Renewing Our Mission, Engaging Our Community   |  back

The founders of King's recognized from the beginning that a college must do more than develop the intellectual capability of students. The Holy Cross priests and brothers who came to the Wyoming Valley were committed not only to build a college but also to serve the region. They established the College deliberately within the City of Wilkes-Barre to reach as many local residents as possible . The College draws energy and enthusiasm from its neighbors, and the challenges and opportunities of an urban setting have made the College stronger and more vital. In return, King's is dedicated to making the City a better place in which to live and work.

The College takes great pride in its reputation as a warm and welcoming place. Faithful to the Church's mission, King's has gladly welcomed students and faculty from many religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The Holy Cross tradition of collaboration and fraternity assures that every student can benefit from an academic curriculum and a campus culture where faith, moral values, and ethical concerns are manifest, where diversity is respected, and where debate and dialogue are welcome.

Students, too, are expected to participate in the tradition of community service and outreach. The College built its academic reputation on a liberal arts foundation, confident that students educated in the humanities would develop a deeper reverence for the dignity and sanctity of human life, a more profound appreciation of the creative spirit, and a willingness to work as good citizens for the improvement of the human condition. King's has long believed that students educated in the liberal arts tradition develop the habits of mind and heart that will lead to professional success and to a life marked by generous service and by ethical and responsible living.

While many of the faculty model service through volunteer work, they most obviously demonstrate a generous and compassionate spirit in their manner of teaching. King's has always sought educators who were not only academically qualified, but who also possessed a special commitment to teaching. It has recruited faculty who would mentor students, who would be intellectually close to them, who would relate their intellectual disciplines to the needs of young men and women, and who would inspire students to raise their sights and to set ambitious personal and professional goals . As one student put it, "I came to the College not just to learn in the classroom, but to learn about myself and what I could become."