Founded in 1865, Lehigh University is a four-year, medium-sized research institution in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The university's three campuses cover 1,600 acres and include more than 147 buildings that provide 3.6 million square feet of classroom, laboratory, library, performing arts, office, and living space. Lehigh does not envision abandoning its brick-and-mortar residential programs to become an online virtual university. The opposite is true—we are investing substantial resources in campus projects. So why would Lehigh engage in a five-year, Web-based, curricular research and development initiative?