Ken Freeman, Bucknell class of 1972, has been selected to deliver this year’s Commencement address on May 17, 2026. Freeman is a Dean Emeritus at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. Named by the “Harvard Business Review” as one of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World in both 2010 and 2013, Freeman has served as a three-time trustee at Bucknell and is the namesake of the Freeman College of Management. In 2018, he was awarded with the Stephen W. Taylor Medal, Bucknell’s highest and most prestigious honor.

Freeman first started his career at Corning Incorporated, where he eventually morphed into a leader of the now-ubiquitous spinoff, Quest Diagnostics. There, he turned a struggling company into an industry leader in medical testing. Freeman’s efforts increased market capitalization from a comparatively paltry $350 million to over $9 billion. Following his Quest experience, Freeman became a partner at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., an investment firm known in the industry for completing some of the largest leveraged buyouts in history.

In 2010, Freeman joined Boston University in the position of Dean of the Questrom School of Business. He remained in that role for eight years, moving on in 2018. While in the position, Freeman started a global discussion based around the future of business education. He released the book “Reimagining Business Education: Insights and Actions from the Business Education Jam” during that time, co-authoring alongside Paul Carlile, Steven Davidson, N. Venkatraman, and H. Thomas.

After his time serving as dean came to a close, Freeman created and personally taught MBA courses in leadership, crisis management and corporate turnaround. Recently, Freeman served as interim President of Boston University, a position he was selected for based on his outstanding service and industry experience.

Regarding Bucknell, Freeman has naught but praise to offer. “Bucknell changed my life— opening the doors to self-discovery, lifelong learning, and striving to make a difference,” he says. His much-anticipated May address will include remarks on industry experience, and his personal reflections on Bucknell.

Kyla Kelly ’26, a neurology major, is excited to “put a face to the name behind the Freeman College.” She’s looking forward to “hearing about Freeman’s experiences as a prominent leader,” and moving forward with those lessons in mind as she tackles post-grad plans.