Experience and Collaboration: Easton, the Lehigh Valley, and the Globe

Lafayette has long valued experiential learning, community engagement, and the interplay between coursework and professional opportunities locally and globally.

Through this plan, we will strengthen infrastructure and funding to provide increased access to cocurricular learning experiences, including undergraduate research and creative projects, internships, and place-based and global learning experiences, such as study abroad and community-engaged scholarship.

Specific goals include:

  • Extend opportunities across scholarship, pedagogy, and experiential learning for students to engage in Easton and the Lehigh Valley, including connections to potential employers and training in pre-professional pathways that encourage students to consider the Lehigh Valley as a viable and attractive employment destination
  • Offer expanded pathways for global connection and development for all members of the Lafayette community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni
  • Create a support structure for economic and community development ensuring that the College is an active participant in the growth and success of the city of Easton and the Lehigh Valley
  • Optimize resources and support structures for faculty and staff who supervise, design, and/or direct student experiential learning opportunities
  • Build on our exceptional career services, undergraduate, graduate, and pre-professional advising through robust partnerships with our alumni via mentoring, internships, student leadership, and other experiential opportunities

Associated Action Teams

From the Lehigh Valley to the Globe: Global Lafayette

Focus: Strengthen Lafayette’s global presence on campus, in the Lehigh Valley, and across the globe, focusing on broadening global learning opportunities through interim and faculty-led travel programs, enhancing structural support for international students and scholars, and enriching the campus experience.
Co-chairs:
Dennis Johannssen (co-chair), Assistant Professor, Languages and Literary Studies
Michael Senra (co-chair, Fall 2025), Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

From the Lehigh Valley to the Globe: Community

Focus: Build upon and sustain our strong collaborations with local organizations, schools, and civic institutions across the Lehigh Valley, continuing to integrate community-based learning, service, and research into the academic fabric of the College in ways that are mutually beneficial and rooted in principles of equity and long-term partnership.
Co-chairs:
Tara Gilligan (co-chair), Senior Lecturer in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Chelsea Morrese (co-chair), Executive Director of Community Engagement and Director of the Landis Center

From the Lehigh Valley to the Globe: Internships, Non-Profits, Industry

Focus: Expand and deepen student and faculty engagement with industry, nonprofits, cultural, and regional networks through internships, externships, and project-based learning, with an emphasis on creating meaningful, academically connected experiences both on and off campus that help students explore career pathways, develop professional skills, and contribute to regional innovation.
Co-chairs:
Lauren Anderson (co-chair), Dean of the Faculty and James T. Marcus ‘50 Scholar
Julie Smith (co-chair), Frank Lee and Edna M. Smith Professor of Economics