web1_wys_g3_faa.jpg

Favored Wyoming Sem taking nothing for granted in state field hockey final

web1_web1_eric_getz2_mug-cmyk.jpg

Man with low IQ found competent to stand trial in sister’s fatal stabbing

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Early in their marriage, Clayton Karambelas told his wife, Theresa, that some day he would like to do &#8220;something substantial&#8221; for his alma mater, Wilkes (College) University.</p><p>Well, he and Theresa have done just that.</p><p>Wilkes University will mark the completion of the Campus Gateway Project at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19. The event will take place in the Savitz Lounge on the second floor of the Henry Student Center, 84 W. South St.</p><p>Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy will be joined by state Sen. John Yudichak, Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, and Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George for remarks.</p><p>Leahy said the university&#8217;s ongoing $100 million campus enhancement initiative, the Campus Gateway Project, has &#8220;transformed Wilkes.&#8221;</p><p>Highlights include:</p><p>&#8226; New entrances to the Henry Student Center parking lot from South River Street and South Franklin Street.</p><p>&#8226; The project also expanded the south entrance plaza to the student center with landscaping and outdoor seating.</p><p>&#8226; The parking area now reaches South Franklin with a pedestrian walkway connecting to the Henry Student Center.</p><p>Leahy said the project was partially funded by the Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) program, which provides grants for transportation-related projects. Wilkes received a $650,000 grant in 2016 for the $3.3 million undertaking.</p><p>The second component is the expansion of the Karambelas East Campus Gateway into the heart of campus. The gateway, constructed in 2015, connects South Main Street to South Franklin.</p><p>&#8220;The expansion of the gateway into the Fenner Quadrangle ensures a cross-section of walkways defining and connecting the Wilkes campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors,&#8221; Leahy said. &#8220;Additionally, the project created the new South Campus Gateway, which connects the Henry Student Center to Stark Learning Center. These two gateways beautify the campus and support the new, state-of-the-art Mark Engineering Center located in Stark Learning Center.&#8221;</p><p>Leahy said the Campus Gateway Project helped Wilkes achieve a decades-long dream of creating a first-class, residential campus fully integrated into the city.</p><p>&#8220;Supporting the city and improving our campus infrastructure are two of our strategic initiatives,&#8221; Leahy said. &#8220;They also align with the values of Clayton and Theresa Karambelas, whose dedication to Wilkes helped support the first phase of this project back in 2015. Now all phases of the project are complete and our campus community has never been more connected.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;A beginning&#8217;</strong></p><p>Clayton Karambelas graduated from what was then Wilkes College in 1949. A few years ago, he and his wife met with Leahy and Mike Wood, special assistant to Leahy, to discuss the university&#8217;s plan to change things on campus.</p><p>&#8220;This was a beginning,&#8221; Theresa said. &#8220;We wanted to help Wilkes and at the same time, help the city. Our main concern was the safety of the students &#8212; we wanted that to be an integral part of the project.&#8221;</p><p>Theresa said Leahy deserves all the credit. She said he has worked hard to make Wilkes a top-grade, high-class campus.</p><p>Clayton and Theresa Karambelas have made several gifts to Wilkes:</p><p>&#8226; The Karambelas Media and Communication Center, a $4 million, 14,000-square-foot center that houses the communication studies program, consolidating all scholarship and activities into one modern facility where students can collaborate across media disciplines. Leahy said Clayton and Theresa &#8220;made one of the largest gifts in Wilkes history to support the project.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; The Karambelases have previously supported the Henry Student Center atrium, the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center digital marquee, the pergola on the Fenner Quadrangle, Cohen Science Center grand staircase and the Karambelas East Campus Gateway, which connects South Main Street to the center of campus.</p><p>Leahy has called Clayton and Theresa, &#8220;The most generous friends in the history of Wilkes University.&#8221;</p><p>Clayton and his wife previously owned the Boston Candy Shop &amp; Restaurant and C.K. Coffee. They currently own C.K. Consulting and live in Kingston.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL101816Wilkes-1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Students walk through a campus gateway at Wilkes University in this Times Leader file photo from 2016. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL101816Wilkes-1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Students walk through a campus gateway at Wilkes University in this Times Leader file photo from 2016. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL060516WilkesGala_1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Clayton and Theresa Karambelas chat with a well-wisher before receiving the President&#8217;s Medal at the Wilkes University Founders Gala at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre in 2016. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL060516WilkesGala_1-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Clayton and Theresa Karambelas chat with a well-wisher before receiving the President&#8217;s Medal at the Wilkes University Founders Gala at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre in 2016. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL110617People2CMYK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes University President Patrick Leahy poses for a photo on campus. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL110617People2CMYK-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes University President Patrick Leahy poses for a photo on campus. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Wilkes to celebrate end of work at Monday event</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes to mark completion of $3.3M campus gateway project Monday