CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — DeSales University on Wednesday announced the launch of a “new era of education” — complete with a business school tied to one of the region’s most prominent developers.
A gift from husband-and-wife Kathleen Waterbury and J.B. Reilly — the largest in the University’s history, it said — will help to establish the new Kathleen Waterbury and J.B. Reilly School of Business, slated to open in the upcoming 2024-25 academic year.
"And as longtime members of the DeSales community, we know how important this University is to higher education in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.”Kathleen Waterbury and J.B. Reilly, in a release
“As parents, we know that education has the power to change lives and communities," the couple said in a release.
"And as longtime members of the DeSales community, we know how important this University is to higher education in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.”
More on Waterbury, Reilly
Waterbury has been a member of the university’s board of trustees since 2020. Reilly previously was a board member from 2002 to 2012.
He is known for his role as co-founder and president of City Center Group, a real estate development and management company that has transformed downtown Allentown.
It's not known whether Reilly will have influence on or be part of the academic structure in the new School of Business, but an answer could come in time.DeSales University
City Center also has aligned with developers moving forward on key projects in Easton, and Reilly’s influence and experience expands beyond commercial and residential real estate to development and planning, urban redevelopment, property management, finance management and law.
It's not known whether he’ll have influence on or be part of the academic structure in the new School of Business, but an answer could come in time.
The university is conducting a national search for a dean who will inform decisions and shape curriculum, university Director of Media Relations Janelle Hill said.
A larger transition
The Reilly School of Business is one part of a massive transition of DeSales’ academic structure to a four-college/school model, the release said.
The university also is set to launch:
- A College of Arts, Education and Humanities, which will comprise a School of Education and a School of Performing Arts.
- A College of Sciences.
- A College of Healthcare Professions with a designated School of Nursing.
The change is a result of the university’s 2022-25 Strategic Plan, the release said.
