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

Power of the student body

One of the many joys I receive from working in higher education is the opportunity to see young people grow into adults during their time as college students. Arriving on campus with narrow views of the world, these teenagers get to see beyond their small circle and become citizens focused on doing good.

I was reminded of the power and growth of the student body in a hand-written note (yes people still take time to send notes through the mail) sent to me by the McDaniel family of Shickshinny. The writer talked about the Bocce Bash held at the Nelson Field House in October. The McDaniel’s praised all the student volunteers, but singled out junior Nora Yakscoe, a special education major, who despite some medical issues of her own, put in many hours of work in advance of the event to help ensure its success for the hundreds of participants. The McDaniel’s said the work done that day shows the true nature of BU’s student body which is “loving, caring and exemplary.”

Well said! It’s a spirit that I have seen on display throughout my short tenure as president of BU with events like the breast cancer walk, the BU Dance Ensemble dance marathon for the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, the Suitcase Project for foster children in the area which provides them with a nylon duffel bag filled age-appropriate toys and personal items or most recently the BU softball team pooling their own money to buy a plane ticket so a teammate studying in England could get home to see her mom injured in an auto accident to name just a few.

I know this ‘power of the student body’ will only continue to grow and develop over the coming months and years and look forward to seeing how it impacts both the students and our community.

From me, my wife Deanna and our children Christian and Lauren, it is our hope in this time of peace and joy, that you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday season and a Happy New Year!

     Bashar