Transforming Access
The center, which is scheduled to be fully operational by fall 2023, will focus on students from Bucknell’s pathway scholarship programs: The Gateway Scholars Program, The Charles T. Bauer Scholars Program, The Posse Scholars Program, The Langone and Langone-Walling Scholarships, and The Bucknell Community College Scholars Program.
The center’s vision is deeply personal to John Bravman. “As a first-generation student who struggled while adjusting to college life, I know that simply being admitted to college does not guarantee success,” Bravman says. “Ongoing support and guidance throughout the four-year experience are critical. Bucknell’s Center for Access & Success will offer many of our underrepresented students the resources they need to have the best possible experience here.”
The center will administer and further develop Bucknell’s pathway programs as well as the University’s efforts in the American Talent Initiative — a growing alliance of colleges and universities dedicated to expanding opportunities for low- and moderate-income students. Using data about academic experiences and outcomes, and working with other campus offices, the center will determine the most effective ways to support pathway students.
Its relationship-based approach will also strengthen these students’ sense of belonging, serving “as a home for current and future pathway students, and providing services and support tailored to meet the specific needs of these students and their families,” says Lisa Keegan, vice president for enrollment management.
The center will serve up to 300 Bucknell students at any one time. It will be led by the Andrew Hartman ’71, P’00 & Joseph Fama ’71 Executive Director of the Center for Access & Success, a position made possible by Andrew and Janet Bauer Hartman P’00, and by the Charles T. Bauer Foundation.
“Bucknell has a long tradition of recruiting students from diverse backgrounds, but their success requires a commitment to support their entire Bucknell experience,” Keegan says. “This center will allow the University to better serve underrepresented students through a more robust, cohesive and strategic approach.”