Recent Strides in Enhancing Diversity
Bucknell believes that students learn best in an inclusive community that acknowledges, embraces and explores differences in race, ethnicity, culture, class, religion, political perspective, gender, sexual orientation and physical capability.
The third pillar of The Plan for Bucknell is clear: The University must unwaveringly embrace and seek to increase diversity in all its forms within a civil, supportive, and nurturing environment of open exchange. To increase diversity and to create an inclusive campus community, Bucknell has:
Committed to new administrative roles supporting diversity
Associate Provost for Diversity Bridget Newell joined Bucknell in fall 2012. In this newly created position, she will lead diversity initiatives including recruitment, retention and professional development for faculty and staff; diversity in the curriculum and in co-curricular programs; and connections with the broader community that can support and expand Bucknell's commitment to diversity. The new Associate Dean of Students for Diversity, Thomas Alexander, joined Bucknell in spring 2012. A campus-wide President's Council on Diversity convened in 2012 to recommend, monitor, assess and report on campus-wide programs, personnel organizations and policies that could support our diversity objectives and initiatives for students, staff and faculty.
Included courses on diversity and global awareness in new curricula
The new College Core Curriculum in Arts and Sciences includes a language requirement and the course categories Diversity in the U.S. and Global Connections. The new School of Management curriculum also includes courses on global understanding.
Implemented strategic admissions recruitment programs
Bucknell is working to recruit high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds through a number of Admissions efforts, including:
- forging partnerships with community-based organizations and charter schools, like YES Prep Public Schools and the Schuler Scholar Program
- establishing the Bucknell Community College Scholars Program, which creates opportunities and removes barriers for community college students to transfer to Bucknell University; President Bravman announced in 2011 that the University would fully support the program at the conclusion of its external grant funding
- expanding the Posse Scholars program beyond our partnership in Boston to recruit students in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles
- providing more than $44 million in need-based aid in 2011-12
- providing scholarships including the Clare Booth Luce Scholarships for women engineers
- increasing the number of international students recruited with each class
Created new programs to support student success
Created in 2010 through a partnership with Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international engineering firm, the Engineering Success Alliance provides targeting tutoring for engineering students who did not have access to a strong preparation in mathematics and science. The goal of this program is to increase diversity in Bucknell's engineering program and, in the long term, catalyze increased diversity in the engineering workforce.
The Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) Mentoring program matches first-year students of color with mentors who are liaisons to the academic, social, and cultural support mechanisms available at Bucknell University and within the Lewisburg community.
