Howard Polsky ’73
Because he grew up on Lehigh Ave. in Burlington, New Jersey, Howard Polsky ’73 added Lehigh to a list of colleges that he was given by his high school counselor. One visit was all it took for him to know he belonged on South Mountain.
Over four years, the culture shaped him. It began with a three-day band camp with the Marching 97 in place of freshman orientation. He remained with the band all four years and performed at half-time at two nationally-televised NFL games.
He joined Sigma Nu and was elected by the student body to the Forum. He welcomed the arrival of Lehigh’s first women and participated in all of the traditions – the bed races, Turkey Trot, bonfire, Rivalry football game, and intramurals.
He learned constitutional law with Howard Whitcomb, professor of government, and economics with Nicholas Balabkins, professor of economics. He got razzed by his brothers for going to Linderman Library every night but Saturday to study.
“The Lehigh culture is hard to duplicate anywhere else,” he says. “Graduates of other universities I have met in my career don’t have the same kind of feelings for their alma maters as I do for my alma mater.”
His career began in Washington D.C. Eight students from his law school spent a semester there to learn from government officials in various agencies and on Capitol Hill. He fell in love with communications law and launched his career at the FCC. Soon he was an associate in the D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis, and then a partner at Wiley, Rein and Fielding, specializing in telecommunications regulation.
He next took a calculated risk and stepped out of law and into government relations at COMSAT Corporation, a global satellite company created by an Act of Congress. When COMSAT was acquired by Lockheed Martin Corporation, Polsky served as general counsel of its Global Telecommunications business unit.
Finally, he spent 15 years as general counsel of K12 Inc. (now Stride, Inc.), America’s largest provider of online education for K-12 students – a company he helped take public in 2007 when he rang the bell at the NYSE. His career success was honored as a distinguished alumnus in the field by the Lehigh Lawyers Association.
His fond memories of Lehigh, coupled with his desire to give back, now has Polsky active across the university through his involvement and investment. He served for two terms as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) for the College of Arts and Sciences. Today he is chair of the DAC for the College of Education.
Polsky created an endowment to advance the study of American democracy and law which, among other things, provides awards for student essays on foundational constitutional principles. Motivated by free speech issues, he also stepped forward to support President Helble’s idea for Compelling Perspectives, a speaker series that brings to campus renowned public figures to discuss contemporary societal issues and promotes respectful discourse.
His support for Lehigh does not end there. He believes the Lehigh model of college sports, which emphasizes both academic and athletic excellence, should be embraced by alumni. Accordingly, he is a regular donor to Lehigh football, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, and volleyball.
“Lehigh is on the move,” he says. “Its vision is always looking ahead to create the academic programs, facilities, and social and athletic experiences to equip its graduates to become respected leaders in their chosen professions—as well as alums that generously support the next generation.”
