May 15, 2025: Spring 2025 Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to share a summary of Bucknell's annual spring Board of Trustees meeting, held on campus from Wednesday, April 30, through Friday, May 2. Most Board committees convened remotely in the period before the on-campus full Board meeting. My sincere thanks to the staff, students and faculty whose thoughtful planning and active participation contributed to its success. Your efforts helped create a productive and meaningful meeting. 

Board Business and Budget Decisions

A primary focus of the Board's spring meeting was Bucknell's financial outlook and budget strategy for fiscal year 2026. During the business meeting, the Board, at the Finance Committee's recommendation, approved a balanced budget for FY26, which reflects anticipated net tuition revenue and strategic but unsustainably heavy use of designated funds. Vice President for Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer Dan Hungerford presented the comprehensive budget plan, which accounts for salary increases (3% overall for merit and 0.5% overall for market adjustments) and reflects our shared work to sustain academic excellence and operational stability amid significant and ongoing economic pressures. To that end, Dan also presented an analysis of our anticipated FY25 deficit of approximately $6.5M, and especially the market realities that reflected therein.

As part of the financial strategy, the Board also approved an increase in Bucknell's unsecured line of credit for operations, raising it from $30 million to $50 million. 

In the business meeting and at the recommendation of the Academic Affairs Committee, the Board passed motions to approve academic personnel changes for newly tenured and promoted professors and to approve the conferral of degrees at Commencement. 

Connecting with the Bucknell Community

The Board meeting provided several opportunities for trustees to connect with our community. On Thursday afternoon, trustees joined students for lunch in Bostwick Social House. That evening, at the University's annual spring faculty recognition event, trustees joined me in honoring 32 faculty colleagues who received tenure, achieved the rank of full professor, or were newly promoted to professional-track faculty positions, effective with the start of the fall 2025 semester.
We congratulated the following individuals for earning tenure:

  • James Kofi Arthur, assistant professor of mechanical engineering
  • Jen Berg, assistant professor of mathematics
  • Moria Cairns Chambers, assistant professor of biology
  • Soundarya Chidambaram, assistant professor of political science
  • Jeremy Chow, assistant professor of English
  • Doug Collins, assistant professor of chemistry
  • Sanjay Dharmavaram, assistant professor of mathematics
  • Annetta Grant, assistant professor of markets, innovation & design
  • Chase Gregory, assistant professor of English
  • Deepak Iyer, assistant professor of physics & astronomy
  • Manuel Larrabure, assistant professor of international relations
  • Andrew Sloboda, assistant professor of mechanical engineering
  • Rebekah Slodounik, assistant professor of German studies
  • Brian Smith, assistant professor of chemistry
  • Edward Talmage, assistant professor of computer science
  • Nicholas Tymvios, assistant professor of civil & environmental engineering
  • Janet VanLone, assistant professor of education
  • Lucas Waddell, assistant professor of mathematics
  • Yunjing Xu, assistant professor of East Asian studies

And we congratulated the following colleagues for their promotion to full professor: 

  • Kelly Bickel, associate professor of mathematics
  • Van Cyr, associate professor of mathematics
  • Lara Dick, associate professor of mathematics
  • Reggie Gazes, associate professor of psychology
  • Jeffrey Langford, associate professor of mathematics
  • Erik Lofgren, associate professor of East Asian studies
  • Jasmine Mena, associate professor of psychology
  • Or Rogovin, associate professor of languages, culture & linguistics
  • Christina Xydias, associate professor of political science

For the first time, we congratulated the following professional-track faculty members for their promotions:

  • Kylie Aikey, assistant professor of practice in business law
  • Alexander Fuchsberger, assistant teaching professor of computer science
  • Carley Gwin, assistant teaching professor of civil & environmental engineering
  • Rebecca Thomas, assistant teaching professor of electrical & computer engineering

Committee Reports and Strategic Updates

The Board's committee meetings comprised updates and discussion on a variety of strategic initiatives and challenges. The Advancement Committee discussed interim Center for Career Advancement leadership and the comprehensive campaign's progress, which has surpassed $258 million committed from more than 19,500 donors. The Equity & Inclusive Excellence Committee reviewed updates on the 7th Street House renovation feasibility study and the Dignity & Dialogue program. The Human Resources Committee received a summary of the Culture, Engagement & Well-being Survey results.

On Thursday, the Board participated in a day-long slate of presentations and discussions focused on University strategy, led by me; finances and budget, led by Dan; and athletics, guided by members of my senior team and a partner from the PICTOR Group, a consultancy we have retained that specializes in college athletics.

The trustees also passed a motion from the Nominating & Governance Committee to elect three new trustees to the Board for five-year terms beginning July 1, 2025. They are Jaynemarie Angbah '03; Barbara Rose O'Connor '89, P'20; and Steve Wise '94. They will join Paul Wythes '90, who was elected in April 2024 and will also begin his service this summer.

As we prepare to celebrate Bucknell's 175th Commencement this Sunday, I want to express my deep gratitude to each of you and the Board for your dedication and support throughout this academic year. Your commitment to our students, our mission and the vibrancy of our community is deeply appreciated.

Recognizing that a Board meeting summary cannot adequately convey the broader landscape of opportunities and challenges facing Bucknell — and higher education as a sector — much of what the Board discussed will be amplified in separate communications and fora with the community. In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to sharing a number of strategic imperatives that will provide overall context for sustaining, advancing and distinguishing our Bucknell.

Sincerely,

John C. Bravman
President