Lehigh Alum Donates $5 Million to Business School
Sanjay Shah, CEO of Vistex, Inc., recently donated $5 million to Lehigh University to fund the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, three decades after he left India to attend the school.
“Lehigh was my gateway to life in the United States. Lehigh will always have a special place for me. The U.S. is my home,” Shah said.
This gift was intended to help Lehigh expand their executive education program.
“This gift is absolutely, positively transformational. The gift allows us to expand our offerings, footprint, and partner with Vistex. It is not just a gift. It is truly an intellectual partnership,” said Georgette Chapman Phillips, dean of the Lehigh College of Business and Economics.
Shah launched his software company in 1999, and gave Lehigh this donation with the hope that Vistex could offer its resources to the executive program.
Shah said, “Since we also work with some of the best known brands in the world I believe that our participation, not just in the commissioning of the institute, but as it also develops and grows, we will be able to bring our clients and their perspectives into the programs as well.”
Historically, Lehigh has not had a developed executive education program. However, in 2016, the school brought on David Welsh to design and direct an executive program.
When asked about the new program, Phillips said, “The whole idea is we want people to never stop learning and we want to be their partner from (age) 18 to 80.”
Shah’s donation will be used to erect a new building and provide a greater wealth of resources to students.
Lehigh President John D. Simon praised Shah for his generosity, saying, “With this support, Mr. Shah is embodying the coward-thinking, impact-driven ethos of Lehigh graduates by utilizing his passion for the university and for lifelong education to support future leaders.”
Lehigh Professor Co-Chairs International Health Conference
Mooi Choo Chuah, a Lehigh University professor of computer science and engineering and co-director of the undergraduate computer engineering program, served as technical co-chair of the second annual IEEE/ACM Conference on Connected Health: Applications, Systems and Engineering Technologies. According to the conference website, the event “aims at bringing together researchers worldwide working in the smart and connected health area to exchange innovative ideas and develop collaborations.” The conference took place in Philadelphia from July 17–19.
Lehigh Offering 1-MBA Scholarship To Social Entrepreneurs
Lehigh University College of Business and Economics is now offering a 1-MBA program (one year MBA), that will allow students to receive an intensive MBA education in 12 months. The 1-MBA is especially welcoming to students engaged in social enterprise. In order to help promising, social-minded students fund their education, the school has introduced an open competition for The Asa Packer Social Entrepreneurship Award (APSEA).
The Complete Guide to Philadelphia Accelerated MBAs
Earning an MBA takes many levels of commitment. Of course there’s the financial commitment, and for some there’s still a work commitment. There’s also a large time commitment involved—going to class, extensive immersion-style courses, case competitions and so much more adds up to a ton of time. Continue reading…
Lehigh Names Executive Director of Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise
Lehigh University College of Business and Economic‘s professor Todd A Watkins has been named the executive director of the Lehigh University Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise. Watkins is the second person to hold this title since the center was founded. In addition to serving as the Arthur F. Searing Professor of Economics at Lehigh, Watkins is also the founding executive director of the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation and co-founded the Integrated Product Development (IPD) program at Lehigh.
The Martingale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise was established in 1980 by Dr. J. Richard Aronson through a generous endowment from Elizabeth and Harry Martindale. Dr. Aronson joined Lehigh as an assistant professor of economics in 1965. He was with Lehigh University for 50 years until his retirement this year. Dr. Aronson spent 30 years with the Martindale Center and has helped to shape it in to the successful center it is today.
Lehigh Launches Computer Science Initiative
Lehigh University has announced the launch a strategic university initiative that will expand Lehigh’s capacities for teaching and learning in computer and data science, while increasing access to such courses for students. The initiative, called Data X, will open Lehigh to recruit and hire new faculty in computer science and related fields, introduce the concepts of computer science to areas of study all across the university, which will position Lehigh as a leader in an increasingly essential field.
Professor and chair of Lehigh’s department of computer science and engineering, Daniel Lopresti, who has served as interim dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science since July, will lead the Data X initiative. Lopresti is a widely respected researcher whose work in fundamental algorithmic and systems-related questions in pattern recognition, bioinformatics and computer security has placed him at the forefront of his field.
