Nov. 10, 2025: University Address

I think winter just arrived. Well, good afternoon, everyone, and thank you all for being here! To everyone watching online, too, I appreciate your tuning in. 

I am grateful that we could come together today, in part so that we can celebrate the accomplishments of last year as a community. Every major milestone that we have achieved at Bucknell has been a product of the collective talent, wisdom, skills and deep dedication of everyone assembled here today and watching online.

As important as process, and place and pedagogy are — and always will be — it is still the people who make Bucknell so special.

Faculty and staff alike, you have made Bucknell into the wondrous, thriving university it is today. 

In fact, I’d like to begin by sharing the I Am Ray Bucknell Instagram account. 
 

Now, despite being a lifelong technophile, I don’t make many social media recommendations. But if you’re going to spend time scrolling, make your way to this page every once in a while and witness how Bucknell is flourishing because of each one of you. 

That young man in the Eagles shirt holding the spotted salamander is Jawaad Benson. He is the first generation of his family to attend college — as am I — and he came to Bucknell as a transfer student with aspirations to become an oncologist. In this post, he praises the biology department for encouraging students to get out of the classroom and into the field. He writes, "As a student who loves to work hands-on, being in the field is a dream come true."

In the next row down, you’ll see three ballerinas from the Bucknell dance company. That photo was posted by Jordan Kenton. In the caption, she shares that when she was looking at schools, it was important that she found a way to keep dance in her life while being part of a high-quality engineering program. What an impressive and telling example of the possibilities here at Bucknell. 

Now this page goes on and on. Stories of studying abroad, taking poetry and fashion courses in Florence. Dramatic moments of Bucknell’s Division 1 athletes in competition. Up-close looks at lab work while studying spinal cord regeneration. Selfies from a student greenhouse caretaker. Paint-covered images from set designs for Harvey Powers Theatre. Inspiring views of Bucknellians building a new school in Ghana. At every turn, joy, friendship and the making of memories that will last a lifetime, all whilst receiving a superb undergraduate education. 

What boundless potential. What enriching starts to life’s journey. 

Without exaggeration or hyperbole, and with enormous pride, I can say that Bucknell truly is a magical place. I hope that you feel the same.

These photos tell us that what we are doing, what you all are doing, on this campus is transformative. Every image, every story should be a point of pride for each of us. We are developing and growing curious, enlightened, broad-minded young people who are eager to make their mark in this world.

At the same time, this poignant collection of scenes and experiences also reminds us of the high stakes of this present moment. 

The simple truth is that we have arrived at an inflection point in the history of higher education and thus Bucknell. This, too, I can say without hyperbole. How we respond to the challenges and opportunities now before us will define our legacy for a very long while to come.

Now, as you have already heard, we have embarked on a process of envisioning new strategic directions for the University. This exercise itself, in shape and form and end-result, will be a departure from our planning of the past. It will not be a strategy that is years in the making and then set in stone. Rather, it’ll be a process of continual change and reimagination that evolves apace with our times. 

Moreover, we will endeavor to chart this fresh course for the University at a time that holds so much promise and so much consequence. 

Because of the headwinds blowing hard against higher education and the swirling uncertainty of a rapidly changing world, we do not have the option of unconstrained dreaming — nor do we have the luxury of a magisterial pace. Our plan must include hard decisions about the realities we face so that we ensure the highest possible outcomes for this institution. Our goal is not to hunker down and survive … that’s not even a concern for us, thank goodness. Our goal at Bucknell is to thrive, and to set new standards of achievement and excellence for others — for ourselves. Let others marvel at what we do. 

In preparing to speak to you today, I realized that Friday would mark 15 years since I stood on this very stage for my inauguration as Bucknell’s 17th president.

Take a moment, please, and try to recall how much the world has changed in 15 years — not just at Bucknell, but in the world. Imagine then — if you dare! — what will change in the next 15 years, and the 15 after that … How will Bucknell respond? How can we best be ready?

In revisiting my address from that ceremony, I was reminded of how I used the occasion to explain why I decided to come to Bucknell. Of course, there were many factors: Bucknell’s sterling reputation; its track record of academic excellence; a vibrant and accomplished community of colleagues; and an idyllic setting to raise my family. 

However, the compelling reason that I focused on that day is Bucknell’s legacy of adaptation and change. The earliest Bucknellians invested themselves in building a university that would outlive them — a university whose work and reputation would be formed by people they would never know. 

Subsequent generations followed that same model, fostering a culture where innovation and re-creation never stopped. They moved with the times. Wherever and however they could, they stayed ahead of the times. And, when possible, they helped define them.

This tradition of change is clearly evident in Bucknell’s curriculum, which evolved with the demands and progress of the world. We often talk about our pedagogical roots, but the vines of learning have always grown toward the lights of opportunity and necessity. Over time, Bucknell has shed mandatory Latin and Greek classes, swim tests, physical education courses and religious service attendance. Again and again, we removed requirements that were deemed essential at some point, and then changed with the world. 

Far more telling than what we discarded, however, is what we have introduced: comparative humanities; animal behavior; film studies; education; finance; biomedical engineering; neuroscience, and many, many more. And which foreign languages do we teach now that 20 or 50 years ago were nowhere to be found on this campus?

In parallel, the physical plant of our campus has grown to reflect those maturations, introducing dynamic learning environments, sophisticated testing and experimental equipment, computer labs, data centers and other evolutions that brought Bucknell into the 20th — and then onto the 21st — centuries. 

Many of the Bucknell traditions that we hold onto tightly were once mere innovations — products of fresh and daring thinking. Some were meant to last while others were simply intended to meet the moment and may no longer apply to our day. 

Most notably, each generation extended the legacy of Bucknell despite the unprecedented challenges of their age. Think about it. World wars. Economic collapse. Civil unrest. Natural disasters and crises of humankind’s own making. More than once, the very fate of Bucknell was held in the balance. Our name — our name — recalls how the University at Lewisburg was saved.

Fortunately, throughout our history, bold moves were made and sacrifices were endured. Our predecessors upheld the ideal of our founders that Bucknell is not just for those in the present, but for those who follow decades, and yes, in fact, centuries, into the future. They built Bucknell to last. That is why we all have the great fortune of being here today and why proud graduates continue to receive their diplomas here, year after year after year. And it is why I so often see burning pride in the eyes of those who I meet who graduated 10 and 40 and even 70 years ago.

As grateful as I was to stand here 15 years ago to join a university with such an enterprising legacy, I am even more thankful today, because now it’s our turn. The hour has come for our generation to respond to the exigencies and unrealized possibilities of our time. 

Now, in my last University Address, I described the challenges threatening higher education today. I won’t belabor them again, but we must stay focused on what we are up against, or we cannot move forward as a university. 

In building a road to our future, we cannot possibly ignore the chasms in our way. 

Those chasms start with the changing demographics of college-aged Americans. Colleges and universities are competing for a pool of eligible young people that is shrinking every year. The Great Recession of 2007-2008 triggered a sharp decline in birth rates. It’s not something we can witness by looking around us, but the data is clear — the drop in births was dramatic. If you do the math, we are now, 18 years later, standing on the edge of that demographic cliff. 

And this is not over. 

Demographers estimate that the population of 18-year-olds in America will be dropping by a half million per year by 2041. That will quickly add up to an astonishing number. 

As schools compensate for the shrinking pool of applicants by casting a far wider net, they find that many prospective students can only — or will only — accept offers that come with financial aid, whether or not traditional formulae indicate their need. That was my situation when I started college 50 years ago this autumn. September 18, 1975. I think we all abhor the financial barriers that keep too many from pursuing higher education. Nevertheless, financial aid expectations — and increasingly, demands — represent added pressure on every college and university’s finances. 

Now, the second major obstacle that we are facing is the waning perception of higher education in America. I say "waning," but truthfully, the floor has fallen out from beneath us. This number has dropped so rapidly, I wouldn’t be surprised if polls could track a dip since last semester. Let me show you this chart from Gallup, released just in September. 

That dark solid line falling from the top left of the graph is the percentage of Americans who consider higher education to be quote, "very important."

When I stood on this stage in 2010 for my inauguration, that number was at 75%. Today, it’s 35%. A drop of 40 percentage points in just 15 years. 

The rising solid line from the lower left represents the percentage of Americans who consider higher education quote, "not too important." It has reached nearly a quarter of the population. 

If those trends continue, unchanged, we will start asking our students to pay a comprehensive fee of $100,000 per year just as "not too important" surpasses "very important."

Who pays $400,000 — or any substantial tuition — for something people are valuing less and less?

That’s why, in 2023, just over two colleges closed or merged every single month. In 2024, it was closer to one per week. 

An NPR story filed earlier this year painted this vivid picture of one school’s closing. Quote, "… the old gym was stripped of its wood flooring and whatever else had value and then was ripped down. The cornerstone fell into the pile of rubble. It bore the date of the college’s founding: 1842."

Now please, I don’t share all this to alarm you, but we must toss a jolting bucket of ice water on the mindset that somehow, someway, here in Lewisburg, Pa., we are immune to these realities of the world. We are not. That while colleges older than ours are being sold for scraps, shutting down by the week, we will somehow survive without at least — at least — making some tough choices and changing the ways we do some of our business. 

That includes how and what we teach. Our principle function.

The rising skepticism of higher education is also colliding with the tough job market. Once-safe professions that largely required college degrees are being replaced by artificial intelligence. Just two weeks ago, Amazon cut 14,000 people from its global workforce. UPS cut the same amount from its teams over the last 22 months.

In this environment, the demand for academic fields is shifting, and in today’s market of higher education, students and parents wield far greater power. That is why we read more and more that they will choose schools with the greatest promise of not only a great education, and a great student experience, but also of giving them the future that they see for themselves they hope for — and for most, that future includes a secure, meaningful, reliable, well-paying career. Not a first job, that’s not our job, but a career … and, for many of them, careers.

In some sense this is good news, as all of us firmly believe that a liberal arts education prepares students for broad succes, especially over the long course of one’s life. I could stand at this podium for hours, defending the fact that well-rounded, broad-minded thinking is even more necessary now in this world of today. 

And if all of this is not enough, we also must acknowledge that students are eager to prepare themselves for lifetimes where artificial intelligence, or AI, is ubiquitous. It’s on the verge of that now, in their lives, as they come to our classes each day. Rightfully, there is needful and deep debate over what this means for us as a university, and I admit, I don’t stand here with the answers. I voted in favor of the recent motion before the faculty. But with certainty, we cannot simply say that AI fails some sort of academic purity test and has no place in our institution. That’s not my opinion, that’s the opinion of many, many, many faculty who are already embracing these tools, and thus we have to acknowledge we cannot hide from this. Does that mean we open the floodgates to AI-generated papers? Or that hard-nosed research is replaced by large language models? No. Emphatically, no. 

No one can come to my office without seeing certain things, including a large collection of books, which is yet less than 10% of my personal library. Ask my wife. I love books. I love reading. Just as I love the world of ideas.

But also on display in my office is an equally small fraction of my "technology collection" that reminds me daily how much has changed since I was a college student who still used my father’s World War II slide rule in freshman physics in the Winter of 1980. Come by some time and see the Motorola Brick, as it was called, which was an early cellular phone. It doesn’t fit in your pocket. Or see the original Macintosh … do you remember the tag line, those of us of a certain age? It was filled with literary double entendre: "Macintosh: See why 1984 won’t be like 1984." 

We cannot ignore AI any more than we did calculators, computers or the internet. We must get ahead of these changes, or the shrinking pool of students will find universities that do. 

Rising to these challenges will be difficult. 

But I know the solutions exist here in this room and online. 

The answer to that enduring question, "Who are we becoming?" exists in this room and with those watching online. 

That answer won’t, and can’t, come from any one of us. But, assuredly, if we work together, if we listen to one another, if we collaborate in good faith and with a shared understanding of what is possible — and what is now required — we can secure Bucknell’s best future and ensure this university flourishes for generations not yet born.

One of our great tasks, therefore, is to adapt our mission to powerful market forces and dramatically changing expectations, while staying true to our values and building upon our manifold strengths. I’ll say more about that in a few minutes.

Missions evolve, but should only change slowly and carefully. But our Vision — by definition — must be reconsidered deeply within the contexts that matter most, and which can change with circumstances and time, as they have done. For the Bucknell of today, my Vision for us is that "By 2032, every single Bucknell student will be able to take classes in any discipline, designing a personalized education that empowers them to thrive personally and professionally and as leaders in society."

I have confidence that this is possible because I know that when this community comes together, we accomplish the extraordinary. We do it every day at Bucknell. Consider just one bit of evidence for the advantages we have at this moment. 

In the competitive market for students, Bucknell recorded a 17% increase in the number of applicants in 2025, compared to 2019. This year, we enrolled our largest class ever—1,037 first-year students. 

Now, records like this are achieved by the supreme efforts of so many … certainly, the marketing and admissions teams who set an ambitious goal and committed themselves to exceeding it still. 

The success is also shared by all of you who contribute to student life, from our D-1 athletics staff who now coach one in five Bucknell students; to the Office of Public Safety staff who keep our campus safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; to the Facilities and Events Management teams, who are some of our most diverse in terms of expertise, and who collaborate beautifully, to ensure our gorgeous campus captivates visiting parents and prospective students alike. 

And of course, this record is owing to the faculty who are teaching more students in more programs than ever before.

Without hyperbole, again, I could not be prouder. 

Adding to the success of our enrollment is our exceptional retention rate of 93%. That is a gold standard in higher education, and it reflects the best of every one of us, particularly those who foster a supportive academic environment while ensuring a Bucknell degree remains a mark of distinction. 

We see examples of their innovative work across our campus. Examples such as Neil Boyd, department chair of Management & Organizations, and the faculty members he convened to launch the Language & Global Immersion Scholars team. This program is now deepening the foreign language abilities and cultural awareness of our Freeman College of Management students. 

Or consider the research and mentorship of biomedical engineering professor Olivia Boerman. 

Her impact was highlighted by Tobey Kim, a member of the Class of 2027. Tobey came to Bucknell searching for a way to live his life at the intersection of science and service. Professor Boerman gave him his first chance by involving him in studies of how ultrasound might heal chronic wounds faster —a research project that earned Professor Boerman a two-year grant from the National Science Foundation Engineering Directorate. Of working with Professor Boerman, Tobey has said,

"She thinks about things I never would, and that’s exactly why I want to keep learning from people like her."

Defining experiences like this are taking place every day across campus, in laboratories, art studios, lecture halls, computer centers, theaters, editing studios and at our remarkable Bucknell Farm, to name just a few. Notably, the students learning in these spaces are not only developing academic specialties, they are taking full advantage of all that Bucknell has to offer across its many disciplines. 

This is another distinct strength of our university. But as wonderful as these and similar initiatives are, and as successful as they have been, they also point to still greater opportunities that we must convert into action and reality.

And so this is where we must focus our very best efforts together.

The question then becomes: how do we respond to these large scale and secular changes in the world? 

Here’s something I’ve realized, after 15 years, with depth and conviction. Bucknell is an institution that defies easy characterization. You can’t put us in a box. The truth is, that can lead to confusion to those who are considering Bucknell for their education. But within that reality, and if we do a still-better job of finding, and naming, distinction and differentiation, we will build our best and most sustainable future.

Three colleges with an interdependent curriculum in one university; a commitment to the life of the mind and the development of the fullness of human potential in a gorgeous residential setting; a deeply dedicated faculty and staff who are here for our students … this is what our strategic directions and choices must and will reflect and build upon. And, we must open up more of Bucknell to all of our students.

The good news is, this is not new. We’ve already started. One area of great success is found at the intersections of our traditional academic structures.

Prospective students, parents, alumni, donors — they are all thrilled at how Bucknell has become a leader in interdisciplinary excellence. Learning at the intersection of disciplines provides opportunities for students to pursue linear pathways to careers, while giving them the chance to follow their curiosities and broaden the life of the mind. 

Last winter, I highlighted the Dominguez Center for Data Science, preparing Bucknell students to solve global issues in a digital age. There’s data everywhere. I also called out the Perricelli-Gegnas Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, providing experiential learning opportunities and teaching students strategies for navigating complex problems. These centers are building on the enriching work of the Humanities Center, the Center for Social Science Research, the Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment, and all the academic programs and centers that give Bucknell a leg up on our peers. 

Because of that, I am charging our Provost and Deans to lead the faculty in developing more explicit curricular connections between and within the three colleges.

We have, for instance, an opportunity to build upon the strength of our Integrated Perspectives course, which brings together faculty from two different disciplines. We can amplify this power, further capitalizing on the multiple lenses and frameworks through which our students learn.

As we heighten the academic possibilities of Bucknell, we must also foster an environment of civic discourse and the respectful exchange of ideas and perspectives. These ideals strike at the very heart of a liberal arts education. And on a larger scale, they are critical to a healthy and functioning democracy. Here at Bucknell, the survival of civic discourse, particularly amongst those of us in this room and listening online, is vital to the wellbeing and longevity of this, or any, university. 

Now last year, we introduced Dignity & Dialogue Circles, in response to requests from students, staff and faculty for many more opportunities to engage across difference. Now, we are in the process of searching for the inaugural director of the Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy, which will simply be known as BIDD. 

This important effort will serve as an open-minded, nonpartisan arena for independent thought and constructive dialogue, grounded in understanding, dignity and respect for all. BIDD will achieve its mission through programming related to four overarching themes: critical thinking & information literacy; dialogue across difference; sustainable leadership; and scholarly inquiry. These efforts will be organized around a variety of educational activities and research, building on the unique strengths of Bucknell’s three colleges.

The Board of Trustees has been enormously enthusiastic about this idea, and their excitement is shared by many, many supporters as well. As I noted in my last address, the largest gift to BIDD, to date, is from a donor who is not a Trustee. Clearly, this idea is resonating, and we are leading higher education in the right direction.

But again I say, more is needed.

To move forward, then, we must respond to what our families need to find when considering Bucknell in an ever-more competitive admissions environment and, just the same, what they expect of us when students arrive at Bucknell and — in the best tradition of liberal arts education — discover that their true intellectual passions are somewhere other than they first thought. We must do our very best — every single day — to ensure that each and every student succeeds here, academically and personally, all the while ensuring that their family can support them with whatever finances we ask them to provide to us. That is a tall order, but that is what we must do.

Why? Why does this matter? Why Bucknell? Why now?

Well, my thoughts here, as they sometimes do, run to the contrary: If not us, who? If not now, when? Isn’t this why we went into academia? Now, perhaps, because I came to Bucknell from a very different type of university, two Bucknell legends, now gone, and who I met in my early days here asked me the same type of question; I speak of Prof. Jack Wheatcroft and Prof. Douglas Candland.

This is not some utopian dream of saving the world. It is built upon the experiences — now my experiences, having been here 15 years and being grafted into this community, my experiences — of meeting with hundreds and hundreds of Bucknellians, and learning of so many more, who are living out their lives, thriving in myriad ways both personal and professional, while making the world a better place. We need more Bucknellians in every company, every school district and government office, every volunteer agency. We need — and yes the world needs — more thinkers and doers, creators and sustainers, builders and designers and soldiers and healers and teachers and so many more. I’ve seen again and again and again what our people do. 

No, we cannot save the world. That’s not our job. But we do make a difference, a demonstrable and important difference, and that is why I am so proud … and that’s why we’re going to do all of this.

Thankfully, there is a way forward.

In parallel to developing and strengthening our disciplinary cores and our unique interdisciplinary programs, we must also commit to the five following broad and deeply interconnected initiatives. These are not stand-alone bullet points on a page to be read and forgotten, but rather the context within which our planning must and will occur.

Whatever else we choose and decide to pursue, and as your President, I’m excited by and committed to the following. 

First, we must remove our enrollment caps in certain programs and majors where we see that demand has been growing, year after year after year. This includes fields as diverse as biology and economics, mechanical engineering, and management, amongst others. We simply cannot continue to turn away so many highly qualified students, especially in an ever-more competitive admissions landscape. To this end, we have built models around an entering class that, in five years time, reaches some 1,120 students, or about 80 more than entered this year. And perforce, this means new faculty and staff and space.

Second, and in parallel with this, we must at least sustain our commitment to access through our financial aid programs, if not grow them still further. These programs currently provide, on average, about a 38% discount to the entire student body. On average. If, however, you exclude the roughly 40% of our students who pay the full comprehensive fee, our effective discount rate for the other 60% of our students who do receive financial aid is almost 65%. 

I believe one of our highest aspirations must be to become a rare instance of a "meets full needs" institution, and, furthermore, to become that without recourse to student loans. To put this in context, that alone will require at least $600 million more in new endowment … or about one-half again of our current endowment.

Third, we must invest more heavily in our people. We must ensure that Bucknell remains a premier employer in the area, and, where appropriate, on the national scene. That’s one reason why we commissioned the Segal compensation study, which addresses both salaries and benefits.

Fourth, we must continue to address our physical infrastructure, despite the fact that we have already come a very long way. Here, I speak mainly of student housing and co-curricular spaces, but also, of course, of our academic spaces where our principal educational activity takes place. In addition, our schedule of upgrades to our existing space must continue apace.

Fifth, and lastly, for now, I’ll also point to our need to further endow our faculty and some of the remarkable programs that they have developed. I’ll mention again the Bucknell Farm, which has exceeded, I believe, almost all expectations for a multipurpose, interdisciplinary but still academically focused effort. It’s been a remarkable addition to campus. As an exemplar, and quite happily, just last week, and still to be finalized, we received a significant 7-figure commitment for the Farm that will provide both upfront resources and eventual endowment support for operations. 

Now it’s reasonable at this point, of course, to ask: how? We are all aware of the financial condition of the University — strong and stable as evidenced by our high credit ratings — but also challenged, because our vision exceeds our resources. As an aside, but emphatically, I hope the reverse is never true. If our resources exceed our vision, we’re in for real trouble.

In part, what I just described will, in fact, also provide some of the resources needed. Most broadly, our financial models consider what is called Net Tuition Revenue, and point to improving university circumstances with the growth in our overall student body. Our modeling also accounts for improvements to our overall compensation packages and to our campus infrastructure, while also growing the faculty and staff at an appropriate rate.

Now this is not the venue for presenting the details of these models, but you must by now be aware that, over the past year, we have conducted a deep analysis of

Bucknell’s finances as we seek to balance our budget and establish a firm foundation on which to build our future. This is the beginning of a financial course correction that is adapting to financial pressures, and we continue to make strides to strengthen our fiscal management.

Now, to that end, we can celebrate an exceptional year in fundraising, generating $73 million in gifts and pledges. This marks our third consecutive year of fundraising growth while also securing the most gifts over $100,000 in Bucknell’s entire history. That is no small feat! Each of you shares credit in reaching this milestone.

But I especially thank our colleagues in University Advancement who are performing some of the finest advancement work that I have ever seen. Incredibly well done! 

This great work sets the stage for the public phase of our comprehensive campaign, which we hope to launch just one year from now. The initiatives described above, and those yet to be defined, will determine how much we can aspire to raise, and from whom. Big ideas that move Bucknell forward and resonate deeply with our broader community will be required in even greater numbers. 

This is one reason why, as we embark on this planning process, we must remain acutely aware of the realities and challenges of our time; we will, and we must.

And unfortunately, no easy answers are left on the table. 

Yes, we have had a strong fundraising year. Though some of those gifts are legacy contributions that we won’t realize for 20 or 30 years to come. 

Yes, we are setting admissions records, but 60% or more of our student body now relies on some measure of financial aid. 

Yes, we have expanded our academic selections and created the Freeman College of Management, but we still have students lined up on waitlists for our most in-demand majors in all three colleges. 

Every now and then, I’ll hear someone ask about the cost of athletics, but many are surprised to learn of how deeply intertwined our athletics and general student recruiting are. It’s also true that removing any men’s sport would have an immediate impact on our women’s sports — and vice-versa — due to Title IX requirements.

Others like to believe our situation is a new phenomenon, a cultural pendulum that could swing back under different circumstances. Once again, that ignores the data. The skepticism of higher education and, more so, the demographic cliff, are a generation in the making.  

Our solutions to these challenges must be all-at-once bold, serious, imaginative and firmly grounded in what we can accomplish. 

As you know, the strategic planning process is organized around three pillars: the Student Experience; the Staff and Faculty experience; and Operational Excellence. The people of our community and the life of this institution. 

Now, to ensure all the voices of Bucknell are represented, the process will be guided by the University Strategic Advisory Committee. This group will include— does include —representatives from Staff Council, Faculty Council, Student Government and my leadership team. 

I am grateful to the members of our community who agreed to serve on this group. Together, they will review and identify overarching themes and insights, keep the planning on schedule, and make sure any new directions align with Bucknell’s mission and vision. Throughout the process, they will uphold our commitments to transparency and inclusivity. Above all else, they will affirm that the plan is dynamic and responsive to change. Details of this were described just last week in an email to campus and on our new Strategy for Bucknell website.

We carry this momentum forward as we set out to envision the next stage of Bucknell’s future. The Plan for Bucknell 2025 has served us well, focusing our community around some of the most transformative achievements of the last six years. But now, as that plan’s timeframe ends, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to project a new and vibrant future for the University.

As you’ve heard us say, agility and flexibility in this process will be paramount. The days of deliberately built plans that are fixed in time are behind us. The world holds too many unknowns. Change is more rapid than ever before and yet grows still faster. 

So once again, as for the past 180 years, we will adapt. 

To be certain, determining the way ahead will require the best of our collective thinking. In a time without precedent, nobody holds a monopoly on the best ideas. That is why I applaud the University Strategic Advisory Committee for establishing channels for every member of the Bucknell community to contribute their thoughts and proposals on the way ahead. Please take part. Each of you has agency. Each of you has experiences, understandings and knowledge of extraordinary value. Be part of this process. Help us create a new era for Bucknell together! 

In my inauguration address, I talked about one of the first Bucknell graduates who I met as president, a woman named Alice, a member of the Class of 1940. 1940. I marveled at all she had seen in life. The trial of World War II. The rise of the Civil Rights movement. The collapse of the Soviet Union. Pioneering efforts in space. Breaking the human genetic code. 

In our conversation, Alice beamed, her eyes aglint with pride. Pride in Bucknell. She boasted that she was prepared for all that she had seen because she was a graduate of Bucknell. 

Colleagues, this is more than our mission. This is our great calling and, you've heard me say, this, in my opinion, this is our sacred trust. At Bucknell, we do not simply prepare students for the next step in their lives. We ready them for entire lifetimes — lifetimes of possibilities, of unexpected turns, where change hurdles towards a future that would appear perhaps only in the realm of science fiction today. 

The only way Bucknell can equip our graduates for all that may come is if we equally prepare the University itself. Our operations. Our pedagogy. Our ways of doing business. And how we work together, as one.

Past generations fearlessly took on their own daunting challenges. 

When wars sent our student body overseas …

When the Depression thrust the nation into poverty …

When the unfulfilled promises of equality in America demanded we do more for students of every gender, race and creed ...

When the Industrial Revolution, space race, technological revolution and age of the internet overthrew what it meant to be well-educated and prepared for life …

… our predecessors came together to build and sustain a thriving Bucknell. 

Looking out over this room, and the assembled knowledge and shared commitment to all that we stand for, I am confident that we, too, will meet the urgency and import of this moment, and I am eager to see where we will lead this generation of Bucknell University. 

When I stood here 15 years ago, I said that my inauguration ceremony was a symbol of the greatest professional honor of my life. That sentiment remains true to this day and even more. I am so fortunate, fortunate beyond measure, to share this community with you and to be associated with the venerable legacy that we now uphold together.

Thank you for choosing Bucknell as your professional home. 

Thank you for helping mold the next generation of innovators, groundbreakers and leaders. 

Thank you for your dedication to this University …

… and to the enduring spirit of ’ray Bucknell. 

Thank you.