President Helble unveiled a $1.25 billion fundraising goal by 2028 for a new university-wide fundraising initiative, Go Beyond: The Campaign for Future Makers.
This campaign was created to fund Lehigh’s Strategic Plan: Inspiring the Future Makers, and invites alumni, parents, friends and others to donate.
Bill Bole, the interim vice president of development and alumni relations, said they want the Lehigh community to find a place in this campaign, whether that is making a “transformational gift to a key initiative or engaging with the university through any number of on-campus or digital programs.”
Bole said philanthropic and engagement targets are important metrics to measure progress but they are not standalone indicators of success.
He said Lehigh will be more successful if it’s able to significantly increase financial aid resources, ensure the campus community has “top-notch” facilities and increase engagement within the alumni network.
“Go Beyond challenges Lehigh to connect our proud, rich history with a bright future — laid out in our Strategic Plan — through the action and generosity of thousands (of donors),” Bole said.
Bruce Bunnick, the director of admissions, said the initial Go Beyond campaign was launched in 2018 as an aspirational fundraising source to support investment in Lehigh’s infrastructure, financial aid and the College of Health.
The original campaign set a goal of raising $1 billion, and according to the 2022 Campaign Impact Report, the funds were allocated toward new student housing units (Singleton, Maida and Hitch), expansion of faculty and staff, construction of the Business Innovation Building and growth of the College of Health.
“The Go Beyond campaign has also helped us with the financial aid resources that we can provide for our undergraduates to hopefully make cost less of a factor when making a decision about coming to Lehigh,” Bunnick said. “There is a lot of investment in keeping Lehigh financially stable in the future.”
Deirdre Kwiatek, the associate vice president of development communication and donor relations, said nearly 300 newly endowed scholarships have been created as a result of the campaign, including the Kenneth R. French ‘75 and Vickie A. French Endowed Scholarship Fund, which supports dozens of individual first-generation students from across the country.
She said the Soaring Together Scholarship was established by foundational gifts from four donors and continues to grow as additional individuals donate each year.
This year, Kwiatek said Lehigh welcomed its first cohort of 27 Soaring Together scholars to become part of Lehigh.
Lehigh’s long-term goals and aspirations going forward with the Go Beyond initiative, she said, are centered around advancing the institution’s commitment to inclusivity and innovation.
“We know Lehigh’s campus is one of the reasons students come here,” Kwiatek said. “It is a beautiful and inspiring place to live and learn.”
She said Lehigh is making it a goal to ensure physical facilities continue to serve the needs of this and future generations of students. This includes promoting cross-disciplinary and experiential learning that complements the strategic plan.
Julian Abergas, ‘24, a Posse Scholar studying theatre and business, said initiatives like Go Beyond show how Lehigh is taking steps to make getting an education at Lehigh more affordable for all.
Abergas said assistance received from the Posse Foundation, donor scholarships and financial aid have made funding his undergraduate experience void of worry.
“I don’t think I would’ve easily come to this decision without the help of scholarships or something like the Go Beyond campaign,” Abergas said.
He said he is grateful to have the privilege to afford an “incredible college experience.”
Harrison Jenkins, ‘25, another Posse Scholar and a member of the football team, said he noticed the progress of the Go Beyond campaign initiatives and it’s something he doesn’t take for granted.
He said he understands the financial barrier Lehigh poses is part of the reason it’s historically a predominately white institution.
“To see that Lehigh is taking real initiatives to help bring money back to students and help lower-income students see Lehigh as an accessible place is really great to see, and I appreciate things like that,” Jenkins said.
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