Project Mentor: Project Mentors: Professor Dean Caivano, political science, Ashley Lemmons and Sara Runyon, student affairs
2027 Impact Fellows:
Project Description:
Student governance shapes campus life, from budgets and policies to the everyday student experience, yet many students don’t know how it works or how they can influence it. Fellows will explore how Lehigh students can learn the practical skills of civic life: how decisions get made, how to draft and advocate for a proposal, how to run an effective meeting, and how to work across differences toward shared goals. Throughout the fellowship, the team will work closely with current Senate leadership and campus stakeholders, test ideas in real settings, and refine them based on feedback. They will leave a set of tested recommendations and tools the Senate can adopt and sustain after the fellowship ends. Students will build skills in research, design thinking, facilitation, and change leadership, and they will gain firsthand experience in the institutional work of making a community more participatory. This project is only for currently elected Lehigh Student Senators.