Revolutionizing Access
Colleges and universities work to expand access in order to attract the best and brightest students regardless of their financial capacity. Bucknell recognizes that opening the door is only the first step. To best support its students — particularly those who face barriers entering college — Bucknell provides ongoing access to supportive programs and resources.
The Bucknell Gateway Scholars Program
Thanks to the generosity of Bob ’84, P’16 and Sue DeMent Gamgort ’84, P’16, the Bucknell Gateway Scholars program will meet the full demonstrated financial need for 20 first-generation students each year for the next four years. Beginning with members of Bucknell’s incoming Class of 2027, students will see federal loans eliminated from their financial aid packages — a factor that will enable them to make their home at Bucknell.
Read more about our newest access initiative in the Winter 2023 edition of Bucknell Magazine and at bucknell.edu/GatewayScholars
Continuing to Make an Impact
At Bucknell, Professors Emeriti David and Pauline Fletcher helped students make connections across diverse disciplines. Through the development of a unique course that combined their respective subjects — biology and literature — their intentional efforts brought together “different kinds of knowledge — things that are sufficiently far apart — so it would be exciting to try to find commonalities and to demarcate the differences,” says David Fletcher. Now, their commitment to interdisciplinary education will continue through the Pauline and David Fletcher Scholarship — another step toward expanding access for new Bucknellians.
Quantitative Support
Bucknell is committed to ensuring that every student has the resources and support they need to be successful in their chosen field. A gift from Trustee Kathy Vizas ’79 and her husband, Bob, will fund a new program to provide support for students’ mathematical and quantitative coursework over the next five years. The program includes a full-time quantitative support specialist, faculty fellows, workshops, tutoring and summer programs, underlining Bucknell’s focus on cross-disciplinary training by serving the entire campus community.
“Donors ARE the reason that I have been able to attend Bucknell. They are the reason that I got here — where I can do good with my life and give back.”
Abdullah Nabi ’23, a mechanical engineering major from Pakistan, works with Professor José Madero on a new, more efficient means of generating power with biofuels.