To address inclusivity across campus, Lehigh’s Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging recently hosted its annual forum to discuss student engagement and future goals based on the Inspiring the Future Makers Strategy initiative, “A Lehigh for Everyone.”
About 60 faculty and staff members attended the forum to discuss statistics and initiatives that illustrate student belonging at Lehigh.
Robert Robinson, director of Lehigh’s Center for Cultural Engagement, presented the primary goals of the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging. He said some future plans include better supporting Tariq Ameer, director of Muslim student life, by creating a consistent prayer space and building a Black cultural center on campus.
He said he hopes these plans will help better prepare students for success.
“Our focus is belonging and engagement for our students, because, for all of us, belonging is that connection that leads to success,” Robinson said. “And so, as an institution, we are focusing on that.”
Robinson also discussed an initiative enacted by the university before the fall 2024 semester, which was intended to combat imposter syndrome among students. He said it involved sending surveys to students who had taken calculus courses, asking them how they overcame struggles in their classes.
He said the responses allowed faculty members to gather information about students’ stress levels and how students overcome challenges to achieve their academic goals, which will help faculty ensure future students have more confidence in their ability to succeed.
“One of the key things the institution worked on was imposter syndrome,” Robinson said. “You want to instill a sense that you belong here, that you can accomplish this.”
Donald Outing, vice president for equity and community, then discussed data the office collected using an email survey through which students answered questions based on their sense of belonging at Lehigh.
Outing’s presentation showed there was a statistically significant increase in the sense of community on campus each year from 2020 to 2024. He also said 40% of students who answered the survey were part of a Greek Life organization.
Demi Moore, ‘27, attended the forum and asked the presenters to explain the data that showed a “larger” uptick in students’ sense of belonging from 2020 to 2021 compared to other years.
Margaret Munley Stone, director of student affairs research and assessment, said she attributes the uptick to the change in campus life that occurred following recovery and adjustment after the COVID pandemic.
She said many campus activities were remote during the pandemic, so when students came back to campus, they might have felt an increased sense of belonging. Since 2022, the survey results show the sense of belonging has seen smaller increases each year.
Outing said the office uses tactics like the email survey, as well as stories gathered from students by faculty, to help the office determine how it can adapt the Lehigh environment to be more inclusive.
“We expect our students, faculty and staff to feel connected, and when you don’t feel connected, it helps us respond in truly meaningful ways,” he said.
Outing also said there are several programs at Lehigh that were created based on feedback from these surveys. He said these include the commuter student lounge, a space for commuter students to use throughout the day, the Marcon Institute, an organization that researches how to minimize oppression, the Library and Technology Services Circle, a space in the Fairchild-Martindale Library with materials dedicated to equity and antiracism, and the Food Insecurity Plan and Pantry, a space that provides healthy and convenient foods.
During his presentation, Outing also said the office will be working to improve its metrics by developing a “Belonging Index,” that will allow for deeper data analysis.
He also said the university received a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award in 2024 from “INSIGHT into Diversity,” a magazine which advances practices in inclusive excellence. This marked the sixth year in a row Lehigh has received this recognition, he said.
Outing concluded the presentation by asking attendees how to increase student participation in the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging surveys.
This led to a discussion among attendees, who said participation could increase if surveys were mandated in first-year classes or if there were tabling events held in FML to gauge interest.
Following the event, Moore said her sense of belonging at Lehigh is complicated, as she’s a student of color.
“As a student of color, it’s a little hard to find support using student services at times and when you need someone to relate to,” she said.
Sam Perry, associate director of student engagement, said she believes student engagement is important and should be prioritized across campus.
She also said she believes discussions about inclusivity are crucial and reflective, and she would love to see more student voices present so they can be better heard.
“I want students to understand the bigger picture that we really do care about and look for as many ways to support them in the unique and collective ways that they need support,” she said.
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