Lehigh Enrollment Increase

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Lehigh Enrollment Increase

This topic contains 15 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by sundayamqb sundayamqb 7 years, 3 months ago.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
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  • #29891

    lehigh90
    Participant

    Not sure if mentioned yet on here. With Lehigh plans to add 1.000 undergrads and 500-800 grads over the next seven years, will that change the athletic programs at all?

    If we go to over 6,000 undergrads, we would be probably the second biggest PL school (still drawfed by Boston U at 16,000), rivaling American (also 6,000). We would be over double the size of Lafayette, Holy Cross and Colgate, and much larger than Bucknell. Our size would make us much larger than our original Colonial brethren and current PL brethren. We would be the largest of the PL original core.

    Could this be a sign of a step up in athletics as well?

    #29897

    richb-1
    Participant

    Lafayette is increasing by 500 so we will be in the same ratio. Only about the same size of the smaller Ivys.

    Still, I would like to see (after some necessary improvements like lights at Goodman) some more sports. Men’s volleyball is the one PIAA sport we lack (along with competitive cheer). Could we do Women’s gymnastics, since one of the nations premier clubs is in Allentown. Water Polo like Bucknell? (Do we have the facilities). Improve the facilities for Rugby and Ultimate Frisby, even making them club varsity.

    #29921

    buck
    Participant

    Would rather see an MMA team formed, it’s the fastest growing and most popular combat sport in the world.

    #29932
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    Pards actually adding more than 500.
    Neither school has the beds to add anyone. LU was proposing to require juniors to stay on campus. Allegedly to curtail town party scene. Saner heads noted the lack of space and mire importantly the rather asinine alcohol and party restrictions on campus. For a nationally ranked party school there were only w registered parties on the Hill. Lehigh Senate has proposed a number of reforms to draw students and parties bavk on campus.. We will see.
    Long term expansion requires a minimum of 500 new beds.
    Impact on athletics? Not sure any on current sports. Gymnastics might be a nice adf. Add W Ice hockey and make both M and W varsity sports.

    #29935

    TMH
    Participant

    I think the simple answer to the original question is NO. In the short to intermediate term, this will probably ending up being a cash drain. There will be 800 additional undergrads and 200 full time grad students. It will bring along with it an increase of 100 professors. Lehigh will also need to increase significant portions of their infrastructure to accommodate that. They will need more housing, more parking, dining, gym space and a whole host of other amenities.
    In this age of colleges reducing their athletic programs I think it’s really unreasonable to consider having Lehigh and the rest of the Patriot League teams to add others. IMHO. I’m actually amazed they fund as many as they do.
    On the upside, (slightly) Lehigh will be adding a health schools. I’m not sure what that will entail but it will surely include majors that were not offered before. I say slightly only because these majors (possibly physical therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant etc) generally require a time commitment that may exceed engineering.

    #29936
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    Description of new Health school vague probably on purpose.
    Drain on capital funding for sure. Annual income tho will increase. 100 new profs a bit high :). Assorted teaching levels perhaps. Doubt Joe eill be able to look to LU for $$ foe any major structural projects. That $ will come from us if at all.

    #29938

    TMH
    Participant

    Rich,
    The 100 professors was their #, not mine. Agreed though that this new plan will likely not hinder advancements in the athletic program. I just think it won’t impact it much at all.
    I believe the end game is to to make Lehigh a nationally recognized University as the Ivies are now. It constantly blows my mind how many have not heard of Lehigh. To that end recruiting certainly benefits.

    #29940
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    Amazes me also. Get west of Ohio and the name gets a Huh?
    Agree on national exposure. Ptes impresses me as the ideal man for this project. I gather a lot of the money already in. Borrowing s/b no problem. Going to be an interesting decade.

    #29941
    van
    van
    Participant

    here in KY I have met a few that know of Lehigh, guess why?

    “you guys took down Duke”

    and

    27-9 over Murray State in 1979

    #29968

    richb-1
    Participant

    Health school. Interesting. Just this year Central Penn College near Harrisburg converted a nearby building to the Donald and Dorothy Stabler Health Services Education Building (Don Stabler was from the Harrisburg area).

    One other sports facility we might want to add, not for competition, but because of the future student body (India Pakistan, other British Commonwealth countries). Cricket.

    #29969
    RichH
    RichH
    Participant

    For students there an actual need for additional Fitness space. Facilities now are well past max. Some years back there was a proposal to build a hockey rink at Goodman. Other than upgrading Goodman andba better interior seating plan for Stablrr cant think of any other major athletic construction.

    #29977
    sundayamqb
    sundayamqb
    Participant

    I agree with RichH on fitness space; I’d add an artificial surface/track on main campus — perhaps one that can be shared by community.

    I’d like to see everything –except maybe practice fields, intercollegiate training center — back on main campus. Several newer universities have built downtowns, including housing, offices and retail, around their now centrally located stadiums and other sports facilities.

    But while this is all fun to discuss, what does the research show? Would more students use the facilities if they were on main campus?

    #29984

    richb-1
    Participant

    Is there a link to a page that, at least roughly, on suggested details of these changes= Undergrad, Grad, Faculty increases, new health services school. (I would guess the Health Academic buildings would go onto the mountaintop campus, I think a lot of those buildings are empty)?

    #29985

    TMH
    Participant

    rich-b,
    The official announcement was very preliminary. This interview with Pat Farrell is more enlightening.

    http://www.mcall.com/news/local/bethlehem/mc-web-lehigh-university-expansion-plans-20161025-story.html

    #29992

    richb-1
    Participant

    Thanks. Posted it on wrestling report

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