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A decision was reached in the early
spring of 1984 to introduce Wilkes Col-
lege’s then-new president, Christopher N.
Breiseth, to Wyoming Valley at a press
conference. It is a difficult way for a new
administrator to meet his public, espe-
cially considering the fact that he is the
first ‘“‘outsider” to even serve as C.E.O.
at the 51-year-old college.
Tension was high in the conference
room as Breiseth stepped to the podium
to answer questions from the 35 media
representatives in attendance...and the
questions came rapid-fire covering all the
tough subjects — enrollment; curricula,
financial aid, tuition, community affilia-
tion. Breiseth, with quiet assurance,
answered all of them and was able to talk
in great detail about the history of the
various issues and how they pertained to
Wilkes College and Northeastern Penn-
sylvania. The tension was forgotten. The
articulate new president was completely
at ease and he put everyone else in the
room at ease. Breiseth’s easy manner
and warm personality had an immediate
impact; the introduction was a success.
It’s been eight months since that initial
meeting and the impact hasn’t dimin-
- ished. In fact before summer was over,
Breiseth, his wife Jane, and their daugh-
ters, Abigail, 15, Erika, 14 and Lydia, 4,
had become an integral part of the
community. Attorney Harry Hiscox and
his wife, Beverly, both closely associated
with Wilkes College over the years, have
become friends of the Breiseths. Beverly
said, “They bring with them an enthusi-
asm that is most welcome in this town;
they very much want to be part of the
community. Chris sees Wilkes needing
the community as much as the commu-
nity needs Wilkes, and that will benefit
both.”
Breiseth, during those early months,
demonstrated something else. He was
somehow profoundly aware of almost
everything about Wyoming Valley, past
and present. His comments and conver-
sation about the college and the commu-
nity were always in-depth and on target.
He was soon comfortably discussing our
water problems and their solutions, our
growth potential in industrial develop-
ment, and our educational institutions
pooling resources.
‘Times Leader reporter Steven Hepker
wrote, ‘“‘Breiseth may be the first outsi-
der to serve as president of Wilkes
College, but he is compensating. What
natives might casually absorb over sev-
eral years, he is soaking up like a sponge
in a matter of weeks. Not all newcomers
to Wyoming Valley are so readily
embraced as Wilkes’ new president has
been. It’s just that this man makes no
bones about reaching out to people.”
It was generally acknowledged that in
a short time Christopher N. Breiseth had
made the transition. He knew and cared
about the community and its people and
they knew and cared about him.
Then, (in the fall of 1984) it was time to
direct his energy and attention toward
meeting the academic community —
faculty, students and staff. One of the
first things he initiated when he moved
into Weckesser Hall was an open-door
policy; and although that decision has
him doing double time on occasion, it
remains in effect.
This, however, is not to indicate that he
relies only on people visiting him. The
president seems to be everywhere on
campus. He visits classes, and occasion-
ally teaches as ‘a- guest lecturer; he
attends department meetings and lec-
tures. He is always present at plays,
concerts, student recitals and art shows
and he and Mrs. Breiseth visit students
(by invitation) in residence halls.
Randa Fahmy, resident advisor for
Hollenback Hall, commented on a visit
from the Breiseths, “It was exciting for
us to have them visit, but we soon
realized that this is something very
natural for them. Staying in touch with
students is, for him, an essential part of
his role as president and students are
really feeling good about that.”
Breiseth is by degree and inclination an
historian. He comes to Wilkes from
Dr. Christopher Breiseth,
Sangamon State University in Spring-
field, Illinois, where he served as chair-
man of the history department. He holds
a baccalaureate in history (with highest
honors) from the University of California
at Los Angeles, the B. Litt. degree in
Modern British History from Oxford Uni-
versity, and the Ph.D. degree in Modern
European Intellectual History from Cor-
nell University.
In 1980, Dr. Breiseth took a three-year
campus.
leave of absence from Sangamon to
accept the presidency of Deep Springs
College. This select liberal arts college,
established in 1917, is a working cattle
ranch located in the desert country east
of the Sierras in California.
Its unique isolated location in the 12-
mile long Deep Springs Valley between
the Inyo and White Mountain ranges
makes the very survival of the college
community dependent on the efforts of its
members. Students here routinely go
from classes in philosophy, art, literature
and music to help with chores related to
tending 300 head of cattle and 140 acres
of alfalfa hay, which help pay the bills.
Breiseth eomments, smiling, ‘‘The
environment from valley to valley is
certainly not the same but the concept
for education is. The emphasis at Deep
Springs was not only placed on providing
students job skills in the narrow sense
but rather on developing skills in prob-
lem solving and interpersonal relations
and to combine this with a strong liberal
arts program...indeed to give them skills
for living in the fullest sense. This is
holistic education and is a philosophy to
which Wilkes College has always been
committed.”
Breiseth has extensive experience in
higher education both at the academic
and the administrative level. Perhaps it
is this, combined with the historian’s
perspective of past and future, that
allows him to understand the College and
community so well and enables him to
initiate plans for Wilkes. Whatever the
reason, plans are abundant in his think-
ing about the future of Wilkes College.
One thing is certain — there is a new
enthusiasm on campus inspired by a
president who looks ahead with confi-
dence toward the college’s next 50 years.
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