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

Adding the impact to experiential learning

Michael Boguski’s reflection on his experience at Bloomsburg University is common to accolades heard from many of our successful alumni. It starts with receiving a high-quality education at an affordable price. It leads into discovering long-term benefits and lifelong friendships and expands to building professional networks that result in success.

And then it becomes personal.

Boguski ’85 and his wife, Beth, recently committed $1 million to the Bloomsburg University Foundation to support several university initiatives. He says it was the variety of experiential learning opportunities he received as a Bloomsburg student that made the biggest impact.

As a first-generation student, this business administration graduate and president of Eastern Alliance Insurance Group knows firsthand the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity given to you.

And through this support, Mike and Beth are helping to ensure students have the financial ability to take advantage of plenty of opportunities during their time at Bloomsburg.

The Boguskis’ gift will help support many high-impact experiential opportunities, such as internships, job shadowing and capstone experiences provided through our Professional U program. The gift will also assist with ongoing efforts for our growing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Magnet School and the Henry Carver Fund, Bloomsburg University’s annual fund.

Experiential learning opportunities are an important part of the student experience that complement the outstanding classroom learning provided by our dedicated teacher-scholar faculty. Through this gift, the Boguskis have made it possible for students to gain the real-world experience that gives them a competitive advantage.

#SenseOfCommunity #CollaborativeLearning

Bridging the gap between spring and fall

After a brutally cold winter, the rising temperatures of late spring have been a rewarding start to our summer session on campus. Outside of the classroom, it’s time for the beach, swimming pools, music festivals and amusement parks – an opportunity to unwind after a busy and productive school year.

And that includes my wife, Robbie, and me. We recently enjoyed a wonderful trip to visit our younger son, his wife and our only grandson in Hawaii.

Taking a breather from higher education is not the case for everyone and, of course, Bloomsburg University does not shut down after graduation. Many students and faculty put their vacation plans on hold to continue the momentum from the spring semester through on- and off-campus research, internships and study abroad experiences.

For example, two of our faculty will be conducting research with international colleagues as Fulbright Scholars, a prestigious award granted through a highly competitive, merited-based program.

Michael Hickey, professor of history, is spending this summer in Russia continuing his archival research on local Jewish history among other scholarly activities at Smolenski State University.

Mehdi Razzaghi, professor of mathematics, statistics and computer science, will spend this coming academic year researching statistics problems in developmental toxicology while teaching a graduate course at the University of Warsaw in Poland.

Other university-sponsored faculty research this summer will be pursued in such disciplines as psychology, instructional technology, biology, history and physics.

Faculty often mentor students in summer research. Thirty students had projects accepted for the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity program.

Among the research topics are:

• comparing the human experience in Cameroon, Africa, to Juniata Country, Pa.
• construction and characterization of a fiber-coupled laser
• impacts of cochlear implants
• implementing clothesline stories into skilled nursing facilities
• impact of international trade on rising income inequality

In addition to our very successful URSCA program, students also land opportunities through individual scholarship and research programs. Jocelyn Legere, a chemistry major, is one of them.

She will be working on a nanotechnology project at Yale University to see if carbon dioxide can be turned into useful products or even an energy source as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program at Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The summer program will also focus on graduate-level research and methods of professional research.

Research is just one way our students are adding to their resumes this summer.

Many others are tapping into their adventurous side through a variety of study abroad and field experiences, such as an archaeological dig in Ohio, exploring the rainforest in Nicaragua and immersing themselves in the cultures of Argentina, Cameroon, Chile and Spain.

It doesn’t end there. Summer is a prime time to undertake an internship, and we have plenty of Huskies out getting their first taste of the real world. Among the variety of placements include Seventeen Magazine, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, PPL Susuehanna, Geisinger Medical Center in Danville and Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy.

What do you have planned this summer? Tell us. Better yet, show us on your favorite social media network using #HuskySummer.

#CollaborativeLearning

Putting Careers into Professional U

A recent survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA found that 84.7 percent of students attend college to obtain a well-paying career in a field they love. Bloomsburg University established Professional U to help our students reach this goal by enhancing their excellent academic preparation with practical experience. We are now building upon this initiative by bringing the Career Development Center, in addition to academic internships, into Alumni and Professional Engagement under the leadership of Lynda Michaels.

Professional U brings together students, talented alumni and organizational partners in a variety of fields to offer a distinct advantage for our students. In a relatively short time, Professional U has established a network of opportunities for our undergraduates, including career road trips, job shadowing and academic internships, while providing support and activities to customize experiential learning within each of the four colleges.

Likewise, our Career Development Center has earned a well-deserved reputation for helping students explore their interests, discover their potential, investigate their employment and graduate school options and prepare for their job search. Combining the Career Development Center’s tools and services with Professional U’s initiatives establishes opportunities for every student to have at least one career-related experience each year. Quite simply, it gives our students a head start on professional success.

I am pleased to announce this new collaboration and look forward to the outstanding career preparation, networking opportunities and professional experiences it will provide for our students.

#ProfessionalU