Centers & Institutes

The office provides leadership, advocacy and support in the areas of diversity initiatives, international student and scholar services, and English language learning. The center develops programs for internationals and underrepresented groups and supports processes that promote diversity and globalization to help the students, faculty and staff of Wilkes University increasingly appreciate and maximize the benefits of inclusion, diversity and global perspectives.

The Institute mobilizes the resources of regional institutions of higher education to engage communities in planning that is informed by research, energized by broad participation and validated by successful implementation. Wilkes is the managing partner of the The Institute.

A part of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center network, the center provides education and confidential, no-cost consulting services to established small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in in Carbon, Columbia, Luzerne, Schuylkill and Sullivan counties.

Family Business Alliance provides world class services committed to supporting, strengthening and empowering local, family owned businesses through educational programs, networking, counsel and guidance; so that success is achieved for both the business and the family.

Science in Motion provides middle and high school students with access to advanced science experiments, equipment, and instruction for enhanced STEM learning – all at no cost to the school. Mobile educators visit schools with all supplies needed for a variety of science experiments. SIM also offers professional development for teachers through workshops and interaction with other secondary teachers and university faculty.

SHINE is a STEAM project-based after school program for grades pre-k to 12 in six school districts throughout Luzerne County. The program runs from mid-September to May, Monday through Thursday, for approximately three hours per night. Students are provided with 25 minutes of homework assistance, a hot meal, and participate in an hour and a half to two hours of a STEAM based project.

The mission of the Wilkes Institute for Environmental Sciences and Sustainability is to facilitate faculty and undergraduate research in ecology and environmental science, to offer enhanced educational opportunities for students with interests in the regional and global environment, and to address environmental concerns in northeast Pennsylvania through sharing of information and promotion of sustainable lifestyles.

Data science draws on expertise from multiple disciplines, including science, engineering, education, social sciences and business. Data scientists extract data and use technology to analyze and process to draw useful insights to meet needs and solve problems in areas such as health care, business, education and the environment. Techniques used to make sense of this data include machine learning, artificial intelligence and computer graphics for data visualization.