A WELCOME FROM DEAN ADEKOLA

Dr. Abel Adekola serves as the Dean of the College of Business and Engineering at Wilkes University.

He became part of the Wilkes family in June 2016 as the Dean of Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership and Professor of International Business. Previously, Dr. Adekola was the dean of the College Management and Professor of International Management at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Dr. Adekola served as a Fulbright Scholar at ISM University of Management and Economics, Vilnius, Lithuania during the 2005-06 academic year.

He also received a CIBER grant for a Faculty Development in International Business (FDIB) Program Fellowship to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2010.

I invite you to read our newly established College of Business and Engineering (COBE) Newsletter which features our exceptional faculty, staff, students and dean executive advisory board. COBE is the product of the merger of the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership and Wilkes School of Engineering which took effect on June 1, 2022. The merger created a preeminent College known for its outstanding undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business and engineering. The merging of the two schools fosters a new era of built-in collaboration and partnership between business and engineering.

At COBE, business and engineering students still focus on their respective majors, while embracing new opportunities to integrate concepts and tools and collaborate on innovative and entrepreneurial projects through the newly created Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI). The CEI program is enhanced by the activities of independently operated Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and The Family Business Alliance (FBA) both housed in the College of Business and Engineering space.

Our business students are taught to become effective leaders of complex and technical enterprises, with high standards for ethics, and the ability to excel in the global and sustainable business environment. Our engineering students are taught how to become the most proficient innovators and problem solvers in their respective engineering disciplines while understanding the demands of modern business. The two schools, although very different, are vital for the prosperity of one another.

This unique combination of programs allows for exceptional opportunities for our students to learn and collaborate across disciplinary fields. We look forward to seeing what this collaboration has in store for the future.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Abel Adekola

Founded in 1916, AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting learners, educators, and businesses worldwide.

Learn more at aacsb.edu.

WILKES UNIVERSITY EARNS AACSB ACCREDIATION

Wilkes University has announced that it has earned business accreditation by AACSB International.

“AACSB accreditation recognizes institutions that have demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curriculum development, and student learning,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB. “We congratulate Wilkes University and Dean Abel Adekola on earning accreditation and applaud the entire team—including the administration, faculty, staff, and students—for their roles in earning this respected honor.”

Synonymous with the highest standards of quality, AACSB accreditation inspires new ways of thinking within business education globally. As a result, less than 6 percent of the world’s schools offering business degree programs hold AACSB business accreditation.

“In gaining this international recognition for the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, Wilkes has demonstrated the excellence of its programs and its commitment to delivering transformative educational experiences for our students,” said Wilkes President Greg Cant. “This accomplishment further reinforces the value of a Wilkes education and the opportunities offered to our graduate and undergraduate students who seek to excel on a global scale while learning from world-class faculty and industry experts.”

WELCOME NEW FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS

This 2023-2024 academic year, we would like to give a very warm welcome to two new staff members in the Jay Sidhu School of Business and Leadership. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Mona Pearl, Assistant Professor of Management, and Dr. Umer Hussain, Assistant Professor of Sports Management! Wilkes University is pleased to have both of them join our staff and very fortunate of the positive impact they will bring to our students!

DR. MONA PEARL

Dr. Pearl’s teaching in higher education has been centered on international business, management, sustainability, and global leadership. She has been facilitating successful global virtual exchanges for over 6 years. During this time, she has actively engaged with a diverse cohort of over 1500 students hailing from various countries spanning multiple continents. Dr. Pearl's commitment to the field extends to her membership on the editorial board of the Journal of Virtual Exchange, as well as her contributions to scholarly journals that specifically examine the effects of virtual exchange on student self-efficacy, resilience, and well-being.

Beyond her role as an educator, Dr. Pearl is a highly regarded figure in the field of global business development and implementation, offering her extensive expertise to help organizations strategize and execute plans for launching products, services, and both public and private initiatives on a global scale.

Her professional background spans a diverse range of industries, including Fortune 1000 corporations, middle-market enterprises, and emerging market ventures, across 4 continents. Dr. Pearl has also forged partnerships with governments across the globe, all with the common goal of harnessing their global potential.

DR. UMER HUSSAIN

Dr. Hussain has been appointed as an assistant professor-sport management at the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership in the College of Business and Engineering. His prior roles include being an assistant professor at Ripon College and a postdoctoral researcher at Texas A&M University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Health and Kinesiology from Texas A&M University.

Hussain has more than ten years of experience in academia and practice. Hussain has published numerous scholarly journal articles and presented his research at many academic conferences globally. His Ph.D. dissertation was awarded as the Distinguished Dissertation in Social Sciences category for 2021–22 by Texas A&M University, USA.

Hussain is an interdisciplinary sport management scholar who uses a social justice lens to understand how the social world impacts individuals’ lives and frames their experiences in the sporting and eSports context. This lens guides his research, teaching, and service and informs his ultimate goal of understanding and dismantling the underpinnings of social inequity based on gender, race, religion, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, and other dimensions of identity.

WELCOME TO WILKES

We are honored and ecstatic to have both Dr. Pearl and Dr. Hussain join our family of excellent professors at Wilkes University!

FACULTY & STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS (01/01/23-12/31/23)

Please see the links below for a full list of faculty Scholarly Activity

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nIQNbLOvp9avNeBRz8MqYgkn3baoYvzlDYfsamXIL5Q/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15407V8Q_wtVZOS-EBhbaDeigfj5N2QZMD_SDy7nR79c/edit?usp=sharing

COBE Annual Report

Dr. Murthy earned the honor of the Higher Education Partner of the Year PA Cyber

Dr. Troy earned the honor of becoming the President of PA Society of Professional Engineering

Dr. Frederick earned the Wilkes University Excellence in Scholarship Award

STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Wilkes University PPD 401 students had the opportunity to network with alumni of the University at a showcase event during Wilkes Homecoming of 2023. Students showed alumni their entrepreneurial business ideas, internship experiences, and more, as a means of connecting with former, successful members of the Wilkes community.

The COBE Career and Internship Fair was held on September 26. Students had the opportunity to meet and talk with over 50 employers in order gain insight on potential internships and jobs in their future career, create contact with those in their field, and experience exposure to the professional business setting.

Students of the engineering school also participated in an Alumni Panel during Homecoming 2023.

WHAT'S HAPPENING @WILKES?

In-person classes are returning to the MBA program for the 2024-2025 Academic year! This will allow students to choose either in-person or online courses, or both! The ability for students to choose different platforms for program delivery aligns with the Wilkes mission. The MBA is also focused on serving the needs of the University's growing multicultural population through practical support for international students. To learn more about our programs, please visit our website at wilkes.edu/wilkesmba

BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Students in PPD 401 and PPD 201 visited AxelRad Screen Printing Company for an off-campus student professional engagement opporutnity. AxelRad provided an information session, a tour and custom printed t-shirts.

Dr. Murthy and students on a trip to Lancaster, PA. to High Steel Structures

Dr. Whitman and students at the Amazing Race Event

Dr. Frederick and students in Nesbitt Park Collecting Soil Samples

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

MACKENZIE GABLE - AXELRAD INTERNSHIP

After attending the AxelRad off-campus engagement, sophomore Mackenzie Gable has been offered an internship with the Screen Printing Company AxelRad, and will begin in Spring of 2024! We are so proud of Mackenzie and wish her the best!

TAYLOR QUACKENBUSH - PP&L INTERNSHIP

Senior Taylor Quackenbush was fortunate to attend the COBE Career and Internship fair in October of 2023, in which she met with PP&L and gained a spot in their internship program! Congratulations to Taylor and best of luck, we are so proud!

DONOR APPRECIATION

JACKSON SHAFER - CUSTOMERS BANK INTERNSHIP

Jackson Shafer, President of the Dean's Student Advisory Board, is currently a Senior Financial Investments student. This past summer he interned at Customers Bank and ran into relocation difficulties as housing costs have increased tremendously in the past few years.

After speaking with a few mentors, Jackson was able to receive financial help for his relocation costs which enabled him to continue the internship. Since funding was available through the Giving Day fund of the College of Business & Engineering, Jackson was able to gain work experience and an immense amount of on-the-job knowledge in the financial industries sector which was invaluable.

Jackson graduated in May of 2024 and will continue his education in the MBA 4+1 program. We are so happy to support the success Jackson has found and can't wait to watch him continue to do great things!

As a result of Jackson's story, the COBE Dean's Executive Advisory Board established an Annual Scholarship to continue to support student success. Starting next year, one student from Business Programs and one student from Engineering Programs will be recipients of the COBE Advisory Board annual scholarship.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Wilkes University!

"I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that I have had during my time at Wilkes and am very excited for the future!" - Jackson Shafer '24

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