WILKES UNIVERSITY

About Wilkes University
The institution we know today as Wilkes University began
in 1933 when Bucknell University established its Junior
College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Bucknell
University Junior College (BUJC) attracted eager, highly
motivated, and able young persons, virtually all of whom
were the first members of their families to benefit from
higher education. The Junior College also received support
and encouragement from leading members of the Wilkes-
Barre community. The stately mansions that are now used
as residence halls and offices are a testament to the
tradition of community service and generosity characteristic of the Wilkes-Barre area’s
leadership.
In 1947, Wilkes College was instituted as an independent, nondenominational four-year college,
with programs in the arts, sciences, and a number of professional fields as well as a full program
of extra-curricular activities. Designation as Wilkes University in 1990 capped an eventful and
productive half-century of development and signaled the beginning of a new era of progress as
an increasingly distinguished and prominent academic institution.
Wilkes University further distinguished itself in 1996 when the eagerly anticipated School of
Pharmacy opened. Three years later, through a generous gift from Mrs. Geraldine Nesbitt Orr,
the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University was established.
In 2004, the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business & Leadership opened its doors with a unique
program that emphasizes not only business skills, but also the value of cognitive and emotional
intelligence.
In 2005, the "new" Henry Student Center was expanded and the University purchased an 80,000
square foot building in downtown Wilkes-Barre adding administrative and student recreation
space to the campus. In 2012, ground was broken along South River St. for a new science
building (The Cohen Science Building) which opened in the Fall Semester, 2013 to
accommodate growing and changing needs in the sciences. In the Fall Semester, 2014, the Sidhu
School of Business will relocate to a newly renovated, prominent space on South Main St.
The University has extended its boarders beyond Wilkes-Barre, opening facilities in the Poconos
and Mesa, Arizona. Wilkes also continues to expand its online program offerings.
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