Top Stories
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Applications are up, but class size stays the same
With the admissions season now concluded, Bucknell has announced that a near-record number of students applied to be admitted to the University's Class of 2011. [full story]
But while the application pool of 8,945 was the second highest in Bucknell history, down less than 1 percent from the record 9,021 students who applied for the Class of 2010, the actual enrollment for Bucknell's newest class will be about 900, a level that has remained steady in recent years.
In the past decade, enrollment for the incoming class has ranged from 889 to 953.
"This year's admissions process was among the most selective in the University's history," said Kurt Thiede, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions at Bucknell. "Academically, the Class of 2011 is one of the strongest on record."
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Exploring Hindu art, and building a better robot
With funding from major grants, two Bucknell professors are taking their research to new levels – and locales. [full story]
• Karline McLain, assistant professor of religion, received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to study the legacy of Raja Ravi Varma — a late 19th-century artist whose influence can be seen in today’s popular Hindu art.
The NEH summer stipend grant is funding McLain’s six-week research trip to India American Academy.
“Historically, Hinduism has been hard to define as a religion,” said McLain. “Scholars have studied how literature has helped to create a more unified Hindu identity, but my project argues that printed images also played a role, and that Varma’s lithographs were at the heart of this process.” In audio interviews, McLain discusses Varma and god posters, how she incorporates research in the classroom, and her inspiration for the project – Hindu comic books.
• A National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Opportunity Award (ROA) recently took Keith Buffinton, professor of mechanical engineering at Bucknell, to Ohio State and Stanford to work on creating a bipedal robot that is more agile than predecessors like Honda’s well-known “Asimo.”
He collaborated with Stanford Professor Ken Waldron and Alex Perkins ‘05, a Stanford Ph.D. student and Bucknell graduate. Buffinton helped to develop mathematical models that simulate the behavior of two-legged running robots.
Buffinton and Perkins have maintained the type of exceptionally close faculty-student relationship that is characteristic of Bucknell. They crossed paths in courses, campus organizations, projects, and research, and co-authored and -presented papers in Cambridge, Mass.,and Osaka, Japan
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New Catholic Chaplain arrives on campus
Father Michael Letteer settled into Newman House in June to begin his new role as director of the Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM). He replaces Father Marty Moran, who was named executive director of the national CCM Association after nine years at Bucknell. [full story]
The Diocese of Harrisburg assigned Fr. Letteer to the post of Catholic chaplain, where he will tend to the spiritual needs of the nearly 1,100 students who have self-identified themselves as Catholic. He joins Reverend Ian Oliver, University chaplain, and Rabbi Serena Fujita, Jewish chaplain, in serving the lively interest in faith and religion shared by many Bucknell students.
While Fr. Letteer plans to continue CCM’s popular student programs, such as the Thursday night dinners and “Theology on Tap,” he has also issued an invitation for member ideas and suggestions. “I want to find out what their interests are, and what excites the students,” he said. “My goal is to give them a personal experience with the Catholic faith on a day-to-day basis.”
He also welcomes the opportunity to build upon the University’s ecumenical efforts and to meet other CCM supporters in the Bucknell community. “I look forward to meeting with alumni to hear about their experiences,” Fr. Letteer said. “A great deal of this program’s success is made possible by the time, talent, and treasure of students, faculty, alumni, parents, and friends of Newman House.”
Fr. Letteer previously served as parochial vicar of several churches in the Harrisburg area. He has been actively engaged with Diocesan youth programs, retreats, and education.
A native of Lancaster, Pa., Fr. Letteer graduated from the University of Scranton. He went on to study at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pa., where he earned a master of divinity and a master of arts degree in Biblical scripture, both with high honors. He has special interests in archaeology, history, and culture, particularly of Biblical lands.
Fr. Letteer speaks six languages and frequently leads pilgrimages abroad. His previous destinations include Israel, many countries of Eastern and Western Europe, Ireland, Russia, Greece, Turkey and China.
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Mathewson in College Baseball Hall of Fame
Bucknell's Christy Mathewson 1902 was named to the inaugural College Baseball Hall of Fame Veteran Class on July 3. He is one of four pre-1947 players inducted as a part of a celebration of college baseball held in Lubbock, Texas. [full story]
Bucknell's most famous athlete was not only one of the pre-eminent athletes of his era. He also helped dispel the popular notion at the time that elite sportsmen could not also be well-educated gentlemen.
Mathewson left Bucknell in 1901 to pursue his burgeoning baseball career, going on to help the New York Giants win four pennants during his 14-year tenure with the club. His performance in the 1905 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics is still considered one of the most remarkable pitching feats of all time. He pitched three shutouts in a five-day span to lead the Giants to the title.
Mathewson, who is often regarded as baseball's greatest pitcher, was one of five original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Bucknell Hall of Fame in 1979. A three-sport athlete at Bucknell, he played football, basketball and baseball. Read more about his induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
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BJRE reunites for concert at Weis Center
Original members of the Bucknell Jazz & Rock Ensemble (BJRE) gathered at the Weis Center on June 30 to give their first Lewisburg concert since 1974. [full story]
The concert performance, "Mid Life Crisis Tour," was recorded for the group’s upcoming CD. BJRE plays popular American music from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Formed in 1971 with 21 musicians and five singers, BJRE gained an international following through its extensive touring throughout North America and
Europe. In 1974, they became the first U.S. university jazz ensemble to tour behind the Iron Curtain with sold-out performances in East Berlin and Prague. BJRE is directed by Dory Vanderhoof ‘75, who trained as a saxophonist, music director and arranger.
