History and Expansion
Wilkes University was first established in 1933 by Bucknell University under the name "Bucknell Junior College" (BUJC) in Wilkes-Barre. BUJC attracted many students who were the first members of their families to benefit from higher education. The Junior College also received support from leading members of the Wilkes-Barre community.
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 numerous extracurricular activities. Wilkes was given university status in 1990.
More recently college programs were significantly expanded. Wilkes College opened the School of Pharmacy in 1996, and in 1999, through a donation from Mrs. Geraldine Nesbitt Orr, the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University was established.
The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business & Leadership was created in 2004. Students in the university's business program are required to take courses across several schools with the intent to provide an emotional education in addition to the typical business experience.
In 2005, the Henry Student Center was expanded and the University purchased an 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) building in downtown Wilkes-Barre. This building serves as the Wilkes University communications center, housing the registrar, bursar, indoor track and field, and ropes course.
Passan Hall at Wilkes University houses the infirmary, where a nurse can be consulted by any student who is ill.
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