Established in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, Bucknell University is the nation’s 100th college or university in order of founding. Renamed in 1886 in honor of benefactor William Bucknell, the 450-acre campus is bordered by the Susquehanna R
iver and the historic borough of Lewisburg, among the nation’s “most livable” small towns.
The University has evolved from a local, denominational institution into a highly visible national liberal arts institution with more than 3,500 undergraduates and nearly 150 graduate students drawn from most states and more than 50 countries. Of the 345 full-time faculty members, more than 94 percent have a Ph.D. or other terminal degree. Undergraduate research is emphasized in all curriculum areas.
Highly selective, only one-third of the University’s applicants are admitted. Of those, more than half are from the top one-tenth of their secondary school classes.
Bucknell awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 50 fields. About 80 percent of the students are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and 20 percent in the College of Engineering. Residing within the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Management provides curricula leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with majors in management or accounting. Bucknell’s extraordinary graduation rate – 89 percent within five years – is among the highest in the nation.
Eighty-seven percent of students live on campus, among the most attractive in the country, enjoying options that include seven residential colleges and more than 150 student organizations that create a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities in the arts, media, community service, religion and other areas.
Students are actively engaged in the community. More than 85 percent of Bucknell’s seniors participate in community service or volunteer work. Town-gown relations are excellent as demonstrated in part by the annual welcoming of first-year students by downtown merchants and officials.
A member of the Patriot League, nearly one-fifth of all students participate in 27 varsity sports at the Division I level. The student-athlete graduation rate is the fourth highest in nation among all Division I programs.
Professional and campus music, dance, and theatre events, as well as lectures, and other functions are held in the 1,200-seat Weis Center for the Performing Arts. The Samek Art Gallery serves the students, the University community and region through innovative exhibitions and programming that focuses primarily on the art of our time
Related Bucknell links:
Barnes & Noble at Bucknell University Bookstore
Small Business Development Center
Weis Center for the Performing Arts
