In an era in which information technology has become a ubiquitous presence in academic institutions, and in a social context in which information technology is widely viewed as an enabler of efficiency and competitiveness, we at Lehigh will keep our focus on the goal of enhancing learning and research. The challenge will be to continue thoughtful use of information technology and library resources for the enrichment and extension of the learning environment. As Lehigh aspires to find its place among the top thirty universities in the United States, information technology will be an indispensable enabler of new collaborative and interdisciplinary initiatives such as those even now getting under way in opto-electronics and photonics, computer science, and the life sciences. A major resource challenge for Lehigh University will be balancing existing Library and Technology Services’ priorities in concert with the assumed growth and demand for new technology support and new program offerings and services.
Though Lehigh’s technical infrastructure and technical support staff are solid, there will be challenges in many information technology-related areas if the institution’s overarching goal of achieving a new prominence and visibility in teaching, research, and service is to be met. To this end, an agenda for action for the next five years has been identified by the management of Library and Technology Services in collaboration with faculty and staff from throughout the university.
This agenda embraces broad initiatives in ten major areas that all impact the teaching, research, and service missions of the university:
- To extend the reach of the learning environment, we will work to enhance campus connectivity and student access.
- To strengthen support and provide new accommodations for learning and research, we will reinvigorate library facilities, services, and collections.
- To support flexible and evolving teaching modalities, we will enhance the learning environment through such initiatives as the Lehigh Lab, faculty development, and state-of-the-art “adaptable classrooms.”
- To foster intellectual growth and to encourage individual involvement in the life of the university, we will encourage innovative uses of technology to create a balanced e-learning and campus community.
- To better support the research initiatives of faculty and graduate students, we will enhance academic and research computing capacity.
- To reach out to new student populations, to facilitate the globalization of Lehigh’s academic programs, and to extend availability of the undergraduate experience beyond the bounds of the traditional classroom, we will support growth and improvement in Distance Education and the Global Lehigh initiative.
- To enable Lehigh students, faculty, and staff to be adept, knowledgeable users of the technology and research tools of the 21st century, we will implement multi-faceted learning and support models for technology and information literacy.
- To make Lehigh a visible participant in the global academic and research community, we will leverage technology resources for expanded development and outreach activities with Global Lehigh.
- To provide timely, reliable institutional information to Lehigh students, faculty, and staff whenever and wherever it is needed, we will enhance Lehigh’s Enterprise-Wide Information Systems (LEWIS) and integrate it into emerging new additional support services.
- To better reach current and potential institutional constituents, be they students, faculty, corporate partners, or alumni, we will enhance marketing and communications through technology.
With careful, concerted attention to, and investment in, these broad initiatives, Lehigh will move closer to realizing its goal of emerging over the next decade as an innovative, flexible university with a scope and international reach well beyond its size.
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