Thiel Happenings

Fall 2018 Thiel College Dean’s List honorees announced

Thiel College announces 270 students were named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2018 semester.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Elected officials join Thiel faculty and staff as honorees for annual Founders’ Day ceremony

Two Pennsylvania legislators will join 10 Thiel College faculty and staff members as honorees for the College’s annual Founders’ Day celebration at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 in the College’s Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Frangakis, top students to be acknowledged during Friday’s Convocation

Academic Honors Convocation is at 7 p.m. Friday in the William A. Passavant Memorial Center.

First-year, sophomore, junior and senior students who are on the Dean’s List will be awarded certificates.

Reminder for all student recipients: that all awardees must be seated by 6:30 p.m. Late arrivals will not be formally recognized during the ceremony.  

All Alpha Chi students will be seated on the stage and will be honored by name and by awards in recognition of their academic achievement.

Also new this year is the announcement of fraternity and sorority honors. The female and male Greek houses with the highest combined overall GPA for the 2018-2019 academic year will be revealed and recognized.

Hermitage businessman John R. Frangakis will be awarded an honorary degree during the ceremony. He was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2008–2017 and will return to the board on Saturday, Feb. 9. Frangakis was the chairperson of the 2016 Presidential Search Committee.

Frangakis is chairman and chief executive officer of Reynolds Service Inc. and chief executive officer of Cross IT Services & Solutions, LLC. He was recognized as Thiel College’s Haller Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014.

Campus experiences first closure in more than 20 years

Last week ’s Arctic blast led to the first cancellation of classes and closure of College offices in more than two decades. As a result, there was no Jan. 30 edition of T-Notes. Campus offices and classes were canceled on Jan. 30 and 31. Campus activity resumed on Feb. 1. Temperatures in the region were below zero with wind chills as low as -25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thiel to host public comment session for USDA program

At 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, Thiel College will hold a public meeting in Classroom 125 on the first floor of James Pedas Communication Center. The purpose of this meeting is to give the citizens of Greenville, Pa. and the surrounding community the opportunity to become acquainted with the proposed USDA financing to include the construction and renovation of the Academic Center, Rhodehouse Science Building, Langenheim Memorial Library and Wellness Center. Thiel College is applying for project financing through the USDA Community Facilities Program.

Attendees will be able to ask questions and comment about the project, general financing, and have any other general inquiry acknowledged.

For more information, contact Bob Schmoll at ext. 2102.

Golden Ladle up for grabs at second annual contest

Participants and tasters needed for the second annual Soup and Chili Cook-off from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 19 in Weyers Lounge. Participants can sign up in the Student Life Office. Cost to taste is $5. All proceeds will go to the American Heart Association.

• Read more about the event.

To sign up or for more information, contact Jackie Kytchak at ext. 2125.

Student News

Author discusses business ethics with Miller Seminar attendees

Retired Shoe Sensation chief executive officer Mike Zawoysky ’79 and his former boss at Foot Locker, Inc. and author of “Jesus & Co.” Bruce Hartman discussed business ethics and connecting the lessons of the gospel with today’s business world.

• Read about past speakers at the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar page.

“Dinner Summary: Food was good. (It) was an incredible experience to speak with Bruce and Mike, and I look forward to getting in contact with them as they planned. They are very knowledgeable of the business world and could help me to get started. So to talk with them and have them offer to help me in any way is truly incredible and I look forward to it very much.” – Justin Pearce ’19

“Dr. Bruce Hartman has been the CEO/CFO of many renowned companies some being Foot Locker, Yankee Candle and May’s (which is currently Macy’s). He earned the great honor of being recognized with the Fortune Top 500 CFOs. Dr. Hartman has always known what he wanted to become.” – Diana Sileshi ’19

“Bruce Hartman who kindly took his time out of his busy schedule to visit Thiel College, made sure the students received quality advice and tips. One great tip that hit me hard was figuring out what the employer wants. Some things that Bruce mentioned were being positive, being trustworthy, and wanting to learn. This is what I needed to hear on this Wednesday night!” – Paul Wotus ’19

“This week we had the privilege of listening to our guest speaker Bruce Hartman. We were given a book called “Jesus & Co.” that was actually written by him. The book is about connecting the lessons of the gospel with today’s business world. Bruce talked about some of his life stories along with some of his life experiences and how he included his faith in his everyday life.” – Nick Fowkes ’19

“Our speaker was introduced by Mike Zawoysky, his former colleague. During the introduction, Mike sang Bruce’s praises. He credited Bruce for bringing Foot Locker back from the brink of bankruptcy. However, as soon as Bruce took the podium, he immediately gave credit instead to those who worked for him which is a testament to his character. Bruce went on to tell us a story of how the company was able to borrow additional funds from the bank due to his honest answer to a question on the future of his company. While his answer did not seem like the best strategic business decision, he still told the truth.” – Terri Eddy ’19

“Mike Zawoysky is a Thiel College alumnus ’79, and (he) played basketball. Mike worked with Bruce throughout his career, he was his mentor after he left Thiel and entered into the workforce. Mike takes a lot of pride in business ethics and how he knew that in his career he practiced them through his faith. He was also a part of salvaging Foot Locker from bankruptcy in 2002. Mike and Bruce worked together on this project, and Foot Locker is still in business today.” – Cam Cianci ’19

Aguirre and Reitz earn extra effort award from TLC

Farook Aguirre ’19 and Joelle Reitz ’19 won the February Extraordinary Effort Award given by the Thiel Learning Commons.

Reitz, of DuBois, Pa., is a health systems and neuroscience major with a chemistry minor. She is a 2015 graduate of DuBois (Pa.) High School.

Aguirre, of Adventure, Fla., is a criminal justice major. He is a 2012 graduate of Freedom (Fla.) High School.

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.

Publishing Schedule

T-Notes is published weekly. It arrives Wednesday afternoons. The next edition will be out Feb. 13, 2019. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, Feb. 11 to be published in that week’s edition.

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