Thiel and its education and business departments earn national recognition

Posted January 19, 2018 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- The business and education programs at Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, have been recognized as fields of distinction by Colleges of Distinction.

The entire institution is also a College of Distinction for the second straight year.

For the past three years, 100% of Thiel’s education graduates have gotten education jobs or graduate school placements. Students can earn a dual major in early childhood education and special education in four years at Thiel, with core liberal arts classes included as a part of the core curriculum. The education program at Thiel also includes mentoring courses taught current and former education professionals.

The Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration & Accounting includes premier programming such as the Haller Enterprise Institute for student entrepreneurs and the Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar that provides juniors and seniors with the opportunity to network with distinguished alumni during a series of weekly lectures. For the past four years, 100% of the department’s accounting majors have gotten jobs within three months of graduation—including many who had been hired before graduating.

For the Class of 2016, 95% of graduates who reported were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduating.

“This recognition confirms that our focus on successful student outcomes and the value of a liberal arts education,” Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Liz Frombgen, Ph.D., said. “Working every day with our students, faculty and staff, I get to see the work ethic that makes Thiel special. Acknowledgement from an outside group is a wonderful validation of the experience our students have inside and outside the classroom."

Annually, Colleges of Distinction recognizes colleges and universities and select programs. To qualify for recognition by Colleges of Distinction, colleges and universities must show results across four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. High school counselors and educators nominate institutions and each school is evaluated based on student engagement, empowerment and innovation. Colleges of Distinction members conduct campus visits and in-depth interviews with college executives, program directors, faculty, students and others about how they deliver world-class student experiences.

“Colleges aren’t commodities—they’re as diverse as the needs of today’s students,” Colleges of Distinction Chief Operating Officer Tyson Schritter said. “No single ranking can account for what’s most important to each individual student applying to college in a given year.”

Colleges of Distinction’s methodology is supported by research from the Pew Charitable Trust, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education and others. The methodology is anchored in practices tied to high student success and engagement, sustained employment in an unstable job market, and lifelong learning for students from different socioeconomic and educational backgrounds.