president’s

letter

e are in a season of celebration.

This fall, we honored the golden anniversary of the Sordoni Art Gallery, an integral part of not only the Wilkes campus but the greater northeastern Pennsylvania community. Since it was established in 1973, the Sordoni Art Gallery has brought high-caliber art and artists to the region through exhibitions, special events and all-ages lectures and activities.

As you’ll read in this issue, exceptional Colonels have also been hard at work this academic year embodying the spirit of our brand, At Wilkes, You Will, through many exciting developments.

Gene Chu ’89 made a generous $1 million gift to establish the Chu-Wiendl Scholarship, which honors former trustee Joseph A. Wiendl, and will provide annual funding for a native Chinese student to attend Wilkes — a true story of paying it forward.

One cannot help but be inspired by the stories of our engineering students turning problems into opportunities, a new partnership that will reshape downtown Wilkes-Barre and the SHINE program, which offers after school STEAM-based activities for young learners and was recently awarded with a generous contribution from AT&T.

You’ll also learn more about our revamped computer science curriculum, exciting lectures and speakers who shared their insights and a reimagined graduate degree program designed to meet the growing need for qualified teachers. These achievements, and more, demonstrate how Wilkes remains steadfast in its commitment to prepare students to succeed, to seek out fulfilling careers and to address our world’s most pressing challenges.

In addition to these successes, we made a grand debut in the Landmark Conference and completed a nearly $1.2 million investment in the Henry Gymnasium, modernizing the facility to provide our student-athletes with a world-class experience. A season of celebration, indeed!

Enjoy our latest issue of Wilkes magazine and join me in congratulating all Colonels, past and present, on an incredible year of achievements.