Top Stories
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Bucknell to broadcast Commencement live on website
Bucknell University will debut a live, online broadcast of this year’s Commencement on Sunday, May 17. [full story]
Viewers from around the world may watch Bucknell's 159th graduation ceremony, including a commencement address by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, by visiting the University's website at www.bucknell.edu/CommencementLive.
The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and is expected to go until 1 p.m., but viewers may connect as early as 9:30 a.m. to ensure a connection.
Viewers must have Windows Media Player installed on their computers to view the broadcast. Links to the current player for PCs and Macs will be included on the commencement viewing website.
Visit www.bucknell.edu/Commencement for more information on Commencement. -
Jim Orbison '75 to step down as dean of the College of Engineering
After nine years building Bucknell’s top-ranked engineering program, Orbison will resume his teaching responsibilities in fall 2010 as Bucknell faculty. [full story]
Orbison accepted the appointment as dean in 2000 after teaching for 18 years in the college. During his tenure, the College of Engineering added four new degree programs, opened the Breakiron Engineering building, boosted admissions by 75 percent and increased the number of female engineering students and faculty well above national averages.
“Jim has built and guided one of the country’s best engineering programs and helped ensure that it will have continued success in graduating engineers who are ready to address the challenges of the global community,” said Bucknell University Provost Mick Smyer. “We look forward to his continued engagement in the life of Bucknell and to his returning to his first love of working daily as a faculty member with students.”
The University is seeking nominations for an interim dean.
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Engineering students showcase work, earn awards
Student-designed medical devices impress officials at a local hospital, and a team of engineering students takes top honors in a regional competition. [full story]
Bucknell biomedical engineering students partnered with Geisinger Medical Center on their senior design projects to develop devices with Geisinger mentors and faculty advisers for use in general surgery, orthopedics, DNA research and urology. The students displayed their projects during a design exposition Tuesday, April 28, in Bucknell’s Dana Engineering Building.
“To have eager students and brilliant engineers helping us is great,” said Dr. Glenn Gerhard, who has worked with Bucknell students for the past three years. Geisinger officials filed paperwork to pursue further development and possibly a patent for two projects: an air bubble-removal mechanism and a device to suck out blood clots from tubing for surgical drains. Hospital officials are considering doing the same for the other projects.
The first-place finish for five Bucknell chemical and mechanical engineering students in April’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Student Conference ChemE Car Competition is another success story for the College of Engineering. The students also earned an invitation to compete at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ premier national conference in November.
Competing among a pool of more than 150 students from 16 universities, team members designed and constructed a chemically powered vehicle within certain size constraints. Bucknell’s ChemE Car team will next compete against nine regional finalists from around the country at American Institute of Chemical Engineers national conference Nov. 6–9 in Nashville, Tenn.
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Jessica Jackley '00 one of Time's 100 most influential people
The co-founder of Kiva, a nonprofit microfinancing company, ranks No. 69 in reader votes. [full story]
Jessica Jackley '00 is co-founder of Kiva, an online peer-to-peer microfinancing company that allows people to make loans to start-up businesses around the world. “Kiva is so much bigger than just me, so it's a huge honor to represent the organization in this way,” said Jackley.
Kiva, which means unity and agreement in Swahili, allows donors to make loans to entrepreneurs around the globe. Jackley's interest in applying business principles to address global poverty inspired her to launch the company in 2005. She was named Bucknell’s Distinguished Citizenship Young Alumni Award winner in 2008 for her work.
Jackley appears on the Time 100 list with many well-known figures, including President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama and Pope Benedict XVI.
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Alumni to be honored at Reunion Rally
Four alumni will receive awards for their loyalty and service to Bucknell. [full story]
One of many Reunion Weekend highlights is the Bucknell Alumni Association’s recognition of exceptional alumni with its Alumni Awards. Reunion Weekend is May 28–31, and registration is still open.
Stuart Berelson '59 will receive the Loyalty to Bucknell Award. He was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1983 and is chair of its risk management and legal committees. Berelson has also served as a member of the National Committee on Annual Giving, as a former Alumni Association director, and as president and vice president of the Alumni Club of Greater New York.
Ronald Billings '69 will be recognized for Outstanding Achievement in a Chosen Profession. Throughout his 40-year career, starting the summer he graduated from Bucknell, he worked his way through the ranks at Mobile Oil Corp. to vice president of ExxonMobil Gas Marketing responsible for ExxonMobil’s worldwide LNG business.
James Nevels '74 will receive the Service to Humanity Award. As former chair of the School Reform Commission, Nevels helped revive the Philadelphia School District after the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Education Secretary signed a Declaration of Distress. He is now the non-executive chairman of the board of the Hershey Company.
Katie Malague '94 will receive the Young Alumni Award. A senior program manager for the Partnership for Public Service, she has worked for a U.S. senator and Howard Dean’s presidential campaign. Her service to Bucknell includes helping organize the Bucknellians in Government event in Washington and serving on the Bucknell Alumni Association Board of Directors as chair of the Clubs and Young Alumni Committee.
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Bucknellians primed for professional success
The Class of 2008 achieves 93 percent post-graduate placement, and the Internship Challenge nets 514 summer internship opportunities for current students. [full story]
Nearly all of Bucknell’s Class of 2008 graduates are employed or in graduate school, according to the annual post-graduate survey conducted by the Career Development Center. “It’s remarkable. We’re in economic times none of us even imagined just a year ago,” said Pam Keiser, director of the Career Development Center at Bucknell. “It shows the value of a Bucknell education.” Ninety-seven percent of the Class of 2008 responded to the post-graduate survey.
For current Bucknell students, a record 514 summer internship opportunities are available to help pave the way for their future success, thanks to the Internship Challenge. “Internships are more important than ever in a student’s career and, in this challenging economic time, they are very difficult to secure,” said Alison Ordonez, manager of internships/career consultant at Bucknell’s Career Development Center. “It is amazing how alumni, parents and friends of Bucknell have stepped up to offer these wonderful opportunities to our students.”
