Top Stories
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Thousands attend Bucknell's 159th commencement
President Brian C. Mitchell welcomed the Class of 2009 to the ranks of more than 49,000 living Bucknell alumni worldwide on Sunday, May 17. [full story]
About 850 undergraduates and 40 graduate students received degrees at Bucknell's 159th commencement. Degree recipients represented 38 states and the District of Columbia and 15 countries. More than 8,000 friends and family members attended, and another 1,100 watched the University's first online broadcast of the ceremony.
In his address, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel encouraged graduates to "remember that it is possible by a kind of indifference to do so much to help evil triumph. Never be indifferent."
President Mitchell presented honorary degrees to Lauren Breakiron '52; former University President Gary Sojka; and Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who has been a "passionate advocate for justice and equality."
Class of '09 speaker Stephanie Rink said her classmates' experiences at Bucknell were the beginning of their reaching their potential. "Each of us has been impacted by what we have learned, what we have accomplished, and who we have interacted with," she said. "Each of us has made an impact on this campus."
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Bucknell welcomes alumni for Reunion Weekend
More than 1,900 people returned to the University for the four-day event. [full story]
Bucknellians representing 37 states and four countries attended Reunion Weekend, which was marked by warm weather and an all-new Reunion Rally. See photo galleries.
Reunion Rally was wholly new this year, featuring a theatrical, musical and multimedia production called "Time for Bucknell" that starred students and celebrated Bucknell history, alumni giving and alumni accomplishments. The show drew numerous ovations and lots of laughs.
In brief keynote remarks, President Mitchell addressed Rally attendees and described the major initiatives that are allowing the University to "change where we need to, while protecting the sacred elements of Bucknell," he said. These include more than 80 initiatives thus far achieved toward The Plan for Bucknell, the new campus master plan and the University's continuing $400 million comprehensive campaign.
Class gifts totaling more than $29.8 million were presented to the University. The Class of 1959 raised $3.8 million with 75 percent participation and earned all three Reunion giving awards, including the Pete Pedrick Cup, given to the class with the highest giving percentage.
The Bucknell University Alumni Association also honored its four 2009 Alumni Award recipients at Reunion Rally in a video and in-person presentation.
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Bucknell hires new chaplain and dean of admissions
The Rev. Thomasina Yuille and Robert Springall will join the University in July. [full story]
The Rev. Thomasina Yuille will bring her extensive experience leading a community congregation and participating in international humanitarian efforts to Bucknell as the University's new chaplain. A career Navy chaplain, Yuille completed two deployments in the United Arab Emirates as command chaplain aboard the 900-crew member USS Jason; served on the Chaplain Emergency Response Team at "Ground Zero" after the 2001 terrorist attacks; and organized, recruited and coordinated volunteers working at a humanitarian relief project in Mexico.
"Yuille is an ordained and well-seasoned pastor, counselor, administrator, educator and theologian who has provided a vigorous ministry to young adult populations in diverse, specialized and competitive environments," said Susan Hopp, dean of students. Yuille earned master's degrees in divinity and sacred theology from the Yale Divinity School and is a 2009 doctoral candidate at Hartford Seminary.
Robert Springall, Bucknell's new dean of admissions, has served as associate director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Central Florida since 2004. His admissions experience began in 1994 and includes positions at Cornell University, the University of Vermont and the Rochester Institute of Technology. "He has demonstrated a commitment to putting students first and to the educational values we embrace here at Bucknell," said Vice President for Enrollment Management Kurt Thiede.
Springall is co-chair of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling Middle Management Program and was the co-director and a faculty member for the National Association for College Admission Counseling Admission Middle Management Institute. He has a master's degree in higher education from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor's degree in computer science from RIT.
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Networking events launch nationwide
Parents and alumni are invited to B-Linked To speed networking events in June. [full story]
Speed networking offers Bucknell alumni and parents the opportunity to make new connections and serve as a resource for recent graduates. After registering online, participants receive a personalized schedule that pairs them with up to 12 other participants for six minutes each, based on their registration choices.
Events will be held during the week of June 22 in Boston; Baltimore; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Denver; Harrisburg, Pa.; Los Angeles; New York City; New Jersey; Philadelphia; and San Francisco. The cost is $15. For more information, contact Cathy McGinnis, program director of Alumni Career Services, at 570-577-1514 or acs@bucknell.edu.
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Student researchers blog from Spain
Allyson Marshall '10 and Jeffrey Williams '10 chronicle their experiences in and out of the lab during their 10-week stay at the University of Cadiz. [full story]
Thanks to a three-year, $324,000 National Science Foundation grant, two Bucknell students are conducting undergraduate research at the University of Cadiz in southern Spain. "The summer projects will provide students with hands-on laboratory experiences in organic chemistry, biochemistry and ecophysiology and more fully prepare them for careers in the scientific community, particularly graduate school," said Joanne Romagni, director of sponsored research at Bucknell.
Allyson Marshall '10, a bio-chemistry major, and Jeffrey Williams '10, a chemistry major, are detailing their experiences and posting photographs at the Undergraduate Research Blog. In his first post, Williams recounts meeting the president, or rector, of the University of Cadiz, and says he's practicing his Spanish by asking what's on the menu. "I wanted to know what I was eating because it still had eyes," he explained. "Tomorrow, we start Spanish-language lessons in the morning and lab work in the afternoon."
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Follow Bucknell on Twitter
You now have one more way to follow what's happening at Bucknell University. [full story]
Follow Bucknell on Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/BucknellU. The University is tweeting regular news and information updates as well as a few surprise announcements from time to time.
