“Lehigh strives to earn international prominence as a university of special distinction through its integration of teaching, research, and service to society. The integrating element of teaching, research and service is learning, which is the principal mission of all members of the Lehigh community.” Lehigh University Mission Statement

To further Lehigh’s mission, we are guided by a compensation philosophy designed to attract, retain and motivate our talented faculty and staff who drive Lehigh’s success. We strive to maintain a competitive pay posture that reinforces our stated values and aligns the rewards of working here with our common goals. 

Overall Pay Philosophy

Lehigh competes for talent with many different markets: local trades, regional administrative leadership, national higher education, and international academics. We strive to stay consistently competitive in the appropriate markets and utilize the most appropriate benchmarks and surveys. This means compensation programs are not fixed or frozen but do follow guidelines and provide predictability. 

  • Lehigh strives to attract, retain and motivate superior faculty and staff by paying an average base salary at the 50th market percentile and offering better-than-competitor benefits;
  • New hires, particularly new to the role, will generally be paid below the 50th percentile, although relevant experience will be considered;
  • Lehigh uses a broad band classification system allowing a greater range of flexibility and within-band discretion, while still providing guiding boundaries;
  • For specific target positions we may craft a more tailored pay strategy (i.e. between the 50th and 75th). For specific target groups we may craft a more tailored strategy (i.e. to not pay below the 25th).
Performance and Merit

We value an inclusive environment where diverse talents align to contribute toward the same vision. Merit is a factor of individual performance plus participation in an environment that helps us all succeed. Lehigh, therefore, rewards individual goal achievement plus teamwork as exemplified by our university values and core success factors. 

  • Increases to base salary are awarded annually congruent with performance feedback as informed by the performance management process and in alignment with Lehigh’s budget process;
  • There are additional opportunities to recognize exceptional university contributions with one-time bonuses via university awards and local contributions at VP’s discretion within university parameters;
  • Guideline ranges will be provided annually to optimize recognition of high performing individuals while adequately rewarding all successfully performing contributors. Unsatisfactory performance may result in no increase;
  • Our intent is to work within budgetary constraints to enable successfully performing colleagues to reach market mid-point in 5-7 years. 
Equity

Our compensation philosophy supports our commitment to the Principles of Our Equitable Community. Recognizing both the healthy movement of colleagues within Lehigh as well as the dynamic market for talent, we constantly update our data and calibrate our pay decisions.

  • Lehigh purchases defined salary surveys annually and calibrates position descriptions at a minimum every 4 years;
  • At the university level, there may be times when Lehigh chooses to budget extra in order to address emerging pay equity issues;
  • Consistent with the Principles of Our Equitable Community, on an annual basis, Lehigh analyzes pay equity by gender and represented (over/under) status.
Total Rewards of working at Lehigh University

Also true to the Principles of Our Equitable Community, we invest a large part of our compensation budget into creating an environment where each dedicated colleague is motivated to perform at their best in pursuit of a noble cause.

  • Lehigh benchmarks against a peer group of academic institutions to craft a benefits package with competition-leading Time Off benefits while providing a better-than-median range of Health Care choices;
  • Lehigh maintains a competitive posture in retirement contributions and employee wellness programming;
  • Aligned with our educational mission, we invest heavily in employee/family education benefits. We also encourage career development through a robust staff training and development model including skills training, management and leadership development, mentoring and community service opportunities.