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Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges

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Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges
AbbreviationLVAIC
Formation1969
TypeNonprofit
501(c)(3)
Legal statusTax-exempt nonprofit
PurposeFacilitate standardization and collaboration between colleges and universities in the Lehigh Valley
Headquarters116 Research Drive
Location
Region served
Lehigh Valley
FieldsEducation
Membership6 (2024)
Chairman
Father James Greenfield
Chairwoman-elect Dr. Kathleen E. Harring
Treasurer Mark F. Reed
Assistant Treasurer Audra J. Kahr
Secretary Diane R. Dimitroff
Dr. Elizabeth M. Meade
Dr. Nicole Hurd
Dr Joseph J. Helble
Dr. Bryon L. Grigsby
Janet L. Baker
Main organ
Audit Committee
AffiliationsPennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations
Revenue$892,749 (2023)
Expenses$1,011,447 (2023)
FundingContributions, Program Services
Websitelvaic.org

The Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) is an academic consortium between 6 independent Colleges in the Lehigh Valley: Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Cedar Crest College, Moravian University, DeSales University, and Muhlenberg College.

History

[edit]

The LVAIC was founded in 1969 following a meeting of the six presidents of its member institutions.[1][2]

Moravian promotes the LVAIC and its programs, mostly due to the school's close collaboration with Lehigh through the program.[3] Due to the similarity of the school's schedules, and their close proximity, LVAIC allows many Moravian students to take classes at Lehigh that would otherwise be unavailable at Moravian.[3]

In 1984 the LVAIC created the Lehigh Valley Center for Jewish Studies to create a central Jewish studies institution to develop and administer courses across LVAIC member schools.[4]

In 2011 the LVAIC offered joint study abroad programs, sending students from various member schools to Italy as part of an Italian language class.[5]

In 2012 the LVAIC partnered with Lehigh university with a $275,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to support entrepreneurship in the Lehigh Valley.[6]

In 2016 the LVAIC website would be totally redesigned by the Allentown based KDG group to better represent the LVAIC online, and make the website easier to use for students.[7]

In 2017 the LVAIC partnered with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to hold an art competition where students from the 6 member colleges could compete in an art consortium to "explore life" in the Lehigh Valley with a prize of $950,000.[8] Lafayette would win the grant which would be used to build their William C. Buck Hall.[9]

In 2019 the LVAIC announced a minor in documentary story as a joint program between Lehigh Lafayette and Muhlenberg which would be cross listed with studies in American history, alongside German Chinese and English to promote a cross-disciplinary program.[10][11][12] Additionally, the LVAIC announced a partnership with LANta to allow Lehigh and Lafayette students use their buses for free.[13]

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LVAIC received criticism due to none of its member schools freezing tuition which became a standard practice for other schools in the northeast with some of the schools even increasing tuition instead.[14]

In June 2024 the LVAIC announced that they would be naming Janet Baker, the executive director of Institutional Effectiveness at Cedar Crest College, as their new executive director.[15]

Function

[edit]

The core function of the LVAIC is to enable students from its member colleges to attend a course offered at another member college that isn't offered at their own.[2] For example, Muhlenberg offers Italian language courses, but Moravian does not. A Moravian student can register with the LVAIC and take Muhlenberg’s Italian class while still being a full-time Moravian student.[2] The LVAIC handles the registration and transfer of credits for no additional cost for the student, besides the cost of textbooks and supplies.[2]

Each member college's president is a member of the LVAIC's board which promotes the colleges interacting and sharing resources with each other.[2]

The LVAIC hosts the annual Bridging the Gap Student Leadership Conference which is supported by a Coalition of Diversity Administrators from the member schools.[16] The Conference started life as an effort by the LVAIC to reduce The Rivalry tensions between students of color.[16]

Lehigh Valley Research Consortium

[edit]

The LVAIC also organizes the subsidiary the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium (LVRC) which runs inter-collegiate research programs.[17] The LVRC publishes a yearly State of the Lehigh Valley which studies the economic and cultural health of the valley.[18]

In 2009 the LVRC financed a study that highlight the increasing number of Hispanic students in the Lehigh Valley's primary and high-schools noting 22 percent of students enrolled in the Lehigh Valley were classified as Hispanic, compared to a statewide rate of 7 percent.[19]

In 2013 the LVRC filed a report that the Lehigh Valley was especially lagging in post great recession rebuilding and job growth noting a serious decline in individuals from the Valley seeking a higher education.[18]

In 2014 the LVRC filed a report that the Lehigh Valley had a higher proportion of STEM jobs, at 19% compared to the northeast's 16%, of the total workforce, and that many of these STEM jobs do not need a college degree.[20]

In 2019 the LVRC named Christine Carpino, an assistant professor of history, literature, and languages at Cedar Crest College as its director.[21]

In 2022 the LVRC worked with Lafayette College and Moravian University to research elder care solutions to develop strategies for a local retirement community.[17]

Membership

[edit]
This list is complete and up to date as of December 2024.
Institution Location Founded Undergraduate
enrollment 		Endowment Colors
Lehigh University Bethlehem 1865 5,911 $2.20 billion    
Lafayette College Easton 1826 2,729 $1.063 billion    
Cedar Crest College Allentown 1867 953 $41.5 million    
Moravian University Bethlehem 1863[a] 2,075 $177 million    
DeSales University Upper Saucon Township 1964 2,398 $102.9 million    
Muhlenberg College Allentown 1848 2,225 $308 million    

In addition to the 6 full time member institutions, a number of colleges are also associated with the LVAIC and some of its programs, including:[23][b]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Moravian University is the product of a 1954 merger of two separate seminaries, the all female Moravian Female Seminary which was founded in 1742, and Moravian College, often called Moravian College and Theological Seminary to prevent confusion, which was founded in 1807. However, both colleges started life as academies, and where only accredited as colleges in 1863.[22]
  2. ^ The LVAIC does not openly report its associate schools, providing numbers between 5 and 7 of them, however, these listed schools participate in the Steel Battalion, a pan-LVAIC ROTC program and represents the upper limit of associations.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges". Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bonasera, Carina. "Colleges open classes to neighboring students". The Brown and White. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Offenback, Lola. "LVAIC Expands Student Educational Opportunities". The Comerian. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  4. ^ "VALLEY'S COLLEGES START JEWISH STUDIES CENTER FYI". The Morning Call. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Students Immerse Themselves in Italian Language and Culture by Living in Rome". Lafayette College. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Lehigh University receives $275,000 grant from U.S. Department of Commerce to aid entrepreneurs". The Express-Times. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Lehigh Valley Colleges Collaborate Better with KDG's New Website Redesign". pennstemtimes. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  8. ^ Mursch, Alyssa. "Colleges will highlight Lehigh Valley culture with nearly $1M grant". The Express-Times. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  9. ^ Collins, Jane. "College receives grant to focus on history and culture of the Lehigh Valley". The Lafayette. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  10. ^ Pazich, Loni Bordoloi. "Can technology save the liberal arts?". Hechinger Report. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  11. ^ Collins, Jane. "New minor program connects college to other Lehigh Valley schools: Documentary storymaking to begin in the fall". The Lafayette. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  12. ^ Thampoe, Emily; Delaney, Laney. "Lehigh establishes film and documentary studies program". The Brown and White. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  13. ^ Fuller, Ben. "Oh the places we'll go: Lafayette students to have access to LANTA buses using IDs". The Lafayette. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  14. ^ Wolman, Jordan. "Some schools around the country are freezing tuition. LVAIC schools haven't done so yet". The Brown and White. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  15. ^ Wescoe, Stacy. "Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges names new executive director". Lehigh Valley Business. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  16. ^ a b Richter, Sophia. "Bridging the gap". muhlenbergweekly. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  17. ^ a b Hay, Bryan. "Students help senior living organization develop marketing strategy". Lafayette College. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  18. ^ a b Olanoff, Lynn. "Region lags in post-recession job recovery, State of the Lehigh Valley report finds". The Express-Times. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  19. ^ McEvoy, Collin. "Report: Hispanic student enrollment growing in Lehigh Valley school districts". The Express-Times. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  20. ^ Petty, Precious. "Region's STEM jobs not just for those with bachelor's degrees, State of Lehigh Valley report finds". The Express-Times. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Carpino has been named the director for the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium and other new hires, promotions and awards". The Morning Call. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  22. ^ Kowalchik, Claire. "Innovation and the pursuit of excellence brought Moravian College to this moment". Moravian University. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  23. ^ Karnish, Sara. "Two Penn State Lehigh Valley students receive full ROTC scholarships". Penn State. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
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