Aug. 30, 2019: Campus Update

Dear Faculty & Staff Colleagues,

Welcome to the start of the 2019-2020 academic year at Bucknell. It is always exciting to see our students return to campus — and to meet our first-years, who are experiencing the wonder of college for the very first time. We have welcomed the Class of 2023 with another successful Move-in Day and New Student Orientation, capped by a beautiful Convocation and candlelighting ceremony on the Quad; many thanks to all who participated in one way or another. For those who have asked, my Convocation speech is now online, along with a photo gallery. As in years past, many first-year families let me know how much they appreciated our assistance and attention to detail during their students’ first days at Bucknell. I am proud to work with colleagues who are truly dedicated to providing the best possible experience for our students, from matriculation through Commencement and beyond. Thanks to all of the faculty and staff who helped ensure a warm welcome and smooth start for our newest Bucknellians. Bucknell business does not slow down between semesters — indeed, for many offices, it can be quite the opposite. Below I share my customary summer update on recent University initiatives and issues.

As I review our latest accomplishments and current projects, I am again struck by the remarkable successes we’ve achieved as a team — and I am excited about the new opportunities that will present themselves during this academic year. Together, we are truly making a difference in the lives of Bucknell students — those we know well, and those who are not yet born. Please accept my gratitude for your ongoing dedication to making the University the strongest and best possible version of itself as we embark on a new semester.

My best,

John

New Students
Many universities experienced an unexpectedly tumultuous enrollment season amid heavy competition for students, and Bucknell was no exception. Thanks to the tireless work of our Admissions and Financial Aid colleagues, the University was able to convert a significant number of students from the waitlist, arriving at a preliminary class total of 968 — 12 fewer than our target enrollment of 980, averting a projected shortfall of 30 to 50 students. As I have previously shared, we recognize shifting demographics as a challenge for institutions across higher education — one that was expected but arrived earlier than anticipated. We will continue to carefully analyze this enrollment cycle and adjust our approach as needed to recruit the Class of 2024 and beyond.

Our newest Bucknellians are a strong cohort of talented individuals. In addition to the 968 members of the Class of 2023, we welcomed 28 transfer students, 14 of whom are Bucknell Community College Scholars. They hail from 31 states, the District of Columbia and 42 countries. The first-year student body includes about 17 percent students of color, almost 6 percent international students and nearly 10 percent first-generation students. About 7 percent of our new students are Bucknell legacies. I offer my deepest thanks to our Admissions and Financial Aid teams as well as the many faculty, staff and students who helped in the recruitment process.

New Faculty
Following national searches, this year we are pleased to welcome 21 new tenure-line professors to the faculty. They bring expertise in a wide range of disciplines and offer exciting new perspectives to our intellectual community. We congratulate them and wish them the best as they launch their Bucknell careers.

- James Arthur, assistant professor of mechanical engineering
- Mark Atwater, associate professor of mechanical engineering
- Jennifer Berg, assistant professor of mathematics
- Nicholas Brady, assistant professor of Africana studies
- Adam Burgos, assistant professor of philosophy
- Courtney Burns, assistant professor of political science
- Jeremy Chow, assistant professor of English — literary studies
- Chase Gregory, assistant professor of English — literary studies
- Bekele Gurmessa, assistant professor of physics & astronomy
- Katie Hays, assistant professor of English — creative writing
- Ankita Kumar, assistant professor of markets, innovation & design
- Manuel Larrabure, assistant professor of international relations
- Karlos Malaga, assistant professor of biomedical engineering
- Karen McGrath, assistant professor of accounting & financial management
- Eddy Ng, professor of management & organizations and James & Elizabeth Freeman Professor of Management
- Jessica Pouchet, assistant professor of environmental studies & sciences
- Michael Reeks, assistant professor of mathematics
- Chet'la Sebree, assistant professor of English — creative writing, and director of the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts
- Thiago Serra, assistant professor of analytics & operations management
- Daniel Temkin, assistant professor of music
- Christina Xydias, associate professor of political science

I would also like to congratulate several other faculty colleagues for recent recognition of their teaching and scholarship. Professors Ghislaine McDayter and Geoff Schneider have begun three-year terms as presidential professors. Professors Matthew Bailey, Eric Faden, Renée Gosson, Janet Knoedler and Janice Traflet have all earned new appointments to endowed academic positions.

Additionally, I am pleased to announce the 2019-20 University Fellows, whose two-year appointments begin this fall. They are Professors Coralynn Davis, Donna Ebenstein, Peter Jansson, Eric Kennedy, Dustyn Martincich, Leocadia Paliulis, Brian Utter, Kat Wakabayashi and Peter Wilshusen.

Please join me in wishing all of these teacher-scholars well in their endeavors.

Administrative Updates
I have several announcements to share about changes in University administration as well. Following the successful conclusion of an extremely competitive national search, we welcomed Provost Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak as Bucknell’s chief academic officer on July 1. In her new role she is quickly getting to know colleagues across campus and immersing herself in Bucknell culture. Please join us on Monday, Sept. 23, from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Weis Center atrium for a reception to formally welcome Elisabeth to the University.

I wish to once again thank Vice Provost Robert Midkiff for his outstanding work as interim provost for the 2018-19 academic year. During this critical transition time, Robert provided strong and steady leadership, particularly in his dedication to the development of our Strategic Plan. We continue to advance national searches to fill several senior administrative positions.

The search process for the vice president of Communications has been underway this summer, and we expect to bring candidates to campus in the coming weeks. We are actively seeking a new general counsel as well, a search necessitated by Amy Foerster’s move to Pepper Hamilton LLP, where she co-chairs the firm’s higher education practice. Until the general counsel position is filled, Amy will continue to advise Bucknell on a consulting basis. We are still assessing candidates for the position of associate provost for diversity, equity & inclusion. Following a competitive process, Professor Thelathia “Nikki” Young was selected from a strong applicant pool to serve as interim in this key position for the 2019-20 academic year. Please join me in congratulating Nikki as she begins her new leadership role.

I recently announced the upcoming retirement of Bill Conley, vice president for enrollment management, effective July 1, 2020. Since joining Bucknell in 2012, Bill has drawn upon his years of expertise to improve our admissions and financial aid programs as well as the University as a whole. Under his leadership the diversity of our classes has increased significantly, and he has made a strong case for growing our financial aid endowment and for increasing the role of faculty in both recruitment and retention of students. I deeply appreciate Bill’s contributions to Bucknell and look forward to celebrating his accomplishments later this year.

Additionally, Vice President for Finance & Administration Dave Surgala has been working closely with me over the past few years to plan for his retirement, as well as for other senior transitions taking place within the University’s financial operations. I am pleased that he has agreed to stay on through this academic year. Dave has served in his role since 2003 and is a very special colleague with a deep well of knowledge, experience and credibility within and across our constituencies. We will start a search this academic year and aim for a multi-month overlap between Dave and his successor. I am grateful for Dave’s service and for all that he continues to do for Bucknell.

Strategic Plan
For the past two years, Bucknell faculty, staff and students have worked diligently to collaborate on an update of the University’s Strategic Plan. Last spring marked two significant milestones in our collective efforts, as the Board of Trustees and University faculty both voted to approve the plan. With its adoption, and building on our considerable momentum, our efforts now move into a new phase of work that will draw upon the talents and input of colleagues across campus. This semester, we will begin to identify the departments, offices and governance committees that will guide the development of the tactics needed to fulfill the goals of the plan.

We all have a role to play in shaping the future of the institution as we focus on a shared goal of elevating Bucknell to its highest position yet, ensuring it is well prepared to provide a distinctive and transformative education for many years to come. I look forward to continuing our good work on the Strategic Plan, and I thank you in advance for your dedication to this critically important endeavor.

University Budget
As I shared with you last spring, the University again had to reduce operating, capital and/or personnel expenses to achieve a balanced budget. Further, we know that our current financial model will not sustain long-term prosperity in an increasingly competitive environment. While the adoption of a new financial plan, as required by the Strategic Plan, will guide our investments and spending and strengthen our financial position, it is critical that we reinforce our efforts to stay within budget and exercise fiscal restraint. Our success in this endeavor will depend on participation across all departments and all staffing levels — not just during this fiscal year, but as a permanent mindset. Put simply, we need everyone’s commitment to ensure the University’s financial sustainability for generations to come. Whether you are making investment decisions or ordering office supplies, your actions make a difference.

To maximize these efforts, it is imperative that we begin with a shared understanding of our finances and challenges. Last spring, the Planning & Budget Committee (P&B) released an extensive report that offers significant context for both this year’s budget and our long-term financial model. If you have not read the report, I urge you to do so. By becoming familiar with our financial issues and potential solutions, we can more effectively collaborate to ensure a strong future for the University. This thoughtful document offers a concise picture of the University’s current finances; compares Bucknell with other institutions in terms of key markers such as discount rate, endowment and operating costs; summarizes external social and economic trends faced across higher education; and projects the outcomes of various action steps that have been proposed to strengthen our finances in the future.

The report represents the first of two stages of P&B’s charge. This fall they will begin the second stage and invite broad community discussion of specific areas of concern, which will inform a second report to be released this spring. I thank P&B for their important work, and I encourage you to be educated and active participants in these crucial conversations.

Campus Construction and Facilities Projects
Summer is in many ways the busiest season for our Facilities colleagues and contractors, whose work can be seen all over campus during these warm months. I hope you’ve had the opportunity to explore the newly opened Academic East, which greatly expands space for the College of Engineering and the Department of Education. Inside, you’ll find bright, spacious areas for student and faculty research, laboratory instruction, design studios, gathering spaces and offices. The building, which is expected to earn LEED Gold certification, offers breathtaking new vistas of south campus and the surrounding countryside. A dedication event for Academic East is scheduled for the evening of Oct. 23 in conjunction with the Board of Trustees fall meetings.

Even before we unveiled this new interdisciplinary facility, we began construction on another — a home for the Freeman College of Management and the Department of Art & Art History, located at the corner of Fraternity Road and Coleman Drive. This was the former site of Summit House, an affinity house that most recently hosted Fran’s House, which provides Bucknell students with LGBT*Q-friendly, gender-neutral housing. As I previously shared, Fran’s House has been relocated to Taylor Street House. Construction on the management and art building, which is targeting LEED Gold certification, began Aug. 1 and is expected to be completed in May 2021. You will notice a reduction in parking near the building site. Please allow extra time to park when you drive to work. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.

In keeping with our institutional sustainability goals, the University plans to install a solar array. Following a competitive bidding process, we have partnered with Encore Renewables, a Burlington, Vt.-based company, to design and build an array of solar panels that would provide 8 percent of the University’s electrical needs. The array would also provide educational and research opportunities for faculty and students across the disciplines. The proposed solar energy project, which is targeted for spring completion on approximately 8 acres of University-owned land near the Bucknell Golf Club, is under review by East Buffalo Township. We will have more information regarding its approval in the next month.

Our Facilities team completed numerous other projects this summer, the most visible of which include:

- A renovation of labs, classrooms and common spaces in Dana and Breakiron.
- The removal of the student mailboxes and installation of a new package locker system on the first floor of the ELC, which allows students to pick up mailed packages at any time of day.
- An expansion of the chilled water plant on lower Seventh Street, which will be completed in May 2020.
- New carpeting and paint for the first floor of Bertrand Library.
- A new steam line beneath the Grove, which provides heat to lower campus.
- Various improvements to residence halls and affinity houses.

My thanks to our colleagues in Facilities for continuing to ensure Bucknellians a superior environment in which to study, live and work.

Recycling Changes
The new academic year brings new recycling guidelines to our campus community, the result of recent changes in the recycling industry. Large processors of single-stream materials will no longer accept loads of recyclables that have been even slightly “contaminated” by food, liquids or plastic bags.

Please make sure that containers you recycle are completely empty, with no trace of food or liquid residue of any sort, as even very small amounts of these contaminants will result in the entire recycling dumpster being processed as trash. Do not place plastic bags in recycling bins, and do not bag items prior to recycling them. You will see reminders posted in recycling areas this fall.

Sustainability is a campus-wide effort, and we need everyone’s help. You can make the biggest impact by reducing the need to recycle in the first place — please remember to reuse items as much as possible to reduce waste. As part of our efforts to increase sustainability, Dining Services has introduced reusable to-go containers in Bostwick Marketplace and the Terrace Room. Students, faculty and staff may swipe their BUID to check out a reusable “clamshell” box for their takeaway meal. Upon returning the box, they swipe again to receive credit for a new box. The clamshells are provided at no cost; lost or damaged boxes may be replaced for $5. This program is used by many other schools and has the potential to significantly reduce waste at Bucknell, which serves 60,000 takeout meals each year. By making small daily changes, we can make our campus more sustainable — an essential goal of the Strategic Plan.

As the President’s Sustainability Council continues to develop the University’s Sustainability Plan, we seek greater input from the campus community. All faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in a working group to help identify the best path forward for our recycling efforts. Please contact sustainability@bucknell.edu to learn more, and thank you for your commitment to a more sustainable Bucknell.

Winter Break
Finally, I am pleased to share with you that we will once again extend the winter break for employees. It will start at the beginning of the day on Monday, Dec. 23, with University business resuming Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Expanding the winter holiday period allows us to greatly reduce University operations, which results in significant energy savings. It also encourages faculty and staff to take well-deserved time away to relax and recharge. As always, those required to work during this period will take time off during other periods in consultation with their supervisors. Non-exempt (hourly) employees required to work during this period will receive a premium rate of pay for those hours. I hope you enjoy a peaceful and relaxing time with family and friends during this extended break.