WILKES-BARRE — Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Ph.D., president of King’s College, said academic and co-curricular program growth, stellar accreditations in business, health care, and engineering, campus beautification, and amazing faculty and staff combine to make King’s a dynamic environment where the minds and hearts of students are transformed.
“When Martin Sheen visited our campus and performed a play with our students, he witnessed this first-hand,” Father Looney said. “He commented on the spirit of community and mutual care that makes King’s a place where he would have loved to have gone to college.”
Father Looney, 63, acknowledged that several initiatives across academics, facilities, and first-generation student support will yield major benefits for incoming students and the surrounding community in 2024 and beyond.
In August, Father Looney said the King’s will welcome the first students to its Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD), which will launch in the former Times Leader building on North Main Street with state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, and gross anatomy facilities.
Not only will the project bring even more students to downtown Wilkes-Barre, but Father Looney said it will also deliver more critically needed health care professionals to Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond.
“Excitement around this project has already led to dedication and naming opportunities that we look forward to announcing over the summer,” said Father Looney. “I’m confident this new facility will both honor the rich legacy of this historic site and ensure it continues to serve the Wilkes-Barre community in the decades to come.”
Father Looney also noted that in April 2024, the AACSB International Board of Directors extended the accreditation of the William G. McGowan School of Business programs.
“At a time of tremendous challenge for higher education institutions, our programs continue to thrive,” said Father Looney. “This action not only extends our accreditation for five years, but it’s also an acknowledgement of the hardworking faculty and competitive programming that continue to deliver maximum value to the students pursuing these undergraduate and graduate degrees.”
He added that the AACSB is the premier accreditation for business programs, and King’s College is one of the smallest institutions in the world to achieve it. In fact, Father Looney said that King’s remains the only institution in Luzerne County, and one of only two in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with AACSB accredited business programs.
When it comes to improving student outcomes, Father Looney is also pleased with the progress of the new “Monarchs on a Mission” first-generation student support program that launched with a $26,555 Willory Foundation grant.
“We hope the innovative workshops and mentorship opportunities that we developed for this program will help improve retention and graduation rates for students who are the first in their family to pursue a four-year degree,” he added.
In addition to major developments in academic programs, King’s is finalizing a new Campus Master Plan that provides the guiding vision for its residential facilities, athletic fields, and gathering spaces over the next 10 years.
“Whether it’s beautifying campus, enlarging greenspaces, or renewing our facilities to be more welcoming and accessible, this plan is a testament to our ceaseless efforts to both improve the student experience and ensure King’s remains in harmony with our surrounding community,” said Father Looney.
Lastly, Father Looney noted that even the College’s theatre program is enjoying marked success, having just hosted Hollywood actor Martin Sheen in a limited engagement staged reading of the play “8” by Dustin Lance Black.
About King’s College
King’s College is a Catholic institution of higher education animated and guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross.
King’s pursues excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship through a rigorous core curriculum, major programs across the liberal arts and sciences, nationally accredited professional programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and personal attention to student formation in a nurturing community.
To learn more about King’s College, visit — kings.edu.
King’s highlights
• In August, the school will finally get the chance to welcome the very first students to its Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD), which will launch in the newly renovated Times Leader building with state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, and gross anatomy facilities.
Not only will this bring more students to the very heart of Wilkes-Barre, but it will also deliver more critically needed health care professionals to our region and beyond.
The new facility will both honor the rich legacy of this historic site and ensure it continues to serve our community in the decades to come.
• At a time of tremendous challenge for higher education institutions, King’s programs continue to thrive. In fact, in early April 2024 we received confirmation that the AACSB International board of directors extended the accreditation of our William G. McGowan School of Business programs.
This action not only extends its accreditation for another five years, but it’s also an acknowledgement of the hardworking faculty and competitive programming that continue to deliver maximum value to the students pursuing these undergraduate and graduate degrees.
AACSB is the premier accreditation for business programs, and King’s College is one of the smallest institutions in the world to achieve it. In fact, King’s remains the only institution in Luzerne County, and one of only two in Northeast Pennsylvania, with AACSB accredited business programs.
• This is the first semester of the new “Monarchs on a Mission” first-generation student support program that we launched with a $26,555 grant from the Willory Foundation. King’s hopes the innovative workshops and mentorship opportunities that were developed for this program will help improve retention and graduation rates for students who are the first in their family to pursue a four-year degree.
• Lastly, King’s is wrapping-up a new Campus Master Plan that will provide the guiding vision for our residential facilities, athletic fields, and gathering spaces over the next 10 years. Whether it’s beautifying campus, enlarging greenspaces, or renewing our facilities to be more welcoming and accessible, this plan is a testament to our ceaseless efforts to both improve the student experience and ensure King’s remains in harmony with our surrounding community.