Bravman tells Bucknell graduates commencement is a test of character

Bucknell sent 995 degrees into the next stage of life Sunday, a class of 978 bachelor’s graduates and 17 master’s students whose paths already stretch from Lewisburg to employers and graduate schools far beyond Union County. On Malesardi Quadrangle at 10 a.m., President John C. Bravman welcomed the Class of 2026, faculty, staff, families and friends, thanked the university employees who helped carry the class to the finish line, and noted that many relatives were watching from afar through the livestream.

The ceremony’s lineup underscored how broad that circle has become. Ken Freeman ’72 delivered the Commencement address, Jawaad “KJ” Benson ’26 spoke for the graduating class, Sinclair Stevens ’26 sang the national anthem and Katie Fitzgerald ’26 served as the American Sign Language interpreter. Bucknell said the nearly 1,000 graduates came from 41 states and 25 countries, a reach that shows how the university continues to draw talent into Lewisburg even as it sends new graduates back out into the wider economy.

Bravman used his remarks to frame the day as more than a handshake and a diploma. He said the class had already lived through economic pressure, climate change and warfare, and he led the crowd in a moment of silence for Andi Bushati. He also returned to the class’s 2022 Convocation address, when he told new students that everyone shares responsibility for doing difficult work, a reminder that the message at graduation was rooted in the same expectation that greeted them when they arrived.

That tone mattered in a region where Bucknell is one of the most visible institutions in the Susquehanna Valley and one of the largest shapers of local talent. Bucknell’s own career-focused profile of the Class of 2026 showed seniors heading into engineering, vaccine manufacturing and other fields, including an applications engineer role at Lee Industries and vaccine-manufacturing work at Merck. The message for Union County is clear: Bucknell is not just graduating students, it is exporting trained workers into a labor market that still prizes technical skill, scientific training and adaptability.

At the same time, commencement weekend remains a civic moment for Lewisburg, with thousands of families, alumni and guests tied to the campus by the ceremony and its livestream replay. Photos, videos, stories and the full ceremony were set to remain available afterward, extending the reach of a day that marked both an ending for the Class of 2026 and another turn in Bucknell’s role as an economic and cultural anchor for the borough.