CU-Bloomsburg holds spring 2025 commencement ceremonies

Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg celebrated the graduating Class of 2025 during four spring commencement ceremonies. 

On Saturday, May 17, more than 1,000 graduating students were recognized in three undergraduate ceremonies held at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. in Nelson Field House. 

“We gather to celebrate you and to mark the end of one journey and the beginning of another,” Commonwealth University President Bashar Hanna said to the graduates at each ceremony. “Looking back, you don’t just see the lectures, the exams, the labs, the clinicals, the projects, you see friendships you built over the years, you see mentors who guided you, and the moments that shaped you into who you are today. Always remember that learning does not stop here. The world is calling you to be innovators, leaders, and change makers. Our world needs you to be courageous, to embrace the unknown, and carve paths where no paths existed. Remember to be humble, be kind, and give voice to the voiceless.”

The speaker for the 9 a.m. and noon ceremonies for the Zeigler College of Business and the College of Health, Science and Technology was Marc Steckel, a 1993 Bloomsburg alumnus. Steckel recently retired from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he led the effort to end the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and has currently established Receiver IQ, a consultancy offering expertise on government-administered receiverships and conservatorships.

“Thirty-two years ago, I sat where you sit now. I had $500 to my name and no job offers. I was scared, similar to how I felt the first day I showed up on campus four years earlier,” said Steckel. “Thankfully, I ended up getting an entry-level job with the FDIC and discovered I was competitive – turns out my professors here taught me well – I knew more about banking, accounting, and financial risk than most of my new friends from fancy schools did. My critical thinking and communications skills were still developing, but were good enough.”

“Another thing I learned along the way is that people matter, a whole lot,” continued Steckel. “Big things get done by groups of people, and being a decent, empatheti,c and trustworthy person is a prerequisite for being a successful group member or leader. People need to trust you to work with you. Be that trustworthy person.”

The speaker at the 3 p.m. ceremony for students in the College of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences was Pennsylvania State Senator Lynda Schlegel Culver, a 1991 Bloomsburg alumna. Culver was elected to serve the residents of the 27th District in a special election in January 2023 and reelected to a full term in November 2024. Lynda was previously elected to serve seven terms representing the people in the 108th District in the state House of Representatives. 

“For me personally, Bloomsburg University is where I learned the value of persistence, of community, and of stretching myself beyond what I thought was possible,” said Culver. “Many of you graduated high school or began college in the middle of a pandemic. You showed up, logged in, signed on, studied late, showed grace to others, and continued moving forward even when it was hard. That is resilience.”

“You embraced uncertainty, and you made the best of it,” continued Culver “That mindset — that ability to stay steady in shifting circumstances — is something employers, communities, and even your future self-will value deeply.”

During the undergraduate ceremonies, honorary doctoral degrees were conferred to the Honorable Mary Jane Bowes ’22(H), Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, at the morning ceremony, and to Allison Margaret Pettit, a notable philanthropist, at the afternoon ceremony.

Additionally, more than 160 members of the Class of 2025 received their doctoral and master’s degrees at a ceremony on Friday, May 16, in Haas Center for the Arts.

Additional Undergraduate Ceremony Photos.

Additional Graduate Ceremony Photos.