Management Milestone
The Freeman College turns 5
The Freeman College of Management officially marked its fifth anniversary on July 1, but the celebration has been going all year — starting with the opening of Holmes Hall and encompassing the college’s first top 20 appearance in the “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2022” rankings by Poets&Quants.
But Raquel Alexander, the Kenneth W. Freeman Professor and dean of the Freeman College of Management, emphasizes that this is just the latest in a series of achievements since the college’s founding.
“The remarkable naming gift from Ken and Janice Freeman has allowed us to double the size of our entering class, offer eight majors and two minors, and pair every student with an alumni mentor,” Alexander says. “Based upon student outcomes and experiences, we earned a No. 17 ranking among undergraduate schools nationwide for 2022.
“We have also paused to collectively make meaning of this moment in history when the world has weathered a global pandemic, come to a reckoning around racial justice and recognized a climate emergency,” she adds. “Our approach to management education — interdisciplinary and experiential — prepares Bucknellians to lead ethically and solve the complex challenges that will face current and future generations. The world needs more leaders and more Bucknellians.”
And Bucknellians, including current students, have benefited from the college’s growth as well. In addition to ranking the college, Poets&Quants named Luke Grover ’22 and Bridget Tobin ’22 among its “100 Best & Brightest Business Majors of 2022.”
“I think the evolution in the leadership sense — where it’s not just academic and it’s pushed toward that sustainable, empathetic leadership side of every student — is something that’s evolved since I started,” says Grover, now an associate auditor in banking capital markets for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“The holistic approach of the college has evolved too,” adds Tobin, now a wealth management strategy analyst at Bank of America. “It provides a holistic view for you to explore whatever you want and then do whatever you want.”
The college officially celebrated its fifth anniversary during a Reunion Weekend reception.