It’s no secret that students who feel valued, a strong connection to peers and staff, and a sense of community are more likely to see their four-year journey through and earn a degree. They are also more likely to experience enhanced overall well-being and a greater sense of purpose after they graduate. 

Yet as higher education institutions across the country prioritize student access, placing more focus and resources into recruiting from different regions and backgrounds, they’ve faced challenges in creating the kind of experience that helps students to persist at college.

Bucknell University leaders recognize that access doesn’t end with recruitment. It requires more than just opening doors; for students to succeed and thrive, they need to be supported and feel that they belong. Bucknell’s new Center for Access & Success will focus, coordinate and enhance supportive programming and resources to help its pathway scholarship students prosper. 

“The purpose of the center is to expand access and further Bucknell’s commitment to ensuring that we open doors to talent from as broad a spectrum as possible,” said Lisa A. Keegan, vice president for enrollment management.

The new center will not only provide students with access to a Bucknell education, but it will ensure that students have support and opportunities that will enable them to reach their academic goals and fully engage in all aspects of university life at the Pennsylvania liberal arts institution.

“I believe deeply in what a college education can do to transform a life and the lives around that student,” Bucknell President John Bravman said. “For everyone who earns their way into Bucknell, we don’t want financial resources or other impediments to stand in the way of qualified students accessing all of the educational experiences of this university.”

An institutional priority

Bucknell’s commitment to increasing student access predates the creation of the Center for Access & Success by more than two decades. 

The first Posse Scholars and Community College Scholars arrived on campus in the early 2000s. Bucknell also belongs to the American Talent Initiative, an alliance of public and private institutions working together to improve access and opportunities in higher education for talented lower-income students. 

The Center for Access & Success is aligned with the university’s strategic plan — The Plan for Bucknell 2025: A Thriving, Inclusive and Sustainable Future — which university trustees adopted in 2019. “The fulfillment of our mission at the highest level is what drives us to expand opportunities and break down barriers for our students,” Bravman said.

With the new center coordinating, expanding and elevating the university’s access and success efforts across the entire university, Keegan expects to see improved graduation rates for its signature pathway scholarship students. 

Improving on its already strong record is a lofty goal; Bucknell normally retains 90% of its first-year students and graduates more than 80% of all students in four years. But Keegan sees an opportunity. Bucknell’s Posse Scholars graduate at higher rates than the overall student body. The new center will work to help all pathway scholarship students achieve a similar level of success.

“So many of us in higher education are working diligently to ensure that students can see themselves going to selective colleges,” Keegan said. “Our commitment as an institution is to continue to build these pathways for these students and help them persist and flourish and thrive here.”

This content was paid for by Bucknell University and produced by Inside Higher Ed's sponsored content team. The editorial staff of Inside Higher Ed had no role in its preparation.