Fostering community outreach is one of Weiss Hall’s three main functions, along with supporting workforce development and applied research.
The Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology and the Department of Psychology are the two academic departments headquartered at Weiss Hall.
Additionally, the University’s Student Health Services and the Center for Health, Education and Wellness (CHEW) have moved to Weiss Hall.
Buse Onat ’26, a triple major in cybercrime and homeland security, philosophy and criminal justice from South Abington Township, spoke Wednesday about the buzz Weiss Hall has created among the student body and how the added resources will benefit them.
“This experience gave me a new appreciation for how much work really goes into making this campus better for all of us,” Onat said. “When I moved back to campus a couple weeks ago for R.A. training, there was this one question that I kept hearing from everyone: ‘Have you seen Weiss Hall yet?’ Honestly, the excitement among students is contagious. The professors are talking about it, the students are talking about it and even students in my classes that aren’t in my major are talking about it.”
Bob Weiss, whose career included serving as president and CEO of The Cooper Companies, Inc., the global leader in contact lenses, and Marilyn Weiss, a longtime nurse, have resided for the past several decades in California. However, they said, Scranton is never far from mind.
“I’m thrilled for all the students that are going to pass through these doors and get the education that Bob had for four years; I had about a year of it with the Scranton State Hospital … as part of our nursing school programming,” Marilyn Weiss said. “It was the foundation for the rest of our lives.”
The final steel beam was placed atop the structure’s skeleton in September of 2024, as crews were hard at work for the past year constructing the walls, windows, roofing, electrical, plumbing and more.
“We’re grateful for the love and generosity our benefactors, champions and laborers have poured into this building,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D. ’06, Weiss Hall faculty liaison and a professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology. “And with the support of the University administration, we look forward to taking up the honor and reflecting those values back to our community.”
More than 200 individuals attended Wednesday’s program, which, after brief remarks and Father Marina’s blessing, included tours of the building. Attendees were treated to an up-close look at the cybersecurity/cyber forensics classroom, the crime scene lab, a self-care room, meditation chapel, rooftop prayer garden and much more.
“There are many people and organizations who made this day possible, whether you worked from behind a desk to secure funding for the project or worked atop an aerial lift to install the solar panels on the roof,” Father Marina said. “Thank you. None of this could have happened without you. Of course, my deepest thanks to Bob and Marilyn, two of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met.”