Season's Greetings

As we approach the end of the fall semester across our Commonwealth University locations, please enjoy this holiday message. 

I wish you a safe, happy, and restorative holiday season. 

Bashar W. Hanna, President 

Happy Holidays

This has been an exciting year for all of us at Commonwealth University. We have officially come together as Huskies, Bald Eagles, and Mounties and have enjoyed an energizing fall semester. 

I wish you a safe and happy holiday season! Please enjoy this special holiday message. 

    

Bashar W. Hanna, President

A Historic Time for Public Higher Education

 

As we near the end of August and the summer begins to slip away, those of us in higher education see this time of year as a new beginning. Our students have returned to campus, and the air has filled with equal parts excitement and anticipation.

For our new students, this is the beginning of a life-changing journey. No other transition in life is as transformative as the start of a collegiate career. Remarkable opportunities await and I urge our students to make the most of them. For our returning students, arriving back on campus should feel like a homecoming. They are being reunited with friends, professors, and valued staff members as they move ever closer to their goal of graduating.

That goal of graduation rests at the heart of our mission as educators. I’m encouraged to witness the trajectory we’re taking in Pennsylvania in support of our students and their future success. This is a historic time for public higher education in Pennsylvania. The past few months have seen both a first-of-its-kind integration of public institutions and record investment by the legislature in our state-owned universities. The unprecedented 16% increase in the State System’s appropriation signifies the state’s support of the power and promise of public higher education in Pennsylvania.

We at Commonwealth University are paving the way for bold ideas and collaborations as we embark on a new path that unites three historic institutions—Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield. Individually, these schools carry storied legacies of educating students, serving their communities, and preparing tomorrow’s leaders. Together, as Commonwealth University, we will offer students increased access to a broader range of academic programs, opportunities for experiential learning and research, keeping an eye to affordability, while promising a high-quality education powered by high-impact practices. Students graduating from Commonwealth University, many of whom stay and work in the region, will be prepared to enter the workforce and make an immediate impact in their careers and communities.

This season of new beginnings is brimming with possibility and promise, and I hope that, like me, you’re eager to join the journey.

Bashar W. Hanna, President 

Student Athletes move in at Lock Haven

Bloomsburg students are all smiles walking across campus 

Move in day at Mansfield 

    Bashar W. Hanna, President

A President's Welcome

Welcome to the Fall 2021 semester! It’s wonderful to have everyone back, and especially energizing to see our students back on campus. Welcome back to all our returning students, and a special welcome to our first-year and transfer students – I look forward to seeing you in the Commons and on the Quad.

To our faculty and staff, I thank all of you for your unwavering commitment to our students, and appreciate your perseverance in spite of the challenges we’ve encountered over the past 18 months. Special thanks to all our colleagues, CAs, and HOWLs who have been helping our newest students move in and get acquainted with the campus over the past couple weeks.

As you recently read, the health and safety of our campus community remains a high priority for us as we begin this semester. We continue to track the COVID-19 virus, and we have mandated masking indoors on campus because of the recent increase in positive cases in our county. I thank all of you for your cooperation in support of our commitment to conclude the semester as we begin it: in-person, and with a vibrant campus life and educational experience for all students.

I ask each of you to please wear a face covering of some sort while indoors, and please check our regular campus email announcements and COVID-19 dashboard for the latest updates. I remind all students that they will be automatically entered into our scholarship lottery upon providing proof of vaccination to our Student Health Center (SHC). Please visit the SHC webpage for further information on the scholarship opportunities, COVID testing, and on-campus vaccine registration.

Best of luck to all our students as we commence this academic year together, and thanks again to all my colleagues for your hard work and dedication in support of our students.

Please continue to be safe, mask up, and GO HUSKIES!

    Bashar W. Hanna, President

Huskies Adapt

As I sit with my large mug of coffee on this Sunday morning and reflect on the semester, I am awestruck by our Husky adaptability.

After three-plus months of planning to return to campus for the fall 2020 semester, hundreds (if not thousands) of human resource hours went into creating plans to address and mitigate as many COVID-19 risk factors as possible.  Not long after we welcomed first-year and transfer students to the BU Family and said welcome back to returning students, we immediately began to encounter challenges that directly or indirectly impacted the entire Husky Nation.

As the number of COVID-19 cases began to increase and approach triple digits, we faced a “fork in the road” – march on or pivot. After many hours of exploring and assessing options, we decided it was more prudent to pivot. Such decisions are difficult and are seldom free of critique.

The remarkable quality of the BU Family to pivot and adapt continues to amaze. And it is with a spirit of awe and gratitude that, on behalf of our students, I express my deep appreciation and gratitude to our faculty and staff’s extraordinary commitment and dedication. 

THANK YOU!

Bashar W. Hanna, President