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Wilkes University

Encyclopedia : W : WI : WIL : Wilkes University

Wilkes University is a private, non-denominational American university located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It is home to more than 2,200 undergraduates and 400 graduates. Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and became an independent institution in 1940, naming itself Wilkes College, after English colonial politician John Wilkes. The school was granted university status in 1990.

The school is best known for its Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing, which is home to the only Doctor of Pharmacy program in northeastern Pennsylvania. Its Communication Studies program is also well-regarded. Wilkes has also recently opened the Jay S Sidhu school of business. Previous to this, the business college was well known and had satellite programs at various local colleges.

Wilkes has an active student media, including a television within the Shelburne Telecommunication Center and radio station (WCLH), a newspaper (The Beacon), a yearbook (The Amnicola), and a student-run public relations agency ("Zebra Communications").

Wilkes has the premier Education Department in Northeastern Pennsylvania [Teacher Education Department].

The Wilkes Graduate Teacher Education Program has classes at more than thirty-two sites throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The school mascot, which was suggested by campus legend former Dean of Student Affairs Emeritus George F. Ralston, is a Colonel and the official colors are blue and yellow. The campus symbol is a letter "W" known affectionately as the "flying W" by students and alumni.

Contents

Schools

Residential Halls

Wilkes University was fortunate to obtain many 19th century mansions gifted to the University from the coal barons of the region. Renovated over the years, many of these buildings continue to serve as housing for current students. Alumni will often speak highly of their experience in these buildings and form homecoming reunions around them.

Houses still currently in use: Barre Residence Hall, Catlin Residence Hall, Chesapeake Residence Hall, Delaware Residence Hall, Doane Residence Hall, Fortinsky 227 Residence Hall and Fortinsky 229 Residence Hall, McClintock Residence Hall, Rifkin Residence Hall, Ross Residence Hall - Multicultural House, Schiowitz Residence Hall, Slocum Residence Hall, Sterling Residence Hall, Sturdevant Residence Hall, Sullivan Residence Hall, Waller North Residence Hall and Waller South Residence Hall, Weiss Residence Hall.

The University also maintains traditional dormitory housing in the Evans Residence Hall. They also have apartments scattered around the campus. Locations include University Commoms (Corner of West River & Ross), University Towers (10 East), Ross Street, River Street, and North Hampton.

Athletics

The Wilkes University Colonels compete in NCAA Division III athletics, and is a member of the Middle Atlantic Corporation. Wilkes has 14 different intercollegiate athletic teams. 
Hassan Shah was the leading athletic representative from Wilkes University as he became the first individual to win MAC's for individuals and doubles in the history of the MAC Division.  No other athlete at Wilkes or in the MAC can claim such a title.  He will undoubtedly go down in Wilkes History as the single most exceptional athlete ever to have graduated from Wilkes.  To top it all off, he is now a medical student at DUCOM on his way to becoming a physician.
Based on how the above statement reads like an advertisement, Shah is also a little full of himself.



Annual High School Mathematics Contest

For over 50 years Wilkes University has been the host of the Annual High School Mathematics Contest
as sponsored by the Luzerne County Council of Teachers of Mathematics (LCCTM). Every year juniors and seniors from Luzerne County high schools come to Wilkes University to participate in the competition. The first place winner in both the junior and senior divisions are awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Wilkes University. The 57th Annual High School Mathematics Contest was held Saturday, April 9, 2005.



Traditions


Alma Mater

Wilkes, our Alma Mater, we pledge our hearts to thee.
Honor, faith, and courage,
Truth and loyalty.
In our work as in our pleasure,
Guide us as a friend;
We shall always love thee,
Loyal to the end.


Thou shalt lead us onward
In search of finer things.
May we find the wisdom
That thy spirit brings.
May our deeds of love and service
Ever swell thy fame --
Wilkes, we stand to greet thee!
Glory to thy name!



Fight Song

Wilkes is in town again to "fight, team, fight!"
Echo the glad refrain and "fight, team, fight!"
Wilkes, it's for you we sing,
For Wilkes, the echoes ring.
Colonels will win today! Hey!


Down on the field they're playing man-for-man (woman-for-woman)
To open another lane.
Down on the field and o'er the goal,
Wilkes is in town again! 



The University Mace and Presidential Chain of Office

The mace and the Presidential Chain of Office used in academic celebrations represent traditions dating to the sixteenth century. The mace symbolizes the authority of the University and the Chain of Office designates the presidential leadership of the academy.


The Wilkes University mace and presidential chain of office were gifts of local donors and were first used in 1970 at the inauguration of the second president of Wilkes. They were designed by Ottie Hill Chwalek '61 and executed by Kurt Matzdorf, a nationally recognized gold and silversmith from the State University of New York at New Paltz.



The sterling silver mace has a gilt knob at its base and a gilt circle at the top bearing the inscription "Wilkes College 1933." The bowl, rising above the neck of the mace, signifies Wilkes-Barre's role as a melting pot, forming a new and vigorous community of people from many different backgrounds. This theme is reiterated in the inscription of the University's motto "Unity Amidst Diversity," which surrounds the upper part of the bowl. The gilt flame symbolizes the enlightenment gained from higher education, while the piece of anthracite coal set in the center of the flame commemorates the origin of the University in a community known for its coal mining past.



The Presidential Chain of Office, created from sterling silver, has alternating bowls and gilt flames, repeating the motif of the mace. On the front of the four-foot chain hangs a gilt seal of Wilkes that is suspended from a cluster of oak leaves with acorns, suggesting the strength and sturdiness of future generations. On the back of the Presidential Chain of Office is a silver portrait of Dr. Eugene S. Farley, the first President of Wilkes. Gilt oak leaves commemorating his strong leadership of the emerging institution surround Dr. Farley's portrait. 



Computer Science Contest

The Wilkes University Math and Computer Science Department hosts the Eastern Pennsylvania division of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest. Wilkes University has been host to the event for the last 5 years. There is a total of 9 host schools for the Mid-Atlantic Region.




Annual Tom Bigler High School Journalism Conference

Each year, hundreds of Pennsylvania high school students attend this annual media oriented event.  Each year features a notable keynote speaker, hands-on workshops in the areas of telecommunications, journalism and public relations and panel discussions and presentation from media professionals and personalities.  A high school journalism contest and awards ceremony is also a main event.  



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