May 17, 2026: Commencement 2026, Remarks by President John C. Bravman

Please be seated.

Well, good warm morning everyone! I am John Bravman, 17th president of Bucknell University, and it is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to our 176th Commencement ceremony.

Congratulations, Class of 2026!

We also warmly welcome Bucknell faculty and staff, with deep gratitude for the commitment that made this day possible for our 995 degree candidates. On behalf of all University employees, it has been a deep privilege to be part of your growth, and we are so proud to join you today to celebrate your many accomplishments.

Most importantly, we also warmly welcome your families and friends. Whether they are here in person or watching the livestream from other parts of the world, their encouragement and support helped you reach this milestone. Candidates, would you please rise, turn around, and thank your family and friends assembled here today?

And now, if I could ask the entire audience to rise, please, and thank the faculty and staff here assembled for what they have wrought with your children!

Please be seated.

In the Class of 2026 Convocation address, about 1,340 days ago, I spoke about my belief that we all share responsibility for doing difficult work. There will always be difficult work, even if the specific challenges may change from generation to generation or, more lately, from year to year, and even from month to month.

Here at Bucknell, our community has felt the impact of national and global challenges – from economic pressure and climate change to the brutality of warfare. 

I also note that you have experienced loss on a more personal level, including that of a beloved friend and classmate, Andi Bushati. Our hearts are with Andi’s parents and family members today. Please join me for a brief moment of silence in his memory.

And yet, despite it all, you found shared joy in special moments over the past four years. Many, I imagine.

Some of you saw A-Rod sinking that half-court shot at Sojka Pavilion, winning $10,000 for a lucky student. Maybe it was walking or running with friends on the new Bucknell Greenway path. And being the first senior class in recent history to celebrate Bucknell’s Charter Day, when some of you braved freezing temperatures to cling to the bison statue for hours and hours and hours on end.

All of these experiences, together, shaped your path to this moment here this morning – as individuals, and as a class.

I opened your Convocation in August of 2022 by quoting John Kennedy's famous 1962 speech at Rice University, in which he boldly announced the United States’ intention to land a man on the moon. I’m just old enough to remember those moments. "We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

That day, I challenged you to embrace difficulty from your very first night on campus — not despite its discomfort, but because of what it demands of all of us.

President Kennedy's words found new resonance just a few weeks ago when, for the first time since 1972, humans left Earth's orbit and flew around the moon.

The world was captivated by the Artemis II and its crew, from the April 1 launch through the April 10 splashdown. For a brief, shining moment, our collective attention was turned to the miracle of space travel and our deeply shared humanity. We were reminded of what is possible when we believe deeply and work together.

President Kennedy’s 1962 challenge continues to inspire new generations to do hard things. As you begin your next chapters, be confident in your ability to embrace difficulty, navigate uncertainty and reach your goals. You are ready to pursue your own Artemis II.

And now, it is my deep pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, Mr. Ken Freeman, a loyal member of the Class of 1972, three-term member of the Bucknell Board of Trustees and recipient of the 2018 Stephen W. Taylor Medal, the University’s highest honor. Ken was selected to be the class speaker today by the senior class officers.

Fifty-four years ago, Mr. Freeman was sitting where you are now, about to launch a stellar career that began at Corning Incorporated, where he held finance and management roles. He continued to become chairman and CEO of its Quest Diagnostics spinoff, skillfully guiding the company’s rise to global leadership in diagnostic information services.

Next, Mr. Freeman served as a partner in one of the world’s leading investment firms, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. His exceptional accomplishments earned him recognition as one of Harvard Business Review’s “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World” in both 2010 and 2013.

But more recently, Mr. Freeman served as interim president of Boston University. He is also Dean Emeritus and Professor of the Practice at BU’s Questrom School of Business, where he served for eight years as the Allen Questrom Professor and Dean. Deeply committed to undergraduate education, he is forever immortalized at Bucknell by the College of Management named in his honor and made possible by him.

The most important thing, however, to know about Mr. Freeman does not appear anywhere on his resume. It is his genuine kindness, his depth of warmth and care for others, his authenticity, and his unwavering commitment to ethical leadership. This is something I encourage you to reflect upon as you enter a competitive economy where aggressive business leaders are too often lauded as brilliant or visionary. That approach is not required for career success, as Mr. Freeman’s professional journey demonstrates so well.

And on a more personal note, I have treasured Ken’s friendship and wise counsel since our first meeting in 2010, when, as a chairman of the board and a member of the presidential search committee, he convinced me to make a career change that would alter the course of my own and my family’s life. A move to the East Coast was the last thing my wife and I were thinking about, especially with our first child on the way. But Ken’s deep and genuine belief in Bucknell convinced us to put down roots in this extraordinary place, and we are forever grateful.

Friends, I can think of no better example of alumni loyalty and commitment to this University’s mission and values than Ken Freeman. We are a stronger and better community because of him, and incredibly fortunate to welcome him back to campus today to deliver the Commencement address. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Ken Freeman.

A Last Word

(following the Class Response by Jawaad “KJ” Benson ’26)

KJ, thank you. That was really special. Thank you. 

Graduates, that’s what you are now: you are graduates. Always remember, at this place, at Bucknell is your home – for you, and for our 56,000 alumni around the world.

No matter where you go, no matter what you pursue, or how long it’s been — this place and this community will be here for you. Go and do difficult things. Go and do important things. Go and build a better life for yourselves, your families, and for the world. That’s easy now, because you’re Bucknellians.

Thank you.

And now I invite everyone now who’s able to rise and join in the singing of the Alma Mater.