Lehigh Business Strategic Direction

LEHIGH COLLEGE OF BUSINESS • 9 BUSINESS.LEHIGH.EDU Community DIRECTIONAL STRATEGY #3: FROM OUR HOME in Bethlehem to our role as global citizens we will engage in the creation and promotion of societal good. Excellence in research and teaching are not insular undertakings. We take our responsibility to engage in the betterment of the economic and social infrastructure as a fundamental duty. Rather than building fences of exclusion we strive to open gates of inclusion. SOUTHSIDE BETHLEHEM MURAL GOAL 3A Include voices, address needs of our local, global, academic communities Doing business in today’s world requires interaction with an ever-broadening audience. To fully engage we must en- sure that our students, faculty and staff represent diverse voices. This commitment to diversity is broader than an outcomes based approach. It is predicated on the idea that diversity, equity and inclusion is a goal in itself. We strive to take a leadership position in this area and create an environment that is diverse and inclusive. › ACTION PRIORITIES • Implement strategies to meaningfully increase gender and ethnic diversity in faculty, staff and students along with poli- cies that promote belonging and retention. • Increase economic diversity in our student population. • Partner with Lehigh Valley community to increase opportuni- ties for area students in all levels of Lehigh Business programs. • Integrate with alumni community in areas of diversity and social impact. GOAL 3B Create positive healthy social impact It is our responsibility to engage with our Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley community and work towards sus- tainable social impact. While social impact on a national and international scale is important and will be addressed, we must make a special effort to address the economic ineq- uities that exist in our backyard through partnerships that promote economic growth. › ACTION PRIORITIES • Bring innovative programming to the Lehigh Valley to effectuate social impact (including work of SBDC). • Create community partnerships. • Partner with other Lehigh University Colleges to address intersectional needs (e.g. role of financial literacy and health outcomes). GOAL 3C Include social impact in academic offerings across the College We will infuse our curriculum with topics of social impact and social responsibility so that our students will learn while doing good and, conversely, do good while learning. This is done with the goal of planting the seeds of lifelong commitment to social impact as they graduate and enter the work force. › ACTION PRIORITIES • Review and revise learning objectives to reflect importance of diversity and inclusion. • Students immersed in real world social problem solving. • Yearly deep dive study of one societal problem (e.g., climate change or income inequality). • Encourage research in socially important domains and use case studies for illustration. RYAN WHITE '99 MBA IN UGANDA