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WILKES UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT’S REPORT ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 - 2019 ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 - 2019 PRESIDENT’S REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Message .......................... 05 Feature Stories ................................ 07 Evolving to Excellence ................................ 09 Acclaimed Speakers, Diverse Perspectives ........... 13 Turning Information into Insight .................... 17 Exceptional Students, Exceptional Opportunities 21 Wilkes Capital Campaign ........................... 25 Research, Scholarship, ..................... 29 & Entrepreneurship Campus Enhancements .................... 35 News at Wilkes ................................ 41 Fundraising ..................................... 47 Community Impact ......................... 53 By the Numbers .............................. 57 University Leadership ...................... 60 DEAR FRIENDS: Each year, the President’s Report provides me with an opportunity to reflect on the highlights and accomplishments of the past 12 months at Wilkes University. In this issue, my final as President of Wilkes, I am proud to share with you a snapshot of the 2018-2019 academic year. As you will see, we have made significant investments in academics, research, and the campus, all in an effort to achieve a goal outlined in the University’s strategic plan – to become one of the finest small universities in the nation. When we developed this vision for Wilkes in 2012, we were intentional about placing equal emphasis on small and university, rather than viewing the descriptors as mutually exclusive. You see, at Wilkes, we offer a unique experience that celebrates the integration of the words small and university – one that blends a close-knit, mentoring culture with academic opportunities often found at much larger institutions. Our undergraduate honors program, featured on page 21, is just one example of this combination. In addition, Wilkes is encouraging more discovery than ever before. Faculty members are engaged in scholarly research that tackles the most pressing issues of our day, including cancer detection, reducing infant mortality in Third World countries, and the opioid crisis. Furthermore, the entrepreneurial spirit is strong both on campus and in our community, resulting in the University’s first 11 patent applications. In many cases, our faculty members work alongside undergraduate students in these endeavors, providing excellent opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation. Read more about these efforts on page 29. Unprecedented investments totaling a remarkable $100 million have transformed our campus. The beauty of Wilkes has never been more apparent, and improvements in labs and classrooms have enhanced the learning environment. As you will see on page 35, we celebrated the completion of the Mark Engineering Center and the Campus Gateway Project last fall and work on Bruggeworth Field at the Ralston Athletic Complex is well underway. In January, these efforts culminated in a milestone achievement for Wilkes University – earning doctoral university status from the Carnegie Classifications. Wilkes is now part of a list of the finest universities in the country, and we are one of the smallest on that list. I invite you to read about this accomplishment on page 9. Over the past seven years, it has been a privilege to play a small role in the evolution of this incredible institution and I am confident that the best days at Wilkes lie ahead. Sincerely, Dr. Patrick F. Leahy President ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 - 2019 FEATURE STORIES FEATURE ONE EVOLVING TO EXCELLENCE 08 Wilkes University President’s Report | Academic Year 2018 - 2019 FEATURE ONE: EVOLVING TO EXCELLENCE 09 Achieving Doctoral University Status From its founding in 1933 as a two-year junior col- The new status reflects a growing population of lege, to its designation as a doctoral university in 2019, doctoral students and an increased focus on research and Wilkes University has taken its place among the most scholarship. Wilkes has strategically grown its master’s prestigious institutions in the country. and doctoral programs in recent years, launching the University’s first Ph.D. program in 2017. Wilkes now The final year of Patrick F. Leahy’s presidency also offers four doctoral degrees and nearly two-dozen marked one of the most notable: Wilkes University was master’s-degree programs in fields like education, categorized as a doctoral university in the revised Carn- nursing and pharmacy. Most programs are offered in egie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, online and low-residency formats, attracting a national the highest classification for institutions in the country. audience. 80 PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS Of approximately 80 private institutions in Pennsylva- in Pennsylvania nia, Wilkes is now one of just 14 with this designation. Impactful research has also occurred in the last seven years, resulting in the University’s first 11 patents. A This puts Wilkes in the same category of excellence $1 million fund supports the scholarly work of faculty as institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, Drexel members, who work hand-in-hand with students in 14 IN THE DOCTORAL/ University, Duquesne University, Villanova University pursuit of solutions to the most pressing questions of PROFESSIONAL and the University of Pennsylvania, without sacrificing the day. university category a commitment to access. Wilkes is also serving more students than ever before. “The change in classification places Wilkes University in In the 2018-19 academic year, the University conferred the company of some of the finest universities in the nation, 1,600 degrees, including 160 doctoral degrees. This is One leading in access and excellence: completing our evolution from a two-year junior college to nearly three times the doctoral degrees of any other a national doctoral university,” said University President institution in northeast Pennsylvania. WILKES Leahy. “Our unique mix of academic programs and robust degree conferrals across bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels Yet this growth has not changed the University’s UNIVERSITY sets us apart from other private institutions, both regionally commitment to its founding values: more than 50 and nationally, while continuing to serve a large population of percent of students are the first in their family to earn first-generation students.” a degree. Combined with a 96 percent job-placement rate, it is clear: Wilkes is a doctoral university leading in access and excellence. 10 Wilkes University President’s Report | Academic Year 2018 - 2019 FEATURE ONE: EVOLVING TO EXCELLENCE 11 FEATURE TWO ACCLAIMED SPEAKERS, DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES 12 Wilkes University President’s Report | Academic Year 2018 - 2019 FEATURE TWO: ACCLAIMED SPEAKERS, DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES 13 University Speaker Series Wilkes University brings visionary leaders to cam- DAVE EGGERS, bestselling author and founder of pus, continuing a decades-long tradition of presenting the independent publishing company McSweeney’s, groundbreaking viewpoints. opened the Allan Hamilton Dickson Spring Writers Series, sponsored by the English Department. Eggers Annual speakers’ series, such as the Max Rosenn Lec- is the author of ten books, including A Hologram for the ture in Law and Humanities and the Allan P. Kirby King, which was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, bring Award and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, iconic figures to campus representing fields as diverse which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He also is as athletics, social activism, law, politics, literature and the co-founder of 826 National, a network of seven film. Their presence enriches the academic experience tutoring centers and writing labs around the country. for students and contributes to cultural offerings in the MORE THAN 2,000 CAMPUS community. BRYAN STEVENSON, attorney, human rights activist, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS Lectures, offered free to audiences on- and off-campus, author of Just Mercy, delivered the Max Rosenn Lecture attended free lectures at historically have spotlighted the leading social, artistic in Law and Humanities on April 14. He spoke about, Wilkes University in 2018-2019. and political leaders of the day. During the 2018-2019 “American Injustice: Mercy, Humanity and Making a academic year, speakers represented diverse viewpoints Difference.” Stevenson is one of the most acclaimed and fields, including: and respected lawyers in the nation. Stevenson, a Every lecture offers opportunities for students to interact directly with speakers. Lawyer and activist Brian Stevenson participated in MacArthur Genius Grant winner, started the Equal a private question-and-answer session with criminology majors and KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, Basketball Hall of Fame Justice Initiative, a law practice dedicated to defending members of the Honors Program. Author Dave Eggers presented center, author and activist, was interviewed by Wilkes some of America’s most rejected and marginalized a special session for Wilkes education students. He also met in a President Patrick F. Leahy for the Max Rosenn Lecture people. workshop with English students, who had a chance to share their in Law and Humanities. The conversation between writing and receive feedback. Leahy and Abdul-Jabbar encompassed key highlights JIM WHITAKER, Hollywood producer and filmmaker, Other endowed speakers’ series, such as the Catherine Bone Lecture from the