Thiel Happenings

Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, is hosting two-time Grammy Award nominee harpsichordist Jory Vinikour as part of the Con Spirito Chamber Music Concert Series. The performance is at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26 in the David Johnson Memorial Chapel.

Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, is hosting the third annual WXTC Music Festival to Benefit VH1 Save the Music Foundation. The event begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 24 in the Rotunda Bistro of the Howard Miller Student Center.

Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, announces Rebecca Adams ’18 and Trey Andrews ’18 have been named the March Extraordinary Effort Award winners by the Thiel Learning Commons.

President Traverso kicks off inaugural NetVUE speaker series 

More than 80 students, faculty and staff listened to a presentation by President Susan Traverso, Ph.D., Tuesday afternoon during the first installment of what organizers hope will become an annual campus event. 

Plans call for the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education speaker series “What Matters to Me and Why” will feature members of the Thiel community sharing their values, beliefs, motivations and sense of vocation. The speaker series will connect students, faculty and staff so they gain a better understanding of the lives and inspirations of the members of the Thiel community. The initiative is administered by the Council of Independent Colleges with significant support from the Lilly Foundation.

Student News

O’Sullivan talks about important career do’s and don’ts

Nicole O’Sullivan ’97 was an actuarial studies major. She loved math but did not want to be a teacher or an engineer and became an actuary. She discussed being a woman in a male-dominated field, how to network and how to give a professional exit interview with the Ruth Miller Senior Seminar class of Professor David Miller ’61 on March 14.

“Know what kind of organization you want to work for and the culture and personality of the company. Know your strengths, but know your weaknesses even better. It is important to give and receive feedback. Be transparent and care about the organization. Develop small little wins for yourself and be proud of yourself. ‘If someone offers you a seat on the rocket ship, don’t ask which seat, just get on.’”—Dana DePaulo ’18

“The next topic she discussed was navigating your career. Nicole made an interesting point when she said, ‘in 10 years there will be jobs that don’t exist today.’ She said this to emphasize her point that your career will change many times. She stated that it’s important to find out what qualities in a company are important to you. You will have a successful career if you work for a company that shares the same values you have. While navigating through your career is important to do soul searching every couple of years. The last thing she advised for navigating your career is once you learn your job start training your successor that you can continue to advance in your career.”—Jenna Ehrlich ’18

“Mrs. O’Sullivan shared her experiences with us and made sure that the women in the room knew that it’s OK to speak up against the men. She told us that we will face challenges such as having our credibility undermined, or our ideas overlooked. However, she said if we find our voices and know our worth, there is no reason for us to not contribute to whichever company we work for. I found this inspiring, and I hope that I can take these tips with me whenever I enter the working world. Overall, Mrs. O’Sullivan was a great speaker who had presence and great information to share with the class.”—Haley Tokich ’18

“The first topic she discussed was ’How not to leave a job.’ In this topic, she discussed things such as setting reasonable goals in the workforce, as well as how to properly get through an exit interview without burning any bridges. She had a bad experience with that and not want us to make the same mistake.”—Greg Galbo ’18

“Mrs. O’Sullivan gave us three helpful tips for getting ready for a networking event. She told us to prepare, get there early and know the golden phrases. The golden phrases are asking why someone is that event, what their goals are and gave us advice on how to respectfully leave a conversation. All of her advice was extremely helpful and thought-provoking.”—Bradi Osborne ’18

Department of Education hosts Greenville Elementary students

Anika Schul ’18 arranged and planned a carnival day March 16 for about a dozen students in grades K-3 and their teachers in the Beeghly Gymnasium.

Schul said she came up with the idea last semester while she was mentoring.  The idea was for the Thiel Department of Education to host a carnival game day as a way to strengthen Thiel's relationship with Greenville Elementary and also create a fun way the students to experience the College. Greenville Elementary’s Megan Yeatt helped Schul with the logistics, and Professor of Education and Department Chair Doug Hazlett, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Education Nancy Castor supported the event.

”The carnival was a success, and everyone left with a smile on their face,” Schul said.

HPI students tour Children’s hospital

Pictured (L-R) front row: Jessica Campbell ’19, Julia Wagner ’21, Sarah Nagy ’20, Joelle Reitz ’18; back row: Heather L. Ambrose ’00, Courtney Campbell ’20, Miranda Reesman ’18, TJ Fisher ’18, and Evan Youker ’18. 

Director of Nursing at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Heather L. Ambrose ’00 hosted a group of Health Professions Institute students March 16 for an all-day visit to the hospital.

Students learned from healthcare professionals in various departments, including the operating room, neonatal intensive care unit and pharmacy.

The HPI is open to all students, regardless of major, who are interested in a health-related career. Interested students should register for HPI 100 every semester and then HPI 101 or HPI 303 in the fall (depending on academic level).

For more information about the HPI, contact Associate Professor of Neuroscience Greg Q. Butcher, Ph.D., at ext. 2031. A complete list of advisers and more information is available on the HPI website.

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.