Lehigh University

Lehigh University

Motto	Homo minister et interpres naturae (Latin)
Motto in English	Man, the servant and interpreter of nature
Type	Private
Established	1865
Endowment	$1.213 billion (2015)
President	John D. Simon
Provost	Patrick V. Farrell
Administrative staff	1,196
Undergraduates	4,904
Postgraduates	2,057
Location	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Campus	Urban and Suburban; 2,350 acres (950 ha)
Colors	Brown and White
Athletics	NCAA Division I –    Patriot League    MAISA
Nickname	Mountain Hawks
Mascot	Clutch
Affiliations	NAICU
Website	www.lehigh.edu

Lehigh University is an American private research university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines. Its undergraduate programs have been coeducational since the 1971–72 academic year. As of 2014, the university had 4,904 undergraduate students and 2,165 graduate students. Lehigh is considered one of the twenty-four Hidden Ivies in the Northeastern United States.

Lehigh has four colleges: the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, and the College of Education. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college today, home to roughly 40% of the university's students. The university offers a variety of degrees, including Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Engineering, Master of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy.

Lehigh has produced Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright Fellows, American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences members, and National Medal of Science winners.

Asa Packer named his university "Lehigh" after his other passion, the railroad, despite suggestions from some to call it "Packer University". It was founded to provide a well-rounded education for young men, combining a liberal and scientific education with the technical skills necessary to increase the prosperity of the region. According to William Bacon Stevens, the first president of the board of trustees, Asa Packer's founding gift of $500,000 was the largest single endowment gift ever received by an institution of higher learning up to that time. Mr. Packer also provided for the first structure ever to be built by the young University on campus: "Packer Hall", now known also as the University Center. An unusual Mansard Gothic edifice featuring a prominent bell tower, at which, upon a suggestion that it be composed of the less expensive brick, Packer declared that it would be made "of stone". In the construction, a branch of the railroad was diverted to bring stone to the site.