Three Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students from the Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI) Student Scholars program recently presented at the 2021 Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education conference in Pittsburgh. The presentation by Kali Haney, Riley Vodicka, and Olivia Cabrera-Carter at this state-wide conference was titled Social and Emotional Impact of Gifted Education on Students. The students are a part of the 2021-22 cohort of the ACT101/FDI Research Initiative. This joint initiative creates opportunities for students who would not typically engage in research to learn how to conduct research, present their work in professional spaces, and add their voices to the academic arena.

Entering her first year of graduate school, the soon-to-be Master of Business Administration student knew an opportunity with the nation's largest provider of educational travel experiences would be valuable. It wasn't a hard sell for Lyza Klein '21. In fact, she went through Envision's Junior National Young Leadership Conference herself as a teenager.

The Bloomsburg University Forensics Team won the 1st Place Team Sweepstakes Trophy out of six schools at the Collegiate Forensic Association's annual Fall Speech and Debate Tournament hosted by the University of Lynchburg on November 5-6, 2021. Thirteen out of fifteen BU students won 50 individual and team speaking awards, including first place awards in 9 of the 13 events at the tournament.

Students from the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Diehl Center for Law School Preparation recently visited New York Law School in New York City. The 13 students and center director Loren Selznick, J.D., visited the downtown campus, then attended the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Law School Forum. At the forum, students were able to speak with admissions representatives from nearly 200 law schools.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania recently held its Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha) Honor Society induction ceremony. In all, 47 students were recognized with induction into the honor society that promotes academic excellence, leadership development, and campus and community service for first-generation college students. Induction into Tri-Alpha is earned by outstanding academic achievement and lasts for a lifetime. The Society's mission is to encourage and reward academic excellence among first-generation college students pursuing a bachelor's degree in accredited institutions of higher learning.

Five members of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania's Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) club programming squad competed at the 37th Annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC)-Eastern Conference at Marymount University in Virginia on Oct. 23-24. The contest featured 17 teams representing schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The BU Players at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania present John Proctor is the Villain from Wednesday, Nov. 3, through Saturday Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 7, at 3 p.m. at the Alvina Krause Theater in downtown Bloomsburg. Written by Kimberly Belflower and directed by BU faculty member KC MacMillan, John Proctor is the Villain is set in a Georgia high school English class that is studying the seminal American classic, The Crucible. However, as scandal swirls in their community, the English assignment becomes uncomfortably relevant for the students. The line between witch and heroine blurs in this post-Me-Too examination of power, love, and sex education.

Bloomsburg University's Global Business Association (GBA) took fourth place at the 2021 SDSU (San Diego State University)-CUIBE (The Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education) International Business Case Competition held Oct. 14-16, 2021, in San Diego, Ca.

The Bloomsburg University Forensics (Speech and Debate) team won the 1st Place Sweepstakes Award out of six schools at the Randolph-Macon College Invitational Tournament held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23, 2021, in Ashland, Va. This is the second straight year BU won first place at this invitational tournament. Bloomsburg students brought home a total of 40 individual speech and debate awards, including seven first place trophies, and finished ahead of Randolph Macon College, University of Lynchburg, University of Richmond, Shepherd University, and Lenoir Rhyne University.

Emily Clauss, an art studio and media and journalism dual major at Bloomsburg University, spent this past summer as a marketing intern with Fidelity Bank in Scranton.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania held its seventh annual Nursing White Coat ceremony on Saturday Sept. 11, at the Haas Center for the Arts on campus. The White Coat Ceremony celebrates sophomore nursing students who are entering the next phase of their education. In all, 125 students pledged their commitment to quality patient care. The most important element of the ceremony is the oath that students take in front of family members, faculty, school leaders, and peers. BU was among the first 100 schools to hold such a ceremony, supported by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania congratulates the nearly 1,200 students who received their academic degrees the weekend of May 14-16. The overall grade point average necessary for honors distinction is: cum laude (with distinction) 3.5 - 3.74 overall average; magna cum laude (with great distinction) 3.75 - 3.94 overall average and summa cum laude (with highest distinction) 3.95 - 4.0 overall average.

Heading into her senior year, Kendyl Swank, a senior from Mechanicsburg, wanted to have her next steps after Bloomsburg University more firmly mapped out. Her summer internship helped do just that.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania has placed 42 students as student teachers this fall throughout eastern Pennsylvania.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania accounting major Erica Morales from Easton is one of just 200 students nationwide selected for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop.

Summer internships provide college students with real life experiences and practical skills for the future. For Bloomsburg University senior, Megan Beck from Nazareth, Pa, an internship with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce this past summer gave her that experience and more.

Bloomsburg University rising senior Bryce Evans, a business administration management major, had a first-hand look at the supply chain process this summer through his internship with DHL Supply Chain.

Three Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students pursuing Master of Science degrees in instructional technology worked during the Spring 2021 semester with Curbell Plastics, Inc., one of the nation's top suppliers of plastic sheet, rod, tube, tapes, and fabricated parts, to develop a learning module about performance plastics.

Three Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students, Alexis Aucker (Middleburg) '21, Nicolas Bell (Conshohocken) '23, and Tyahva Wilhour (Sunbury) '21, were awarded scholarships by the Pennsylvania CPA Foundation. Alexis Auker received a $3,000 Academic Merit scholarship, Tyahva Wilhour received a $2,000 Academic Merit scholarship, and Nicolas Bell received a $2,000 Minority scholarship.

This summer, five students from Bloomsburg University will attend The Washington Center (TWC)'s Academic Internship Program.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania congratulates the nearly than 2,300 students who were named to the Spring 2021 Dean's List. A full-time student whose semester GPA is 3.5 or higher in 12 or more semester hours of course work for which a grade or grades are received are named to the Dean's List.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Frederick Douglass Institute for Academic Excellence recently recognized six students for their work in the Creative Expressions Competition. This year's theme was Excellence Through Social Justice: Realities and Possibilities. The competition is intended to amplify the voices and perspectives of students from all disciplines making connections between social justice and culture, economics, education, history, and science. Student honorees were Lamia Babb, Kasey Halbleib, Abigail Frey, Jasmine Heroux-Skirbst, Damian Melendez-Andriulli, and Reilly Iles. Heroux-Skirbst was honored with the Provost's Award and a cash prize of $500 for the top submission across all mediums that best reflects the ideals of Frederick Douglass.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and the Zeigler College of Business hosted the Keystone Sales Competition in early April, featuring over 100 competitors from 15 schools. BU students Emily Pitonyak and Natalia Rodriguez placed first in the business-to-business competition, while in the role-play competition, Matthew Dalrymple finished third. The Keystone Sales Challenge is held each April. At the competition, students are challenged with several rounds of a role-play competition and a business-to-business case competition. Representatives from the 17 corporate sponsors along with faculty coaches from other universities and several BU alumni served as judges and buyers.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Zeta Chapter of Lambda Alpha, the national honor society in anthropology, inducted nine new members in the Spring of 2021. Anthropology students become eligible for membership when they achieve junior status with a minimum of 12 credits in anthropology and maintain a minimum of a 3.2 GPA in their anthropology classes.

In the Department of Communication Studies at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, client projects represent important hands-on learning experiences for students, and are integrated into various classes. During the Spring 2021 semester student teams in Dr. Elizabeth Petre's class, "Communication for Business Professionals" worked virtually with several local organizations to develop external communication materials that met the client's needs.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania celebrated more than 100 graduating nursing students Saturday, May 1, with a nursing pinning ceremony in Haas Center for the Arts on campus. The first nursing pin or 'badge' in the United States was presented to the class of 1880. This badge was created by the first Nightingale School of Nursing at Bellevue Hospital. It symbolized vigilance, mercy, and relief of suffering. The distinctive nursing pin of BU was designed by the students of the class of 1979, the first graduates of the nursing program. The first part of the pin is its colors, maroon and gold, which represent the colors of Bloomsburg University. The second part is the Nightingale flame which signifies enlightenment, new knowledge and new experiences. The final part of Bloomsburg's nursing pin is the inscription "QUALITAE OED/CAT" which means dedicated to quality. These three parts of the nursing pin symbolize the accomplishments of Bloomsburg University nursing students. It signifies achievement, dedication and commitment to nursing.

The Bloomsburg University athletic department virtually recognized a record 246 scholar-athletes for their academic successes over the course of the past two semesters. Scholar-Athlete recognition was awarded to those who achieved a grade point average of 3.25 or higher during the past two semesters or who have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25. Additionally, 99 freshmen or transfer student-athletes who posted a 3.25 grade point average or higher in their first semester at Bloomsburg University were honored.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania's Office of Financial Aid recently announced BU's Student Employees of the Year. Iyanna Williams, a junior accounting major from East Stroudsburg, was named Student Employee of the Year. Andrew Bower, a senior computer science major from Berwick, is the Student Employee of the Year Runner-up. Anna Horn, a junior professional sales and marketing major from Schnecksville, was named Student Employee Rookie of the Year.

Bloomsburg University student Jason Stone, a senior biochemistry major from Dresher, won first place for his oral presentation on his research at the 84th Annual Intercollegiate Chemist Convention, held virtually and hosted by Lehigh University. Stone, who has been conducting research for several years in the lab of Matthew Polinski, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was part of the (Bio)Inorganic group that also included undergraduate student presenters from Swarthmore College, Lehigh University, Ursinus College, Towson University, Messiah University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students Laticia Feliciano and Serenity Vidot have been chosen to participate in the Frederick Douglass Research and Debate series presented by the Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI) Collaborative. The FDI Collaborative exists across the 14 universities of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. This series is an annual event and is being hosted virtually this year. Submissions were accepted from students across all System schools and focused on social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion from all disciplines. Only 20 submissions were accepted to present.