Rotary host Commonwealth U president Bashar Hanna

A Q&A with Bashar Hanna

President, Commonwealth University

 Bashar Hanna, president of Commonwealth University, one of the two consolidated PASSHE institutions, said the tide is starting to turn. This fall, in welcoming its second class, the university saw a 10 percent jump in first-time enrollment and a nearly 25 percent increase in graduate student enrollment.

Bloomsburg, PA (04/19/2023) — On Wednesday, April 18, Commonwealth University co-hosted a college expo in partnership with Sen. Art Haywood at Enon Tabernacle Church in Philadelphia. During the expo, high school students from Sen. Haywood’s district gathered to learn about the college application process and college life.

LOCK HAVEN — Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania was named a winner of the 2023 Ellucian Impact Awards in the Institutional Resilience category. Ellucian is the leading higher education technology solutions provider.

“We will preserve the founding principles of each campus and continue to provide vibrant, on-campus student experiences while serving as pillars of our three communities,” Hanna said. “The power of three will create a higher education experience — the likes of which is not possible without integration.”

After a multi-year consolidation process, former Bloomsburg University President Bashar Hanna recently took over leadership of the new Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania.

“This recognition demonstrates our university’s commitment to supporting and celebrating our students who proudly defend our nation,” said BU President Bashar Hanna. “As a university community, we strive to serve our military students in exemplary ways because they deserve nothing less than our very best.”

A neurobiologist by training, Bashar W. Hanna is a veteran administrator who assumed the presidency of Bloomsburg University in 2017. He is currently overseeing the merger of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield universities, known as the Northeast Integration Process, while serving as interim president of Lock Haven and Mansfield; the consolidated institution will be known as Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. Hanna is a member of the board of the American Association of University Administrators and an editorial board member of the Journal of Education Management.

This recognition demonstrates our university’s commitment to supporting and celebrating our students who proudly defend our nation,” said BU President Bashar Hanna. “As a university community, we strive to serve our military students in exemplary ways because they deserve nothing less than our very best.”

 

Bloomsburg, PA (05/03/2023) — Commonwealth University recently hosted the inaugural Presidential Leadership Summit at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg on Tuesday, April 25. The event, sponsored by PSECU, brought together student leaders, legislative allies, and alumni from Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield.

 

“The excitement that I think we are all feeling is that our students, regardless of which campus they call their home campus, will have access to an increasing number of academic programs,” said Hanna, who had served as president of Bloomsburg University since 2017 prior to taking on his new role.