More than 4,400 members of the Lehigh community―alumni, faculty, students and their parents, staff and friends of the university―added their digital signatures to a steel beam for the new Health, Science and Technology (HST) building.

A video of the beam being hoisted into place will be shared online during Lehigh’s Founder’s Day celebration on Oct. 2.

“We’re taking a moment to recognize the construction progress and the impact the building will have in the learning and research community,” said Brent Stringfellow, associate vice president of facilities and university architect.

The 190,000-square-foot structure will anchor the northeast corner of campus and serve as a gateway to Bethlehem’s South Side community. The future home of Lehigh’s College of Health, it is scheduled to open in 2021. 

“This is a milestone moment,” said Lehigh President John D. Simon ’19P. “The issues that the world faces today are too complex to be addressed by a single discipline. The new building will provide the perfect environment for collaborations across disciplines and for innovative research to flourish.” 

Because of the strong response, more than one beam will ultimately carry the virtual  signatures. One beam will be 14 feet in length; the other two, 25 feet. 

“That more than 4,000 people have signed the beam demonstrates the level of enthusiasm our community has for the project and how we are able to come together as a community, even when many of us are remote,” said Provost Nathan Urban.

Progress on the new HST building can be viewed here.