Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, Bucknell traces its origination to a group of Baptists who deemed it "desirable that a Literary Institution should be established in Central Pennsylvania, embracing a High School for male pupils, another for females, a College and also a Theological Institution."
The group’s efforts for the institution began to crystallize in 1845 when Stephen William Taylor, a professor at Madison University (now Colgate) in Hamilton, N.Y., was asked to prepare a charter and act as general agent for the University’s development.
The charter for the University at Lewisburg, granted by the Legislature of Pennsylvania and approved by the governor on Feb. 5, 1846, carried one stipulation – that $100,000 be raised before the new institution would be granted full corporate status. More than 4,000 subscribers ultimately contributed, including a small boy who gave 12 cents.
In 1846, the "school preparatory to the University" opened in the basement of the First Baptist Church in Lewisburg. Known originally as the Lewisburg High School, it became, in 1848, the Academical and Primary Department of the University at Lewisburg.
In 1850, the department moved into the first building completed on campus, now called Taylor Hall. Built for $8,000, the building housed both women and men’s studies until the opening of the Female Institute in 1852. While studying together, women were required to face east while men faced west.
The school’s first commencement was held Aug. 20, 1851, for a graduation class of seven men. Among the board members attending was James Buchanan, who would become the 15th President of the United States. Stephen Taylor officiated as his last act before assuming office as president of Madison University. One day earlier, the trustees had elected Howard Malcom as the first president of the university, a post he held for six years.
The description that the university was carved out of the "wilds of Pennsylvania" is no exaggeration. From Philadelphia, the journey in those early years involved traveling by stagecoach, canal boat, and unheated train and averaged 25 hours.
Although the Female Institute began instruction in 1852, it wasn’t until 1883 that college courses were opened to women. Bucknell, though, was committed to equal educational opportunities for women.
A striking instance of this commitment occurs in the words of David Jayne Hill of the Class of 1874 and president of the University from 1879 to 1888: "We need in Pennsylvania, in the geographical centre of the state, a University, not in the German but in the American sense, where every branch of non-professional knowledge can be pursued, regardless of distinction of sex. I have no well-matured plan to announce as to the sexes; but the Principal of the Female Seminary proposes to inaugurate a course for females equal to that pursued at Vassar; the two sexes having equal advantages, though not reciting together."
Within five years of opening, enrollment had grown so sharply that the University built a new hall – Larison Hall – to accommodate the Female Institute. Women could venture into town only in the company of a female teacher, one who had a minimum of six years’ experience in handling girls.
In 1881, facing dire finances, the University turned to William Bucknell, a charter member of the board of trustees, for help. His generous donation of $50,000 saved the University from ruin. For the remainder of his life, Bucknell gave generously to the University and in 1886 in recognition of that generosity the trustees voted unanimously to change the name of the University at Lewisburg to Bucknell University.
Bucknell Hall, the first of several buildings given to the University by Bucknell, was initially a chapel and for more than a half century the site of student theatrical and musical performances. Today, it houses the Stadler Center for Poetry.
Since its founding, 17 presidents and eight acting presidents have served Bucknell. Under their leadership, Bucknell has grown from a "Literary Institution and Female High School" to a University of more than 3,500 undergraduate and 60 graduate students and about 350 full-time, tenure-line faculty.
Significant achievements mark the growth of Bucknell — from modest origins to its stature as one of the top national liberal arts institutions offering more than 50 majors and 65 minors in its two colleges— the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering.
The 40 years from 1890 until 1930 showed a steady increase in the number of faculty members and students. When the Depression brought a drop in enrollment in 1933, several members of the faculty were "loaned" to found a new institution: Bucknell Junior College in Wilkes-Barre. Today, that institution is a four-year university, Wilkes University, independent of Bucknell since 1947.
New facilities for the sciences included the renovation of the Olin Science Building, the construction of the Rooke Chemistry Building in 1990, and the completion of a new Biology Building in 1991. The O'Leary Building for Psychology and Geology opened in 2002 and the Breakiron Engineering Building in 2004.
Other facilities include the McDonnell Residence Hall and Weis Music Building, both completed in 2000, and the new Kenneth Langone Recreational Athletic Center, which opened during the 2002-03 academic year. Academic West opened in 2013.
The University has preserved its commitment to the liberal arts, but it has also integrated other kinds of learning into the curriculum. The first elective course in civil engineering, for example, was offered in the academic year 1893-94. Bachelor of science degrees in education were awarded for the first time in 1925.
The 1970s were characterized by a strong interest in interdisciplinary studies, including the establishment of the College Major and the initiation of Freshman Adviser Seminars and the Freshman Humanities Semester.
New programs in computer science and computer-aided design were introduced in 1979-80 and in 1982-83. The 1990s saw great advances in general education when the faculty adopted the Common Learning Agenda, a broad-based curriculum for all students in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Bucknell Plan for Engineering Education, a new curricular plan for all students in the College of Engineering.
Today, Bucknell has 50,000 living alumni who form a close network of loyal Bucknellians around the world. Their successful lives and personal achievements are a testament to the vision and perspicacity of the University’s founders, who were dedicated to the pursuit of excellence.
Bucknell offers student housing in a variety of settings: traditional residence halls, apartment-style facilities, small house communities (which include both special interest houses and theme houses), substance-free or quiet housing, as well as off-campus housing. Bucknell guarantees housing for all four years. Housing is managed by the Office of Housing Services.
First-Year Housing
All first-year students live on floors with other first-year students.
Residence Halls
Bucknell continually renovates its residence halls to make them a welcoming place for students during their years at Bucknell. From traditional residence hall rooms to apartment-style living, the University offers a variety of housing options to students.
Residential Colleges
While registering for courses, first-year students can elect a Foundation Seminar that's part of our Residential Colleges living-learning communities. Students will take a class, live on the same hall together and join in discussions built around each college’s specific interest — arts, discovery, environmental, global, humanities, languages & cultures, society & technology and social justice.
Affinity Housing
Students who want to live with others who share their interests can apply to live in an Affinity House or Hall. The only affinity housing option available to first-year students is Substance-Free Housing, but students in higher class years can propose new themes (or renew themes) every year.
Quiet Floors
Some students appreciate an environment with fewer distractions and a 24-hour quiet atmosphere.
Off-Campus Living
All undergraduate students are required to live on campus in a University-owned facility or University-related fraternity house unless they receive formal approval to reside off campus or commute from home (with a parent or guardian in residence). Non-traditional-age students may live in a home or privately-owned rental unit.
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