Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania held its First World Graduation Ceremony on December 5 sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The bi-annual First World ceremony congratulate the achievements - academic and leadership roles - of BU's multicultural students at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels. This class was among the largest ever, according to Madelyn Rodriguez, director of the Multicultural Center.

Nineteen Bloomsburg University students from seven different fields of study participated in a Husky Career Road Trip on November 5, 2019. The students visited Eurofins and Eurofins National Service Center, a national laboratory in Leola, Pa., that provides environmental testing, monitoring, and consulting services.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania sent 10 students and six faculty members to the sixth annual Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) S.T.E.M Conference in early November. The conference showcases research done by students across the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and included both oral presentations and poster sessions.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Sales Team competed at The International Collegiate Sales Competition in Orlando, Fla. from Nov. 6-9. Dylan Cohen and Mackenzie Jackson reached the quarterfinals in the role-play category and Sidney Blashock and Marcus Bearfield successfully completed the sales management simulation to qualify for the sales management case competition. Jacob Caralle also competed for Bloomsburg. The International Collegiate Sales Competition hosted by Florida State University is the largest sales competition in the country with 80 colleges and universities competing with the Bloomsburg University team finishing in the top half of the competition.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania soil judging team finished sixth at the 2019 Northeast Regional Soil Judging Competition in October in Easton, Md. Bloomsburg University was represented by Erin Boulger, Auston Hummel, Ian Martinez, Nick Sherwood, and Al Sriharsha under team leader coach Rebecca Bourgault, Ph.D., a BU faculty member in the Department of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences. The Soil Judging Competition involves entering a soil pit, identifying soil horizons (layers), describing the morphological properties of each horizon, and then interpreting the soil for taxonomic classification and land uses such as septic systems. On the first two days of the competition, students were judged on 12 practice pits around the Easton area. On day three students, were judged on three soil pits individually and two soil pits as a team. This part of the competition took place at Remington Farms near Chestertown, Md. Throughout the competition students were able to learn and explore the properties and development of soils on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The Bloomsburg University Forensics Team (Speech and Debate) captured the First Place Team Sweepstakes Story at the Randolph-Macon College/CFA Invitational Tournament in Ashland, Virginia, the weekend of Nov 2-3. Fifteen of sixteen BU students competing this weekend won at least one speech and debate award. In total, BU students brought home 38 awards, including five individual first-place event awards. Bloomsburg University was represented by at least one student in every final round at the tournament. Neil Strine, Ph.D., director of forensics and associate professor of political science, served as a speech and debate judge at the tournament. Erin Brummett, Ph.D., communication studies and Michael Martin, Ph.D., English, assist with coaching the team.

Bloomsburg University Players will present "Be More Chill" from Thursday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019 at the Alvina Krause Theatre in downtown Bloomsburg. This musical features Music and Lyrics by Joe Iconis, Book by Joe Tracz, and is based on the novel by Ned Vizzini. The production is directed by BU assistant professor of Theatre, Carrie Winship, Ph.D. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are Free for BU Students/CGA Activities Card Holders, $12 for adults, $8 for students/seniors. Tickets for all BU Players productions must be purchased in person at the box office or over the phone at the Arts in Bloom Box Office. Contact information and hours for the Arts in Bloom Box Office can be found at https://bloomu.edu/arts-in-bloom. Tickets also may be purchased starting an hour before curtain time at the Alvina Krause Theatre, if seats are still available at that time.

The Bloomsburg University women's swimming team has chosen its captains for the upcoming 2019-20 season. Leading the Huskies will be seniors Becca Cubbler and Kiera Wadsworth along with junior Lindsay Mooney. The Huskies open the 2019-20 campaign when they travel to West Chester to face both the Golden Rams and the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks on Friday night, October 18. Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Forensics (Speech and Debate) team took home the second-place Team Sweepstakes award at the Collegiate Forensic Association's Annual Fall Tournament held at Bloomsburg University on Oct. 12-13. Overall, 11 of BU's 15 competitors won individual speech and debate awards.

The Bloomsburg University men's swimming team named senior Kyle Dix, redshirt junior Matt Rocchi, and junior Noah Cancro its captains for the 2019-20 season. The Huskies open the 2019-20 campaign when they travel to West Chester to face both the Golden Rams and the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks on Friday night, October 18. Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania held its sixth annual Nursing White Coat ceremony on Sept. 14, 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, 108 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.

Bloomsburg University theatre students will perform in Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble's production of "Remembered: A Play Inspired by the Rosemont Cemetery" from Thursday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 20. The play was written by BU faculty member David A. Miller with guest artist Dano Madden and students Kamryn Felty, Emily James, Kali Morgia, Chelsea Soto, Chris Thorne, Reagan Venturi, and Somer Walsh. Performances are scheduled Thursday through Sunday at 6:00pm. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for students, and free to BTE subscribers. Tickets are available through the BTE Box Office, 226 Center Street, online at bte.org, or at the box office at the cemetery on the night of the performances.

The Bloomsburg University athletic department was recognized by the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) for its work in the classroom as a recipient of the 2018-19 Academic Achievement Awards. In addition to the athletic department being recognized, 61 student-athletes were honored for having at least a 3.5 grade point average, attending a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work, and being an active member of their intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year. The number represents an increase of 17 student-athletes achieving the honor from the previous year. "The 61 Husky student-athletes being recognized and honored by the D2 ADA for their academic achievements is telling of the commitment by our coaches and students to the academic rigor at Bloomsburg University," Michael McFarland, Director of Athletics said. "With a focus on competing in the classroom, and in their respective sport, these student-athletes have set a new standard as we continue to recruit the finest students and athletes." A record number of institutions (185) and student-athletes (11,660) were recognized for the 2018-19 Academic Achievement Awards. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) led all of Division II with 975 total student-athletes achieving the honor.

Topics ranging from drone efficiency to translating neglected Viking sagas to the art of healing through color among those presented by Bloomsburg University students at the 9th annual Susquehanna Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium (SVURS) at Bucknell University in early August. The projects were a part of BU's Undergraduate research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity (URSCA) program that funded nearly 30 projects this summer. URSCA provides an opportunity for Bloomsburg students to engage in a focused research or creative experience within their academic discipline to enhance their competitiveness for jobs and graduate school. The program provides summer student employment for work on the proposed project.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania held its annual Audiology White Coat Ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Caldwell Consistory in Bloomsburg for its Doctor of Audiology Class of 2021. The white coat ceremony marks the completion of the students' pre-clinical coursework and symbolizes their sentry into clinical practice. Receiving white coats were: Taylor Budwash, Briann Halpin, Cece Campanile, Georgie Wagman, Gabrielle Poplarchick, Taylor Parker, Taylor Chestnut, Kaitlin Mausteller, Abigail Schell, Kylie Connell, Danielle Avenoso, Alina Garrido, Jessica Depol, Kayla Murphy.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania congratulates the nearly 1,300 students who received their academic degrees on May 11, 2019. 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.

The Bloomsburg University athletic department announced its six major postseason award winners, and team MVPs, for the 2018-19 season. The awards consist of the Danny Litwhiler Underclass Male Athlete of the Year, the Joanne McComb Underclass Female Athlete of the Year, the Robert B. Redman Senior Male Athlete of the Year, the Eleanor Wray Senior Female Athlete of the Year, and the Outstanding Senior Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

A total of 164 Bloomsburg University student-athletes have been recognized as Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athletes for the 2018-19 academic year the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. The 164 Huskies join a PSAC-record 3,117 student-athletes from the league's 17 institutions being named to the list. In order to earn PSAC Scholar-Athlete recognition, each student-athlete must have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.25 throughout the year. The field hockey team led all of Bloomsburg's squads with 20 selections. Women's soccer added 19 with women's lacrosse following right behind with 17. Women's cross country and track & field (15), softball (10), and women's volleyball (10) also finished in double figures among female sports. On the men's side, football led the way with 13 scholar-athletes while cross country / track & field and men's soccer added nine apiece. A complete list of Bloomsburg's scholar-athletes can be found below.

Bloomsburg University pre-medical science majors Kayla Sompel, Kyle Mausteller, and Kaitlyn Gwozdecki participated in the Primary Care Scholars Program at the Penn State College of Medicine from May 20-31.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania congratulates the nearly 1,900 students who were named to the Spring 2019 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 will be named to the deans' list.

Twelve members of the Bloomsburg University Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) and their advisor, Mark L. Usry, associate professor of business law, joined more than 1,000 other students at the PBL National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas the week of June 24-27. The twelve students qualified to attend the national conference by placing first or second in their competitive events at the Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference this past spring. Competitive events include analyzing cases in areas such as forensic accounting and entrepreneurship, sales competition, help desk and customer service, impromptu speaking, and competitive examinations. Several members of the BU group captured awards at the conference. Marc Yeager earned first place in retail management and was second in management concepts. In information management, Zackary Bennett took second place; while in marketing concepts Brittany Zipovsky also took second. Harry Emery earned second place in business decision making and was sixth with Austin Robbinson in business presentation. In cost accounting, Collin Schutjer was fourth. Finally, in business sustainability Krysta Hower and Mackenna Shively, took home eighth. Also in attendance for BU were Bryson Cromley, Allison Honabach, Rachel Miller and Joseph Kinek.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental, Geographical & Geological Sciences (EGGS) held its on Friday, May 10, at the Greenly Center in Bloomsburg. Awards were presented by Michael Shepard, Ph.D., chair of the department, as well as faculty mentors of the awardees. Lauren Barrett was named Outstanding Senior in Environmental Geoscience. Autumn Helfrich was named Outstanding Senior in Professional Geology. Both Meg Ronan and Tyler Ulmer were inducted into Gamma Theta Upsilon, the International Honor Society in Geography. Anna Ellis was recognized for her work as a GIS tutor. Scholarship winners were also recognized. Katherine Mather-Shingara and Sabrina Savidge were awarded the Braun Geology Field Camp Scholarship. Sean Leshko received the Daniel J. Tearpock Scholarship. Kyle Argenziano received the Joshua D. Sonntag '14 & Chelci A. Kravabloski '16 EGGS Scholarship and the Professor Brian & Marty Johnson Geography/Planning Scholarship. Zachary Hartman received a scholarship from the Tearpock Geoscience Fund.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Department of Exercise Science held its end-of-the-year awards ceremony on Saturday, May 11, prior to the school's commencement ceremony. Dominic Caruso was named the recipient of the Bill Sproule Award as the most outstanding graduating undergraduate student in exercise science. Also recognized were Jonathan Kollars, magna cum laude graduate; Mckenna Donley, cum laude graduate; Erica Krebs cum laude graduate; Kirstyn Sokolsky, cum laude graduate; and Taylor Zucco, cum laude graduate.

Students from the Bloomsburg University College of Science and Technology presented their research to an audience of students, faculty and alumni on April 26, during the COST Research Day at Bloomsburg University. Over 80 students from 11 fields of study showcased with their work in the Andruss Library throughout the day on a wide range of topics, from Cosmic Ray Activity at the Dusk of the 24th Solar Cycle to Evaluating the Neurological Phenotype of 15q13.3 Deletions. Research Day began in the morning with candidates for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) exhibiting their work, and continued with a poster session in the Harvey A. Andruss Library where 58 students presented their research and were judged by a panel of alumni and faculty. Mr. Duane Greenly '72 of Stella Point Capital gave the keynote address The Importance of Search in Research, where he highlighted the importance of curiosity in research and experiences that lie outside the academic classroom. "Research Day embodies two primary elements of the scientific enterprise: inquiry and communication" explained Dean of the College of Science and Technology, Dr. Robert Aronstam "Science is not an academic subject, knowledge, or even truth; rather, it is an iterative process of observation, experimentation, and hypothesis formation and by which we advance our understanding of the world around us." COST Research Days is part of the Professional U experience at Bloomsburg University which connects students with alumni, employers, and opportunities that integrate academics with experiential learning. Through professional development experiences, students build the skills and confidence that prepare them for personal and professional success in an increasingly complex global environment.

Bloomsburg University's Board of Governors Scholars Program celebrated the graduation of 32 of its members with guest speaker Kristin Austin, a Frederick Douglass Fellow, Teaching and Learning. Michaela Maw, a sophomore sociology and criminal justice major, served as master of ceremony. The Board of Governors Scholar Program targets students who excel academically including students of various races, and students majoring in liberal arts science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Recipients are required to participate in a structured program dedicated to the enhancement of retention and graduation rates.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania College of Liberal Arts held its annual end of the year awards ceremony on Sunday, May 5, in the McCormick Center on campus. The department recognized 30 students for their outstanding achievements during the year.

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Iota Theta Chapter welcomed nine new students as members in Phi Sigma Iota, the International Foreign Language Society on Friday, April 26. The ceremony was conducted by BU faculty members Jesus Salas-Elorza, Amarilis Hidalgo de Jesus, and Patricia Dorame-Holoviak, faculty advisor. During the 2018-19 academic year, Iota Theta Chapter also held its Senior Presentation Series which included the following presenters: Jade A. Hensinger (Spanish in Medical Care), Michael Quaranto (Norilsk and Barrow, similar conditions, dissimilar supply chains), and Nicholas McGuire (Comparing the Governments of Spain and Argentina). The following new members were initiated: Front Row- (L-R) Adriana Diaz, Elayne Che, Arabeska Cruz, Brianna Belzner, and Ayalibis Cruz. Back row- (L-R) Brittney Goris, Joseph Reed, Steven Lopez, and Jonathan Calcano

The Bloomsburg University Department of Mathematical and Digital Sciences held its annual end of the year awards ceremony on April 7. Department chairman Curt Jones, Ph.D., presented awards to its top students. Jordan Marlow - Marek Mathematics Scholarship; Johnathan Prichett - J. Edward Kerlin Scholarship; Austin Pasquel - J. Edward Kerlin Scholarship; Karissa Jelonek - C.R. Reardin Award ; Steven Hricenak - High Academic Achievement Award in Computer Science; Laura Josuweit - James Pomfret Award (Highest Academic Achievement in Math); Nathaniel Huber - Highest Academic Achievement Award in Digital Forensics; Dario D'Amato - Elizabeth and James Mauch Scholarship

Students from the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania College of Liberal Arts (COLA) presented their research to an audience of their peers on April 24, 2019 during COLA Research and Creative Projects Day. Nearly 60 students representing 9 fields of study exhibited their work in McCormick Center for the Humanities throughout the day on a wide range of topics, from Evaluating the Influence of Mood on Intentional and Incidental Memory to Considering Perceptions of Dietary Decision-Making and Judgement. COLA Research and Creative Projects Day was created several years ago to allow students from a number of disciplines to showcase their work to fellow students, faculty and staff, as well as practice their presentation and networking skills for future career. The exposure to these presentations is also vital to encouraging other students to conduct and present their own research.. "Research and Creative Projects Day showcases the breadth of high-impact experiences of which students may take part as a Liberal Arts student at Bloomsburg University" explained Dr. James Brown, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

The Bloomsburg University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry held its annual end of the year awards ceremony on April 22. Department chairman Gregory Zimmerman, Ph.D., presented awards to its top students. In all nine students were recognized. Honored were Dan Staros - Phi Lambda Upsilon Award and American Chemical Society (ACS) Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry; Taylor Runkle - Junior Chemistry Achievement Award; Nathan Mehalick - Phi Lambda Upsilon Award; Natasha Brenner - Junior Chemistry Achievement Award; Eric Hilbert - American Institute of Chemists (AIC) Outstanding Senior Award; Lauren Barrett - American Chemical Society (ACS) Outstanding Senior Award and ACS Analytical Undergraduate Chemistry Award; Elizabeth Grego - American Chemical Society (ACS) Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry; Jessica Deiter - Freshman Scholarship Award; Kim Hollister - American Chemical Society (ACS) Outstanding Senior Award and ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry; Cameron Stouffer - Freshman Chemistry award.