Feb. 15, 2019: Winter 2019 Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing with a summary of our winter Board of Trustees meeting, which took place last week in Washington, D.C. As is customary, the Board had substantive discussions during its executive sessions and conducted much of its business through its designated committees. My thanks to Prof. Bill Kenny, faculty chair; Prof. Gary Steiner, faculty secretary; and Profs. Chris Magee and Ryan Snyder for attending the various on-site meetings.

I am pleased to share that, after a number of years of deliberate and thoughtful planning, the Board approved construction of a new facility to be shared by the Freeman College of Management and the Department of Art & Art History. The estimated 79,500-square-foot facility is an exciting opportunity to expand the University’s interdisciplinary strengths. It will feature a number of contemporary teaching spaces for both programs, including a lab for Management 101; studio spaces where markets, innovation & design students will be able to share and develop ideas; and a lab to support the Freeman College's planned business analytics major. The building will also provide the Department of Art & Art History with photography labs, and digital arts, drawing and multi-use studios.

Construction of the facility, which will be located at the intersection of Coleman Hall Drive and Fraternity Road, is expected to begin this June with an estimated completion date of December 2020. It is being designed with the goal of receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The building will cost an estimated $49.6 million, more than half of which has already been raised through the support of our donor community, including a currently anonymous eight-figure naming gift that we announced in November. The remainder of the project will be funded by additional fundraising and applying our low-interest debt.

The Board arrived at this decision informed by the good work of the project steering committee, as well as a number of other faculty and staff colleagues. My thanks to all of you who have invested a significant amount of time and energy to help the University reach this point.

As I shared last fall, the construction of this new facility means that Summit House — which has for several years been home to Fran’s House, the affinity home that serves our LGBTQ community — will be razed. Interim Provost Robert Midkiff has worked with our LGBTQ students and others to identify Taylor House on Saint George Street as a current replacement. We continue to discuss long-term plans for Taylor Hall and the Art Building. Among the options for the Art Building, given its current state and location over Miller Run, is to raze that facility as well.

Each winter meeting, the Board takes up the issue of compensation for Bucknell’s faculty and staff. This year, based on the recommendations of the administration, which were informed by the University Planning & Budget Committee, the Board approved increases to the faculty and staff compensation pools. As a result, division and department leadership will receive 2 percent of the total compensation within each of their respective areas, which will be used for salary increases based on individual performance. Those increases will take effect July 1, 2019. The Board also approved a 0.5 percent increase to the compensation pool to be used for promotions and market adjustments. In addition, the Board addressed the University's comprehensive fee for the 2019-20 academic year. We will share that information with our students and their families before making a public announcement.

The Board also engaged in an informative discussion on the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed changes to the regulations implementing Title IX as it relates to sexual misconduct. During the conversation, which was led by General Counsel and Chief of Staff Amy Foerster, we discussed what I believe to be the more problematic pieces of the draft regulations, several of which I addressed in a letter to Secretary DeVos last month.

The Board had productive conversations around our strategic planning efforts, and it had the opportunity to discuss the current draft plan, which our trustees received shortly after it was shared with students, faculty and staff earlier this month. Robert and I talked with them about the draft and the process moving forward, and they look forward to voting on a final plan in April, which is when the work of implementing the plan will begin. Allow me to take this occasion to again point you toward the current draft of the plan, along with the various opportunities to discuss and provide feedback on the document. In addition, and as previously mentioned, we will soon offer the ability to comment on the plan online as well.

In closing, I am as optimistic about Bucknell’s future as I have ever been. Through our strategic planning efforts — and the great work that we do together every day — we have the opportunity to elevate Bucknell to a position of strength and distinction that will further serve our mission of providing our students with a truly transformative educational experience.

With deep gratitude,

John