Bucknell University Athletics
Professor Mitch Chernin Named NCAA Faculty Athletics Rep at Bucknell
5/2/2003 8:00:00 AM | General
May 2, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell University president Steffen H. Rogers today announced that Mitch Chernin, professor of biology, has accepted an appointment as the University's NCAA faculty athletics representative. Chernin, a member of the Bucknell faculty since 1985, succeeds Gary Sojka, who this spring completes a two-year stint in that post.
In his role as faculty athletics representative, Chernin will be tasked with representing Bucknell and its faculty in relations with the NCAA and the Patriot League. In addition, he will provide campus leadership on athletically-related issues and act as a liaison with the University's governance system. Chernin has been a member of the university's Committee on Athletics since 2001.
"I am very pleased that Mitch has agreed to take on this extremely important position," Rogers said. "He will be a fine ambassador from our faculty to the NCAA and Patriot League. At the same time, we owe a large debt of gratitude to Gary Sojka for his tireless efforts in this role over the last two years."
A fundamental believer in Bucknell's commitment to the scholar-athlete model, Chernin firmly believes that a student's college education extends well beyond the confines of the classroom or laboratory. "It is the university's responsibility to provide opportunities for students to develop leadership, self-awareness, confidence and discipline," said Chernin. "It seems to me that many, if not all, of these qualities can be attained by participating in athletics at the highest level."
Chernin arrived at Bucknell in the fall of 1985 after a post-doctoral stint at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He received his bachelor's degree in marine biology from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in 1973, before going on to earn a master's degree in tropical marine biology from the University of Guam in 1979 and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Clemson University in 1982.
Promoted to associate professor of biology in 1991 and to the Herbert L. Spencer Professorship in Biology in 1997, Chernin has taught courses at Bucknell in molecular biology, developmental biology, organismal biology, biochemical methods, introduction to molecules and cells, genetics, virology and general biology.
Chernin's research focused on gene regulation, with a specific interest in the genes that regulate heart growth. He has also studied the relationship between bone cancer and breast cancer.
Currently in the middle of a three-year term as biology department chair, Chernin has published and presented numerous papers on his research, earning an impressive list of grants along the way. He has twice been cited in Who's Who Among America's Teachers and in 1989 was the recipient of the Christian and Mary Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
A wrestler in high school, Chernin has served as a faculty sideline coach for the Bucknell football and field hockey teams, and he has been a strong advocate for the department's faculty sideline coaching program. In 1986 he organized a biology department tailgate at a Bison football game, and over the years the tailgate has grown immensely in popularity and is now a staple at Bison football Saturdays in Lewisburg.
"With his extensive track record of leadership and service at Bucknell, his firm grasp of academic and athletics issues on our campus, and his steadfast support for the University's scholar-athlete model, Professor Chernin will be an excellent asset in the role of faculty athletics representative," said John Hardt, director of athletics and recreation. "Professor Chernin's predecessor, Gary Sojka, was an invaluable resource as faculty-athletics liaison during his two-year tenure in this key position, and his efforts are much appreciated by the department of athletics."
"As I have personally experienced through the tailgates, Bison athletics provide a way to link the university with the larger community," noted Chernin. "As I listen to the successes of our student-athletes on and off the field, I am proud to be a member of an academic community that gets it right more often than not."
Bucknell is a highly-selective, privately endowed liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 3,550 undergraduate students. Bucknell competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League and has full membership along with American, Army, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Bucknell has won the Presidents' Cup, signifying the Patriot League's all-sports champion, in 9 of 12 years.
Bucknell has finished in the top 10 nationally in the graduation rates of its student athletes in each of the 12 years the NCAA has conducted such a survey. Twice in that span Bucknell ranked FIRST in the nation in graduation rates. In addition, Bucknell ranks third in Division I in the total number of Verizon Academic All-America selections, with 104 national Academic All-Americans since 1970.
