Best wishes to graduates

Glancing out of my office window on the first warm days of spring, I always appreciate the beauty of Bloomsburg University’s campus.

With that beauty comes the bittersweet realization that commencement is in the very near future. We will soon say “goodbye, for now” to talented students who are setting out to create a future that is all their own. It can seem overwhelming and more than a little scary but, built on the foundation of a Bloomsburg University education, they are well prepared for the next phase of their lives.

I wish the very best to all who are receiving bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees this May. I am proud of their many accomplishments in the classroom, on the athletics field and in the organizations that make Bloomsburg so special and delighted by the close relationships these graduates formed with the dedicated faculty who mentored their research and supervised their internships and community service opportunities.

Although a new chapter of Bloomsburg University’s story will begin when the next class arrives, the plot of the alumni story is being infused with a generous dose of determination, enthusiasm and energy, thanks to the Class of 2016. I wish each class member great personal and professional success. Congratulations!

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

A social media crisis

This past week, March 22 to 29, has been quite a busy, even hectic, one. It actually started on Saturday morning, March 21, when I learned of the terribly inappropriate tweet about Mo’ne Davis by our baseball player, Joey Casselberry.

By the end of the day, I had over 50 tweets of outrage over his statement. The university put out a response that evening and I re-tweeted it. No university wants that kind of negative national publicity, but I am pleased with our swift response and effective crisis communications.

On Monday I had a periodic meeting with the CGA Senate where I addressed the tweet about Mo’ne Davis, our response and the high risk of inappropriate use of social media for individuals and institutions. We also discussed the per-credit tuition pilot.

On Tuesday I went to the BU Student Veterans Association cookout on the Warren Student Services Center Patio and talked with members, but did not go through the long line for the popular burgers.

On Thursday I had the pleasure of recognizing 149 BU employees who have contributed 10 to 40 years to our university for a total of 2,370 years of service.

On Thursday evening I was delighted to meet more than 20 BU alumni from the Pittsburgh area at the home of BU Trustee, Judge Mary Jane Bowes, and her husband Jerry Morgan ’71. It was a great opportunity to meet and reconnect alumni to their alma mater.

And yesterday, I attended the annual dinner for donors who are members of Golden Dome Society and/or Henry Carver Scholars.

Events this week, March 30-April 2:

• Monday — Lunch meeting with the Mayor of the Town of Bloomsburg, Sandy Davis
• Tuesday — Community Leadership Breakfast, my annual update on our university to over 75 business, government and political leaders from the area
• Wednesday — Comprehensive Capital Campaign Cabinet, semi-annual meeting with leaders in our major fundraising campaign
• Thursday — Meeting with Governor Tom Wolf, a meeting of the 14 State System presidents, Chancellor Brogan, and members of Pennsylvania’s State System Board of Governors with the governor at his request to discuss funding for the State System

#CollaborativeLearning #SenseOfCommunity #CoCurricularLearning

The Husky pride that binds us

In this age of ever-expanding digital communications, written correspondence seems like a dying art. However, there’s something personal about letters that cannot be replicated through text, email or social media.

Earlier this semester university correspondence went full circle. I wrote a letter to our alumni, university friends and supporters highlighting the quality of education here at Bloomsburg University and how we measure its success. One example I used came directly from a recent graduate, Julie Gould.

Julie emailed me this past summer to mention how happy she was about her education and how the academic support she received in and out of the classroom enabled her to land a job within weeks of graduating in May. Her story epitomizes the daily impact our faculty and staff have on our students, which leads to personal and professional success for our graduates.

Julie’s story not only touched me as Bloomsburg University’s president, it resonated with an alumnus from the Class of 1982 now living in Florida. After 32 years, he admitted this was the first piece of correspondence he’s received from the university that inspired him to respond.

In a letter to me, he said he is very grateful of the education he received here and the support that led to his post-graduate success. Much like Julie, this alumnus said he was able to make important connections through his academic department and the university’s recruitment program to land a job soon after graduation. That entry-level position spurred him onto a very successful career. A journey I’m confident will be shared by Julie.

How do I know?

I’ll use this alumnus’ own words ...

“To summarize, and to concur with Ms. Gould, when you attend Bloomsburg as a student you don’t realize the quality of education and the experience the university provides you. It only becomes apparent when you get out into the workforce and match up with graduates from other universities or work side by side with others that you begin to realize the quality of education you received at Bloomsburg. I am proud that I attended Bloomsburg, and it did prepare me for a lifetime of success.”

For me, this letter, so heartfelt and personal, is a keeper.

#SenseOfCommunity #ProfessionalU