Brown and White Vol. 118 no. 12

              Campaign rakes in more than $500 million
By ANYA BINGLER
Lehigh recently surpassed its $500 million goal, complet­ing Shine Forever: The Cam­paign for Lehigh, a 10-year fundraising initiative.
“The university recognized the need to garner additional support for a number of uni­versity priorities, including increased numbers of en­dowed student scholarships, endowed faculty chairs, dean­ships and coaching positions, upgrades to many of its signa­ture facilities and developing new programs and services to strengthen Lehigh’s national and international reputation,” Jennifer Tucker, assistant vice president of University Com­munications and Public Af­fairs, said.
Shine Forever began as a “quiet phase” in 2001, during which university leadership quietly secured funds for these initiatives, Tucker said. The public launch was held in the fall of 2004.
The campaign raised funds for more than four years and officially closed on Dec. 31, 2009.
The enormous fundraising campaign added more than 537 new endowed scholar­ships and 27 new endowed chairs. Additional support was targeted toward renovations and restorations of numer­ous campus landmarks and the academic and athletic programs.
The total $508 million raised will be distributed and put to use through various programs at Lehigh.
“The university defined a set of priorities during Shine Forever for which we sought philanthropic support,” Tuck­er said. “Through conversa­tions with donors, campus leadership found a match be­tween a donor’s interest and Lehigh’s needs.”
$131 million will be for the endowed chairs and pro­grams, $48 million for facili­ties, $133 million will be put into the endowed scholarships and $121 million will go to the Lehigh Fund, which acted as a critical component for the campaign. The remaining $76 million will be used for operating support and other priorities.
“When a donor makes a gift in support of one of the university’s priorities, those funds go directly to support the program in question,” Em­ily Russell, associate director of the Lehigh Fund, said. “Ul­timately, it is the donors who decide which programs they will support.”
The campaign mainly cen­tered on endowment but also highlighted scholarships, en­dowed chairs and programs, student life and athletics, as well as facilities around campus.
“More than 42,000 donors,
See CAMPAIGN Page 2
Bilingual charter school approved by local board
By MICHAEL BODNEV
The Bethlehem Area School Board unanimously approved the Lehigh Valley Dual Lan­guage Charter School on Feb. 18.
The vote – eight in favor, none against – was the final step in a two-year-long process aimed at acquiring approval for the school.
Starting in August, the space formally occupied by the Sts. Cyril and Methodius School, located at 551 Thomas St., will be transformed into a new elementary charter school, instructing its students in both English and Spanish.
Pennsylvania state law mandates charter schools be approved either by the lo­cal school board or by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The eight members of the Bethlehem Area School Board granted the dual language school a three-year charter, meaning it will have to reapply once the chapter expires.
The school will be almost entirely funded by state tax dollars. In addition to receiv­ing a $50,000 grant from the Department of Education, the school will receive funds from the Bethlehem school district as well as from surrounding districts.
“On a yearly basis, we get a percentage of the per-pupil cost from the sending district,” Carlos Lopez, one of the school’s founding members and a Lehigh graduate, said.
Since the charter school will be open to all students in the region, the kids’ respec­tive districts end up paying for their education. According to Lopez, the school currently has 171 students enrolled from Bethlehem, Easton and Allen­town, among other cities.
The school will be open to students of any race or ethnic­ity who want to receive an education based on what Lo­pez called “the 50-50 model,”
See SCHOOL Page 2
Tuition, boarding increase by 3 percent
By LAUREN KELLY
Lehigh announced Tuesday there will be a 3 percent increase in undergraduate tuition for the 2010-2011 school year.
The university said the higher cost is one of the small­est percentage increases in 40 years and brings the cost of tuition to $39,480. “The university sets tuition and fees following a careful and rigorous budget planning process, with ultimate approval by the Board of Trustees,” said Assistant Vice President of Communications Jennifer Tucker.
The university took into consideration two factors when deciding the cost of tuition. The first factor was Lehigh’s commitment to providing an excellent education by investing in faculty, programs and facilities. With this in mind, the university remains committed to its found­ing vision of a small, highly collaborative community of learning.
The second factor Lehigh took into consideration was its effort to contain costs and improve efficiencies, includ­ing the always increasing costs of heating, energy and transportation – the costs of running the university.
“We take into account all the costs involved in meet­ing the needs of students and works to keep the prices as low as possible,” Tucker said.
The average cost of room and board increased $320 for the 2010-2011 school year, making it $10,520.
With the increase in tuition and the increase in room and board, the tuition for the 2010-2011 school year will be $50,300, including the technology fee.
The university also announced it is setting aside $62 million for undergraduate financial aid for next year. “Le­high University remains deeply committed to need-blind admissions and support for students with demonstrated financial need,” Tucker said.
Although she said the university did not consider the tuition of other universities nor the tuition increase of other universities, President Alice Gast mentioned in an announcement of the tuition increase that Lehigh expects its new cost to be among the lowest at colleges and univer­sities across the country.
According to the American Federation of Teachers Web site, over the last 10 years, in-state and out-of-state tuition has increased more than $10,000. In 2000, Lehigh cost $23,150, meaning tuition has increased at least $1,000 every year for the last 10 years.
Last year’s increase of 2.9 percent for the 2009-2010 school year was Lehigh’s lowest in 40 years.
n Lehigh announced the cost of atten­dance for the upcoming school year will be $50,300.
Vol. 118 No. 12
Friday, March 5, 2010
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Women look to
repeat league title
Page 16
ONLINE
Men forge ahead in Patriot tournament
thebrownandwhite.com
Give school a break,
not music
Page 7
LIFESTYLE
B&W photo by STEPHANIE LIN
Ellen Gustafson, FEED foundation co-founder, introduced the FEED Haiti bag developed to help raise funds for Haiti’s education system post-earthquake, Wednesday in Perella auditorium.
FEED Haiti