Academic Year 2015-16

To the Bucknell Community:
This past January Bucknell celebrated the Martin Luther King holiday with a series of events sharing the theme "The Violence of Hate." Several hundred members of our community packed into the LC Forum one night to hear from four fathers who each lost a child in the Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting. Incredibly, the title of their discussion was "Four Fathers, Four Journeys: Sandy Hook - Violence, Loss and a Way Forward." Their ability to see hope in the face of unimaginable loss was almost beyond comprehension.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I write to share with you a summary of our spring Board of Trustees meeting, which was held on campus from Thursday, April 28, to Saturday, April 30.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I am delighted to inform you that our search for Bucknell University's next Dean of Engineering has reached a successful conclusion. Please join me in welcoming Patrick T. Mather to the Bucknell community.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Ken Ogawa has accepted the position of associate vice president for facilities, bringing that important search to a very successful conclusion. He will report to Vice President for Finance & Administration Dave Surgala and will serve as a standing member of the President's Sustainability Council.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I write to share with you a summary of the most recent Bucknell Board of Trustees meeting, which took place in Washington, D.C., from Thursday, Jan. 28, through Saturday, Jan. 30.

Dear Fellow Bucknellians,
Though every one of us contributes to the future of this University and what it will become, it is a rare occasion that I have the privilege of sharing with you news of a transformational moment in Bucknell's history. Today is one of those occasions.

Dear Bucknellians,
Over the ​past ​few weeks we have all become aware of different forms of activism taking place on college campuses across the nation. These efforts are aimed at creating more inclusive campus communities and addressing issues of discrimination, intolerance and hate. 

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
The Board of Trustees held its annual October meeting on campus last week, from Thursday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 17. As expected, the majority of the Board's time was spent deliberating its decision to establish a College of Management, which I shared with you on Saturday shortly after the meeting concluded. Below is a brief summary of the other important business the Board conducted during its time on campus.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
In the coming days I will share with you with my customary summary of the annual October Board of Trustees meeting, which concluded today. But it seems appropriate to write to you now concerning an action taken by the Board regarding the College of Management. Today, the Board voted to establish a College of Management, effective July 1, 2017.

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I hope the summer months left you rested and restored for what I know will be an exciting 2015-16 academic year. We begin the semester with challenges to overcome, opportunities on which to act and accomplishments to celebrate.

Dear Colleagues,
I hope this note finds you well and that were able to enjoy some good time off this summer. It seems impossible that the calendar now reads "August," a reminder that the official start of the academic year is just weeks away. This year, August also marks a time of significant and exciting change — including changes to my senior staff that will help shape the future of Bucknell.