Learn more about global and local project opportunities through the Office of Creative Inquiry

The Office of Creative Inquiry is hosting a series of information sessions on the 2020 Global Social Impact Fellowship and the new Lehigh Valley Social Impact Fellowship.

Students will have the opportunity to learn more about the GSIF program, which allows undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines across Lehigh University to focus on addressing sustainable development challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

The events will also introduce students to the new LVSIF program, which will focus on addressing social and economic development challenges in South Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley region.

Three information sessions will be held: 

  • noon, Monday, October 7, Rauch 085

  • 4:30 pm, Tuesday, October 8, Packard 554

  • 4:30 pm, Thursday, October 24, Williams 351. 

Students from all disciplines are invited to attend and refreshments will be provided. 

GSIFs advance Global Inquiry to Impact projects in the Spring and Fall semesters (3 credits each semester through the CINQ courses) and engage in faculty-guided fieldwork with diverse local partners in the Summer session. LVSIFs advance multi-year Inquiry to Impact projects with local partners, also through Creative Inquiry courses. Both fellowships include the opportunity for students to apply to the Mountaintop Summer Experience program.

These programs integrate experiential learning, research, and entrepreneurial engagement with partners around the region and the world. By engaging in these meaningful, authentic, and incredibly alive projects, Social Impact Fellows will develop skill sets, mindsets, and portfolios to address complex societal challenges. SIFs build sustainable enterprises, publish their works in peer-reviewed journals, integrate their insights into local and national policies, and champion social movements that influence lives and livelihoods. The quest for sustainable impact drives the philosophy, pedagogy, and operations of these programs with the objective of preparing students to lead lives of impact, impact, and...Impact.

Applications for both programs will open on October 16 with a due date of November 1. Application links can be found at go.lehigh.edu/gsif and go.lehigh.edu/lvsif.  Students should apply to projects that align with their passions and motivations to change their community and change the world. Acceptance into either program represents a year-long commitment which must include six total academic credits and in-country fieldwork (for GSIFs).

For more information on the programs, visit the Office of Creative Inquiry website.  Please register here for any of the Information Sessions. 

GSIF project

GSIF and LVSIF programs integrate experiential learning, research, and entrepreneurial engagement with partners around the region and the world.