July 31, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Former President Gary Sojka has accepted an invitation from current Bucknell University President Steffen H. Rogers to serve as the university's NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative. Sojka, currently a professor of biology at Bucknell, will work in conjunction with professor Timothy Sweeney. After 10 years of dedicated service as Bucknell's Faculty Athletics Representative, Sweeney will begin his transition out of the position when he takes a sabbatical leave from teaching this fall.
"We are extremely pleased that Gary has agreed to step in and fill a very important role for the university," said Rogers. "His wealth of knowledge and experience with the Patriot League will be a tremendous asset to the position.
"At the same time, we owe a great debt of gratitude to Tim Sweeney for the years of service he gave as our Faculty Athletics Representative. He has been a great ambassador between the members of our faculty and the NCAA and the Patriot League."
Sojka, who was the speaker at baccalaureate ceremonies in May, served as Bucknell's president for more than a decade before stepping down to become a full-time member of the faculty. He views the university as particularly well suited to the needs of today's students, with its focus on the undergraduate student. He also believes a liberal education is the most valuable education young people can receive in an era of rapid and unpredictable change.
After leaving the president's office, Sojka served as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities, was a member of the NCAA Presidents' Council and served on the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities. Sojka received his bachelor's degree from Coe College and his master's and Ph.D. in genetics from Purdue University. He joined the faculty at Indiana University where, during his 17-year tenure, he served as professor and chair of the department of biology and was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1981. He has authored or co-authored more than 40 published papers on carbon metabolism and genetic adaptations to the environment in photosynthetic bacteria.
Sojka also taught throughout his administrative career. He was honored at Indiana with the Senior Class Teaching Award and the Frederic B. Lieber Award. While Bucknell's president, he made time to teach courses in microbiology and introductory biology.
As president, Sojka felt strongly that one of Bucknell's goals was to more closely integrate out-of-class life with academics. He insisted that organizations, including sororities and fraternities, demonstrate support of the mission and goals of the institution. The result, says Sojka, is a heightened awareness of the importance of the total collegiate experience. Sojka points to the Patriot League as an example of how extracurricular activities can complement the academic program. "Our athletes are students first," he says. "We've learned how to achieve an appropriate balance between athletics and academics which serves well the students we are able to attract to our program."
In his new role, Sojka will be responsible for representing Bucknell and its faculty in relationships with the NCAA and the Patriot League.
Bucknell sponsors 28 intercollegiate sports, 14 each for men and women, at the Division I level (I-AA in football). It is a charter member of the Patriot League and has won the league's all-sports championship trophy in eight of the 11 years it has been contested, including the last four. Bucknell ranks annually among the top Division I institutions in student-athlete graduation rate, and ranks third in Division I in producing Verizon Academic All-Americans.