Wilkes University is a private, non-denominational American university located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and became an independent institution in 1940, naming itself Wilkes College, after English radical politician John Wilkes. The school was granted university status in 1990. The school mascot, which was suggested by former Dean of Student Affairs Emeritus George F. Ralston, is a Colonel and the official colors are blue and yellow. The campus symbol is a letter "W" known as the "flying W" by students and alumni. Wilkes University was first established in 1933 by Bucknell University under the name "Bucknell Junior College" (BUJC) in Wilkes-Barre. BUJC attracted many students who were the first members of their families to benefit from higher education. The Junior College also received support from leading members of the Wilkes-Barre community.