# King's College (Pennsylvania)

King's College is a private Catholic university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and located within the Diocese of Scranton.

## History

King's College was founded in 1946 by Congregation of Holy Cross priests and brothers from the University of Notre Dame. The original mission of the college was to educate the sons of local miners and mill workers who lived in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. The college's Administration Building indicates the links to the coal mining industry: Built in 1913, it was designed by Daniel Burnham of Chicago to serve as the headquarters of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company.
The institution's chapel, The Chapel of Christ the King, is located on West North Street. It features a 4,200-pound anthracite altar, highlighting the relationship between the coal industry and the institution. It was created for King's in 1954 by renowned African-American sculptor and Wilkes-Barre resident, C. Edgar Patience.
In June 1972, massive flooding occurred in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Rains from Tropical Storm Agnes caused the neighboring Susquehanna River to overflow and flood most of the campus.

### Presidents

| | President | Term |
| 1 | James W. Connerton | 1946–1949 |
| 2 | John J. Lane | 1949–1950 |
| 3 | Leo F. Flood | 1950–1955 |
| 4 | George P. Benaglia | 1955–1964 |
| 5 | Lane D. Kilburn | 1964–1974 |
| 6 | Charles D. Sherrer | 1974–1981 |
| 7 | James Lackenmier | 1981–1999 |
| 8 | Thomas J. O'Hara | 1999–2011 |
| 9 | John J. Ryan | 2011–2021 |
| 10 | Thomas Looney | 2021–present |

## Campus

The campus covers nearly 50 acres in downtown Wilkes-Barre (adjacent to the Susquehanna River). Situated at the center of the campus, Monarch Court is the site of many campus community activities. The court includes a brick-paved area that encompasses a large King's Block K, also in brick, at its center. Each of the bricks surrounding the K is engraved with the names of students, alumni, and local businesses.
The Richard Abbas Alley Center for Health Sciences is home to academics programs such as Physician Assistant Studies, Athletic Training, and Exercise Science. It also includes student residences, an art and cultural display center, and a Chick-fil-A restaurant.
Many of King's athletic teams train and compete two miles from campus at the Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex, a 33.5-acre athletic facility that includes McCarthy Stadium, a field house, and fields for baseball, softball, men's and women's soccer, football, and field hockey.

### Administration

* Administration Building – 133 North River Street

### College halls

* Luksic Hall – corner of West Jackson and North Franklin Streets
* Benaglia Hall – North Franklin Street
* Hafey-Marian Hall – West Jackson Street (also located near the center of the campus)
* Holy Cross Hall – located near Monarch Court
* Hessel Hall – located near Monarch Court
* Esseff Hall – corner of North Main and West Jackson Streets
* Flood Hall – corner of Harrison and West North Streets
* Alumni Hall – corner of East Jackson and North Main Streets
* O'Hara Hall – corner of North Main and North Streets
* Richard Abbas Alley Center for Health Sciences – Wilkes-Barre Public Square

### College courts

* Monarch Court – located near the center of the campus
* Moreau Court – located near West North Street
* Regina Court – located between Esseff Hall and the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center

### College centers and school(s)

* The William G. McGowan School of Business – King's undergraduate business school
* Mulligan Physical Science Center – located behind the Administration Building (adjacent to the Theater)
* Charles E. & Mary Parente Life Sciences Center – corner of North River and West Jackson Streets
* Gym|Scandlon Physical Education Center – North Main Street
* Hessel Hall, Office of Admission – North Franklin Street
* Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center – located behind the Library and Esseff Hall

### College houses

* John J. Lane House – North Franklin Street
* Kilburn House – North Franklin Street (formerly used as the college president's home)
* Sherrer House – corner of Spencer and North Franklin Streets

### College places of interest

* The Chapel of Christ the King at the George and Giovita Maffei Family Commons - West North Street
* Maffei Theatre – located in the Administration Building
* D. Leonard Corgan Library – West Jackson Street
* Campus Ministry Center- corner of West Jackson and North Franklin Streets

### College community buildings

* Holy Cross Community – North Franklin Street
* Holy Cross Community/Student Housing – North Franklin Street

### Miscellaneous buildings

* Environmental Studies – located behind Benaglia Hall
* Alumni Engagement and Experience – North Franklin Street
* Human Resources – North Franklin Street
* Study Abroad – North Franklin Street
* Maintenance – Harrison Street (behind the gym)

## Academics

King's College is an independent, coed, four-year Catholic college with 2,130 students. Founded in 1946 by Congregation of Holy Cross priests and brothers from the University of Notre Dame. King's academic programs are recognized by leading accrediting agencies, including the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (one of only 48 undergraduate schools of business in the country with this accreditation), the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistants, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
King's grants bachelor's degrees in 40 majors (business, education, humanities, sciences, social sciences, and allied health programs), 11 concentrations, and seven pre-professional programs. All of the degree programs at King's encourage students to develop practical experience and skills that prepare them to pursue rewarding and successful careers. The newest programs include civil and mechanical engineering and nursing. The average class size is 18 with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. The average GPA for entering first-year students is 3.4.
The institution has 152 full-time and 77 part-time faculty members. Eighty-five percent of full-time faculty members have PhD or an equivalent terminal degrees (graduate assistants do not teach courses). Seventy percent of all enrolled students graduate from King's, and 99 percent of graduates are employed or attend graduate school within six months of graduation. King's also offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in health-care administration, a Master of Education (MEd) degree in reading or curriculum and instruction, and a five-year physician assistant studies program leading to a master's degree.

## Student life

King's College has more than fifty student organizations. King's 28 NCAA Division III teams include men's baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. It also offers rugby and cheerleading as club sports. Intramural sports include basketball, flag football, indoor soccer, racquetball, and dodgeball.
Other co-curricular activities include academic clubs in almost every department: the King's Players (theater), Cantores Christi Regis (choir), Campus Ministry, the Experiencing the Arts Series, The Crown (student newspaper), the Regis (yearbook), and The Scop (literary magazine).
The institution offers traditional dormitory housing and apartments. Traditional dorms include Esseff Hall (female freshmen only), Holy Cross Hall (male freshmen only), and Luksic Hall (a co-ed residence hall). Apartments include Alumni Hall (a four-story co-ed building), Flood Hall (co-ed), John Lane House (a three-story home), Gateway Corners (a three-story co-ed), and North Franklin Street (co-ed).

## Extracurricular activities
### Clubs and organizations

King's College recognizes 46 clubs and organizations. These clubs focus on academics (Biology Club and Psychology Club), service (Knights of Columbus, and Sigma Kappa Sigma), health related organizations (Sports Medicine Society), arts and sciences, international (Multicultural/International Club), media and publishing (Media Club), music and arts (Campion Society and Kings Players), and special interests (Student Allies For Equality, Anime Club, Young Americans for Liberty).

### Media and publications

The King's College student-run radio station, WRKC ("Radio King's College") focuses on music but also covers live athletic events and sponsors a news program. It also sponsors The Crown, a weekly student newspaper. King's literary magazine, The Scop, is published twice every year and accepts written and visual submissions from current students and alumni.
The institution has a closed-circuit campus television station, KCTV 10, which broadcasts shows such as a talk show ("King's Live"), a music competition ("King's Idol"), news, and sports.

## Athletics

King's Division III teams include men's baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, and wrestling. Women's NCAA sports include basketball, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. It also offers rugby & cheerleading as club sports. Intramural sports include basketball, flag football, indoor soccer, racquetball, and dodgeball.

## Notable alumni

* Mark Ciavarella, former Luzerne County President Judge Court of Common Pleas, convicted in Kids for cash scandal, sentenced to 28 years in Federal Prison
* Joseph James Farnan, Jr., United States federal judge
* Frank G. Harrison, former United States Congressman
* Donora Hillard, author
* Pat Kennedy, former head basketball coach at several NCAA Division I programs, including Florida State University and DePaul University
* Thomas M. Leighton, former Wilkes-Barre mayor
* Santo Loquasto, Tony Award winning Broadway set and costume designer
* Bob MacKinnon Jr., Basketball coach
* Francis T. McAndrew, psychologist/professor/author
* William G. McGowan, former MCI Communications chairman (Known for breaking up the Bell Telephone Company monopoly)
* Patrick J. Murphy, Under Secretary of the Army and Chief Management Officer (CMO); former United States Congressman
* Raphael J. Musto, former Pennsylvania state senator and former U.S. Congressman
* James L. Nelligan, former United States Congressman (later donated records to college as part of the Dan Flood/James Nelligan Archives)
* Paul F. Nichols, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates
* Patrick J. O'Connor, lawyer, vice chairman of Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia
* Thomas J. O'Hara, Provincial of the U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross; former president of King's College
* Thomas Tigue, former Pennsylvania State Representative