King's College History

In 1946, the Congregation of Holy Cross accepted the invitation of Bishop William J. Hafey of Scranton to begin an independent four-year college for men in Wilkes-Barre. Through its courses of study, sons of coal miners and men returning from the war were to be given a broad-based liberal education in the Catholic tradition that provided intellectual, moral, and spiritual preparation to assist them in leading satisfying and purposeful lives. As years passed and the College flourished, the mission expanded admission to women and continues to educate countless numbers of first-generation college students of all faiths. With an ever-expanding campus, King's College now offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate programs, 28 varsity athletic programs, and more than 40 student clubs and activities.

For seven decades, King’s has made a difference in the lives of students, neighboring communities, and beyond. As part of the College's Diamond Jubilee in 2021, this historical timeline was created to celebrate the growth of the institution from its humble beginnings. In 2024, the timeline was enhanced—as part of the Institutional Saga Project—to contextualize moments and add more events and archival imagery. The College looks forward to many more decades that will soon become part of this rich history.

1940s

• Dec. 1945: Rev. James Connerton, C.S.C.—previously the registrar at the University of Notre Dame—is given a $200 train ticket, a typewriter, and a commission from Rev. William J. Hafey, Bishop of Scranton, to start a Catholic college in the anthracite coal region. He arrives in Wilkes-Barre and resides at the rectory of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, located on South Washington Street.

  “With $200 in his pocket and a blessing from his superior, he took the train to Wilkes-Barre. In nine months, King's College was opened. Father Connerton was a determined man. When he set his sights on something, he never stopped until he got it. From a human point of view, it was ridiculous. He only had 53 priests and 10 brothers—all assigned to work—yet he started two colleges in two years. This will never be repeated. But he was convinced that God wanted it. And it came to be.” Fr. Jerome Lawyer, C.S.C. quoted in “A Brief History of King's. by Rev. Tom Carten, C.S.C.

  By that time, King's College was already chosen as the name for the new school.

  "The college is very much needed and should succeed under direction of the right kind of men. Do you, by the way, like King's College as a name? It seems to linger in my mind ever since I suggested it to you. The dedication to Christ the King should be efficacious. There is a simple dignity and an aristocratic ring to King's College, don't you think? Later on, if the college were moved as you planned, King's College of Kingston, Pennsylvania, would not be bad." Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C. to Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D., Jan. 15, 1945.

• Feb. 1946: Father Connerton and Attorney Frank Pinola travel to Harrisburg to petition the State Council of Education to begin the legal process of admitting students.
• Mar. 1946: Ann Pendergrast is hired as a secretary and becomes the first employee of King's College. Pendergrast and Father Connerton work from a former tailor's shop on Main Street near where downtown's Midtown Village stands today. Several locations are scouted for the location of the college before settling on a building near what is today the YMCA on Northampton Street. The building at 29-31 Northampton Street, formally the Wilkes-Barre Business College, was purchased for $85,000. In addition to the main classroom building, the College owned a house at 63 North River Street for the clerical faculty.
• May 1946: The Pennsylvania State Council on Education charters King's College as a new institution.
• Sep. 1946: Classes begin for the first semester. Nearly 500 students applied and 380 were accepted with 90% of the class comprised of WWII veterans . Robert Ell, graduate of St. Nicholas High School, was the first student accepted and was the first president of the Glee Club, editor of the college newspaper and yearbook, and participated in the King's College Radio Club (KCRC). Ell later worked in the King's College Alumni Office .
• Oct. 1946: The Crown, the student newspaper, publishes its first issue.
• Nov. 1947: “Leo the Lion” becomes the King's College mascot.
• Jan. 1947: Father Scandlon and Father Connerton obtain war surplus furniture, equipment, and textbooks for student use and secure government funding to build a gymnasium at Vaughn's Corners in Kingston, Pa., and a student union on a former parking lot.
• May 1947: The first annual Coronation Ball is held, bringing together “the Kingsmen” and “the ladies from College Misericordia” at Irem Temple Country Club.
• Oct. 1948: The original Alma Mater—written by Thomas Donlin and set to the music of “Now is the Hour”—is introduced in The Crown.

  Hail our Alma Mater,
  To thee our voices raise.
  Sing a song of glory,
  Join to sing thy praise.
  We are loyal Kingsmen,
  Friends and warriors bold,
  We will always cherish mem'-ries.
  Hail the Red and Gold
  

• Oct. 31, 1948: Blessing of the Christ the King I Statue
• Nov. 1948: The Regis—Latin for “the king”—is chosen as the name of the yearbook.
• Dec. 1948: Construction of the new gymnasium is finished. Bishop Hafey blesses the space on Dec. 3, 1948.
• Mar. 24, 1948: An editorial from The Crown denounces the Ku Klux Klan.
• Fall 1948: King's is approved by the U.S. Department of State as “an institution of learning for non-quota immigrant students,” which allowed it to admit students from foreign nations.
• Jul. 1949: Rev. John J. Lane, C.S.C., is appointed as the second president of King's College.
• Apr. 1949: King's hosts symposiums on labor relations and atomic energy.
• Aug. 1949: The Radio Club is founded by Rev. Henry E. Malone, C.S.C., and John Stenger Jr. at the WBAX radio station. The club's first program was “Christ, King of All Hearts,” which was produced on the Feast of Christ the King in conjunction with the dedication of the new student union building. The club also produced Stephen Vincent Benet's Christmas play “A Child is Born” and “These Are Your Neighbors,” a play written by student William Smith.
• Aug. 1949: Bruce Kunkle, journalism instructor, forms a literary magazine featuring various works from the College community. The magazine was later named The SCOP after medieval ballad singers and storytellers.
• Nov. 1949: King's College plays the Cheyney State Teachers College, an all-Black college founded in 1837.

1940s Photo Gallery

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1950s

• Feb. 1950: King's purchases its first dormitory facility—Holy Cross Hall—at 47 North River Street.
• Mar. 1950: Rev. Henry Malone, C.S.C.? is encouraged to form the “Little Theatre Group” by Academic Dean George DePrizio, a devotee to the fine arts. After some preparation, they present three one-act plays: “Minor Miracle” by Verne Powers, “The Rising of the Moon” by Lady Gregory, and “The Still Alarm” by George Kaufman.
• May 1950: The Alumni Association is formed as the first-ever class of King's College students prepare for commencement.
• Jun. 1950: The inaugural graduating class includes 255 students. The ceremony takes place at the Irem Temple on North Franklin Street.
• Fall 1950: The first “Smith” comes to King's.
• Sep. 1950: Rev. Leo F. Flood, C.S.C., is appointed the third president of King's College.
• Jan. 1951: With the Little Theatre Group's success, actors absorb the defunct Radio Club and create The King's Players. After a couple plays and one-acts, they present William Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” in March 1951. The production was the beginning of an annual tradition, continued today, of presenting Shakespeare's work with both student and faculty actors. Initial performances also included “The Browning Version,” “Pierrot in the Round,” “Room Service,” “Dust on the Road,” and “The Lost Silk Hat.”
• Oct. 1951: Three hundred King's students sign the “Freedom Scroll” and contributed to the purchase of the Freedom Bell, a gift to the city of Berlin, Germany, from the United States as a symbol of anti-communism.
• 1952: Choir established at King's College under Father Herve LeBlanc. Its first public appearance was at the Feast of St. Thomas of Aquinas.
• Sep. 1952: King's acquires the Lehigh Valley Coal Company Building on North River Street and officially moves into what is now known as the Administration Building. A year after purchase, the building houses the College's administration offices, 18 classrooms, accounting and engineering labs, the chapel, and the library.
• Jun. 1953: King's College acquires Marion Apartments and continues operating the building as a dormitory. Today, this building is known as Hafey-Marian Hall.
• Apr. 30, 1954: An editorial pushing back on the attack on unions appears in The Crown.
• Fall 1955: Rev. George P. Benaglia, C.S.C.—the founding president of Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts—is appointed the fourth president of King's College.
• Nov. 1954: An editorial commenting on the Supreme Court striking down segregation appears in The Crown.
• March 1956: The Crown tells students unfamiliar with the Wyoming Valley that the high water of the Susquehanna River is “not worth noticing.”
• Sep. 1956: King's students steal Scranton University's mascot, Eleanor the goat, in true Animal House fashion. Eleanor was returned safely at half-time.
• Nov. 1956: Commissioned by Father Flood and financed by alumni, the 24-foot “Christ the King” statue is installed on top of the Administration Building. The statue was designed by Adolph Ell of the King's College Art Department and sculpted by Lawrence Russo, an Italian native who lived in Kingston.
• Oct. 1956: C. Edgar Patience, a local artist, is commissioned by the Corgan and O'Toole families to sculpt an altar from a single block of anthracite coal weighing 4,200 pounds. The coal was donated by the Wanamie Strippings of the Glen Alden Coal Co. in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Corgan Sr. of Kingston, Pa . The altar first resided in the Administration Building chapel before being moved to a special room at the Old Chapel of Christ the King. Now, it serves as the altar for Masses in the new Chapel of Christ the King on North Street. The altar appears in Ripley's “Believe It or Not” and Elsie Hix's “Strange As It Seems.”
• Dec. 1956: King's College receives accreditation by Middle Sates Commission on Higher Education.
• Spring 1957: The College's first international student, Nguyen Dinh Hoan from South Vietnam, enrolls as a philosophy major.
• May 1957: Justice Harold A. Stevens, the first Black member of the N.Y. Supreme Court, gives the commencement address for the Class of 1957.
• Sep. 1958: Ground is broken on an $800,000 (more than $8 million in today's market) extension to the Administration Building, which included a new science wing, library and cafeteria expansion, additional classrooms, and a new auditorium.

1950s Photo Gallery

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1960s

• Fall 1961: King's welcomes a new Chemistry professor from India, Dr. Grihapati Mitra, who worked in the Chemistry Department and taught several classes on Asian culture and philosophy at King's.
• Sep. 1961: The College's chemistry program is accredited by the American Chemical Society.
• Aug. 1962: Gamma Sigma chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma—a national honor society for Catholic scholars—is chartered. King's College also expands student housing to the fifth and sixth floors of the Hotel Sterling.
• Nov. 1962: “White Man: Eat Your Cornpone or Else!” a sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek article about integration and race relations, appears in The Crown.
• Fall 1963: The Crown features several articles related to student discussions on agnostic and atheistic students on campus.
• Jul. 1964: Rev. Lane D. Kilburn, C.S.C., is appointed the fifth president of King's College. His inauguration is held on Oct. 31, 1964, at the Irem Temple with 1,500 guests in attendance.
• Feb. 1964: King's enrolls its first international student from Africa.
• Spring 1964: The Crown features multiple articles on mental health awareness.
• Fall 1964: King's College lands federal funding for urban renewal and campus renovation plans, including a new student union, gymnasium, and dormitory.
• Sept. 1964: The Crown republishes “Female Defines Typical College Man—Loyal, Stubborn, Funny, Unpredictable,” an article from Marywood's college newspaper about how the “college woman” defines the “college man.” The editor requests that “anyone willing to write a comparable story defining a college girl may submit it to The Crown for publication.”
• Nov. 1964: King's hosts Akram Midani, Acting Director of the Arab States Delegations office in New York, who gave a lecture titled “Where Islam and Christianity Meet.”
• Mar. 1965: Ground is broken on a new 12-story dormitory—named Holy Cross Hall—that will house 400 students. It is dedicated the following year on Sept. 6.
• Oct. 1965: An article in The Crown pushes back on the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
• Nov. 1966: The Crown publishes articles related to the lack of diversity on King's campus in light of recent integration Laws.
• Nov. 1966: The Crown article “German Shepard, Bell Telephone Lend a Hand: Blind Students Exemplify Courage” highlights the experiences of visually impaired students, Charles Kuebler and Edward Kuebler.
• Mar. 1967: Roughly 45 King's students protest over the lack of available tickets to the King's Players performance of Macbeth.
• Fall 1967: King's goes “mini-coed” with the inclusion of female students—namely 58 “angels of mercy” from Pittston and Mercy hospitals.
• Dec. 1967: The Crown features multiple articles highlighting the economic and social problems of the Wilkes-Barre area.
• April 14, 1968: The Glee Club flies to Puerto Rico for a seven day good will tour alongside Mount St. Mary's of Newburgh, N.Y., and the College of the Sacred Heart in Puerto Rico.
• Aug. 1968: Dr. Lou Rader of the English Department creates the Honors Program and serves as the director.
• Sep. 1968: Although King's College was not yet co-ed, nurses from the Mercy and Pittston Hospitals take biology and chemistry classes as clinical training expands from the operating room to the classroom.
• Dec. 1968: The brand new, $2.2 million gymnasium (more than $17.9 million in today's market) on North Main Street is dedicated as the William S. Scandlon Gymnasium. It features a competitive swimming pool, rifle range, hand-ball courts, and seating for 3,600 spectators. Two days after the dedication, the basketball team faced off against Notre Dame in a special inaugural game.
• Dec. 1968: In a letter to the editor of The Crown, the author expresses concern over the “outcast” status of female nursing students on campus at King's: “Without explanation of a chance for rebuttal they have been told they are not to sit in the lounge for ‘Kingsmen need a place to sit.”
• Jan. 7, 1969: Dr. Nathan Wright Jr. noted civil rights advocate, gives a speech on campus.
• Oct. 1, 1969: King's hosts Dick Gregory, civil rights activist and comedian.
• Oct. 15, 1969: King's and Wilkes University students participate in National Moratorium Day, which calls for the dismissal of school activities across the nation for the observance of peace demonstrations. Nov. 1969: As part of the College's four-fold expansion program, the D. Leonard Corgan Library finally opens its doors to students, staff, and faculty. Another dormitory—East Hall—is slated for construction.
• Dec. 1969: The radio station WRKC is established with notable regular broadcasts “The Best of Broadway” and “The U.N. Radio Magazine.” Regis writers described the station's music as “pop music, not rock, and is a relaxing, ‘easy listening' sort of sound.” Students complained that the radio station did not play the Top 40s and that broadcast time was limited to six hours each night and twelve hours on weekends.

1960s Photo Gallery

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1970s

• May 1970: King's participates in Wilkes-Barre's first annual Cherry Blossom Festival and River Regatta. King's came in third.
• Aug. 1970: King's College opens enrollment to women, following the trend of many institutions across the country. Nancy Fairchild is the first woman to register. The Crown wrote, “What youths desire in today's changing affairs is an opportunity to know the opposite sex and to know it in a personal and human manner. No longer does the conception exist that members of the opposite sex are for dating purposes only.”
• Sep. 1970: The first female students arrive at King's College. With 117 women matriculated into the College, the sixth floor of East Hall becomes home to co-eds. East Hall is fully converted to a women's dormitory eight years later.
• Jan. 1971: The new Thomas A. Sheehy Student Center—designed to help foster communication between the student body and college administration—is dedicated and hosts art and photography exhibitions, guest speakers, bi-weekly coffee houses, and jam sessions.
• Sep. 1971: King's College celebrates its 25th anniversary with a ball and concert. “The Spirit of Man” statue—which today resides outside the old Chapel of Christ the King—is given as an anniversary gift from the University of Notre Dame.
• Oct. 13, 1971: Concerned King's students meet in the Susquehanna Room to discuss how to become more involved and informed about the Vietnam War.
• April 16, 1972: Gene Stilp, a junior sociology major, organizes a “Walk for Bangladesh” to raise money for famine victims in Bangladesh. Area high school and college students are encouraged to recruit local business sponsors for their “hunger hike” from Kirby Park to Pittston and back to Wilkes-Barre.
• Jun. 1972: Flooding from Tropical Storm Agnes devastates the Wyoming Valley. Every building at King's sustains some damage, and the homes of many students and employees are destroyed. Thousands of books in the Corgan Library are ruined, as is the hardwood floor in the gym. The basements of Holy Cross Hall, Hafey-Marian Hall, Administration, and the Science Building fill completely with flood water. The community pulls together in a massive effort to move forward.
• Mar. 1973: King's students meet to create a female-run service organization on campus.
• April 1973: The Crown focuses on the experiences of female co-eds coming to a former all-male college.
• Fall 1973: The honor's program offers new curriculum on women's studies.
• Nov. 30, 1973: The Crown highlights redevelopment initiatives occurring in Wilkes-Barre, with a focus on the benefits and pitfalls of urban renewal projects.
• Dec. 1973: Police are called to put a stop to an overzealous snowball battle among King's students.
• Mar. 1974: King's co-eds are caught streaking across campus to raise money for St. Stanislaus Medical Care Center. The unclothed students ran from the girls' dormitory, East Hall, down Lane's Lane to Holy Cross Hall and back.
• Jul. 1974: Rev. Charles D. Sherrer, C.S.C., is appointed the sixth president of King's College. Father Sherrer is the first president to participate in a formal search under the Board of Directors.
• Sept. 1974: King's receives a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Office of Education under the Ethnic Heritage Studies Programs Act to help local schoolteachers and administrators develop their own ethnic studies classes.
• Sept. 1974: Multiple articles appear in The Crown about student push back on the slow implementation of Title IX at King's College.
• Sept. 1974: WRKC begins broadcasting “Radio Home Visitor,” a special program for the visually impaired created by the Wilkes-Barre chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of the Blind. Volunteer readers from the Wyoming Valley and King's College provided listeners with a reading of the local newspaper and other important bulletins.
• Oct. 27, 1974: The Murgas Audio-Visual Center in the Corgan Library is dedicated.
• Nov. 21, 1974: Rev. James R. Lackenmier, C.S.C., leads the King's College community in an all-day fast and fundraiser campaign as part of a nationwide “Fast for a World Harvest.”
• Apr. 1975—A student-run aid program for the handicapped is developed at King's.
• Aug. 1975: The Physician Assistant program is established.
• Aug. 1976: WRKC expands to broadcast for 19 hours each weekday and 24 hours each weekend boasting the “unofficial longest broadcasting time of any college radio station in the state.”
• Feb. 1977: Assistant Dean Frank Pasquini receives the Benjamin Rush Award given to individuals and organizations who make significant contributions to the health and welfare of the community. Pasquini was recognized for his efforts to provide an education to students with physical disabilities.
• Apr. 5-9, 1977: WRKC hosts its third annual Marathon 88, which featured 88 hours of non-stop music, talk, and the Radio Home Visitor segments to raise money for the Children's Eyeglass Fund.
• Sept. 1977: A women's awareness group begins at King's College.
• Aug. 1978: King's moves to Division III and joins the Mid Atlantic Conference. The annual Moreau Lecture Series is launched as a visiting scholar program. Saul Padover, an expert on Thomas Jefferson, is the first speaker.
• Fall 1978: King's students are impacted by shortfalls to the federal work study program, which resulted in them receiving only $2.30 per hour verses the federal minimum wage of $2.65 per hour.
• Fall 1978: An article in The Crown examines how King's female athletes feel about Title IX.
• Sept. 1978: King's announces that it will name its recently constructed gymnasium building on North Main Ave after Rev. William Scandlon, C.S.C. Father Scandlon was one of the original faculty members at King's and was one of the first founders of the recreational areas on King's original campus.
• Nov. 16, 1978: The King's community participates in a national fasting movement to bring awareness to worldwide hunger.
• Mar. 12, 1979: Senator Joseph R. Biden speaks at the Aquinas Society Honor Society induction ceremony, where he announced his 1980 presidential run.
• Apr. 5, 1979: Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panthers, speaks at King's.
• Aug. 1979: Luksic Hall, another new on-campus dormitory, is dedicated.
• Fall 1979: In an effort to serve the community, King's offers a service known as the Faculty Speakers Bureau, which recruited faculty volunteers to speak or offer seminars at high schools, civic organizations, and other groups.
• Sept. 1979: King's students are greeted back to campus by a new statue of Leo the Lion from the class of 1950.

1970s Photo Gallery

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1980s

• Apr. 10-13, 1980: WRKC hosts another Marathon 88 to raise funds for several organizations through the Pittston Lions Club.
• Dec. 1980: The Leo the Lion statue is a gift of the Class of 1950 and placed along Paul's Path.
• Jul. 1981: Rev. James R. Lackenmier, C.S.C., is appointed the seventh president of King's College.
• Fall 1981: Female students move into Holy Cross Hall and male students move into the Sterling Hotel.
• Dec. 1981: Local attorney John Hessel wills his building to King's College. It is renamed Hessel Hall in his honor and houses the rapidly expanding Admission and Financial Aid offices.
• May 1982: Renovation begins on Hafey-Marian Hall, gutting everything except the basement. The project was completed by the end of the year.
• Jan. 1983: The SCOP publishes its “final” issue due to budget cuts. The Regis writer posits that the magazine will continue as a supplement to The Crown.
• Aug. 1984: New majors are added, including human resources management, finance, and international business.
• Jul. 1985: King's becomes a dry campus to counter problems with underage drinking. In alignment with the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act, the new policy prohibits underage students from keeping alcohol in their room and carrying open bottles and cans throughout campus.
• Apr. 1986: The first Honors Convocation is held.
• Aug. 1986: A faculty parking lot is converted into Holy Cross Court and serves as campus park and meeting place for students to socialize between Hafey-Marian, Holy Cross Hall, and the Library. The “Spes Unica”—cross and anchors—statue is added. Rowhouses on East Jackson Street, many rented by students, are torn down behind the Margarida Apartment Building (now Alumni Hall) to create much needed campus parking.
• Dec. 1987: Issues of the Nov. 13, 1987 edition of The Crown are pulled from campus over a Planned Parenthood birth control ad, which sparked concerns that the College would appear supportive of contraceptives.
• Feb. 1988: A campus AIDS policy is proposed comprising of two parts. The first was to educate the community about the virus and how it spreads. The second part involved management of an AIDS patient on campus, allowing them to remain on campus, provided they agreed that they would not engage in sex or drug use and would not purposefully spread the disease.
• Mar. 1988: Construction begins on Leo F. Flood Hall, a new dormitory.
• Oct. 1988: Death of the first president of King's College, Father Connerton.
• Sep. 1989: “The American Song” statue is gifted to the College by James Burke '50. The statue, which currently resides outside Esseff Hall, is dedicated to Bronis Voveris, the Director of the Glee Club from 1947 to 1977.
• Oct. 19, 1989: The Crown features a spotlight on Mary Wazeter, a senior student athlete who attempted suicide while struggling with depression, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia. In recovery, Wazeter publicly shared her story to a national audience with her autobiography Dark Marathon.
• Oct. 23, 1989: The newly established Blind Support Group holds its first meeting on campus.
• Dec. 1989: Alumnus William G. McGowan '52 donates $3 million to establish a School of Business at King's College.

1980s Photo Gallery

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1990s

• Oct. 1990: Football returns as a sport at the College for the first time since 1963.
• Oct. 20, 1990: Students from King's and Wilkes University join a Wilkes-Barre clean-up effort.
• Apr. 19, 1991: King's students take part in the third annual Sleepout for the Homeless.
• Aug. 1991: King's offers its first master's degrees in finance, reading, and healthcare administration.
• Nov. 1991: King's sponsors an area chamber music group.
• Jan. 1992: In a letter to the editor at The Crown, King's students criticize the College's silence on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
• Jan. 23, 1992: The revived jazz/rock ensemble has its first meeting.
• Mar. 1992: On the advice of the Women's Discussion Group, King's updates its policy on sexual harassment.
• Apr. 1992: The four-story William G. McGowan School of Business building is added to campus and dedicated in the Spring of 1992.
• Aug. 1992: Now known as Betzler Fields, Monarch Fields is dedicated and houses facilities for football, softball, field hockey, and soccer.
• Fall 1993: New curriculum based on promoting cultural diversity begins and a women's studies program is established.
• Sep. 1994: With the growth of science students and more degree offerings, the new Charles E. and Mary Parente Life Sciences Center is added to campus. The women's dormitory, formerly known as East Hall, is renamed Esseff Hall in honor of the memory of the grandfather and daughter of alumnus George J. Esseff.
• Nov. 1993: Plans are announced for a new apartment building for upper class students. Administrators look to the space near Flood Hall as a potential site.
• Dec. 1993: King's students celebrate Kwanzaa.
• Sept. 1994: Radio Home Visitor celebrates its 20th anniversary of being on the air.
• Spring 1995: The King's community outreach program begins in partnership with the International Business Institute at the McGowan School of Business.
• Jan. 1995: King's College commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the first time.
• Jan. 1996: King's is selected as one of America's best colleges by U.S. News and World Report, Money Magazine, and Barron's Best Buys. It continues to be featured on these lists today.
• Feb. 1996: On a trip to Pennsylvania to see recovery efforts from the January 1996 flood, President Bill Clinton visits King's College and speaks in the Scandlon Gymnasium.
• Oct. 1996: New Title IX rules stir up controversy on campus as some students feel that King's is not spending an equal amount between men's and women's sports. Director of Athletics John Dorish denies these accusations.
• Sept. 1997: The Ally Program launches at King's College to boost awareness about the issues gay, lesbian, and bisexual students face on college campuses.
• Fall 1997: King's hosts the Holy Cross Associates, a group of young men and women dedicated to volunteer work.
• Fall 1997: King's receives a $2.5 grant from the William G. McGowan Charitable Trust to develop a new communications major, which is housed on the fourth floor of the recently completed McGowan School of Business.
• Fall 1998: King's celebrates the 20th anniversary of the annual Moreau Lecture with Dr. Jorge J.E. Gracia as the guest lecturer.
• Fall 1998: The Committee to Improve Services to Students with Disabilities is reorganized on campus.
• Oct. 22, 1998: King's students gather to hold a vigil for Matthew Sheppard , a gay 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who died six days after he was savagely assaulted by two men.
• Jul. 1999: Rev. Thomas O'Hara, C.S.C., is appointed the eighth president of King's College. His inauguration is held in the Scandlon Gymnasium on October 1, 1999.
• Aug. 1999: The College introduces a service component to the orientation process for incoming first-year students. The program, named CitySERVE, remains in effect today.
• Sep. 1999: The Hispanic Room is converted into Connerton's Café in the Student Center basement.
• Nov. 21, 1999: The College dedicates the Charles D. Sherrer House, which served as a base for the Office of Multicultural and International Affairs, the Office of Volunteer Services, and a recruitment office for the Congregation of Holy Cross.

1990s Photo Gallery

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2000s

• Aug. 2000: On North Franklin Street, the Sherrer House becomes the new location for the Office of Volunteer Services and then The Shoval Center in 2005.
• Feb. 2001: An issue of the College's Pride Magazine is dedicated to the history of women at King's.
• Apr. 2001: The Crown features a student article pushing back on the idea that the Catholic Church does not respect LGBTQIA+ students.
• Aug. 2001: Following in the footsteps of The Men in Red and Les Chanteuse, the Cantores Christi Regis choir is formed as a co-ed ensemble that sings at formal campus events and two annual concerts.
• Nov. 2001: The newly renovated and expanded student center is dedicated and renamed Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center.
• Jul. 2002: Renovation begins on transforming the Margarida Apartments into a new, co-ed dormitory renamed Alumni Hall.
• Fall 2002: King's begins providing English as a Second Language , tutoring, and other services to the local Hispanic population as part of a larger mission from the Diocese of Scranton and the Catholic Church. The effort continues today through the College's Hispanic and Latino Excellence (HALE) Center.
• Sep. 2003: King's participates in Pennsylvania's Miles of Mules public art project. The College's “Hope” Mule took students 163 hours to create and was unveiled in May 2004 at the Fine Arts Fiesta on Public Square. Today, “Hope” resides at the Widmann Art Gallery in the Campus Center.
• Oct. 2003: A block of North Franklin Street is closed to create green space known as Monarch Court. Nearby, the Clock Tower is added to Holy Cross Court, and a waterfall feature is added to Regina Court.
• Jan. 2004: The William G. McGowan School of Business earns Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. Today, less than 6% of business schools hold this recognition.
• Fall 2005: Students form a Gay-Straight Alliance club on campus.
• Fall 2005: The Crown features an article criticizing the lack of accessibility to certain buildings. While repairs were in the works, they were still in the planning stages at that time.
• Aug. 2006: King's joins Wilkes University in moving its campus bookstore to the Barnes & Noble on Public Square. In 2021, it moves back to campus in the former S & W Restaurant.
• Apr. 2007: King's and Wilkes University students join in a “Take Back the Night” rally to bring awareness to sexual victimization and assault.
• Fall 2007: The patron of the Holy Cross order, Rev. Basil Anthony Moreau, is beatified.
• Fall 2007: King's Theatre receives a $750,000 grant to fund renovations over a five-year period, including a new electrical system and ceiling tiles.
• Oct. 2009: A new, four-story building opens—later called O'Hara Hall after the College's eighth president, Father O'Hara—and includes an EarlyLearning Center, faculty offices, classrooms, and three floors of apartment housing.
• Dec. 2009: King's is placed on President Obama's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll—the highest federal recognition an institution can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement—with the average King's student completing about 50 hours of service each year.

2000s Photo Gallery

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2010s

• Nov. 2010: King's College launches Interfaith Awareness Series.
• Feb. 2011: King's students form a campus chapter of the It Gets Better Project, a national anti-bullying campaign.
• Jul. 2011: Rev. John J. Ryan, C.S.C., is appointed the ninth president of King's College.
• Aug. 2011: Saint André Bessette—known as a healer for his devotion to the sick and afflicted—becomes the first Holy Cross Congregation member to attain sainthood. The College's Student Health Center, André Hall, is named in his honor.
• Sep. 2011: King's is reminded of the historic 1972 Agnes flood when Hurricane Sandy causes a campus evacuation. Students participate in the King's Flood Relief Project to help residents clean up their homes, raise money and goods for the Shoval Center, and collect books for the West Pittston Library.
• Fall 2012: King's College theatre is named in honor of George P. Maffei II '79.
• Oct. 2013: King's offers Safe Space training on campus.
• Mar. 2015: King's updates its mission mark and athletics logo to reflect the traditional academic values of the institution while strengthening the College's brand identity.
• Aug. 2015: Renovations of the former Ramada Hotel on Public Square are finished. Now known as the Richard Abbas Alley Center, the building houses health science programs, the Anthracite Miners and Their Hallowed Ground gallery by local artist Sue Hand, and a permanent outdoor exhibit honoring Wilkes-Barre's anthracite heritage. The original glockenspiel above the building's entrance was also restored and features two figurines: Leo the Lion and Mr. Peanut, a nod to Planters Peanut Company's Wilkes-Barre roots.
• Feb. 2016: King's College announces the addition of NCAA Division III men's and women's ice hockey to debut in the 2017-18 academic year. The College also adds varsity programs in men's volleyball and women's golf for the 2019-20 academic year to grow the department to 27 varsity programs.
• Fall 2016: King's College faculty launch King's College Women in Science and Engineering (KC WiSE), a program that encourages and supports women in various STEM related fields.
• Fall 2016: The Shoval Center opens a food pantry on campus for students in need.
• May 2017: Coach Ned McGinley retires after 48 years as the King's wrestling coach. He was the longest-tenured head coach at all levels of NCAA wrestling.
• Jul. 2017: Joseph Balz '50, passes away. Balz dedicated 70 years of his life to King's College as a student, alumnus, chief financial officer, and advisor to the president.
• Aug. 2017: King's sees its largest incoming first-year class with 624 students enrolled.
• Aug. 2019: King's continues its downtown improvements by renovating the Spring Brook Water Supply Co. building on North Franklin Street for the rapidly growing Engineering Department. The new Mulligan Center for Engineering opened for the Fall 2019 semester.
• Sep. 2019: The new Chapel of Christ the King on North Street is dedicated. The Memorial Presbyterian Church was completely restored to house campus ministries with a new annex—the Maffei Family Commons—that serves as community space and graduate admission offices.
• Nov. 2019: The maple tree known by decades of King's students as “The Tree of Life,” is cut down due to safety concerns. The Parable of the Mustard Seed was recited at a small farewell prayer ceremony.

2010s Photo Gallery

View the 1940s photo gallery here.

2020s

• Mar. 2020: Like other institutions across the country, King's moves all classes to virtual learning in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Aug. 2020: King's makes every effort to bring students back to campus safely. With minor adjustments and robust COVID-19 protocols, the College is very successful reintroducing in-person learning.
• Sept. 21, 2020: The McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility hosts an event about the anniversary of Women's suffrage.
• Oct. 2020: King's participates in the 20th anniversary of Hunger for Justice Week, which seeks to address food insecurity issues in the surrounding community and beyond.
• Mar. 2021: King's students form a Black Student Union on campus.
• Mar. 2021: King's College collaborates with the Diamond City Partnership of Wilkes-Barre to revitalize the downtown area.
• Mar. 2021: Article in The Crown reflects on the history of women on campus and their status in society.
• April 2021: Student athlete Jennifer O'Connor begins a campus chapter of Morgan's Message, an organization aimed at ending mental health stigma and bringing resources to student athletes suffering from mental health issues.
• Jul. 2021: Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., is appointed the tenth president of King's College.
• Oct. 2021: First-year female kickers Delaney Hilferty and Alyssa Accordino became just the fifth and sixth women in NCAA history to play and score in an NCAA football game. They were featured on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt on their “Inspiring America” segment as well as several local media outlets.
• Dec. 2021: King's announces plans to convert the former Times Leader building on North Main Street into a new facility for health sciences, continuing a strong record of downtown revitalization.

The History of King’s College Timeline was created by a dedicated group of faculty and staff who devoted many hours to research, writing, fact checking, and editing.

• Jamie Costello, Library, Circulation Supervisor
• Brandi George Davis, Director of College Marketing & Communications
• Thomas Mackaman, Associate Professor of History
• Jennifer McClinton-Temple, Professor of English
• Ryan Rosenthal, Web Services Manager
• David Schappert, Director of the Library
• Marianne Sodoski, Reference Librarian
• Will Skaggs, Public Relations and College Communications Manager