SSI brings together Lehigh University faculty, students and staff with the people of Bethlehem to share knowledge, foster democracy, and improve the quality of life in our city and region. SSI rests on the proposition that the teaching and research mission of the university as well as the quality of life in Bethlehem will be enhanced by community-university collaborations that allow for the sharing of local forms of knowledge, historical memory, and cultural practice. SSI ultimately provides a forum to address pressing challenges in the Lehigh Valley by creating opportunities for informed democratic deliberation and action.