Wilkes University To Dedicate New Mark Engineering Center

The state-of-the-art engineering facility will be named in honor Randy and Robin Mark at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14

Wilkes-Barre, PA (09/12/2018) — Wilkes University's newest facility, the Mark Engineering Center, will hold its formal dedication on Friday, Sept. 14. The event begins at 3:30 p.m. in Stark Learning Center. Following the ceremony, tours of the new facility will be provided. Media are invited to cover the event and arrive as early as 3 p.m. to take photos.

Speakers include Wilkes University President Patrick F. Leahy, donors Randy and Robin Mark, Senator John Yudichak, Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, engineering faculty member Carole Baddour and engineering student Jeffrey Lisk.

The center is named in honor of Randy and Robin Mark, who made a leadership gift to support the project. Randy Mark earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Wilkes in 1981. He is the president of Pulverman, a manufacturing company located in Dallas, Pa. He has served on the university's board of trustees since 2013.

The center was also funded by a $3 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Approximately 23,000 square feet of space in Stark Learning Center has been renovated to ensure that engineering students are prepared to meet the latest industry challenges and needs. The dedication is the culmination of a 16-month, $8 million project that creates flexible lab and learning space in disciplines that include nanotechnology, additive manufacturing and bioengineering. Highlights include laboratories with moveable benches and partitions, a refreshed facade facing the Fenner Quadrangle, and dedicated space for 3-D printing and high-end computers.

MEDIA NOTE: An embargoed news release will be sent on Friday by Gabrielle D'Amico, (570) 592-7839. D'Amico will also be the on-site contact during the announcement. The Mark Engineering Center is accessible by entering Stark Learning Center via the Fenner Quadrangle.

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