Dear Wilkes Colonels,
I hope that you have enjoyed your summer and are as eager to join us on campus as we are to greet you. As I write this message, the campus is populating with more and more students, including resident assistants, fall student-athletes and doctoral students in our education program. Soon, our hallways, classrooms and green spaces will be filled with the sights and sounds of the fall semester.

The summer months always provide an opportunity for us to make improvements to our campus, and this year was no exception. You will notice new sidewalks, streetlights and a pedestrian walkway on South Franklin Street between South and Ross Streets. These enhancements are the continuation of an extensive streetscape project that has increased safety and beautified the streets in and around our campus over the past several years.

The Henry Gymnasium in the Arnaud C. Marts Center has been completely renovated, including new flooring, scoreboards, lighting and bleachers. Just add in an enthusiastic student section cheering on our Colonels and a new era of Marts Madness will begin!

Across the river at the Ralston Athletic Complex, the turf at Schmidt Stadium has been replaced and pedestrian walkways with new street lighting have been installed along Northampton Street.

In addition to these physical improvements, members of the campus community have been working diligently on two important initiatives – the implementation of our new strategic plan and the development of our University mission and values. Students have helped shape these plans, and we will continue to welcome your involvement in these processes.

Finally, this semester marks the launch of the Colonels Are Covered textbook program, which we hope has made ordering your textbooks and course materials more convenient and eased a financial burden.

We eagerly await your return to campus, and look forward to seeing you at events, in Starbucks and at athletic contests very soon. Until then, I wish you my very best.
Sincerely,
Greg Cant
President