Bucknell University Athletics
From the AD's Desk
8/22/2011 8:00:00 AM | Bison Club
Aug. 22, 2011
Greetings Bison Fans!
Well it's "Back to School" time all over the country as students of all ages are closing in on the first day of school with nervous anticipation. Of course, this time of year brings tremendous excitement to everyone here at Bucknell. Our fall student-athletes have been back on campus for preseason training for some time, and campus-wide we are looking forward to welcoming the entire first-year class later this week. Believe it or not, our first official competition is already upon us, as the women's soccer team hosted St. Bonaventure on Friday at Emmitt Field!
As we all look forward to the 2011-12 campaign, please allow me a moment to reflect back and offer a big THANK YOU to each and every supporter of Bison Athletics.
You may have read recently on BucknellBison.com that the Bison Club just completed yet another record-setting year with nearly 3,500 donors contributing more than $1.8 million. This great news comes on the heels of a 17th Patriot League Presidents' Cup title in the 21-year history of the league. Last year Bucknell teams claimed six more championships, produced both All-Americans and Academic All-Americans, and once again ranked in the top 10 nationally in the graduation rate of our student-athletes.
We are extremely proud of the tremendous support we receive from our alumni, parents, fans and corporate partners, and in turn we hope all of you are proud of the accomplishments of the student-athletes in our program.
I am very appreciative to be leading an athletics department that is comprised of some of the most dedicated and hardest working coaches, staff and student-athletes in the country. I am continually impressed by the achievements of Bison student-athletes, both on and off the field. Please know that our coaches and athletics staff members are truly thankful for all of the support that the University provides to our programs, and we are committed to providing Bucknell's student-athletes with the best NCAA Division I competitive opportunities and experiences possible. After all, providing successful opportunities to Bucknell students is our primary mission, and Bucknell continues to be counted among the nation's elite programs in supporting and producing successful scholar-athletes.
In this regard, Bucknell has achieved a tremendous track record of success. From Academic All-Americans, to graduation rates that rank among the nation's elite, to Patriot League Presidents' Cups, Bison athletics is at the head of the class when it comes to upholding this scholar-athlete philosophy.
As we embark on this new year, we hope you will make some time to visit campus and take in a game, and be sure to follow us online via BucknellBison.com, Bison Vision, Facebook and Twitter.
Here's to another record-setting year ... GO BISON!!!
Warmest Regards,
John P. Hardt
Director of Athletics & Recreation
Bucknell University
Previous installments of "From the AD's Desk"
-- August 15, 2005
-- September 26, 2005
-- December 1, 2005
-- April 6, 2006
-- August 3, 2006
-- August 28, 2006
-- October 22, 2006
-- March 26, 2007
-- May 25, 2007
-- August 8, 2007
-- November 20, 2007
-- March 30, 2008
-- June 10, 2008
-- June 12, 2008
-- Aug. 18, 2008
-- Dec. 19, 2008
-- Apr. 3, 2009
-- June 18, 2009
-- Aug. 21, 2009
-- December 21, 2009
-- April 1, 2010
-- June 15, 2010
-- April 14, 2011
-- June 10, 2011
