Iacocca Institute
111 Research Drive; 610-758-6723
Cheryl Matherly, Director, Vice President and Vice Provost, International Affairs and Interim Director, Iacocca Institute; Michael Schaefer, Associate Director; Carrie Duncan, Program Director; Mourica Sentine- George, Coordinator; Wagner Previato, Program Manager, Junior Reina Toc, Program Manager.
The Iacocca Institute creates transformative experiences that challenge, develop, and empower the next generation of global leaders. Its programs are immersive, highly diverse, cross-cultural, and experiential. The Institute collaborates with university and industry partners to bring the impact of these experiences to young leaders throughout the Lehigh community and across the globe. Over the years, the Institute has built partnerships on every continent and engaged 4000+ program participants, from students to mid-career professionals, from 150 countries.
Current Iacocca Institute programs include:
Iacocca Global Village for Future Leaders® (GV)
Now entering its 27th year, the Iacocca Global Village engages advanced university students (both undergraduate and graduate) and young professionals from around the globe in an immersive intercultural learning experience.
The Iacocca Global Village us available to a select number of Lehigh undergraduate/graduate students/young alumni and faculty/staff, as well as students and professionals from other universities and organizations worldwide. All Lehigh students, faculty, and staff receive a 50% program fee discount. In addition, the Institute awards 5-7 full Global Village program fee scholarships for Lehigh students and young alumni each year. A variety of scholarships and sponsorships are also available for international students and professionals through the Institute's global partner and alumni networks.
This program builds participants' leadership and entrepreneurship skills and demonstrates both the positive impact of culture and diversity in an organizational setting as well as the power of international networks. Iacocca Global Village combines a five-week residential intensive with a longer period of virtual community, programming and mentorship. During the five-week summer residency, Villagers live and work together, engage in consulting projects for international organizations, and participate inn leadership development and culture-sharing activities. The program strives to maximize diversity- 60 to 90 participants from 30-40+ Countries, including the U.S.-to facilitate intercultural learning. The highly active Global Village network has more than 2450 alumni from more than 140 Countries. Many GV alumni continue to serve the program as mentors, experts, and clients throughout their careers.
Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive (formerly the Pennsylvania School for Global Entrepreneurship)
Now in its 23rd year, the Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive (IGEI) brings top U.S. and international high school students together for a four-week intensive global leadership and entrepreneurship learning experience. This summer program challenges students to develop greater cultural awareness and leadership skills while practicing their design thinking with other students, faculty, and entrepreneurs. IGEI 2023 is a four-week on campus program that combines real-world learning opportunities and global experiences. Participants will work as part of an intercultural team, solving real problems for U.S. and international client companies. They’ll also meet other bright high school students from around the world, forming friendships that will last a lifetime. To date, IGEI participants include over 1600 students from 67 countries and 23 states. The Institute also plans to run additional virtual programs for global accessibility and options.
Iacocca Global Village on the Move (GVOTM)
Created in collaboration with the Institute’s network of global university and organizational partners, Global Village on the Move (GVOTM) programs are customized 7-10 day programs that provide immersive leadership and cultural experiences, tailored to regional themes, for local and global professionals, including Institute and Lehigh alumni. The Institute has worked with partners in Peru, Spain, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Italy, China, Russia, and India to deliver GVOTM programs in 12 cities on four continents over the past 23 years. This year we will be hosting a two-part GVOTM. The first part will take place virtually over seven weeks: 90 participants from over 25 countries will work in teams on real-world consulting projects as well as participate in an interactive virtual curriculum to learn about leadership and business. Participants will then attend an in country (location TBD) one-week intensive, where they will work as a cohort to solve an SDG related challenge and learn about local people and customs.
Additional custom programs and partnership opportunities
The Institute regularly develops customized experiences and hosts other intensive leadership programs that align with its mission. In summer 2023, the Institute will host 25 Fellows from sub-Saharan Africa for a fifth Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership in Business Institute, a program of the U.S. Department of State. In addition, the Institute will host a group of 50 high-school students virtually from Osaka, Japan for a one-week business, entrepreneurship, & SDG intensive experience.
The Iacocca Institute was established in 1988 in partnership with Lehigh alumnus and automotive icon Lee A. Iacocca ‘45, former chairman and chief executive officer, Chrysler Corporation.
For more information, contact Michael Schaefer, Associate Director (mrs406@lehigh.edu), Director, Iacocca Institute, Iacocca Hall, Lehigh University, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015.
