May 23, 2012 - Twenty three King’s College students and one faculty member were recently inducted to Pennsylvania Lambda Chapter, King’s College, of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health pre-professional honor society.  The Society is dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of excellence in pre-professional health scholarship and science.

The King’s chapter is one of 12 active in Pennsylvania.  Requirements for entry are an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 and the same minimum GPA in the sciences following at least five semesters of coursework.  “Significant service to the College and community” is also listed as a requirement for admission.

Pictured seated in front row, from left, are student inductees Alison Kearns, Gianna Cordasco, Justyna Cerefin, Emily Buchman, Heather Bowman, and Laura Barna.

Pictured in second row, from left, is Mary Sanders, associate laboratory professor in biology; and student inductees Kayla Rutkoski, Lauren Pristash, Brooke Whiteko, Shelby Munson, Melissa Loomis, Samantha Shelton, and Matthew Kujat.

Pictured in third row, from left, are student inductees Anne Shaffer, John Prater, Corey White, Kirsten Wetzel, Ashtyn Stang, Daniel Simpson, and Elyse Laneski.

Absent from photo were student inductees Tanya Cheeseman, Amanda Horton and Douglas Krysan.

May 24, 2012 – The National French Contest, sponsored by the NortheasternPennsylvania Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French, concluded with 50 chapter and 29 national winners from a pool of 465 elementary to high school student entrants from public and private schools in the Wyoming Valley, Milford, Scranton, Pocono, and South Williamsport areas.

Dr. Margaret Corgan, chairperson of the department of foreign languages at King’s, is president of the local chapter and director of the program, which began at King’s in 1969. In that time, more than 24,000 students haveregistered for the test at the College.

Continuing a tradition that began in 1977, King’s College hosted a dinner for area national and chapter French contest winners and guests in the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center.

Local national winners are: Crestwood: Gavin Lewis; Holy Redeemer: Briana Scorey and Rachel Simon; Wyoming Seminary Lower School: Naomi Dressler, Duncan Lumia, Kyle Hromisin, Meghna Melkote, and Harry Varonides; Wyoming Seminary: Rebecca Barnes, Dominique Coslett, Maxim Crispin, Cassandra Dipippa, Jasmine Hancock, Richard Hughes, Michael Kim, Jessica Kim, Sujay Murthy, Stefan Olsen, Leana Pande, Gabriel Pascal, Philine Partsch, Sukanya Roy, Isaac Sours, Mairead Tuttle, Jamila Wemple, Karin Williner, Chunhui Yu, and Kira Zack.

National winners who also received chapter awards are: Rebecca Barnes, Dominique Coslett, Maxim Crispin, Cassandra Dipippa, Naomi Dressler, Jasmine Hancock,Kyle Hromisin, Michael Kim, Jessica Kim, Gavin Lewis, Duncan Lumia, Meghna Melkote, Sujay Murthy, Stefan Olsen, Gabriel Pascal, Philine Partsch, Sukanya Roy, Rachel Simon, Isaac Sours, Mairead Tuttle, Harry Varonides, Jamila Wemple, Karin Williner, Chunhui Yu, and Kira Zack.

Local chapter winners are: Holy Redeemer: Louis Jablowski, Patrick Loftus, and Elsbeth Turcan; Wyoming Seminary Lower School: Elena Fenster, Isabel Hou, Kyle Hromisin, Molly Leahy, and Tristram Revenscroft. Wyoming Seminary: Olivia Levine and Dominic Wright. Wyoming Valley West Middle School: Alexandria Hargrave, Youngeun Park, and Elizabeth Wood; Wyoming Valley West High School: Francesca Colella.

Wyoming Seminary Lower School winners who attended the awards dinner at King’s College are, seated from left: Kyle Hromisin, Jasmine Hancock, Stefan Olsen, IsabelHou, Elena Fenster, Molly Leahy, and Gabriel Pascal.

Standing: Kira Zack, Michael Kim, Dominique Coslett, Tristram Ravenscroft, Duncan Lumia, Naomi Dressler, Dominic Wright, Meghna Melkote, Maxim Crsipin, Leana Pande, and Dr. Margaret Corgan, chairperson of the department of foreign languages at King’s College.

Local middle and high school French contest winners who attended the awards dinner at King’s College are, seated from left: Briana Scorey, Holy Redeemer; Youneun Park and Alexandria Hargrave of WVW Middle School; Gavin Lewis, Crestwood; and Sukanya Ray, Wyoming Seminary.

Standing: Elizabeth Wood, WVW Middle School; Louis Jablowski, Holy Redeemer; Mairead Tuttle, Wyoming Seminary; Patrick Loftus, Holy Redeemer; Isaac Sours and Karin Williner of Wyoming Seminary; and and Dr. Margaret Corgan, chairperson of the department of foreign languages at King’s College.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

May 30, 2012 – More than 1,200 regional students recently competed in the National Spanish Examinations, sponsored by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The contest concluded with 47 chapter winners, ranging from elementary to high school students from public and private schools in the Wyoming Valley, Scranton, Poconos, Hazleton, and South Williamsport areas.

King’s College hosted a dinner for area national and chapter Spanish contest winners and guests in the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center. Mr. Alex Byczkowski, assistant professor of foreign languages and cultures at King’s, is director of the program, which began at King’s in 1970.

Local chapter Spanish contest winners are: Coughlin: Siomara Amigon and Coreen Lingle; Meyers High School: Jessica Narveza and Fernando Ramirez; MMI Preparatory: Paul Brasavage, Roderick Cook, Tinka Diener, Farrah Qadri, andClaire Sheen; Wyoming Seminary: Sai Abhishek, Nada Bader, Eric Cholish, Lauren Fernandez, Hannah Gabriel, Ben Hornung, Jessica Kim, Amanda Schall, Katherine Schraeder, Joseph-John Simons, Emma Spath, Alannah Trombetta, Anna Warriner, Jamie Williams and Lillian Williams.

Wyoming Seminary Lower School winners are: Grace Leahy, Mary Theresa Lehman, Reeya Lele, Olivia Lovito, Conner McGowan, Elijah Miller, David Nape, Megha Sarada, and Julien Simons.

Wyoming Seminary Lower School winners who attended the Spanish awards dinner at King’s College are, seated from left: Olivia Lovito, Elijah Miller, David Nape, and Mary Theresa Lehman. Standing: Conner McGowan, Megha Sarada, Grace Leahy, Reeya Lele, Julien Simons, and Alex Byczkowski, assistant professor of foreign languages and cultures at King’s College.

Local high school Spanish contest winners who attended the awards dinner at King’s College are, seated from left: Ben Hornung and Sai Abhishek of Wyoming Seminary; Farrah Qadri, MMI; and Joseph-John Simons and Alannah Trombetta of Wyoming Seminary. Standing: Amanda Schall, Anna Warriner, Katherine Schraeder, Lauren Fernandez, Jamie Williams, and Nada Bader, all of Wyoming Seminary; and Alex Byczkowski, assistant professor of foreign languages and cultures at King’s College.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

Notre Dame, Ind. – Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C., will complete his service as Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers, at the end of the Provincial Chapter on June 22.

Fr. Tyson has been Provincial Superior since 2003, serving the maximum nine-year term limit.

“It is by God’s grace these past nine years that I have led my brothers in Holy Cross, while walking side by side with them in proclaiming the kingdom of God through our ministries of education, parish and mission,” said Fr. Tyson.

During Fr. Tyson’s tenure, vocations to the Province have increased and there has been a renewed interest in and strategies for preparing Religious for roles in parish, higher education and mission in Holy Cross apostolates. Resources have been increased toward the work of Holy Cross in Mexico, while also maintaining a strong presence in East Africa, Chile and Peru.

Fr. Tyson also led the way for the Southern Province of Priests to return to the Indiana Province in 2006 and the former Eastern Province of Priests and Brothers to merge into the Indiana Province, forming the new U.S. Province, in July 2011. The ministries of the Provincenow include four colleges and universities and numerous parishes and ministries in the United States, Mexico, Chile, East Africa and Peru.

Under Fr. Tyson’s leadership, Fatima Retreat House was rededicated as a community house for retired and active religious and La Porte Center was developed in La Porte, Ind. He attended the Beatification of Holy Cross founder Blessed Basil Moreau in France in 2007 and the Canonization of St. André Bessette, Holy Cross’ first saint, in 2010.

The U.S. Province also began a $30.9 million fundraising campaign in 2008 to support education of seminarians and religious, international missions and health care for elderly Holy Cross priests and brothers. To date, the first phase of the Footsteps Campaign has raised more than $17 million.

Fr. Tyson was born in Gary, Ind., on April 7, 1948. He received a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1970 from the University of Notre Dame, where he also earned a master’s of theology in 1974. Fr. Tyson received a doctorate in higher education administration from Indiana University Bloomington in 1980. He took his Final Vows in 1974 and was ordained at Sacred Heart Basilica at Notre Dame in 1975.

Prior to serving in Provincial Administration, Fr. Tyson worked in administration for Holy Cross’ universities. He served as President of the University of Portland from 1990-2003. During his 13 years at Portland, Fr. Tyson oversaw a major expansion of its campus, a tripling of its endowment and improvement of the University’s national standing. He also served on the Board of St. Edward’s University, the President’s Commission of the NCAA, the NCAA Special Committee on Sports Agents and Amateurism and a number of other religious and academic boards. He was also as a management professor at UP. While Provincial, Fr. Tyson also served on the Board of Regents and was recently elected a Regent Emeritus of the University of Portland.

At the University of Notre Dame he served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Notre Dame from 1984-1990; Executive Assistant to Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., President of Notre Dame, from 1982 to 1984; and Director of Sophomore Year of Studies for Notre Dame’s College of Business Administration from 1980-82. Fr. Tyson has also served as an Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration, on the staff of Dillon Hall and on a variety of committees for Notre Dame. He has been a University Fellow and Trustee at Notre Dame for 19 years and was also recently elected Trustee Emeritus of the University.

In recognition of Fr. Tyson’s dedication and support of Catholic higher education and his leadership in the Congregation, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in May 2012 from Notre Dame during its commencement. The University of Portland also awarded him the Christus Magister Medal, the University’s highest honor, during its commencement. Fr. Tyson’s previously received an honorary degree from Portland. Additionally, the Tyson Distinguished Professorship was established at Portland by gifts in honor of Fr. Tyson. The professorships recognize a career of teaching, scholarship and service to UP.

In his role as Provincial, Fr. Tyson has also served on the Boards of other Holy Cross schools and apostolates: King’s College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), Stonehill College (Easton, Mass.), and Holy Cross Family Ministries.

He is also a member of the American Academy of Management and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men and has served on the board of the U.S. Air Force Air University.

A new Provincial Superior will be elected on June 15 by the U.S. Province at its Province Chapter, which runs from June 10 to 22, in Portland, Ore. The new Provincial will become the first elected Provincial of the newly merged U.S. Province.

“I have faith that the Holy Spirit will continue to bless Holy Cross and the U.S. Province by continuing to grow our vocations and inspiring us to teach with zeal as we bring the message of Ave Crux, Spes Unica to the world,” said Fr. Tyson.

Rev. Kenneth M. Molinaro, C.S.C., First Assistant Provincial and Vicar; Rev. Anthony V. Szakaly, C.S.C., Second Assistant Provincial and Steward; Rev. Edwin H. Obermiller, C.S.C., Third Assistant Provincial; and Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Fourth Assistant Provincial, have also served in Provincial Administration.

Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

June 6, 2012 - The education department at King’s College is scheduled for an accreditation review by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in February 2013.  Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments to the visiting team.

Please note that comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the party’s relationship to the institution (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates).

Written comments should be submitted to Board of Examiners, NCATE, 2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023, or by email to: callforcomments@ncate.org

Correspondence must be received by NCATE no later than November 10, 2012.  Copies of all correspondence received will be sent to King’s for comment prior to the review.  No anonymous testimony will be considered.

King’s received its initial NCATE accreditation in 2008.  King’s became the first Wyoming Valley institution of higher learning and, at that time, one of only four private colleges or universities in Pennsylvania to earn the designation.  The initial five-year accreditation applied to King’s bachelor’s degree and certificate programs in education as well as a master’s degree program in reading.

A Catholic College Sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

June 6, 2012 – Seven King’s College students are currently participating in a three-week study abroad experience to Canto Grande, Peru. The trip includes excursions to Lima, Paracas, and Machu Picchu.

Students will travel to the Peyton Center, a facility operated by the Congregation of the Holy Cross, located near Lima, Peru. Student participants are Kylanne Berry, Christina Davis, AlexisHargrave, Jaclyn Hynes, Carlee Komoroski, Carissa Sarlo and Nicholas Vera.

The program, titled “Conversing Across Cultures,” features a number of activities, including language and culture classes and interactive sessions with native speakers, a community service initiative at a local school, visits to cultural sites, and lectures at the prestigious Ponificia Universidad Católica de Lima.

This program is designed to broaden students’ cultural perspectives, offercomparisons between U.S. and Peruvian cultures, and provide real-world opportunities for using Spanish.

King’s foreign languages professors Dr. Anne Massey and Dr. Rafael Osuna-Montanez are program directors. Kim Fabbri, coordinator of short-term faculty led programs abroad, assisted in developing the program.

King’s students and faculty participating in the short-term study abroad experience to Peru are, seated from left: Kylanne Berry, Nicholas Vera, and Christina Davis. Standing: Dr. RafaelOsuna-Montanez, assistant professor of Spanish; Carissa Sarlo; Jaclyn Hynes; Carlee Komoroski; Alexis Hargrave; and Kim Fabbri, coordinator of short-term faculty led programs abroad.

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of the Holy Cross.

June 13, 2012 – Eleven King’s College students recently returned from participating in a two-week study abroad experience in France. The program included components in Paris, Versailles, Marseille, and Nantes.

Student participants were Brittny Baynes, Amanda Lescowitch, Jessica Marroquin, Julie Musto, Michael Parshall, John Poma, Kaitlyn Romiski, Shannon Rowan, Teri Lynn Scatena, Alexandra Shinert, and Kevin Tomaszewski.

The program, titled “Visions of the Future: History and National Identity in France,” featured a number of activities, including investigating the legacy of warfare at the historicalNormandy beaches and cemetery and the Drancy internment camp, visiting cultural sites, and examining historical art exhibitions and museums.

This program was designed to broaden cultural perspectives, examine controversial elements of French and European national identities, compare U.S. and European cultures, and provide real-world opportunities for using French.

King’s professors Dr. Bridget Costello, sociology, and Dr. Nicole Mares, history, were program directors. Kim Fabbri, coordinator of short-term faculty led programs abroad, and Mollie Farmer, director of study abroad, assisted in developing the program.

King’s students and faculty participating in the short-term study abroad experience to France are, seated from left: Alexandra Shinert, Teri Lynn Scatena, Amanda Lescowitch, Julie Musto, and Jessica Marroquin. Standing: Dr. Nicole Mares, assistant professor of history; Shannon Rowan; Kevin Tomaszewski; John Poma; Brittny Baynes; and Kaitlyn Romiski. Absent from photo: Michael Parshall and Dr. Bridget Costello, associate professor of sociology.

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

June 14, 2012 – King’s College will host an on-campus open house, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 14, for area high school students and their families.

Participants will have an opportunity to attend three 45-minute sessions on the diverse academic majors at King’s. Sessions on financial aid, career planning and placement, as well as honors, study abroad and internship programs, as well as a panel discussion of student life at King’s. Meetings with athletic representatives and tours of campus will also be available throughout the day.

The open house is free and advance registration is preferable. To register, visit the website www.kings.edu/admissions/admission_events.  For more information, please contact Thomas Landon, associate director of admissions, at 570-208-8389.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

June 19, 2012 - Fourteen King’s students and five members of the faculty or administration were recently inducted to the College’s chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma, the national honor society of colleges and universities with a Catholic tradition.

The national organization was founded in 1939.  Candidates for membership must have a record of “outstanding” academic accomplishment and have completed at least 50 percent of their course work for a bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

Pictured seated, from left, are student inductees Ian Oakley, Jennie Hampton, Noemi Tlatenchi, Elizabeth Demko, and Ryan Cordingly.

Shown in second row, from left, are student inductees Sarah Scinto, Dawn Long, Alexandra Shinert, Anthony Scaccia, Erica Pandolfo, and Nicole Rave.

Pictured in third, row, from left, are faculty and administration inductees Jill Yurko, assistant professor of education; Kyle Johnson, assistant professor of philosophy; and Robert McGonigle, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.  At far right is Amy Swiatek, math specialist instructor and faculty moderator for Delta Epsilon Sigma.

Absent from photo are student inductees Rachael Pompeii, James Sprague and Kyley Henry and faculty and administration inductees and Dr. Maria Jump and Sheri Yech.

A Catholic College Sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

Notre Dame, Ind. – Rev. Thomas J. O’Hara, C.S.C., was elected as the new Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers by the Provincial Chapter in Portland, Ore., on Friday, June 15 (Feast Day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus).

Fr. O’Hara is the first elected Provincial of the newly merged United States Province. The Eastern Province merged into the Indiana Province forming the United States Province of Priests and Brothers, which became effective on July 1, 2011.

“I am both honored and humbled to be chosen to serve my fellow Holy Cross religious as Provincial of the United States Province of Priests and Brothers as we strive to serve the people of God,” said Fr. O’Hara after Friday’s election.

As Provincial Superior, Fr. O’Hara will oversee the work and welfare of more than 500 priests, brothers and seminarians in the U.S. Province. He succeeds Rev. David T. Tyson, who served as Provincial Superior for 9 years.

The U.S. Province carries out the vision of founder Blessed Basil Moreau to make God known, loved and served through four institutions of higher education and 13 parishes in the United States. In addition, the Province has apostolates and missions in East Africa, Chile, Peru, and Mexico.

The Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross give the Provincial Superior authority over all members and houses in the Province. He is elected by at least two-thirds vote of the Chapter and confirmed by the Congregation’s Superior General in Rome, Rev. Richard Warner. The term of the Provincial Superior is six years, but he may be elected to a consecutive term of three years.

Fr. O’Hara was born on March 16, 1949, in Hazleton, Pa. He attended Moreau Seminary, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, from 1973 to 1975. He professed First Vows on Aug. 3, 1974 and Final Vows on Sept. 3, 1977. He was ordained to the deaconate on Jan. 15, 1978, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1978.

A 1971 graduate of King’s College with a bachelor’s in political science, Fr. O’Hara received his master’s in theology from the Notre Dame in 1977 and his doctorate in political science from The American University in Washington, D.C., in 1988.

Fr. O’Hara’s first teaching assignment in 1975 was as professor of English at Notre Dame College in Dacca, Bangladesh, where he was assisting in relief work with Mother Theresa’s Missionary Sisters of Charity. He has worked in parish ministry in Brooklyn, N.Y., and served in the Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh and Uganda.

He was a Resident Assistant at Notre Dame from 1976 to 1977; Associate Pastor at our Lady of Good Counsel from 1977 to 1982; Chaplain at Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md.; and Chaplain to the Holy Cross brothers at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., from 1982 to 1984, where he served on the high school’s board of directors. He was an Adjunct Professor teaching a religion and politics course at The American University (1987) and a Priest-in-residence at St. Ann Parish, Washington, D.C., from 1984 to 1988.

Fr. O’Hara joined the faculty of King’s in 1988 as Assistant Professor of government and politics and became the eighth President of his alma mater in 1999. He was the first King’s alumnus to be named President, as well as its second-longest serving President. He left the post in 2011 and has been on sabbatical for the past year.

He also served as Professor of political science at the Philosophical Centre of Jinja in Uganda from 1994 until he returned to King’s in 1996 as a professor and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Among his many awards, Fr. O’Hara was presented an honorary degree by The University of Scranton (Pa.) in 2008 and the University of Portland (Ore.) in 2012. He also was awarded the Exemplar Award from the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association, the New York State Award for Dedication to Youth (1982) and the King’s College All College Award for Faculty (1992) and Administrators (1998).

Fr. O’Hara continues to serve on Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees, as well as that of St. Edward’s University. He has served on the boards of a number of education, religious and non-profit organizations throughout his career.

Rev. Thomas Ohara, C.S.C.

July 26, 2012 – Seven King's College faculty members were recently granted tenure by the College’s Board of Directors.

Promoted to associate professor were Dr. Bridget Costello, sociology; Dr. Robin Field, English; Dr. David Kyle Johnson, philosophy; Dr. Anna Minore, theology; Dr. Jeramia Ory, biology; Dr. Cristofer Scarboro, history; and Dr. Weiwei Zhang, mathematics.

Costello earned her doctorate in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the King’s faculty in 2006 and is the program director for the international studies minor. She will lead a group of students to France this summer to study issues of national identity and immigrant relations.

Field is the co-editor of “Transforming Diaspora: Communities beyond National Boundaries” and journal articles on novelists Jhumpa Lahiri, Sandra Cisneros, and Alice Walker.  She was selected to study in India in Summer 2011 as part of the National Endowment of the Humanities Summer Institute.

A member of the faculty since 2006, Johnson’s teaching duties include courses on philosophy and pop culture and liberal arts seminars on Christamas, the brain and the end of the world. He has published articles in journals such as “Religious Studies” and “Philo,” and many articles and books on philosophy and pop culture including, “Inception and Philosophy: Because It’s Never Just a Dream.”

Minore earned her doctorate in systematic theology from The Catholic University of America, with a secondary specialization in Christian spirituality.  She has taught theology at King’s since 2006. Her research on Hildegard of Bingen and creation will appear in the “American Benedictine Review" in spring of 2013.

Ory earned his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include the role of metals in infectious disease and evolution of benign environmental microorganisms to pathogens. He recently presented the work of his research students at an international meeting.

Scarboro received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He recently published his first book: “The Late Socialist Good Life in Bulgaria: Meaning and Living in a Permanent Present Tense.“ He is currently working at a Holy Cross College in Agartala, India to help strengthen the connections between the two institutions.

Zhang received her doctorate in applied mathematics from Michigan State University. Her research focuses on numerical analysis, scientific computation, and applications. She has published book chapters, conference papers, and journal articles, including ”IEEE Transactions on Antenna and Propagation.”

Dr. Bridget Costello

Dr. Robin Field

Dr. David Kyle Johnson

Dr. Anna Minore

Dr. Jeramia Ory

Dr. Cristofer Scarboro

Dr. Weiwei Zhang

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

August 10, 2012 – Five local faculty members recently received teaching awards or were named to established professorships at King’s College.

Dr. Gregory Bassham, Mountain Top, professor of philosophy, was named to the Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Professorship.

Dr. Amy Parsons, Jenkins Twp., was selected to receive the PNC Distinguished Service Professorship. She is professor of marketing.

Dr. Bridget Costello, Woodstock, Vt., associate professor of sociology, was named the recipient of the Donald Grimes, C.S.C., Annual Award for Service-Learning Teaching Excellence.

Greg Janik, Dallas, clinical professor of athletic training, was selected to receive the Max and Tillie Rosenn Award for Faculty Excellence.  The award is presented annually to an outstanding member of the faculty from among nominations by students and alumni.

Lou Palmeri of Kingston has received the Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award at King’s College. The award recognizes a part-time instructor whose presence is important in fulfilling King’s mission and in exhibiting excellence in the classroom. Palmeri, a 1977 graduate of King’s, teaches in the sociology department.

Distinguished Service Professorships honor faculty who, because of their dedication to teaching and commitment to learning, serve as exemplary professors to their students.

Dr. Gregory Bassham

Dr. Amy Parsons

Dr. Bridget Costello

Greg Janik

Lou Palmeri

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

August 7, 2012 – King’s College has been placed on an exclusive list of “Best American Colleges” compiled for “Forbes” magazine by The Center for College Affordability and Productivity based on multiple factors related toaffordability and student and faculty achievement.

King’s ranking improved from 489 to 447 of 650 institutions in the annual rankings. King’s was also ranked 319 in the exclusive list of Private Colleges.

Less than 15 percent of the nearly 4,400 colleges and universities nationwide are included in Forbes fourth annual ranking of America’s Best Colleges. King’s was the only Luzerne County college or university included in the list and one of only two institutions (University of Scranton) in northeastern Pennsylvania. Both have been named to the list every year of its existence.

“We take great pride in the education we provide at King’s,” said Father Jack Ryan, C.S.C., president of King’s. “To be consistently ranked among the top educational institutions is an external validation of a notion we have long believed on campus: King’s College provides an affordable liberal arts education that prepares students for meaningful post-graduate life.”

According to Forbes, the selection to the list is based on post-graduate success, which evaluates alumni pay and prominence; student satisfaction, which includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates; debt, which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates; four-year graduation rate; and competitive awards, which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall, and the Fulbright or go on to earn a doctorate.

King’s 2012 graduates Michael Deegan and Christine Guarino recently were awarded prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English for 10-months in a European country beginning in September.

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, based in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to research on the issues of rising costs and efficiency in higher education.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

September 28, 2011 – King’s College will host several events this fall offering prospective students the opportunity to learn more about King’s College. The primary focus of these programs is to inform and update students and their families on the benefits of pursuing a King’s College education.

King’s College will host Open Houses for high school students and their families from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, and Sunday, Nov.11.  Participants will have an opportunity to attend sessions on the various academic majors at King’s College. Sessions on financial aid, career planning and placement, as well as the honors, study abroad and internship programs will be available. A panel discussion of student life at King’s College also will be featured.

High school seniors also have an opportunity to experience a day in the life of a King’s student by attending classes, meeting with admission representatives and taking a tour the campus during Senior Preview Days on Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9.

The Open House and Senior Preview Days are free and advance registration is required.  For more information and to register please contact the Admission Office at 570-208-5858.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

October 2, 2012 – Former U. S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will read excerpts from his work during a free public event at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, in the Burke Auditorium at King’s College. Collins is the 2012 Visiting Writer, a program co-sponsored by the College’s English Department and “Experiencing the Arts” Program. Collins will also work with English students on their creative writing as part of a two-day campus residency.

Often referred to as "the most popular poet in America," Collins’ poetry mixes humor with insightful observations into everyday life. A regular contributor on National Public Radio programs, he was appointed as the Poet Laureate of the United States in 2001.

The author of nine collections of poetry, including "The Trouble with Poetry" (2005), "Ballistics" (2008), and most recently "Horoscopes for the Dead" (2011). His work has appeared in such esteemed publications as “The New Yorker,” “The Paris Review,” and “The American Scholar.”

Collins has been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and was the inaugural recipient of the Poetry Foundation’s Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry. A former New York Public Library "Literary Lion," he is a distinguished professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York.

The Burke Auditorium is located in the William G. McGowan School of Business on North River Street. A book signing will follow the reading. Selected volumes of his poetry will be available for purchase prior to the event at King’s/Wilkes Barnes & Noble Bookstore, S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, and at the reading.

Parking will be available at on-campus lots. No tickets are required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please contact Rev. Anthony Grasso, C.S.C., at (570) 208-5900, ext. 5631 or e-mail anthonygrasso@kings.edu.

Former U. S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will read from his works on Oct. 15 at King’s College. Photo by Steven Kovich.

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

October 3, 2012 – Native American rights activist Harvey Arden will deliver the Peace and Justice Center’s Annual Barbara Sabol Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Burke Auditorium at King’s College.

Titled "The Broomstick Revolution," Arden will focus on his collaboration with Seneca Hawk Clan Elder Edna Gordon in a call for a grassroots, peaceable revolution for justice in American society and around the world. The lecture is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in on-campus lots. The program is co-sponsored by the Economics Department at King’s College.

For 23 years, Arden was a staff writer at “National Geographic Magazine. “ He is the author of “ Wisdom Keepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders,” “Dream Keepers: A Spirit-Journey into Aboriginal Australia, and most recently “Seneca Wisdomkeeper Edna Gordon: A Broomstick Revolution.”

Arden has lectured on his works at college campuses and venues across the country, including the Library of Congress, Harvard University, Columbia University, and, the University of Southern California. 

The Barbara Sabol Memorial Lecture is named for a founding member of the Peace and Justice Center who died in 1997. The Peace and Justice Center is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s interfaith resource center for issues of peace and justice.

The Burke Auditorium is located in the William G. McGowan School of Business on North River Street. For more information on the lecture, visit the website www.peaceandjusticecenter.com or contact Dr. Margarita Rose, professor of economics at King’s College, at (570) 208-5900 ext. 5778.

Harvey Arden

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

October 4, 2012 - Father Patrick Sullivan, C.S.C., a King’s College faculty member and noted labor historian, was named to the 2012 Labor 50 List published by “The Irish Echo” newspaper.

The list is an annual effort to honor 50 leading Irish American men and women active in the labor movement and reflecting on the work of those who paved the way to labor’s central role in contemporary American life.

The contribution of the Irish in America to the cause of labor has been nothing less than immense. Indeed, it could be argued that the American labor movement would not exist at all in its current form without the efforts of standout Irish men and women down the years, both immigrant arrivals, and American born.  Those named to the list were honored at a recent ceremony held in New York City which featured guest speaker Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein.

Father Sullivan has honored as teacher, writer, administrator, and speaker on behalf of workers in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Washington, D.C.

Father Sullivan, a member of the King’s sociology department, was previously director of Ethnic Community Outreach at King’s.  In 2009, he left King’s to become to become the Executive Secretary and Chaplain of The Labor Guild in Boston.  He returned to King’s in August 2012.

A noted labor rights scholar and practitioner, Father Sullivan is also a member of the steering committee of the Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice and has been active locally in labor management issues.

A former faculty member and associate director of the Higgins Labor Research Center at the University of Notre Dame, Sullivan has authored several books on the Catholic Church and labor management relations, including “U.S. Catholic Institutions and Labor Unions, 1960-1980,” “Blue Collar-Roman Collar-White Collar: U.S. Catholic Involvement in Labor Management” and “Catholic Social Teaching on Labor-Management Issues: Vatican & International Hierarchies.” 

He is currently preparing publications on labor priests in the Church, labor unions and labor schools and institutes of industrial relations.

Father Patrick Sullivan, C.S.C.

A Catholic College Sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross

October 5, 2012 – Saint Bernardine's Gospel Choir will perform a free concert of traditional gospel songs and contemporary religious compositions at King's College at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, and during the 11 a.m. liturgy on Sunday, Oct. 21, as part of King's “Experiencing the Arts” series.

The concert and the liturgy will be held in the J. Carroll McCormick Campus Ministry Center, located at the corner of North Franklin and Jackson streets. The performance is co-sponsored by King's Theatre Department, the Office of Diversity, and Campus Ministry.

The Saint Bernardine's Gospel Choir has performed throughout the Baltimore area, in Rome for the late Pope John Paul II, and was featured on a Palm Sunday service broadcast on NBC.

For more information, visit the Experiencing the Arts Calendar at www.kings.edu, or contact Music Director Rob Yenkowski at 208-6044 or e-mail robertyenkowski@kings.edu.

Saint Bernardine's Gospel Choir will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, and during the 11 a.m. liturgy on Sunday, Oct. 21, at King’s College.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.

October 10, 2012 – The Campion Literary Society at King’s College will host a pair of free public events for people interested in creative writing. The events include a writing workshop on the craft of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and an opening reading to share original work.

The reading will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22, in the Gold Room, Administration Building on N. River St. The writing workshop will occur at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in the Room 117, Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center, located between North Main and North Franklin streets.

The open readings are an opportunity for students, faculty, and community members to present their original creative writing or that of a published author in an informal atmosphere.

For more information, contact Jennifer Yonkoski, instructor of English, at (570) 208-5900, ext. 5487 or email jenniferyonkoski@kings.edu.

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of the Holy Cross.

October 11, 2012 – King’s College Chemistry Club will present a traditional ghoulish exhibition of chemical delights in commemoration of National Chemistry Week and Halloween with the 16th Annual “Things that Go Boom in the Night” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the Burke Auditorium, William G. McGowan School of Business, located on North River Street.

Chemistry students and faculty will be performing more than a dozen experiments including freezing objects with liquid nitrogen, performing color change reactions, making slime, and exploding balloons.  The 90-minute show will conclude with a flaming pumpkin finale.

The presentation is designed for a young audience; children 12 and younger are invited to attend with no more than two adults.  Seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Doors open at 6:45pm.  No tickets are required. For more information, contact Dr. Kristi Concannon, associate professor of physics, at 208-5900, ext. 5390.

Two attendees of a previous show look on as a King’s chemistry student conducts an experiment during the annual "Things That Go Boom in the Night" exhibition.

King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross