After 20 months of fully remote meetings, the BUAA Board finally met on campus during a stunning fall Homecoming weekend. It was so good to be “home” and to see one another in person — especially those newer Board members we’ve only met over Zoom. We conducted the meeting in a hybrid fashion, since some members were not yet comfortable being in groups gathered indoors. About two-thirds of our members attended in person, fully masked while indoors. I’m so grateful that we were together again and am hopeful that we can continue to meet on campus going forward.
Our Homecoming meeting agenda was jam packed. We kicked off the weekend on Thursday, Sept. 30 with a welcome lunch for seven new student Board members, followed by the Executive Committee meeting at the Lewisburg Hotel, which concluded with a “new” alumni member reception for those who joined the Board in fall 2020. Thursday evening, we hosted 100 juniors and seniors for an etiquette dinner in the Terrace Room led by Crystal Bailey, director of the Etiquette Institute of Washington.
Friday morning began with a Board re-orientation for us all, guided by Annie Guarino ‘08, followed by unconscious bias training led by Nikki Young, Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusive Excellence. Our University updates were outstanding! Lisa Keegan, VP Enrollment Management, and Lucille Tarin, Executive Director, University Advancement Strategy Implementation, provided insights into the planning for and priorities of the upcoming comprehensive campaign. Robert Midkiff, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, discussed how diversity is woven throughout the University’s strategic plan 2020-2025 and the campaign. Malik Malone ’91, at large member of the Executive Committee, provided an update on the Board’s DEI initiatives, following through on the promise we made in summer 2020. After committee meetings, we came together again for a guided tour of the impressive new Holmes Hall, home to the Freeman College of Management and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Art & History Department, topped off by an outdoor terrace reception hosted by Dean Raquel Alexander and Dean Karl Voss overlooking the beautiful Susquehanna Valley. We wrapped up our day at the renovated Golf Club with pizza and the Board’s ever-popular Trivia Night.
On Saturday morning, we celebrated two years of distinguished alumni award recipients with an in-person awards breakfast and ceremony at Holmes Hall. Hearing about the accomplishments of the BUAA Alumni Award winners, and their loyalty to Bucknell, made for an inspirational and deeply moving event. We then had our first in-person full Board meeting in almost two years in the new Hildreth-Mirza Hall, during which we collected responses to why we give back, heard committee reports and updates on several of our Cornerstone programs, and sang our alma mater. The presidents of the BUAA Board, Bucknell Engineering Alumni Association, Bucknell Black Alumni Association and LGBTQA Committee gathered for an informal in-person meeting after over a year of Zoom collaborations. And many Board members stuck around for President Bravman’s Homecoming update, Fran’s House 10-year anniversary, tailgating, Bison football’s win over Cornell, and Reunion gatherings, including a version of tent party.
We are already planning for and looking forward to our winter meeting on Jan. 28-29, 2022.
Wishing you, your families and friends a peaceful, joyous and healthy holiday season.
Christine Zapotoczky Kelleher ‘91
President, Bucknell University Alumni Association Board of Directors