ata is ubiquitous, a pivotal force in informed decision-making throughout industries. At Bucknell, students are poised to embrace the power of data across all disciplines and learn how to apply it effectively to their future professions thanks to a generous founding gift from Michael J. Dominguez ’91.

Launching in 2024, the Dominguez Center for Data Science will equip Bucknell students with the skills to address global challenges in the digital age. By integrating data science into a wide range of academic programs, the center will offer hands-on experiences that help prepare students for career success and emphasize the ethical treatment of data collection and use.

Dominguez, a Bucknell trustee who serves as chief investment officer and senior managing director at Providence Equity Partners, envisions programming that encourages collaborative problem solving, reflecting efforts seen in the corporate world. “Irrespective of the fields students pursue, data will be an increasingly important component of their careers,” Dominguez says. “It serves as the foundation for decision-making and drives innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics. Data is critical to the future of any business or initiative.”

The vision for the center emerged through a benchmarking study performed by an interdisciplinary faculty team that includes Freeman College of Management Professor Matt Bailey, analytics & operations management; College of Arts & Sciences Professor Peter Brooksbank, mathematics; and College of Engineering Professor Brian King, computer science. They found Bucknell to be well positioned for distinction in the field because of its three-college structure and program offerings that apply data science in ways that push beyond the assumed boundaries of data as a discipline.

“Bucknell students have already excelled in data science, from Broadway and NFL analytics to solving big-data challenges,” says Samuel Gutekunst (above right), the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Assistant Professor of Data Science. “The center will unite efforts across all three colleges and will foster impactful, real-world collaborations.”

ultivating an environment where academic inquiry, intellectual curiosity and open dialogue thrive has become a high-stakes endeavor for colleges and universities.

Amid national tensions surrounding diverse perspectives in education, Bucknell University is demonstrating its commitment to freedom of expression. The reinvigoration of its national speaker series is a tangible example of how the institution values the open exchange of ideas on campus.

The Bucknell Forum invites speakers from across the political and ideological spectrum to discuss topics related to an annual theme. For the 2022-23 series relaunch following a COVID-19 hiatus, high-profile figures — including Republican Condoleezza Rice and Democrat David Axelrod — addressed “The State of American Democracy.” The 2023-24 Bucknell Forum brings writers, activists and scholars to campus to explore “Freedom of Expression.”

Conservative Washington Post columnist George F. Will kicked off the series in September with his thoughts on the politicization of everyday life. “This saturation [of politics] will inevitably mean controlling what people say and hear and read and think and teach,” Will said. “Ultimately, this idea is the source of totalitarianism, which is the totalizing of politics.” (For full coverage,
visit go.bucknell.edu/george-f-will)

Jon A. Shields — a professor of American politics, chair of the government department at Claremont McKenna College, and author or co-author of three books on the American right — followed in October, discussing the dynamics of the Republican party, including how its own cancel culture counters the party’s claim of partisan agreement. (Learn more at go.bucknell.edu/jon-a-shields)

In the spring, Bucknell will welcome New York Times-bestselling author Jodi Picoult, award-winning writer George M. Johnson, and Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda.

Most Bucknell Forum speakers arrive on campus a few hours ahead of the evening event in order to visit classes, giving students the opportunity to engage with them in a small-group setting.

“Ensuring that we have different viewpoints represented on campus benefits our students, faculty and staff,” says Heather Johns P’27, vice president for marketing & communications. “We are demonstrating the value of listening to other voices and engaging in thoughtful conversations with someone you may not agree with. Doing so prepares our students to be successful citizens in a world that’s filled with different perspectives, identities and experiences.”

The Bucknell Forum has sparked interest from other institutions hoping to replicate its success by launching their own speaker series.

Jump Start Your Career teaches the fundamentals of good career decision-making and goal-setting.

Exploring Pre-health introduces students to the breadth of health care jobs and helps them chart their ideal career path.

Pursuing Pre-health guides students through the process of applying to professional schools.

Exploring Pre-law introduces students to the field of law and the legal profession.

Pursuing Pre-law prepares students for the law school application process.

offee is a ubiquitous part of our culture that transcends its role as a caffeine source. It’s a centerpiece of social gatherings, a symbol of hospitality and a major global commodity.

Fueled by a mutual appreciation for the beverage, Professor Kat Wakabayashi, chemical engineering, and Visiting Assistant Professor Jonathan Scholnick, anthropology, recognized that coffee’s complex nature — which can be examined from a blend of perspectives including history, world cultures, anthropology, chemistry, environmental justice and economics — could be the focus of a comprehensive interdisciplinary initiative. The Bucknell Interdisciplinary Coffee Program provides a variety of learning opportunities for students via academic courses, research projects, community engagement activities and campus social experiences.

The program launched this past fall with its first course: a dinner seminar Wakabayashi and Scholnick co-taught for the Food Residential College. Students gathered weekly to explore the multidisciplinary world of coffee while sharing a meal. “Each student brought something unique to the table — and that’s where the magic happened,” Scholnick says. “We all drove the intellectual agenda.” In one session, Scholnick brewed Guatemalan coffee and Ethiopian coffee for students to compare and led a related discussion of the history and culture of the regions. In another class, Wakabayashi demonstrated how the chemical and physical properties of coffee influence the sensory experience — for example, how brew temperature impacts flavor intensity. “Coffee is a captivating topic and medium through which we can deliver immersive experiential learning,” Wakabayashi says.

Wakabayashi and Scholnick are also involving students from different majors to conduct research on various aspects of coffee. Current investigations include recycling discarded coffee grounds as a bio-composite material used in compostable packaging, and capturing and analyzing the aroma of fresh coffee beans. “There’s a whole world behind a cup of coffee,” says Scholnick. “It’s everything from the history of how the plant is cultivated and grown, to the labor relations of the growers, to the way that coffee is marketed. All of these things are entangled in every cup you consume.”

2023 marked another successful fundraising year, with more than $54 million received in gifts and pledges.

• $14.9 million was designated to the Bucknell Annual Fund, providing vital resources to every student, program and department, every day.
• $3 million set the record for support for our athletics teams through the Bison Club.
• 39 new pledges of six figures and above were designated to enrollment efforts and financial aid, including a $10 million pledge.
• A founding gift launched the Dominguez Center for Data Science.