King's College (Pennsylvania)


King's College, formally The College of Christ the King, is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. 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 of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company.
The college's chapel, Christ the King, is located at the corner of Franklin and Jackson Streets, features a 4,200-pound anthracite altar, highlighting the relationship between the coal industry and the college. 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

Campus

The campus covers nearly 50 acres in downtown Wilkes-Barre. 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 King's on the Square facility is home to a 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

College centers and school(s)

College houses

King's College is an independent, coed, four-year Catholic college with 2,300 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, 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, 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 college's 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 college 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. 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 degree in health-care administration, a Master of Education degree in reading or curriculum and instruction, and a five-year physician assistant studies program leading to a master's degree.

Student life

The college has more than fifty student organizations. King's 25 NCAA Division III teams include men's baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. The College 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, Cantores Christi Regis, Campus Ministry, the Experiencing the Arts Series, The Crown, the Regis, and the SCOP.
The college offers traditional dormitory housing and apartments. Traditional dorms include Esseff Hall, Holy Cross Hall, and Luksic Hall. Apartments include Alumni Hall, Flood Hall, John Lane House, Gateway Corners, and North Franklin Street.

Extracurricular activities

Clubs and organizations

King's College recognizes 46 clubs and organizations. These clubs focus on academics, service, health related organizations, arts and sciences, international, media and publishing, music and arts, and special interests.

Media and publications

The King's College student-run radio station, WRKC focuses on music but also covers live athletic events and sponsors a news program.. The college 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 college has a closed-circuit campus television station, KCTV 10, which broadcasts shows such as a talk show, a music competition, news, and sports.

Athletics

King's fields 25 teams that compete at the NCAA Division III level as members of the Middle Atlantic Conference. The college's athletic nickname is the Monarchs. King's teams compete in most intercollegiate sports. King's men's and women's ice hockey teams belong to the United Collegiate Hockey Conference.
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. The College also offers rugby & cheerleading as club sports. Intramural sports include basketball, flag football, indoor soccer, racquetball, and dodgeball.

Notable alumni