications and this year’s application pool is nearly 6% higher than the number of applications received last year. The 2026 total means that Lehigh has more than 13 applicants for each available spot in the incoming Class of 2030. Lehigh has seen tremendous growth in the number of applications it has received over the past few years. In 2020, the university received 12,387 applications, making this year’s total 65% higher than that mark. Lehigh has also set an all-time high for the number of applications received from high school students residing in the Lehigh Valley. With 598 local applicants, this pool increased 12.4% over last year’s 532 applications, which was the previous record.—Stephen Gross ADMISSIONS GLOBAL LU/UN Faculty Fellows Program Launches The first-of-its-kind program enables faculty to engage directly with the United Nations. MATT STANLEY
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