This year, you’re reading our annual report in a new, exclusively online format. This change reflects our commitment to sustainability and accessibility, but more importantly, it mirrors the digital-first world we help our community navigate every day. As we continue to be guided by our strategic plan, this report once again shares our progress through the stories of our four core goals.
A central theme this year is our evolution from exploring emerging technologies to strategically integrating them into the fabric of the university. Last year, we focused on expanding experimentation with generative AI; this year, we took major steps to build an AI-ready campus. We hosted the inaugural AI@Lehigh Summit, launched the Lehigh AI repository to showcase innovative projects, made new tools available to our campus, and created ai.lehigh.edu as a central resource for responsible AI use.
In the year Lehigh attained R1 status, the highest level of research activity in the Carnegie Classification system, LTS advanced our support of researchers by enhancing access to scholarly materials, expanding research computing facilities, and improving the reach of articles published by Lehigh faculty with our new and expanded Open Access publishing agreements.
You’ll also see our foundational role in building an "Organization of the Future." We launched Future Ready, a multi-year project to modernize our core Banner systems, ensuring a more agile and student-focused experience for years to come. We transitioned the entire campus phone system to Zoom Phones, enhancing campus connectivity. We also created vibrant new spaces for collaboration, like the LTS Emerging Technologies (LETs) Lab, where hands-on exploration brings innovation to life.
I’m incredibly proud that our human-centered work continues to earn national recognition. For the second consecutive year, we received the Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award, The Princeton Review ranked our libraries #10 in the nation.
These achievements are a testament to the talent and dedication of our LTS staff and our partnerships across campus. As you explore these stories, I hope you see the impact of our shared work and find new inspiration to collaborate with us. We are here to help you make the future.
Greg Reihman, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Library and Technology Services