Bloomsburg, a Commonwealth University

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 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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

It was a record-breaking RNMKRS College Sales Skills Competition last fall as more than 2,100 college students from 59 different schools from across the globe completed over 45,000 role-plays. A handful of competitors got within striking distance of a perfect score. Among them was Dakota Carroll, a Bloomsburg University professional sales and marketing major, who finished just out of the top 1% of the competition.

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.

Several Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania professional marketing and sales students competed in the virtual Redbird Regional Sales Contest in February. Senior Autumn Hawk advanced to the semifinals in her first-ever sales competition contest. Joining Hawk in the competition were Molly Groff, Mia Kosoglow, and Ethan Burns. BU faculty member Mike Huben is the team's coach.

Bloomsburg University students participated in an intense professional development program from September 7 to November 10. During the virtual Career Intensive Boot Camp (CIBC), students learned the "soft skills" of professionalism and had the opportunity to connect with alumni in their industry through live discussions and self-paced content that included the importance of personality on a career, advice for young professionals, the first week on the job, professional and office relationships, finances, and salary negotiation. Students also had the opportunity to have their resume and cover letter reviewed, participate in live networking sessions, and practice interviewing.

Bloomsburg University's Global Business Association took first place at the 2021 University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education (CUIBE) International Business Case Competition, held virtually in March. Bloomsburg scored higher than teams from Michigan State University, Temple University, University of Oklahoma, Washington University in St. Louis, and five others to claim the top honor.

Bloomsburg University won the third place team sweepstakes award out of seven schools at the Collegiate Forensic Association's Third Virtual (CFA) Tournament held Feb. 12-13, 2021.

The BU Players present Much Ado About Murder, an audience participation murder mystery by Pat Cook, in livestreamed online performance March 10-14, 2021. Bloomsburg University Players (BU Players) is an organization dedicated to promoting interest in the dramatic arts and gives its members the opportunity to gain experience through participation in any or all aspects of theatre. The BU Players are a proud Resident Producer of Arts in Bloom at Bloomsburg University and are sponsored by the CGA. For more information about the BU Players, visit buplayers.org.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania congratulates the more than 2,200 students who were named to the Fall 2020 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.

Bloomsburg University held its first etiquette event on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, with 147 students attending. Meals, Manners and Mentors was designed to simulate a professional conference and networking experience and help students gain confidence with professional interactions and etiquette. Students were mailed a package prior to the event that included laminated placemats printed with place settings and the "Do's and Don'ts" of professional dining, a set of bamboo cutlery, and a "menu" with the agenda and suggested conversation starters. An overview and demonstration of professional dining and etiquette was presented by Maria Bauman of Aramark and included an overview of place settings, proper attire and table manners, and professional behavior in both virtual and in-person settings. BU alumni volunteers were "seated" with students and helped coach them on starting and maintaining appropriate dining conversation. Students were also encouraged to follow up with their new contacts via LinkedIn after the event.

Bloomsburg University held it's fifth annual Day of Dialgoue on Wednesday, Oct. 21, which was attended by 85 students and 40 alumni, faculty, and staff. Day of Dialogue is an annual event that brings together students, alumni, faculty, and staff of various backgrounds to connect with their shared experiences and allows alumni to support students as they navigate their experiences at BU. It is planned and supported by the Bloomsburg University Alumni Association Board of Directors, Alumni and Professional Engagement, Office of Access and Success, Multicultural Center, Cultural Affairs, and the President's Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Bloomsburg University Players present "The Screen Plays," a virtual performance festival of six original plays on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 11 and 12. "The Screen Plays" consists of six plays written and performed by Bloomsburg University students. The six new 10-minute plays take place in a video/digital environment (real or invented) in which the circumstances of the environment make it necessary for the characters to meet through digital screens. The plays will be acted by BU students and directed by advanced directing students and faculty from BU's the Division of Theatre and Dance

The Bloomsburg University forensics team finished third out of seven schools at the Collegiate Forensic Association's (CFA) first online tournament held Oct. 16-17. Bloomsburg finished ahead of the University of Lynchburg, Shepherd University, the University of Richmond, and Wilkes University. Randolph-Macon College and Florida College took first and second, respectively.