Select staff, faculty members to be honored during Founders’ Day celebration

Posted January 18, 2017 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- President Susan Traverso, Ph.D., invites members of the College and Greenville-area communities to its annual Founders‘ Day ceremony as Thiel continues its sesquicentennial celebration at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 in the Howard Miller Student Center.

Thiel College will present the annual Louis and Barbara Thiel Award and distinguished faculty and staff awards at the event.

Five faculty members will be honored:

Distinguished Professor of the Year – Matthew R. Morgan, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of the Dietrich Honors Institute, of Greenville, Pa.;
Distinguished Scholar – Marie C. Courtemanche, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and department chair, of Sharpsville, Pa.;
Distinguished Teacher – Curtis L. Thompson, Ph.D., professor of religion and founding director of the Dietrich Honors Institute, of Greenville, Pa.;
Distinguished Service – Patrick C. Hecking, Ph.D., professor of physics and department chair, of Greenville, Pa.; and
Distinguished Adjunct – Rebecca M. Hecking, adjunct professor of biology, math and computer science, of Greenville, Pa.

Six staff members will be recognized with special awards:

Marla J. Barr, director of custodial services, of Greenville, Pa.;
Christine L. Cianci ’96, director of student health services, of Greenville, Pa.;
Denise A. Urey ’00, registrar, of Mercer, Pa.;
Deborah A. Schreiber, assistant registrar, of Hadley, Pa.;
Janet M. Groves, data analyst, of New Wilmington, Pa.; and
Michael D. Battisti, media specialist and production engineer, of Greenville, Pa.

John ’71 and Nancy (Gibson) Hauser ’75 will be given the Louis and Barbara Thiel Distinguished Service Award as part of the ceremony. The Hausers have given many years of service to the College, and John continues to work curating the extensive Thiel Archives. The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to individuals who demonstrate exemplary character, continuity of leadership, and long-term service to Greenville and the surrounding area. The recipients must demonstrate a commitment to the common good above private interests. The award is named after Louis and Barbara Thiel, whose generosity made the founding of Thiel College possible in 1866.