2026 Founders Gala
Benefiting the First Generation Scholarship Fund
At 91茄子's annual premier event, the Founders Gala, we celebrate our rich heritage while supporting our mission of serving first-generation students by raising money for the First Generation Scholarship Fund.
We bestow the President's Medal, a prestigious annual award, to those whose personal and professional lives reflect the highest aspirations of 91茄子.
First awarded in 2023, the Chairperson's Award is presented to individuals who have made a positive impact upon their profession or community and in the spirit of the mission of 91茄子.
2026 Honorees
Jay S. Sidhu MBA 鈥�73
Jay S. Sidhu MBA 鈥�73 came to the United States in the early 1970s to pursue graduate education in preparation for a career in business.
Sidhu wrote to 40 institutions explaining that he could not afford application fees, much less tuition, but pledged to recompense the school that took a risk on him. One institution accepted the challenge with a generous scholarship 鈥� 91茄子.
Sidhu is immensely proud that today, 91茄子is home to the Sidhu School of Business & Leadership. The University made a wise bet on his future, and he is pleased that his contribution is fostering the creation of new generations of business leaders.
Read More about Jay Sidhu
Read More about Jay Sidhu
At the request of Commerce School Dean Warner, Sidhu took a meeting with the Chair of the 91茄子Board of Trustees, Reese Jones, CEO of First Valley Bank in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Jones convinced Sidhu to forgo another job opportunity and instead enter the financial services industry.
91茄子was integral to launching Sidhu鈥檚 amazing 50-plus-year career in banking.
In the mid-1980s, Sidhu became CEO of a very small, troubled bank, renaming it Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. and growing the organization into a Fortune 500 company. From Sovereign's Initial Public Offering (IPO) of just $12 million, he grew the firm to a market capitalization approaching $12 billion, making it the seventeenth largest banking institution in the country with more than $90 billion in assets by 2006, when it was sold to Banco Santander.
Sidhu later served on the Board of Banco Santander in Madrid.
A few years later, with private investors, Sidhu took control of a small, failing bank in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He and the team built that institution into Customers Bank. Today, Customers Bank has assets approaching $25 billion, a market capitalization of over $2.5 billion and is one of the best performing banks in the United States.
Sidhu has received various recognitions in the industry, including Financial World鈥檚 CEO of the Year and Turnaround Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2023, Sidhu launched his Wall Street Journal and Amazon best-selling book, Never Ever, Ever Give Up 鈥� his life story. One of the very first book events was held at Wilkes.
He is now on a mission to give back, helping thousands of young people and adult entrepreneurs to live a life with purpose, think big and go for their dreams.
Sidhu has been speaking globally on the themes of his book, making presentations in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South America and all over the United States, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
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In addition to his MBA from 91茄子, Sidhu is a graduate of the Harvard Business School鈥檚 Leadership Course for CEOs.
The Borzell Family P 鈥�11
Retired business agent Jack Borzell, his wife Mary Claire, and their daughter Julianna have transformed the profound loss of their son and brother, John, into a lasting legacy of honor, remembrance and service to others.
John Anthony 鈥淏eno鈥� Borzell 鈥�11 tragically lost his life on September 3, 2011, in a motorcycle accident, just four months after graduating from 91茄子 at the age of 22. A promising student-athlete, John Borzell proudly wore number 17 on both his football and baseball high school uniforms. His love of the outdoors and commitment to learning led him to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in earth and environmental science at Wilkes.
In the years since John鈥檚 passing, the Borzell family has chosen to celebrate his life through meaningful philanthropy.
Read More about The Borzell Family
Read More about The Borzell Family
With the support of friends and community members, the Borzell family established an annual golf tournament in 2012 to honor John Borzell鈥檚 memory. Proceeds from the event have helped to fund an environmental chemistry laboratory in the University鈥檚 Cohen Science Center as well as a science and engineering classroom on the second floor of the Stark Learning Center, both dedicated in John Borzell鈥檚 honor.
The tournament also continues to provide $1,700 (the 鈥�17鈥� symbolizing John Borzell鈥檚 beloved number) in scholarships to student-athletes at Wyoming Area High School, as well as to support the John Anthony 鈥淏eno鈥� Borzell 鈥�11 Memorial Scholarship endowment at 91茄子for students pursuing studies in earth and environmental science.
For the Borzell family, supporting these students and maintaining connections with the young people impacted by John Borzell鈥檚 legacy has become a source of purpose and hope. Keeping his name alive remains deeply important to them. As Jack Borzell fondly recalls, shortly before his passing, John Borzell told his mother, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to make a name for myself.鈥�
Through their unwavering commitment to education and opportunity, the Borzell family has ensured that he truly has. John Borzell鈥檚 spirit continues to live on, not only through his family鈥檚 hearts and philanthropy, but also through his donations to the Gift of Life Organ Donor program.
About the Founders Gala
History
The Founders Gala is 91茄子's annual premier event. Since 2014, Wilkes University has celebrated our heritage while supporting our mission of serving first-generation students by raising money for the First Generation Scholarship Fund.
91茄子also honors its annual recipients of the prestigious President's Medal at the gala.
The First Generation Scholarship Fund
91茄子 established the First Generation Scholarship Fund in 2014 to provide support for tuition, fees, textbooks and course materials for students who are the first in their family to attend a college or university.
The founders of 91茄子 recognized that helping young people attend college benefited the individual even as it strengthened the region, and they wove that into the fabric of the institution. Even after all these years, over half of our incoming first year students still identify themselves as the first generation of their family to attend a four-year institution of higher learning. 91茄子 continues to play a vital role in opening opportunities that lead to success.
Gala Awards
The President's Medal
The President鈥檚 Medal is bestowed annually on individuals whose personal and professional lives reflect the highest aspirations of 91茄子. First awarded in 2014, the medal is presented to deserving individuals at the annual Founders Gala celebration.
The Chairperson's Award
The Chairperson's Award is presented to individuals who have made a positive impact upon their profession or community and in the spirit of the mission of 91茄子. First awarded in 2023, recipients serve as an inspiration to 91茄子students and bring honor and pride to the University.