John Douglas Simon

John D. Simon (born February 11, 1957) was the 14th President of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania from July 1, 2015 He previously served as executive vice president and provost at the University of Virginia. After a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA, he joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California-San Diego in 1985, and then moved to Duke University as the George B. Geller Professor in 1998.

In his installment speech, Simon said he was advancing an ambitious agenda with the support of the Board of Trustees, who committed to an investment of $250 million in institutional resources in the areas of teaching, learning, research and student life. This investment will support a comprehensive plan that will strengthen Lehigh, allow the university to leverage core strengths and build a university that will serve the needs of students and society of the future. The announcement followed the departure of Alice P. Gast, who was named president of Imperial College, London, earlier that year. Simon was immediately preceded at Lehigh by Kevin L. Clayton, a member of the Board of Trustees, and retired director and former principal of Oaktree Management, a global investment organization. Clayton served as Lehigh's interim president from August 2014 to June 2015.

Bold Plan for the Future Shortly after introducing a bold plan for the growth of Lehigh, Simon was featured in an article in Inside Higher Ed that noted he "wasted relatively little time in his tenure before launching an aggressive expansion plan." Just 15 months after starting at Lehigh, the article noted, Simon's Board of Trustees approved a plan to expand Lehigh's 5,100-student undergraduate enrollment by 20 percent, boost its 2,000-student graduate enrollment up by 40 percent, hire additional faculty members and start a new college concentrating on health. "I think people these days expect that you're going to do something sooner rather than later," Simon was quoted as saying. "The idea that you can go on a yearlong listening tour – I don't think anyone has that long anymore."

Simon noted in the article that some of the pieces of the plan were in place when he came to Lehigh. He referenced his previous experience as provost of the University of Virginia, which informed his approach to the Lehigh presidency. "If you want to change anything, you have to get it started pretty soon, because you don't have a large window," he said. "I think to drive change, to sustain change and do something, it takes five to 10 years. And that's all you've got."

In an article that appeared in the Allentown, Pa. Morning Call in October 2016, Simon said that the "Path to Prominence" plan he is proposing will allow Lehigh to stand among the best in higher education for years to come. "This is an ambitious plan that builds on our historic strengths and honors the core values that have made Lehigh such a special place," the article quoted Simon as saying. In the Morning Call article, President Simon and Lehigh Provost Patrick V. Farrell said the plan will take a decade to fully implement, although one of the first goals is to establish the health college. It would be Lehigh's fifth college. Other proposed developments include the construction of a new science and research building, upgrades to existing science and research spaces, and the renovation of the University Center, which is located in the heart of Lehigh's South Mountain campus.

Campaign for Lehigh In October 2018, under Simon's leadership, Lehigh University publicly launched a $1 billion campaign to support a large number of initiatives, including campus construction, financial aid and the university's new health college. The on-campus campaign launch event featured a concert by pop singer Halsey, and was followed by events in New York City and San Francisco. Included in construction plans was a $70 million renovation and expansion of the University Center, funded in part by a $20 million gift from Lehigh graduate and Board of Trustees Chairman Kevin A. Clayton and his wife, Lisa.

In April 2019, Lehigh alumnus and board member Jordan Hitch and his wife, Julie, gifted the university $5 million in support of a cluster of new student residences under construction near the University Center. "The expansion of our student body will bring new dynamism and greater diversity to campus. Hitch House will be an integrated living and learning space and will inspire community, creativity, and collaboration," Simon said.

Efforts Toward Increasing Diversity on Campus In a 2017 HuffPost op-ed, Simon outlined the importance of providing broader access to higher education and Lehigh's efforts to address the issue of inequity, which include making available more than $84 million in grants and scholarships; a commitment to meet 100 percent of every student's demonstrated financial need; the creation of an Office of Diversity, Equity and Community; participation in the American Talent Initiative and the Posse Foundation; and the creation of the position of Director for Student Access and Success. "Historically, Lehigh has always ranked high on its transformative potential for its students. Our data on post-graduate success and external surveys and rankings confirm the impact this degree can have on a student's life trajectory. At this critical moment, it must be – and is – an institutional imperative to make certain that opportunity extends to all," Simon wrote.

Executive leadership at Virginia During his tenure as executive vice president and provost at the University of Virginia, Simon spearheaded a number of global initiatives, including the establishment of a new major in global studies and the opening of a physical presence for the university in Asia. The article described Simon as "angered and baffled by the decision, but it was unclear where this brewing crisis was headed and whether he could do anything to change its course. The stance he took, and the words he spoke, were risky and bold. They would, in the end, solidify his reputation with the faculty and add momentum to the movement that eventually swept Sullivan back into the presidency."

Academic career Prior to his time at the University of Virginia, Simon served as vice provost of academic affairs at Duke University from 2005 to 2011. At Duke, he guided the university's strategic planning process and drove initiatives aimed at connecting the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Additional references Web. John D. Simon, Duke Scientist and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, To Become University of Virginia's Executive Vice President and Provost University of Virginia, retrieved August 24, 2011. Web. John D. Simon, Executive Vice President & Provost University of Virginia, retrieved August 13, 2012.