Welcome Back, Colonels!

Welcome Back, Colonels!

Wilkes University will welcome new and returning students to campus from Aug. 27-30. The 2026-27 academic year will be the first under the leadership of James Cousins, PhD, who joined Wilkes on Aug. 1, as the University's eighth president.

"It is a tremendous privilege to welcome students to our campus for the start of Wilkes's 94th academic year," says President Cousins. "Together, we will share a lot of 'firsts' and I'm looking forward to beginning this exciting chapter together."

First-year students arrived on campus for move-in on Thursday, Aug. 27, and returning students will follow on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30. Colonels will celebrate the new class with Welcome Weekend festivities before classes begin on Monday, Aug. 31.

Welcome Weekend

Welcome Weekend features a variety of immersive activities and events to welcome students to campus and meet new people. Activities include a movie night, an academic major mixer, program-specific socials, a campus tour, a Cosmic Carnival, a Pizza Planet party, a cookout, community service at local sites, pickleball games, drag bingo and more.

The New Class

The Wilkes classes of 2030 and 2032 have approximately 486 new students. In addition, 54 full-time transfer students and more than 617 new graduate students will attend the University. This brings the total number of students enrolled in all of Wilkes' programs to over 5,000.

Highlights from the first-year class:

• The incoming class features students from 20 states.
• Over 181 students are from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.
• Approximately fifty-two percent (52%) are the first in their families to pursue a four-year degree.
• Thirty-three percent (33%) of the new class are student-athletes.
• There are 19 incoming international students including two exchange students from Japan and the United Kingdom; two students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain; four graduate students from Vietnam, India and Kenya; and 11 undergraduate students from Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy and Serbia. With the 19 current students who were admitted this year, the current number of international students totals 74.
• Four first-year students will join the Bonner Leader Program, bringing the total to 21 participants.
• The Honors Program welcomes 39 incoming first-year students, including one transfer student. With the 39 current students who were admitted this year, the current number of honors students totals 180.
• With this year's 100 new students, the Barre Scholars Program grows to 322 students.

In addition, 13 new faculty members will mark their first fall semester at Wilkes, teaching classes in accounting, biology and earth system sciences, creative writing, criminology, elementary education, organic chemistry, nursing, psychology, sports management and theatre design.

New Programs

With a focus on innovation, new program launches this year include:

• The health humanities minor and concentration prepares students to be more thoughtful and human-centered leaders in healthcare by treating individuals with integrity, empathy and compassion. Students can choose from a minor or a concentration to best fit their workload. Both options are available to a broad range of students pursuing public-facing careers in nursing, pharmacy, biology, chemistry or health and wellness.
  
• The University introduced a new curriculum for its master's program in instructional technology. Designed for working professionals, the online master of science degree offers new concentrations that align with a variety of personal and professional education goals, including a track that's designed for corporate learning and development specialists.
  
• The new AI endorsement for Pennsylvania educators provides practical strategies to integrate responsible and ethical learning practices while helping students navigate change through advanced training and study of how AI and society intersect.

Campus Life

The summers provide ample opportunities to enhance and modernize our campus buildings and state-of-the-art facilities.

The facilities team has been hard at work on projects including renovations to Breiseth Hall classrooms, third-floor renovations in Evans Hall, roof maintenance and repair at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts and enhancements to the Starbucks in the Ron and Rhea Simms Center on Main.

Multiple parking lots were also sealed and great progress has been made towards improvements at the Main Street parking garage.