Office of the Provost
The provost is the University's chief academic officer, with responsibility for leadership and oversight of all academic programs and research activities. Working with a team of faculty and academic administrators, the provost guides a diverse array of offices, councils and initiatives to steward Bucknell's academic mission and advance its strategic goals.
The mission of the Provost's Office is to lead and serve a diverse community by providing opportunities and procedures that support learning, innovation, creativity, scholarship and engagement.
Provost Wendy Sternberg
Wendy Sternberg, an accomplished academic with significant leadership experience in higher education, joined Bucknell in July 2024 after serving as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college at Occidental College since 2017. She has also served as the dean of academic departments and programs (2013-17) at Union College, her alma mater; and as associate provost (2008-12) at Haverford College. Her administrative career has been distinguished by her support for interdisciplinary teaching and learning; process-oriented and data-informed decision making driven by equity and fairness; and a commitment to the creation of inclusive campus communities that honor, value and respect all individuals.
During her tenure at Occidental, Sternberg reorganized the academic administration to improve coherence and effectiveness, and forged new collaborations with the student affairs division in support of student success. She also shepherded the Occidental academic program through the COVID-19 pandemic and led an effort to define academic priorities for the college's recently concluded comprehensive campaign.
At Union, Sternberg oversaw the college's academic departments and interdisciplinary studies programs, and was responsible for development, support and mentoring at all stages of the faculty career cycle. Additionally, she led the Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology review for four programs, and co-led planning on a $100 million science and engineering facility renovation/building project.
As associate provost at Haverford, Sternberg managed all non-tenure track appointments, overseeing college-wide assessment and serving as affirmative action officer for faculty searches. She taught for 18 years as a faculty member of Haverford's psychology department, contributing introductory and advanced courses in biological psychology, pain, stress, statistics and research methods.
Sternberg earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Union (1990), and both a master's degree (1992) and Ph.D. (1994) in psychology from UCLA, where she also was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. Her research program on the psychobiological underpinnings of pain served as a training ground for hundreds of undergraduate students and contributed important conceptual findings to the literature. Sternberg is the recipient of numerous grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
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Bucknell Makes Headlines Around the World
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS 2023-24
Bucknell nearly doubled its global media reach in 2023-24, appearing in media outlets in 56 countries, 25 more than in the preceding year. Bucknell faculty and University leaders appeared nearly 3,000 times across media channels, including stories in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education and on the cover of National Geographic. Learn why Bucknell experts are sought for their expertise on issues of global interest in our annual collection of media highlights.