National Volunteer Week

Artist Pablo Picasso said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Over the past several months, our campuses have offered meaningful examples of Picasso’s words at work. Students from each campus have been out in the community lending a hand and giving their time and talents to help local organizations.

April 17 kicks off national volunteer week, providing an opportunity to recognize the work of the students, volunteers, donors, supporters, and friends of our universities whose contributions to our campuses and communities make an immeasurable difference in the lives of so many.

At Lock Haven, students recently partnered with Downtown Lock Haven to put together spring time activities for kids and assist in community clean-up efforts. Multiple athletic teams have also given their time to support local charities, schools, and churches.

Bloomsburg students recently participated in The Big Event, a CGA community service event that gives them the opportunity to help and assist businesses and residents of the Town of Bloomsburg with projects such as raking yards and cleaning up streets.

Mansfield student organizations, Greek life, and athletics programs have been giving back to their community in big ways this spring through volunteering in and around the Mansfield area.

Last week, all three campuses participated in an All-In Day of Giving. The 24-hour giving challenge is in its eighth year at Lock Haven, with Bloomsburg and Mansfield hosting inaugural events this year. I am humbled by the generosity of our donors who together gave more than $500,330 to support our students. Each gift will make a difference in the life of a student.

Giving comes in many forms. This month we’ve witnessed shining examples of what it means to give of oneself in support of others. Whether it’s time, talent, or treasure—every gift is meaningful and works powerfully in the life of our students and the people in our communities.

Thank you to our students and supporters for your continued generosity of spirit and selfless consideration of others.

    Bashar W. Hanna, President

We have much to be grateful for

It has been a busy Fall semester on campus and November was filled with a host of important events.

The month began with First Gen Week, a celebration of our students who are the first in their families to attend college. As a first generation student myself, I have walked in your shoes questioning whether or not if I belonged in college. But know that you are not alone in this journey at BU. There are resources on our campus to help you so don’t be afraid to raise a hand. Your destiny awaits if you stay the course and remain focused. This week I join with our campus community to honor and celebrate the more than 1,700 BU First Gen students who are set to be the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree.

We also celebrated Veterans Week to honor and recognize those who have served our country in the military. At BU we take great pride in our Military and Veterans Resource office which works to support our students as they pursue their educational goals. It was an honor to host the fourth annual luncheon for our faculty/staff/student veterans on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. In addition, our BU Student Veterans Association held its annual Suicide Awareness Walk on Friday, Nov. 12, at 8 a.m.

Our final recognition week of the month was No Hate Week from Nov. 13-18. This year’s theme is “No More Silence.” As a campus, town, state, and nation, we must work to treat each other equally, fairly, and without fear. One of the most impactful programs during the week that serves as a bridge for our University and the community we call home is “Beyond the Fountain”, an annual Community Government Association (CGA) event, which was held on on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom. The week wrapped up on Thursday, Nov. 18, with “A Conversation with Albert Jones,” the chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer for Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities.

Finally, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    Bashar W. Hanna, President

Valuing our differences and learning from one another

Dear BU Family,

Since the inexplicable death of George Floyd in Minnesota last month, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some additional thoughts, and invite all of you to do the same at virtual town halls this summer. So that we may become a stronger and better BU and a more welcoming and inclusive community, we must continue this important dialogue together.

To BU students, parents, colleagues, and alumni of color, particularly Black members of our community: regardless of any discrimination I endured, I cannot put myself in your place, but I share your outrage. The outpouring of grief, frustration and anger in recent protests across our country and the globe arrived amidst a pandemic that has ravaged communities, seeded fear, and placed physical distance between us.

Education should be an effective antidote for discrimination and bigotry. There is no better way to challenge our own notions and learn to value cultural differences than to open-mindedly learn from one another as one community. When I arrived at BU in July 2017, I spent my first year meeting with many constituencies, listening, and observing. In my second year, I established the President’s Commission for Diversity and Inclusion, co-chaired by Dr. Shavonne Shorter and Mr. Wayne Whitaker. Because of what I learned in my first year, I identified diversity, equity and inclusion as an area of opportunity for our community, and this will be one of three pillars in the strategic plan that will guide BU for the next decade.

Over the past year, the Commission has been hosting town hall meetings, engaging in focus groups with various constituency groups, and collecting data. In Fall 2019, we administered a campus climate survey to employees and students, specifically inquiring about our diversity and inclusion efforts and opportunities. The results of this survey were being analyzed as COVID-19 hit us. We shared an overview of the survey results at our Leadership Council meeting last week, and we will share the same information with the BU community at the beginning of the fall semester.

The commitment to make our University a more diverse, inclusive, and supportive institution has never been more important or more urgent. This criticality was galvanized last fall when faculty, staff and I walked arm-in-arm with our students demanding diversity, inclusion and safety.

Huskies do not cower in the face of adversity. We have grit and we will overcome. Each of us must do our part to inspire our communities. We must listen and learn from each other, appreciate what makes us different, celebrate this diversity, and steadfastly remain true to our common humanity.

In the spirit of open-mindedly learning from one another, I have held over the past month virtual listening sessions with the newly elected student officers of our Community Government Association, the President’s Commission for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Leadership Council members. Last week, I took part in a virtual community event hosted by Columbia County’s Coalition for Social Equity, and moderated by our own Dr. Shorter. As I have listened to students and colleagues and community members in these conversations, I have learned a lot, and I look forward to hearing from even more voices within the BU Family. I have invited members of the faculty and staff to join me at upcoming virtual listening sessions this summer, and look forward to scheduling more sessions for students, alumni, and other members of our community beginning in August.

Please join me in the critical work ahead. We Huskies will rise to this occasion, persevere, and serve as a model for others to emulate. I look forward to collaborating with you!

Sincerely,

Bashar W. Hanna, President

Celebrating Black History Month

During the month of February we celebrate Black History Month. The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. It was in the fall of that year that Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, a group committed to studying and promoting achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African descent.

Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."

Here at Bloomsburg University, I am proud of the programming we currently offer and hope that we'll be able to offer more in the years ahead.

We started BU's Black History Month with a lecture by Mr. Wil Haygood, a distinguished writer, author, Pulitzer Prize finalist and reporter. Mr. Haygood is best known for his book which was later turned into the critically acclaimed film, The Butler. Mr. Haygood gave an inspired talk to a large crowd on where we are as a society and how 'only light can drive out the darkness."

There will be several more lectures and presentations throughout the month in celebration of Black History Month.

But I want to highlight one very important discussion to be held on Friday, Feb. 16. Organized by CGA president Joar Dahn, "Beyond the Fountain", a discussion of racism in our community. It will be held in the Kehr Union Building, multi-purpose rooms A-B from 5 to 7 p.m. As Joar has said it is his goal is to bring people of all colors together to discuss diversity and how we can all learn from each other. This is a young man who cares deeply about this community and wants to make it a better place for all of us. I am so proud of him for what he is doing with this discussion and it is my hope that we come out and share our experiences. I'll be there and I hope you will be, too.

     Bashar

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership. According to Robert Greenleaf, who coined the term servant leadership, this exercise of power “begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” During my almost three decades of higher education experience, the most effective leadership is servant leadership in action.

Far too frequently our students provide us with amazing lessons in this type of leadership.

As I walk the campus and observe, often from afar, I am amazed what our students do for each other, the university, and our neighbors.

During move-in week our OWL’S and CA’s provided servant leadership with poise, dignity, and most importantly a genuine SMILE. There was no task that was too small or no frustrated first-year students and their family, that would keep this dedicated group from making the day a memorable one for everybody.

Also, Joar Dahn, our CGA president and an immigrant like me, along with his executive board, have shown leadership in action. Joar has met with town leaders to facilitate conversations so that our students and our neighbors in town can exist symbolically along-side each other.

Our faculty also show us servant leadership. I am utterly amazed at the level of service the BU faculty provides on and off campus. For example, two faculty members, Kurt Smith and Scott Lowe, both from the department of philosophy, serve on the town Planning Commission. Retired faculty members Jim Pomfret and Chang Shub Roh also work together delivering meals on wheels. And I am sure I haven’t even scratched the surface of others who volunteer in many ways across campus and our town and region.

Our staff is also very active serving others. For example, Donna Gillaspy, administrative assistant in the sports information office, is a volunteer at the Bloomsburg Elks Lodge as well as with the Bloomsburg Women’s Civic Club and serves as mission team leader at the Wesley United Methodist Church.

BU is a special place because of the servant leaders that prefer to lead with action rather than words. Valuable lessons for all, especially newcomers to the Huskies family like me.

Bashar