Bucknell seniors fund patio, seating area at Elaine Langone Center

A 3,600-square-foot patio is set to turn one of Bucknell University’s busiest corners into a new place to eat, study and linger, with the Class of 2026 paying for an outdoor seating area outside the Elaine Langone Center. The university did not attach a price tag to the project in its announcement, but it said the senior class is funding the tribute as a permanent campus addition rather than a short-lived graduation gesture.

The timing is tight. Bucknell’s 176th Commencement for the Class of 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, and construction is expected to begin after graduation and finish by mid-August, before the fall semester starts. The class arrived in Lewisburg in fall 2022, when many students were still rebuilding in-person routines after the pandemic, and the new gathering space is meant to reflect that experience. The patio will sit at the uphill entrance to the ELC, one of the most central places on campus, with ramp access, seating for 16 and new landscaping and pathways from Dent Drive tied into the broader uphill entrance project.

Bucknell officials said the students weighed several tribute ideas before choosing a space that would be both visible and heavily used. Brian Fritz, director of Buildings, Grounds & Garage, said, "The senior class considered several options for their tribute," and added, "In the end, I believe they really liked the idea of an outdoor gathering space in the heart of campus that will be well-utilized and highly visible." Student leaders said the project fits the way Bucknellians actually use campus, as a place to meet, do work, eat and spend time together. Molly Woods, the Class of 2026 secretary/treasurer, said, "The seating area is located in such a central area of the campus, so it's such a great spot for everyone to see each other during the day," and, "I know it will be such a scenic and relaxing spot to hang out, catch up on work and have a meal with friends for many years to come."

The patio also follows a clear Bucknell pattern: senior tributes tend to be useful, not ornamental. The Class of 2023 left an outdoor social space in the Grove for meeting, work and hanging out; the Class of 2022 funded a powered pergola between Academic East and Academic West with a plaque honoring "LGBTQ+ Bucknellians past, present and future"; the Class of 2020 built a fire pit from reclaimed materials, including steps from the old Carnegie Building; and the Class of 2016 created an outdoor study space that proved popular enough for Bucknell later to add permanent pavilions nearby. For Lewisburg, the ELC project is another sign that student giving is shaping how the university spends money and how its central spaces function day to day.