Wilkes University

Fifty Wilkes University students are gaining professional experience at internships during the fall 2015 semester.

Wilkes University Theatre will present "Our Town," a drama by Thornton Wilder, Oct. 1-4. Performances are being held nightly at 8 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, with a Sunday matinee performance at 2 p.m. Directed by Wilkes' assistant professor of theatre Jon Liebetrau, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play delves into the complexity of the human experience by peeking into seemingly simple lives of people in the town of Grover's Corners, N.H., revealing profound meaning.

Five Wilkes University students are gaining classroom experience this fall as they complete student teaching assignments at area schools. Student teaching is one of the requirements for earning teacher certification in Pennsylvania.

Wilkes University awarded 329 doctoral, master's and bachelor's degrees to students graduating after the completion of the summer 2015 semester.

More than 45 undergraduate students at Wilkes University have accepted on-campus leadership roles as resident assistants. Resident assistants are responsible for crisis management, documenting policy violations, reporting maintenance requests and various other administrative tasks in campus residence halls where undergraduate students live.

Wilkes University welcomes over 600 students into the class of 2019.

Three Wilkes University students completed a study abroad academic immersion program in Tanzania focusing on health care. The students were accompanied on their trip by Wilkes University professor Linda Winkler and Wilkes University alumna and Misericordia University professor Cynthia Mailloux. Winkler has made 16 trips to Tanzania in the last 14 years. Visit their blog at https://communityserviceintanzania.wordpress.com.

Wilkes University Provost Anne A. Skleder announces the Dean's List for the Spring 2015 Semester. To be named to the Dean's List, students must earn a minimum 3.4 grade point average and carry at least 12 credits.

Twenty members of the 2015 graduating class in Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy are entering residency programs following their graduation in May. The number - 26 percent of the Wilkes class - exceeds the national average of 23 percent of pharmacy graduates who are placed into residency training.

Eleven Wilkes University pre-medical scholars have been accepted into professional health science graduate programs, including medical school and programs for physician assistant, occupational therapy and physical therapy, for the fall 2015 semester.

Members of the Wilkes University Civic Band performed with the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band at the 68th Annual Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band Festival, held at Bloomsburg University. The students rehearsed for three days with over 100 other collegiate bandsmen from across the state. The Wilkes performers were nominated for the intercollegiate band by Philip G. Simon, associate professor of music and director of bands at Wilkes University.

Wilkes University awarded 680 doctoral, master's and bachelor's degrees to students graduating after the completion of the spring 2015 semester.

Five students at Wilkes University are engaged in an ongoing research project with three professors who, in conjunction with the Family Business Alliance at Wilkes, are researching family businesses in northeast Pennsylvania. The students are Jamie Seyler, Nicole Santorelli, Kate Thomas, Britton Heim and David Graff.

A student and faculty team from Wilkes University and The Wright Center for Primary Care placed first in a poster presentation contest at the 6th Annual Current Concepts in Medication Safety Conference hosted by Geisinger Health System's Medication Safety Committee.

Wilkes University pharmacy student Nicholas Stauffer of Barto, Pa., has received the United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award. The national award is given annually to a pharmacy student enrolled in an accredited doctoral program who promotes the objectives of the Public Health Service's "Healthy People 2020" initiative, serves the community and demonstrates leadership qualities that foster a team approach in patient care.

A team of six senior nursing students from Wilkes University placed second in the Geoffrey Allen Walp Memorial 11th Annual Student Nursing Challenge at East Stroudsburg University. The challenge assists student nurses in their preparation for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), which licenses individuals to practice nursing. Joyce Victor Chmil, assistant professor and director of nursing at Wilkes, coached the student team.

Bethany Sharpless and Lindsey Coval represented the Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy in the 19th annual American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Clinical Skills Competition, held during the society's Midyear Clinical Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. The team placed fourth in the competition, in which a record 127 teams from pharmacy schools across the country competed.

Six Wilkes University students participated in an alternative spring break trip to San Marcos, Costa Rica. Alternative spring break offers students an opportunity to perform community service while experiencing a different culture and developing their leadership, teamwork and critical thinking skills. The students assisted local schools with construction and other maintenance projects.

Three fourth-year students in the Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy are participating in a Global Health Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in Uganda, where they will learn about the healthcare challenges that affect Sub-Saharan Africa while experiencing Ugandan life and culture.

A group of Wilkes University students participated in an alternative spring break trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Alternative spring break offers students an opportunity to perform community service while experiencing a different culture and developing their leadership, teamwork and critical thinking skills.

A group of Wilkes University students participated in an alternative spring break trip to Asheville, N.C., where they volunteered with the local Habitat for Humanity.

Seven Wilkes University students were inducted into the Omega Psi chapter of the Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society during the fall 2014 semester.

Alysha Lopez of DuBois, Pa., won the 2015 "Know Pain, Know Gain" competition held on February 21 at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association's Mid-Year Conference in Harrisburg. Lopez, a fourth-year pharmacy student at Wilkes University, competed against 11 other pharmacy students from colleges and universities across the state.

Wilkes University recently awarded the first students to graduate from its Mesa, Ariz., campus with master's of business administration degrees. Wilkes began offering its MBA program in Mesa in 2013, and will offer bachelor's degrees in 2015 along with the M.A. in creative writing and M.S. in education. Wilkes is located in the Mesa Center for Higher Education, 245 W. Second St. in Mesa.

The Wilkes University Theatre production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical," which ran from February 13 - 15 and 20 - 22, featured a cast of Wilkes students. A cheeky musical comedy that's equal parts "South Park" and "Desperate Housewives," the production explores the relationships between tenants of Florida's Armadillo Acres Trailer Park.

Wilkes University senior Simone Hanna, of Waldorf, Md., will present her senior theater capstone, an original play written by her called “Words Better Left Unsaid,” on Friday, Feb. 27. The play will be presented in the Black Box Theatre of the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts for two performances, at 4 and 8 p.m.  Theater majors at Wilkes University all present capstone work.   In addition to writing the play, Hanna is also the co-director and stage manager.  Fellow Wilkes students James Daly and John Clifford serve as co-director and lighting designer respectively, and the cast comprises students Taylor Lamerand, Gianna Chase, Margaret Roarty and Shaun Pierre.

The Wilkes University Cheerleaders placed in the top 10 in the Open All Girl division at the Universal Cheerleaders Association's College Cheerleading National Championship held Jan. 16-18 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. More than 150 colleges and universities participated in the competition. The squad is coached by Jessica Short.

Theta Delta, the student chapter of the Beta Beta Beta national biological honor society at Wilkes University, swore in its officers for the 2014-2015 academic year during an induction ceremony held during the fall 2014 semester. Valerie Kalter, associate professor of biology, serves as the chapter's faculty advisor.

Wilkes University inducted 12 students as full members into the Theta Delta Chapter of the Beta Beta Beta national biological honor society during an induction ceremony held during the fall 2014 semester. An additional 12 students were inducted as associate members. Valerie Kalter, associate professor of biology, serves as the chapter's faculty advisor.

Eleven Wilkes University education majors are gaining classroom experience this semester as they complete student teaching assignments at area schools. The student teaching is one of the requirements for earning teacher certification in Pennsylvania.