Our Guiding Principles
Inclusion is the tie that binds Lehigh.
Our faculty, staff and students hail from 50 states and 51 countries. It’s that rich fabric of life experiences that makes Lehigh such a vibrant and enriching campus community. We treasure the diversity that comes along with it and embrace our academic, cultural, economic and physical differences. They make us who we are.
But we can do so much more to foster an environment that is accepting and collaborative, and our commitment to diversity, inclusion and engagement has never been stronger.
We have captured that commitment in “Principles of Our Equitable Community” (PDF), a list of values that fundamentally serves as the foundation of our university community. The principles have been endorsed across the institution and by Lehigh's Board of Trustees and its subcommittee on diversity. Lehigh University is first and foremost an educational institution, committed to developing the future leaders of our changing global society. We believe every member of our community has a personal responsibility to acknowledge and practice the nine basic principles found in this document, which was crafted by Lehigh’s Council for Equity and Community.
Unfortunately, there may be times when we fall short of these principles. Lehigh University is committed to being an inclusive living and learning community where differences are celebrated and each member of the campus is valued, and where an atmosphere of civility and respect is a fundamental expectation; however, should the health, safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff ever be compromised, the university has established an anonymous Bias Response Protocol (BRP).