Bucknell University


Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The university consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. Bucknell was founded in 1846, and features programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, engineering, management, education, and music, as well as programs and pre-professional advising that prepare students for study in law and medicine. It offers nearly 50 majors and over 60 minors. South of central Lewisburg, the campus is along the west bank of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, at an elevation of above sea level.
Primarily an undergraduate school, Bucknell has about 50 graduate students. Students come from all fifty U.S. states and from more than 66 countries; it has nearly 200 student organizations and a large Greek presence. The school's mascot is Bucky the Bison and the school is a member of the Patriot League in NCAA Division I athletics.

History

Founding and early years

Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, Bucknell traces its origination to a group of Baptists from White Deer Valley Baptist Church who deemed it "desirable that a Literary Institution should be established in Central Pennsylvania, embracing a High School for male pupils, another for females, a College and also a Theological Institution."
The group's efforts for the institution began to crystallize in 1845, when Stephen William Taylor, a professor at Madison University in Hamilton, New York, was asked to prepare a charter and act as general agent for the development of the university. The charter for the University at Lewisburg, granted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and approved by the governor on February 5, 1846, carried one stipulation–that $100,000 be raised before the new institution would be granted full corporate status. More than 4,000 subscribers ultimately contributed, including a small boy who gave 12 cents.
In 1846, the "school preparatory to the University" opened in the basement of the First Baptist Church in Lewisburg. Known originally as the Lewisburg High School, it became in 1848 the Academic and Primary Department of the University at Lewisburg.
In 1850, the department moved into the first building completed on campus, now called Taylor Hall. Built for $8,000, the building housed both women's and men's studies until the opening of the Female Institute in 1852. While studying together, women were required to face east while men faced west.
The school's first commencement was held on August 20, 1851, for a graduation class of seven men. Among the board members attending was James Buchanan, who would become the 15th President of the United States. Stephen Taylor officiated as his last act before assuming office as president of Madison University. One day earlier, the trustees had elected Howard Malcom as the first president of the university, a post he held for six years.

Female Institute

Although the Female Institute began instruction in 1852, it wasn't until 1883 that college courses were opened to women. Bucknell, though, was committed to equal educational opportunities for women.
This commitment was reflected in the words of David Jayne Hill of the Class of 1874, and president of the university from 1879 to 1888: "We need in Pennsylvania, in the geographical centre of the state, a University, not in the German but in the American sense, where every branch of non-professional knowledge can be pursued, regardless of distinction of sex. I have no well-matured plan to announce as to the sexes; but the Principal of the Female Seminary proposes to inaugurate a course for females equal to that pursued at Vassar; the two sexes having equal advantages, though not reciting together."
Within five years of opening, enrollment had grown so sharply that the university built a new hall–Larison Hall–to accommodate the Female Institute. Women could venture into town only in the company of a female teacher who had a minimum of six years' experience in handling girls.

Benefactor William Bucknell

In 1881, facing dire financial circumstances, the university turned to William Bucknell, a charter member of the board of trustees, for help. His donation of $50,000 saved the university from ruin. In 1886, in recognition of Bucknell's support of the school, the trustees voted unanimously to change the name of the University at Lewisburg to Bucknell University. Bucknell Hall, the first of several buildings given to the university by Bucknell, was initially a chapel and for more than a half century the site of student theatrical and musical performances. Today, it houses the Stadler Center for Poetry.

Continued expansion

The 40 years from 1890 until 1930 saw a steady increase in the number of faculty members and students. When the Depression brought a drop in enrollment in 1933, several members of the faculty were "loaned" to found a new institution: Bucknell Junior College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Today, that institution is a four-year university, Wilkes University, independent of Bucknell since 1947. The depression era also saw the commissioning by President Homer Rainey of architect Jens Larsen to design Bucknell's master plan. Subsequent expansion of the university still largely adheres to this plan.
The post-War period saw a dramatic increase in university enrollments across the United States, thanks first to the G.I. Bill and then to the baby boom. Like other institutions, Bucknell's campus grew to accommodate a growing student body, and the university broke ground on many of the academic buildings that comprise upper campus. Chief among these is the Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library, commissioned in 1946 under Bucknell President and former Governor of Maine Horace Hildreth and opened in 1951. Other major additions from the building spree of the 1950s and 60s include the Olin Science Building and Coleman, Marts, and Swartz Halls. The 1970s brought construction of the Elaine Langone Center, the Gerhard Fieldhouse, and the Computer Center, while in the 1980s, the capacity of the Bertrand Library was doubled, facilities for engineering were substantially renovated, and the Weis Center for the Performing Arts was inaugurated.
Heading into the 21st century, new facilities for the sciences included the renovation of the Olin Science Building, the construction of the Rooke Chemistry Building in 1990 and the completion of a new Biology Building in 1991. The McDonnell Residence Hall and Weis Music Building were inaugurated in 2000, the O'Leary Building for Psychology and Geology opened in the fall of 2002, and the new Kenneth Langone Recreational Athletic Center opened during the 2002–03 academic year. The newest engineering facility, the Breakiron Engineering Building, opened in 2004.
Academic West opened in fall 2013. It added of academic space; of which are classroom and hearth spaces. Academic West houses the departments of economics, geography, international relations, political science, sociology/anthropology, and the Latin American Studies and Environmental Studies Programs. The South Campus Apartment Buildings and MacDonnell Commons were opened in 2015, providing upperclassmen with apartment-style housing that offers a more independent residential experience. In 2018, Hildreth-Mirza Hall opened as the home to Bucknell's Center for the Humanities, Bucknell University Press, and the Griot Institute for the Study of Black Lives and Culture. Academic East was inaugurated in 2019. It houses the Department of Education and programs in the College of Engineering. A new building that will house the Freeman College of Management and the Department of Art and Art History is currently under construction.

Campus

Bucknell's campus comprises more than 100 buildings that range over a gentle rise adjacent to the West Branch Susquehanna River. The campus is divided into Lower Campus and Upper Campus by Miller Run and the Grove, a stand of oak trees that ascends the slope. Lower campus consists primarily of student housing and the university's sports facilities. Upper campus consists primarily of academic buildings. It offers views northwest across the Buffalo Valley toward Nittany Mountain and southeast across the Susquehanna River toward Montour Ridge.
Bucknell's campus forms a cohesive architectural ensemble due to the sustained use of brick and the recurrent themes of Georgian style. The university's first building, Taylor Hall, was constructed in 1848. It currently houses the Freeman School of Management. Its newest, building, Academic East, was inaugurated in 2019.
The Kenneth Langone Athletics and Recreation Center was completed in 2003. It houses a state-of-the-art fitness center, Olympic-size swimming pool. The 4,000-seat Sojka Pavilion, named for former university president Dr. Gary Allan Sojka, is home to the men's and women's basketball teams.
Designed in Georgian colonial style, the non-denominational Rooke Chapel is the setting for campus worship, weddings, and celebrations. Attached to the chapel is a one-story wing, which houses the Office of Religious Life, the Chaplain's office, a meditation chapel and kitchen. The chapel was dedicated on October 25, 1964. The chapel was a gift of the late Robert L. Rooke, an alumnus of the class of 1913 and a member of the university's board of trustees. The chapel is named in memory of Mr. Rooke's parents. The main portion of the chapel includes the narthex, sanctuary, chancel area, organ chamber, choir rooms, and balconies that surround the sanctuary on three sides. Approximately 850 persons can be seated in the sanctuary and balconies.
Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium is a 13,100-seat multi-purpose stadium in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally built in 1924, the stadium was renovated and renamed in honor of Mathewson in 1989. It is home to the Bucknell University Bison football team and the Lewisburg High School Green Dragons football team. It is named for Christy Mathewson, a Bucknell alumnus who went on to become a Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Giants in the early 20th century.

Academics

College of Arts & Sciences

Bucknell offers 44 majors and 70 minors. The College comprises the three traditional liberal arts divisions: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics with over 275 faculty members in 31 departments. Undergraduate research opportunities are available to students in all of the disciplines taught on campus. The overall curriculum of the College is the College Core Curriculum.
The Bucknell Environmental Center sponsored a symposium series on sustainability and the global environment and has major initiatives focused on the art, culture, and ecology of the Susquehanna River basin and the greening of the Bucknell Campus. In April, 2013, Bucknell partnered with nearby Geisinger Health System to create the Geisinger-Bucknell Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute. This facility combines clinical treatment and interdisciplinary research on neurodevelopmental disorders. Bucknell received a Solar Scholars grant and is building an experimental student housing unit that will rely primarily on renewable energy, including photovoltaics.
Forty-five percent of Bucknell students study abroad. The university sponsors semester-long programs in multiple locations.

College of Engineering

Among American schools that do not offer a Ph.D. in engineering, Bucknell ranks tied for 6th for 2020, according to U.S. News & World Report. The same report ranked the Biomedical Engineering program 1st, the Civil Engineering program 2nd, the Computer program tied for 3rd, Electrical Engineering program 3rd, and the Mechanical Engineering program 4th.
There are two main engineering buildings on the Bucknell University campus. The two buildings are the Charles A. Dana Engineering Building and the Breakiron Engineering Building. Referred to by most students and faculty solely as "Dana" the Charles A. Dana Engineering Building was built in 1940 and expanded in 1985, while the fairly new Breakiron Engineering Building was built in 2003.

Freeman College of Management

Students can choose from five tracks, leading to the B.S.B.A. degree: managing for sustainability, markets innovation and design, global management, accounting & financial management or analytics & operations management.
A five-year, dual degree in Engineering and Management is available for engineers with management career goals. Bucknell ranks first among 213 baccalaureate liberal arts colleges for graduates who have earned Ph.D.s in Business and Management.

Rankings

In the 2020 edition of U.S. News & World Report, Bucknell tied for 35th in the "National Liberal Arts Colleges" category and 43rd "Most Innovative". In 2019, Forbes rated Bucknell 73rd in its list of "America's Top Colleges" and 31st among "Liberal Arts Universities." The 2020 edition of the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education U.S. College Rankings placed Bucknell 74th among U.S. universities and 25th among U.S. liberal arts colleges.
Bucknell is ranked 47th among all universities and 10th among liberal arts colleges on Payscale's 2019 "College Salary Report." In 2016, Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Bucknell 40th in terms of "Best Value among Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S.," which took into account academic quality, cost, and financial aid measures.
Bucknell has been called one of the "Hidden Ivies," an institution reputed to provide an education comparable to that of Ivy League institutions.
On January 26, 2013, Bucknell officials admitted that the SAT scores that they had provided to the public had been inflated by 16 points, on average, between 2006 and 2012. "Enrollment management leadership no longer with the university prepared these inaccurate numbers," school president John Bravman wrote in an email to alumni. As a result of the falsification of data, Forbes penalized Bucknell by removing it from the "America's Top Colleges" list for two years.

Admissions

U.S. News & World Report classifies Bucknell's selectivity as "more selective." For the Class of 2022, Bucknell received 10,144 applications and accepted 3,352, with 974 enrolling. The middle 50% range of SAT scores for the enrolled freshmen was 620–690 for reading and writing, and 630–730 for math, while the ACT Composite range was 28–32. The average high school Grade Point Average of enrolled freshmen was 3.56.

Traditions and symbols

On April 17, 1849, the trustees approved the current Bucknell seal. The seal shows the sun, an open book, and waves. The sun symbolizes the light of knowledge while the book represents education surmounting the storms and "waves" of life. Bucknell's colors are orange and blue, being approved by a committee of students in 1887. The bison is the current mascot of Bucknell University. In 1923, Dr. William Bartol suggested the animal due to Bucknell's location in the Buffalo Valley.

Athletics

Bucknell is a member of the Patriot League for Division I sports,. Bucknell's traditional opponents include Lafayette College, Holy Cross, Lehigh University, Colgate University, and American University.
The Bucknell football team won the first Orange Bowl 26–0, over the Miami Hurricanes on January 1, 1935. Bucknell won the first Division II NCAA swimming and diving championships in 1964. It is also the alma mater of baseball pitcher Christy Mathewson, who requested burial in a cemetery adjoining Bucknell's campus.
In 2005, the men's basketball team went to the NCAA men's basketball tournament and became the first Patriot League team to win an NCAA tournament game, upsetting Kansas. The victory followed a year that included wins over #7 Pittsburgh and Saint Joseph's. They lost to Wisconsin in the following round but received the honor of "Best Upset" at the 2005 ESPY Awards.

Student life

All undergraduates except 200 seniors are required to live on campus. The school guarantees on-campus housing for all four years.
The campus is roughly divided into "uphill" and "downhill" areas by a large slope between Moore Avenue and Dent Drive. The uphill area flanks U.S. Route 15 and the West Branch Susquehanna River and features many of the academic buildings, including the main academic quadrangle, the Observatory, and library as well as some dormitories, Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium, and Fraternity Road. Downhill borders the Victorian-era neighborhoods of downtown Lewisburg and features mainly residential buildings, including the majority of first-year dormitories, the Gateway apartment complex, the President's house, many of the indoor athletic facilities, and Hunt Hall, home to the school's sororities. Bucknell West, which is separated from the rest of campus by Route 15, features some housing, athletic fields, art and psychology/animal behavior laboratories, and an 18-hole golf course.
All on-campus students must purchase a campus meal plan. There are several dining options on campus for students, including the Bostwick Cafeteria, Bison snack bar, and Terrace Room in the Langone Student Center, and the Library and 7th Street Cafe. In spring 2012, Bucknell unveiled their first food truck, the Flying Bison. The menu includes lunch items and a special late night menu.
Because of its rural location and lack of nearby large cities, Bucknell may seem fairly isolated. However, its more than 150 student organizations, a historical downtown movie theater, many student performances, and year-end "Chrysalis" ball provide students with a wide array of activities. Downtown Lewisburg is a short walking distance from the campus and features a variety of shops, museums, galleries, and restaurants in addition to old-fashioned gingerbread houses.
Spratt House is the home of the university's Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program.
Bucknell's student newspaper, The Bucknellian, is printed weekly. Its radio station is WVBU-FM.
Bucknell has active religious life involvement on campus. Groups such as Bucknell University Catholic Campus Ministry, Rooke Chapel Congregation, Muslim Students' Association, and are available to students for spiritual and personal growth.
The university also has a lively Greek life. Students cannot "rush" until the first semester of their sophomore year, but approximately 50 percent of eligible students join the school's 8 fraternities and 10 sororities.
Active fraternities:
Active sororities:
Alumni of Bucknell University include novelist Philip Roth, actors Ralph Waite and Edward Herrmann, CBS Television CEO Leslie Moonves, Children's Place and Lord & Taylor CEO Jane T. Elfers, longtime New Jersey congressman Rob Andrews, and 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry, Peter Balakian. Notable Bucknell University attendees include National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson. New York Times Best Selling Author and Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NY Tim Keller.