We are excited to gather at Lehigh University this spring for the 8th FGLI Consortium Annual Colloquium. Below is all of the information you will need for our time together. If you have any other questions, please send us an email at admin@fgliconsortium.org.

Colloquium Topic: FGLI Student Support in a State of Emergency

In the last decade we have witnessed what seems to be the increasing regularization of emergency states–from wide-spread civic unrest to global pandemics and political protest to large-scale natural disasters. This prolonged “state of emergency” has had a keen impact on higher education, particularly in our work to support students whose socioeconomic status makes them especially vulnerable in emergency conditions. 

As administrators, we have been called to be nimble amidst and within this state of constant change, creating (and often recreating) institutional policy and structures, developing response plans, and providing logistical, financial, and emotional support for students experiencing uncertainty, loss, and grief. 

This year’s Colloquium will serve as a forum to discuss how this climate has and will continue to shape the experience of our FGLI students, as well as our own roles and responsibilities. We will focus on scholarship that examines what it means for a person or system to face prolonged emergency states and we will discuss how this applies in our FGLI student communities. Taking into account case studies of emergent situations from the past few years, we will consider and develop best practices for student support and institutional response. We will also explore the organizational structures of our institutions and create plans of action for strategic connections that will allow us to inform decision-making from our respective positions. Finally–and importantly–we will take time to learn about how to balance our service to others with our own needs and vulnerabilities.

Agenda and Location


All events will take place at the Linderman Library on the Lehigh University campus, with Thursday evening dinner at Fiamma Italian Grill in downtown Bethlehem.

Please plan to arrive on campus by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 6. Our Colloquium will conclude at 3:00 p.m. the next day, Friday, March 7.

  • Thursday, March 7: 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. - Dinner Provided

  • Friday, March 8: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Breakfast and Lunch Provided 

Detailed Schedule

Thursday, March 6

  • 3:00 - 3:15 p.m. Check-in and light refreshments

  • 3:15 - 4:00 p.m. Welcome, Introductions, and Group Activity

  • 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Reading Discussion

  • 5:00- 6:00 p.m. Table Activity

  • 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. Transition to dinner

  • 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner at Fiamma Italian Grill, 2118 Schoenersville Road

Friday, March 7

  • 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast

  • 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Group Activity

  • 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Reading Discussion

  • 10:30 - 10:45 a.m. Break

  • 10:45 - 11:45 a.m. Table Activity

  • 11:45 - 12:00 p.m. Group photo

  • 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Lunch

  • 12:45 - 1:30 p.m. Reading Discussion

  • 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. Tricky Topics roundtable conversations

  • 2:45 - 3:00 p.m. Wrap-up and Good-byes

Accommodations & Travel

Guests have two options to choose from for hotel reservations.

  • Comfort Suites Bethlehem, Average rate of $139/night. Book through this link.

  • Hotel Bethlehem, Average rates for standard queen $199/night

    The Hotel Bethlehem is offering a 15% discount to conference attendees. To book, guests can call 888-231-9320 directly and ask for the "Lehigh Friends and Family" rate.

Travel to Campus

Air or Bus Travel
Philadelphia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport are all within a two-hour radius of Lehigh’s campus. Furthermore, you can use the local airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport, to catch connecting flights to larger hubs. Trans-Bridge Lines has service to the Bethlehem Transportation Center from NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal.

  • Detailed instructions on how to travel to Lehigh University can be found at this link.

Parking Options
Campus parking information will be provided closer to the start of Colloquium.

Past Colloquia

Wesleyan University (2023)

Princeton University (2022)

Virtual Colloquium (2021)

Williams College (2019)

The University of Chicago (2018)

Northwestern University (2017)