Top Stories
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President Mitchell addresses University budget concerns
President Brian C. Mitchell provided an update to the University community on the worsening economy and its impact on Bucknell, stressing the steps the University is taking to respond to the situation and to be prepared should global conditions continue to deteriorate. [full story]
"Dave Surgala, vice president for finance and administration, and his staff worked with the Board of Trustees Finance Committee to develop a sophisticated integrated financial model with three balanced budget scenarios," said Mitchell.
"These budgets all work to protect the academic residential core that defines Bucknell and establishes our claim to superior educational quality as well as the development of sufficient resources to preserve the twin pillars of access and choice that define the essence of private higher education.
"The summary and FAQs pages delineate the requirements of a balanced budget by finding additional, ongoing savings and providing a cushion to be reserved that will accommodate any additional costs associated with greater financial need that may arise among our students and their families in the next academic year," he said. Read President Mitchell’s letter.
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Bucknell 5th best in value in SmartMoney rankings
SmartMoney magazine has ranked Bucknell University as the fifth best long-term value among liberal arts colleges and universities in its January issue. [full story]
The magazine’s new ranking, featured in the article,"Why the Ivies Aren’t Worth it," ranks colleges and universities based on their "return on tuition," or the cost of tuition compared with earnings potential after graduation.
"In a new twist on traditional college rankings, SmartMoney took a crack at quantifying the long-term value of a college education," the magazine says. "Our goal was to spotlight the relationship between tuition costs and graduates’ earning power."
With an alumni median salary of $54,100 three years after graduation and $110,000 after 15 years, Bucknell had an average "payback" or "actual 'return' on an educational investment" of 114 percent, according to SmartMoney.
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Bucknell Internship Challenge continues
Launched last month by the University Trustees, the Alumni Board and the Parents Board, the Bucknell Internship Challenge aims to secure 500 summer internship opportunities for Bucknell students by Feb. 1. So far, 150 alumni and parents have responded with 50 internship opportunities secured. [full story]
Alumni are invited to participate in the challenge by offering an internship or by joining the more than 20 groups that have signed up to be part of Bucknell's spring Internship Fair on Jan. 27 in Davis Gym. The perfect place to meet students from all majors seeking summer employment and internship positions, the fair allows alumni to generate awareness of their organizations and share information on internship opportunities available to our students. For more information, visit the FAQs page.
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Bucknell students, provost prepare for Katrina Recovery
A team of 18 Bucknell University students and Provost Mick Smyer are working with Habitat for Humanity volunteers in Louisiana from Jan. 5 to 12 to help rebuild an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. [full story]
Their goals are to help families move from trailers back to their homes as soon as possible, and to better understand the complex human and environmental issues related to the hurricane and its aftermath.
The students prepared for the trip by participating in a series of educational sessions in November. As part of this "mini-curriculum," they learned about some of the many facets of Katrina, including mental health, when Provost Smyer led a discussion on trends in mental health and aging before and after Katrina. Smyer and his wife, Pat Piper, are working with the Bucknell team.
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Success of women engineers at Bucknell draws $400,000 Luce grant
Bucknell has been awarded a five-year, $400,000 grant for 20 scholarships for women engineering students through the Clare Boothe Luce Program of the Henry Luce Foundation. Bucknell's Office of Admissions will match the grant with $1.2 million in scholarships, which will be awarded based on merit. [full story]
Bucknell has an exceptionally high retention rate among women engineering majors, who comprise 27 percent of the college, well over the national average of 17 percent, said James Orbison, dean of Bucknell's College of Engineering.
Typically, scholarships funded through Luce grants are awarded to college juniors and seniors, but the Bucknell scholarships will be given to first-year students.
"By the time women are juniors or seniors, the retention rate is very high," Orbison said. "Attrition predominantly occurs in the first three semesters, and the Luce scholarships will help us better attract and retain the very best women engineering students."
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Nine spring 2009 study abroad bloggers to post from four continents
Nine Bucknell undergraduates will be posting online updates about their academic adventures on four different continents. [full story]
The student bloggers – the newest crop to participate in Bucknell's Study Abroad Blog – began leaving in early January for destinations as diverse as Egypt and Argentina and Russia and China. The majors they represent are just as diverse – from civil and environmental engineering and psychology to economics and international relations.
The new bloggers are the fourth group to join the study abroad blog team. Selected in a competitive process, each is equipped with a digital camera to round out their posts with pictures and, for the tech savvy, short video clips. Our fall 2008 bloggers are winding down their adventures at Study Abroad Blog.
The Study Abroad Blog has proven a hit with readers. Since the first team of bloggers hit the road in July 2007, the blog has registered more than 31,000 visits and more than 250 student posts. Study abroad, too, is an important ingredient in the Bucknell experience. More than 40 percent of Bucknell's students study off campus sometime during their academic careers.
