BETHLEHEM, PA and NEW ORLEANS, LA - March 2021 – Lehigh University’s College of Business and Xavier University of Louisiana jointly announced this week a new 4+1 partnership agreement. This unique “4+1” joint partnership calls for a 5-year program (4 years of undergraduate studies at Xavier plus 1 year of graduate management education at Lehigh).  Students at Xavier University (XULA) in Liberal Arts or STEM field majors can enter Lehigh University’s MS in Management (M2) program earning the Master’s level degree in just 10 months.  The combination of Liberal Arts or STEM with business training further enables the XULA graduate to be workplace ready as they look to enter a variety of industries ranging from health care to consulting to banking to brand marketing to pharma, just to name a few.

“What an honor it is for Lehigh to be able to partner with a Historically Black College of the caliber of Xavier. Our goal is to ensure all students have what they need to succeed,” said Georgette Chapman Phillips, Kevin L. and Lisa A. Clayton Dean, Lehigh University College of Business. Dean Phillips went on to say, “This partnership with Xavier is part of a concerted effort by our college faculty and university leadership to not only attract the best and brightest students, but in the process, to elevate the importance of having a learning setting that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable. The combination simply makes for a more enriching student experience.”

“Xavier is proud to join Lehigh University in partnership to provide opportunities that further develop the talents of our students as they enter the workforce,” said Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “Lehigh’s and Xavier’s commitment to educating the leaders of tomorrow is exemplary of the more just and humane society that we teach our students to seek.” 

Accepted XULA students will be guaranteed generous scholarship in support of their graduate educational endeavors. Additionally, each year, a XULA rising senior will be invited to participate in Lehigh’s Spring and Summer International immersion experience as a “global villager” in the Lehigh Iacocca Global Village Immersion program. The Iacocca Global Village brings together students and global business leaders from across all continents. Global Village consists of activities both in a virtual intimate online global community in the Spring, as well as in a Summer campus residency held on Lehigh University’s Bethlehem, PA campus as villagers are immersed in a 5-week intensive full-time program from late June through the end of July. This is an all-expense paid opportunity for a selected XULA student who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in their undergraduate experiences and community-related endeavors.

“Partnering with Lehigh University is a WIN-WIN. It brings a combination of big company access and new paths in business for career development to our Xavier students. Lehigh’s reputation for excellence in experiential learning and its nurturing alumni network and job placement record benefits our gifted students in so many ways. Now, interested Xavier students in Liberal Arts and STEM looking to widen their career choices can complement their undergraduate studies with business management training. This means exceptional placement and thus a better future for our Xavier graduates,” said Anderson Sunda-Meya, Acting Dean, College of Arts & Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana.

For more information on the Lehigh MS in Management Program, please contact Alyssa Clapp, M2 Program Director at business@lehigh.edu or call 610-758-4450.  To apply, visit https://business.lehigh.edu/academics/graduate/masters-programs/ms-management. The application deadlines for the 2021-22 cohort are June 1, 2021 for domestic U.S. applicants, and May 15, 2021 for international applicants.