Lehigh university and the office of international affairs
Founded in 1865, Lehigh University is one of the nation's most distinguished private research universities. Through academic rigor, an entrepreneurial mindset and collaborative opportunities Lehigh challenge its students to become the leaders of the future. At the Office of International Affairs (OIA), our goal is to make the Lehigh community international and expand Lehigh's footprint abroad. OIA prepares students and other stakeholders to engage the world, address global challenges and live lives of meaning by:
- fostering an understanding of one's individual and interconnected positions in the world
- cultivating an open-minded approach to the world that encourages respect, curiosity, and engagement with diverse perspectives; and
- promoting a sense of responsibility to the world and a commitment to the greater good
tu dortmund university
Since its establishment over 50 years ago, TU Dortmund University has cultivated a distinctive profile with 17 departments spanning science, engineering, social sciences, and cultural studies. The university places a strong emphasis on research, particularly in fields such as mechanical engineering, biochemical and chemical engineering, and educational research. These disciplines are recognized for their exceptional research accomplishments on both national and international levels.
Lehigh Valley and the Ruhr Region
The Ruhr area, located in western Germany, was historically known for its extensive coal mining and heavy industry, including steel production. In response to significant economic challenges due to the decline of the coal industry in the latter half of the 20th century, the Ruhr undertook a significant transformation effort, diversifying its economy and shifting toward sectors like technology, services, and education.
This almost perfectly mirrors the economic transformation of the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, which was once home of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the country’s second-largest steel producer behind United States Steel. As steel and other manufacturing in the United States faced a significant decline in the mid-20th century, the Lehigh Valley transitioned to a more diverse economic base, focusing on such sectors as manufacturing, finance, education, health care, and professional and business services.
As a result of these shared backgrounds, Lehigh and TU Dortmund engage similar approaches and areas of focus in engineering, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The MOU between the two universities began with a specific focus on chemical engineering, but quickly developed into a university-wide agreement with a particular focus on innovation and growing the entrepreneurial ecosystems of both communities.
About the UA Alliance Connection
Lehigh’s partnership with TU Dortmund led to an introduction to University Alliance (UA) Ruhr, an alliance between Dortmund, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and Ruhr University Bochum. This connection created new opportunities for funding and collaboration between Lehigh and UA Ruhr, and Lehigh has hosted undergraduate and graduate students from the German institutions through the Ruhr Fellowship Program. UA Ruhr has also provided internship and scholarship opportunities to Lehigh students through OIA’s Office of Fellowship Advising.