Bucknell University Receives Transformative Gift to Grow Campus Farm

The Bucknell Farm connects students, faculty, staff and the broader community through hands-on learning and shared stewardship of the land. What was once a simple, weedy field on the southwest corner of campus has grown into a vibrant 5-acre center of regenerative agriculture and academic innovation.

In recognition of a transformative gift from Bill '70 and Madeline Morrow, this thriving campus resource has been officially named the Morrow Farm at Bucknell University. The Morrows' generosity will advance a bold vision for innovation and hands-on interdisciplinary learning, fostering sustainability, community engagement and student well-being. The Morrows' gift will fund new facilities, expand educational opportunities, and establish an endowment to support staffing and operations, securing the farm's future function and impact. 

"We are deeply grateful for the visionary support of alumni who are helping to shape the future of Bucknell," says Bucknell President John Bravman. "Bill and Madeline's extraordinary gift to sustain and grow one of Bucknell's most dynamic experiential learning environments will ensure that generations of students can learn directly from the land, each other and faculty mentors in a space that exemplifies Bucknell's commitment to sustainability, community and interdisciplinary excellence."

Since its founding in 2018, Bucknell's campus farm has fostered collaboration between faculty and students across all three colleges, growing to host an average of 1,500 students in roughly 50 courses each year. It partners with students and faculty on long-term research projects and engages students further through volunteer programs and intensive summer pre-apprenticeships in diversified vegetable production. The training student farmers receive extends beyond agricultural principles; it builds leadership skills that enable them to share their knowledge with other student volunteers and the broader community through the Lewisburg community garden.

Part of the Morrows' gift will fund a new permanent learning space for the farm's operation. A fully equipped teaching kitchen and classroom will replace the open-air picnic tables currently used for instruction.

"This next stage in the development of the farm will help address local food insecurity, increase year-round academic engagement and allow students to take part in all aspects of food production, from field to plate," says Professor Mark Spiro, biology, who is faculty director of the Morrow Farm. "We envision that the ecological design of the buildings will also offer important interdisciplinary learning opportunities across all three colleges."

In 2025, students and staff harvested over 8,000 pounds of produce at the Bucknell campus farm — now named the Morrow Farm — and the Lewisburg Community Garden, its downtown Lewisburg location. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

As a learning laboratory, the new building will accommodate larger groups of students and facilitate year-round classes, specifically supporting off-season use. Integrated solar infrastructure will power a safe and versatile environment for interdisciplinary learning, cooking, preserving and preparing farm-fresh produce.

In addition, construction of a dedicated wash-and-pack station with on-site storage and workspace will help the farm improve produce distribution, donate more food to community food programs and make deliveries more efficient. The new facility will include dry and cold storage, a walk-in cooler, a tool shed and solar-heated hot water, allowing staff and students to manage large quantities of produce on-site. This addition will also provide immersive learning opportunities, enabling students to engage directly with regenerative agriculture practices, which focus on building healthy soil, increasing biodiversity and restoring ecosystem balance while producing food sustainably.

Outdoor upgrades will include accessible pathways, landscaped gathering spaces and an herb garden, where farm leadership hopes to cultivate culinary and medicinal herbs from around the world.

Combined, these improvements will create a fully functional, sustainable and welcoming environment for students, faculty and visitors to engage with the farm year-round.

"This is more than a farm — it is a community, a classroom, a research space and a catalyst for action both on campus and in the broader region," says Jen Schneidman Partica, farm and garden manager.

"Madeline and I are pleased to support the further development and long-term future of the farm not only to enable the multi-faceted uses described by Mark and Jen, but also to provide an opportunity for students and faculty to experience the hands-on pleasure of seeing the literal fruits of their efforts," says Bill.

In addition to the improvements to the farm's physical infrastructure, the Morrows have also provided funding for an endowment to support the farm's long-term operation.

"Students are the heart of what we do here," says Partica. "I'm looking forward to students attending classes, cooking and washing the harvest together in beautiful, ecologically designed buildings. This gift will truly lift up the student experience and ensure that it will continue to thrive for generations."