May 16, 2022: Board of Trustees Spring 2022 Update

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share with you a summary of our annual spring Board of Trustees meeting, which took place on campus and concluded on Friday, April 29. My thanks to our faculty colleagues who participated in the various committee meetings, including Coralynn Davis, faculty chair; Gary Steiner, faculty secretary; Alan Cheville, incoming faculty secretary; and Professors Sue Ellen Henry, Collin McKinney, Karline McLain, Jasmine Mena, Xiannong Meng, J.T. Ptacek, Stu Thompson, Margot Vigeant and Lucas Waddell.

During the Board's one-day retreat, which preceded its regular meeting, the trustees engaged in significant discussion of several issues, including the status of free expression and inquiry at Bucknell in particular, and in higher education more broadly. This is certainly topical given the polarization of much of society, the coming midterm elections and even casual perusal of the academic media.

Provost Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak and I shared with the Board copies of the many Bucknell policy documents where free expression is described and, indeed, guaranteed, including relevant sections of our faculty and student handbooks. We also described the processes in place to protect that right for students, faculty and staff. All of these documents are currently available to our community; however, we will also highlight them on the Bucknell website so that they are easily accessible to everyone, and so that our commitment to free expression both within and outside the classroom is clear and evident.

Bucknell's commitment to free expression is embodied by a curious and engaged campus community that has and will remain open to hearing and learning from diverse perspectives. The Board and I agree that, in support of this long-held and deeply important principle, Bucknell must remain equally committed to supporting both inclusivity and civility on our campus as hallmarks of a liberal arts education that further strengthen our mission to develop critical thinkers who are prepared for active citizenship.

To that end, the Board has recommended that we actively engage our faculty, students and staff with regard to our adherence to and promotion of free expression, inclusivity and civility at Bucknell.

The Board's comprehensive inquiry highlighted the many opportunities and challenges before us. I am grateful for our trustees' willingness to invest in and support our long-held ideals of inclusivity, civility, critical thought and free expression at Bucknell, and will continue to update campus as our shared work progresses.

Following the Board's retreat, Vice President for Finance & Administration Eileen Petula presented the trustees with an update on planning for the FY23 budget. She described four motions to be presented in the Finance Committee meeting, all of which were subsequently passed: the creation of a quasi-endowment fund from a new and unrestricted bequest from the estate of Robert E. Malesardi '45, as well as the transfer into the Robert & Doris Fischer Malesardi Memorial Scholarship Fund of additional distributions that may be received from this estate; plan designs for the proposed renovation of Larison Hall for a cost not to exceed $1.25 million; the removal of the Bucknell West student residences (“the Mods”) and the construction of new student housing apartments at that location in a phased project for a cost not to exceed $55 million, with completion in fall 2023 and 2024; and approval of the FY23 budget.

Provost Mermann-Jozwiak shared with the Board updates on the University's continued work toward Middle States accreditation, student and faculty accomplishments and publications, and the successful conclusion of the dean of engineering and faculty searches. In her presentation to the Board, Faculty Chair Davis provided an overview of the University’s shared governance structure using exemplary charges to several faculty and University committees. By way of reminder, the Faculty Chair is now invited to address the Board at each of its three yearly meetings.

Vice President for University Advancement Scott Rosevear provided several divisional updates. The Center for Career Advancement continues to plan for and implement new programming and campus partnerships to address the increasing needs and heightened expectations of today's students, families and employers. Major campus events continue to look similar to those prior to the pandemic, such as the upcoming Reunion Weekend. Overall, year-to-date fundraising is significantly above the past two years, and the Annual Fund is on target to meet or exceed its goal.

Finally, the Board received an update on the organizing phase of the next campaign, including continued planning and the testing of the emerging campaign initiatives, with building the endowment for financial aid and scholarships as the most significant priority.

I am happy to report that two new trustees, Martin Gilliard '99 and Laurie Schmidt '99, were elected to the Board for five-year terms effective July 1. Three trustees are completing their 15 years of service effective June 30: Michael Flowers '76, Steve Holmes '79 and David Maurrasse. Their significant contributions to the Board and generosity to this University will be felt by generations to come. On a personal note, Steve's departure is especially significant to me, as he chaired the presidential search that brought me to Bucknell in 2010. To each of these trustees, I extend my deepest appreciation and gratitude for their loyal service and support of Bucknell.

It was a joy to resume our in-person celebration of faculty after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The trustees joined me in formally recognizing three years' worth of achievements from our faculty colleagues, including the promotion of 15 faculty colleagues who either received tenure or achieved the rank of full professor effective with the start of the fall semester of academic year 2022-23. Congratulations to the following individuals for earning tenure:

  • Owais Gilani, assistant professor of mathematics
  • Katie Hays, assistant professor of English
  • Qing Jiang, assistant professor of music
  • Jennifer Kosmin, assistant professor of history
  • Allison Lockard, assistant professor of education
  • Vanessa Massaro, assistant professor of geography
  • Darakhshan Mir, assistant professor of computer science
  • David Rojas, assistant professor of Latin American studies
  • Sezi Seskir, assistant professor of music
  • Hiram Smith, assistant professor of Spanish
  • Alia Stanciu, assistant professor of analytics & operations management
  • Ibrahim Sulai, assistant professor of physics & astronomy
  • Rebecca Switzer, assistant professor of chemistry
  • Xi Tian, assistant professor of Chinese language & culture
  • Christina Xydias, associate professor of political science

And to the following colleagues for promotion to full professor:

  • Mihai Banciu, associate professor of analytics & operations management
  • Elizabeth Durden, associate professor of sociology
  • Cymone Fourshey, associate professor of history and international relations
  • Peter Groff, associate professor of philosophy
  • Robert Jacob, associate professor of geology & environmental geosciences
  • Collin McKinney, associate professor of Spanish
  • Adrian Mulligan, associate professor of geography
  • Nathan Siegel, associate professor of mechanical engineering
  • Amy Wolaver, associate professor of economics
  • Thelathia "Nikki" Young, associate professor of women's & gender studies

With the end of the academic year upon us and not one but two Commencements close at hand, I know the demands on your time are great, and I thank you for all that you do for our students. Our work to create an even stronger Bucknell continues, and I look forward to engaging in this effort together.

My best,

John

John C. Bravman
President