Thiel Happenings

Alumnus Hummel returning to campus as director of alumni relations

Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, named 1983 graduate David Hummel director of alumni relations. He begins Feb. 1.

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Thiel tapping into the multi-billion dollar sports industry with new sports management program

Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, has launched a a new track for the business administration major that targets a student wanting to pursue a sports management program.

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Area dignitaries join faculty, staff and students for annual Thiel College recognitions

Thiel College kicks off a busy spring semester with two ceremonies designed to recognize students, faculty, staff and friends of the College with honors on Thursday, Feb. 1 and Friday, Feb. 2.

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Speakers, chapel service focused on vocational discernment

Daniel Deffenbaugh, Ph.D., spoke last week in Bly Hall as part of the College’s work with the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education.

The NetVUE project is a part of a strategy to find ways of aligning the understanding of vocation and vocational discernment with the work faculty and staff do with students. Approximately 50-60 faculty and staff have participated in reading groups this fall to discuss among themselves themes such as mentoring, the importance of the liberal arts in vocational discernment, and the importance of meaningful work, among others.

Julie Massey presented her talk, “Where Passion Meets Purpose: Mentoring Students for Lives of Meaningful Contribution,” on Jan. 25 in Bly Hall.

Wrapping up the two days of presentations, the campus community joined  Deffenbaugh and Massey along with Thiel students on Jan. 26 for a service in David Johnson Memorial Chapel.

Archivist needs help accessing offices to document named areas

The campus archives are trying to record all the dedication plaques that are inside campus offices.  

Anyone with a plaque inside their office or an office that is part of a suite where the outer door is locked, please email archives assistant Sarah McConnell ’18 so that she may arrange a time to come to the office and take a picture of the plaque.

For more information, contact the archives at ext. 2265.

Alumnae return to campus for today’s worship service

Executive Director of Camp Lutherlyn Deb Roberts ’00 is on campus today visiting with students about summer employment. She will join Pastor Jayne Thompson in David Johnson Memorial Chapel at 3 p.m. to participate in the Worship on Wednesday services. 

Amanda Zimmerman ’17 is also on campus to discuss her Lutheran Volunteer Corp service and opportunities for students to serve after graduation.

Student News

Alumnus asks seminar students to think about how to define success

The path John Rogers ’87 took from high school graduate to Thiel College student to alumnus and successful professional was filled with many roadblocks. During his presentation at the third Ruth Miller Business Seminar Class on Jan. 24, he instructed students to stay positive despite the challenges they will face and to see each failure as an opportunity for a rebound.

“Mr. Rogers gave us advice that he called ‘things that he tells/told his daughter.’ One of them was that financial independence offers flexibility to pursue options. Another one is that interest is something that we earn, and we do not pay for it. He also said that you should not get caught up in titles, either the ones you have or the ones that other people have. Lastly, he told us that we should have fun.”—Paigh Davis ’18

“At the end of his presentation, John gave the class some words of wisdom for the future, he said things like ‘etiquette is how you act in a situation, ethics point us toward the application of morals, and morals define our character.’ He also left us with a slide designated for quotes ‘It takes 20 years to build a reputation and only 5 minutes to ruin it’ (Warren Buffett) and one of his own ‘don’t let someone else’s actions define yours.’”—Melissa Pugliano ’18

“John opened with a powerful question that is one that we all need to ask ourselves every day. ‘How will you measure your life?’ This is a question I believe we all need to ask ourselves more often. It is far too easy to get caught up in the craziness of the day-to-day life and lose track of what is really important in life.”—Greg Galbo ’18

“John also highlighted several pieces of advice to the class, including representing a personal brand. When creating a personal brand, individuals should allow their unique skills, qualifications, and personality to gleam through. An individual should also deliver value to an employer, show initiative and be a keen problem solver.”—Kristin Tate ’18

“John Rogers had many insightful stories to tell at dinner. He talked about his younger days of college, and how he overcame many obstacles to graduate and enter the workforce. He also discussed how he had many different jobs and how each job presented roadblocks that he overcame and how they helped him in his next job. John really inspired me to always work hard for the things I believe in and to always consider how each decision will affect my life.”—Charles McQuone ’18 

History honor society inducts three new members

On Jan. 17, Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society inducted three new members Matthew Crawford ’20 (seated at left), Cole Duskey ’19 (standing center) and Jeffrey Staley ’19 (seated at right).

Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. The society has over 400,000 members, with some 9,000 new members joining each year through 970 chapters nationwide. Thiel’s Zeta Epsilon Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta was founded in 1956.

Etc.

Tomcat Tributes

Tomcat Tributes recognize the teamwork Thiel College employees exhibit each day. Employees can nominate co-workers for recognition in four categories (Random Act of Kindness, Going the Extra Mile, Had a Great Idea, Just Because).

• To nominate a fellow employee, visit the Campus Resources link on the Thiel Hub.