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Student Life

One of the hallmarks of the Moravian University experience is the abundance of opportunities available to students, from research to music ensembles to sports to international study to internships, clubs, and more—and opportunities continue to expand.

Activities outside the classroom enrich learning and allow students to apply that learning and to practice life and career skills. They reinforce Moravian University values. And they’re fun!


Point of Pride

Moravian University’s Student Mathematics Conference enters its 33rd year in February 2019. The college hosts an astounding nine undergraduate research conferences, which draw students from across the mid-Atlantic region.
 

Student Life by the Numbers

  • 80 recognized student clubs and organizations
  • 20 NCAA Division III sports teams and 10 intramural clubs
  • 126 for-credit internships

 


millennium fellowship students

Moravian Students Prove Exceptional

Each year, the college witnesses students accomplishing the amazing. In 2018, a group of
 15 Moravian University students was one of only 30 cohorts selected from 285 college campuses across 57 nations for the 2018 UN-backed Millennium Fellowship. This award supports student leaders 
in advancing UN goals on their campus and in their community.

Over the fall 2018 semester, the Moravian University Fellows worked on a community program that encompassed food reclamation and food insecurity, housing insecurity, and LGBTQ+ outreach and partnership.


Alpha Alpha Alpha students

A New Honor Society

On March 24, 2018, Moravian University inducted
 105 members to the Alpha chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha, the first honor society in the United States
 to celebrate first-generation students.

Alpha Alpha Alpha was the brainchild of Associate Provost Carol Traupman-Carr, herself a first-generation college student. The society was incorporated in August 2018 and has accepted an application for an 11th chapter.


mo paw

A Token of Thanks

A MoPaw is a Moravian University way of recognizing extraordinary individuals in our community. It is a simple way to say thank you to people who have had an impact, big or small. The giver of a MoPaw pens a brief message on the back and sends it to the recipient.

The initiative—conceived out of Pillar 3 of the college’s strategic plan, which focuses on nurturing a culture of community—went live at the start of the 2015-16 academic year.

Number of MoPaws delivered:

  • 2015-16: 10,000
  • 2016-17: 20,000
  • 2017-18: 21,000

girls lacrosse

Lacrosse Came Back

In the spring of 2016, lacrosse returned to varsity play for the first time since 2010. The team competed as an independent and then rejoined the Landmark Conference in 2017.

“Because of our generous alumni and donors, we were able to return lacrosse to a varsity sport and build a field that can support the program,” says President Bryon L. Grigsby '90.


International students

International Experience


Students have been studying abroad since 1983 when French Professor Jean-Pierre Lalande began leading trips to Europe during what was then January Term. Today roughly 23 percent of our students participate in a study-abroad program. The national average for colleges and universities is 10 percent.

President Grigsby’s wish is for every Moravian University student to have a study-abroad experience, and Provost Cynthia Kosso is leading an initiative to make opportunities for international study accessible to all undergraduates. The trend is toward one-to- three-week faculty-led trips, which have traditionally taken place during spring break or May term. This year, the college will be offering a new winter-term program, debuting a trip to Tanzania.


heritage day

Honoring Our Heritage

Serving the community is a central tenet of Moravian tradition and hence of our college’s foundation. To honor our history and put in practice that commitment to service, we held our first Heritage Day on September 2, 2016.

Students, faculty, and staff are assigned to volunteer for various nonprofit organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley and regroup in the afternoon to reflect on their experience.

Participation has grown each year: 

2016: 1,195 students, faculty, and staff served 27 organizations

2017: 1,271 students, faculty, and staff served 44 organizations

2018: 1,281 students, faculty, and staff served 47 organizations


symposium

Our Own Shark Tank

In November 2015, the first Michael L. Karapetian 
’97 Entrepreneurship Symposium invited students 
to develop a thorough business plan and present 
it to a panel of judges. The top three entrepreneurs are awarded cash prizes.

Now in its fourth year, the symposium has added a new category, “Passion Projects,” for ideas that are not necessarily based on 
a profitable model but fit students’ passions and need a well-managed business plan for implementation and sustainability.