Jay Sidhu School of Business and Leadership

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Dean: Dr. Abel O. Adekola
Chair, FAM Department: Dr. Ruth Hughes
Chair, MSH Department: Dr. Woojun Lee

Faculty and Staff

• Professors: Rexer, Taylor
• Associate Professors: Chisarick, Frear, Hughes, Matus, Wang, Xiao
• Assistant Professors: Bui, Kim, Lee, Lee, Ma, Muszynski III, Tessema
• Faculty of Practice: Ghai, Pyke
• Faculty Emeriti: Alves, Batory, Engel, Liuzzo, Raspen
• Interim Director of Allan P. Kirby Center: Charles Pierce
• Director of Graduate Programs: Karen Alessi
• Director of SBDC: Dorothy Lane
• Director of Professional Development and External Engagement: Bridget Turel

The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership combines a strong core business education with the development of skills for authentic leadership and ethical business practices. The School offers degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

The School was founded in 2004 and bears the name of Jay S. Sidhu, a 1973 graduate of the Wilkes M.B.A. program, a former member of the University Board of Trustees, former President and chief executive of Sovereign Bancorp and currently chairman and chief executive officer of Customers Bank. Mr. Sidhu and Sovereign Bank, a financial institution based in Reading, Pennsylvania, provided Wilkes with a major gift to endow the School in Mr. Sidhu’s name.

The following is the Mission Statement of the School: The Sidhu School transforms students through an empowering education in a mentoring environment that develops personal, professional and leadership skills through scholarship, experiential learning and community engagement.

The Sidhu School offers ten undergraduate programs: the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in management, marketing and sports management, and the Bachelor of Science degree with majors in Accounting, Corporate Finance, Financial Investments and Hospitality Leadership, t. The School also offers the Master of Business Administration degree, described in the Wilkes University Graduate and Professional Studies Bulletin.

The Sidhu undergraduate business program is centered on self-development through three interconnected components: leadership development, a balanced set of foundation courses, and preparation for entry into specific careers and jobs. At the heart of the experience is the Personal and Professional Development (PPD) Series. Consisting of four one-credit courses, it engages small student cohorts in a four-year process of discovery and development. Students explore their knowledge, values, learning styles, and competencies in a spirit of self-examination, self-awareness, and self-knowledge, forming the basis for an evolving Life and Learning Plan. The PPD series draws on the resources of the University, including alumni, and surrounding community to provide a linking thread throughout a student’s academic experience. Courses challenge students to reflect on their learning and assess how well they are progressing in the integration of content with skill and competency development. The goal is to develop graduates who understand the value of cognitive and emotional intelligence as they exercise authentic leadership in careers and lives that demand individual commitment to excellence and genuine appreciation for teamwork.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has accredited the following Sidhu School’s undergraduate programs: Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management and Marketing; the graduate Business Administration program, as well as the undergraduate program in Accounting. ACBSP accreditation affirms the excellence of these programs to graduate and professional schools as well as to potential employers and therefore serves as a major competitive advantage for students completing business programs at Wilkes. In addition, the Sidhu School is a member of The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and has received approval of its initial self-study to continue the body’s accreditation process.

Closely linked to the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership are the Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, the Small Business Development Center, the Family Business Alliance and The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development. These units provide academic and experiential opportunities for students to apply what they study in classroom settings to functioning organizations under the direction of senior staff at each unit.

Supporting the curriculum is a wealth of co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities for students to develop and hone their personal leadership skills. Sidhu student opportunities include Acts of Random Kindness, Enactus, Investment Club and Phi Beta Lambda. The Wilkes University ENACTUS (Entrepreneurship Action Us) team provides the opportunity to make a difference through service and to develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills through learning, practicing, and teaching the principles of free enterprise. The team competes at national levels with shareholder-style presentations on their projects. These organizations are open to all students, regardless of major or career interests. ENACTUS students also have access to some of the best management training programs in the country through the organization’s sponsors. The Wilkes Investment Club is comprised of students from all majors who are engaged in managing an investment portfolio of their own construction that is regularly updated based upon the research conducted by them. The Club is funded by contributions from our alumni and the Club’s returns are used to finance various educational expenses. Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) is the largest collegiate business student organization in the world. The Sidhu chapter focuses on leadership, business competencies, and team skills. Participants develop a portfolio of documented accomplishments at the state and national levels. Upper-level accounting students serve as tax preparers in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. VITA provides free tax filing assistance for low income and elderly residents of Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding vicinity, while giving students actual hands-on experience in completing and filing personal tax returns. Wilkes University and The Sidhu School also sponsor an active chapter of Delta Mu Delta, an honorary business society that recognizes the highest levels of academic achievement by undergraduate and graduate students. Sidhu students are also active in Athletics, Student Government, Programming Board, and many other campus clubs.

Undergraduate degree programs of study offered in The Sidhu School are as follows:

• Accounting (B.S.)
• Corporate Finance (B.S.)
• Financial Investments (B.S.)
• Hospitality Leadership (B.S.)
• Management (B.B.A.)
• Marketing (B.B.A.)
• Sport Management (B.B.A.)

All majors within the Sidhu School each contain six tiers.

The first tier begins with a comprehensive study of the arts, sciences, mathematics, communications, and humanities. To become competitive, effective, organizational leaders and self-fulfilled individuals, Sidhu School graduates are expected to possess the skills and knowledge acquired through this liberating exposure to the arts, sciences, mathematics, and the humanities.

The second tier of the curriculum are the Sidhu School Foundation courses, which transmit a common educational experience to all Majors within the Sidhu School by addressing topics that are recognized to be basic and necessary to all practicing professionals.

Sidhu Undergraduate Foundation Courses

Sidhu Undergraduate Core

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