Thiel Happenings

Thiel College is hosting Callie Crossley, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and television commentator based in Boston, from March 24—28.

The Thiel Players will put on a production of the award-winning rock musical “Next to Normal” on March 29-31 at the William A. Robinson Theater.

Thiel College announces Jessica Campbell ’19, of West Sunbury, Pa., and Zachary Stiglitz ’19, of Knox, Pa., are the Students of the Month honorees for March 2019.

Happy Birthday, Professor Miller!

More than 100 faculty and staff members, students and alumni gathered in the Bistro Friday to wish Professor David Miller ’61 a “Happy 80th Birthday!”

  Thiel College’s Flickr gallery

• View photos from Professor Miller’s birthday celebration.

Dome comes down

Thiel College faculty, staff and students came together Wednesday to take down the Rissell-Schreyer Dome.

Barr tells students to be ready to adapt

Former Eastman Kodak Company employee and retired Chief Marketing Officer at Hillside Family of Agencies John Barr ’70 was the guest speaker for the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar on March 20, 2019. Barr spoke to the students about the importance of being able to adapt to change, to own and embrace their mistakes, to stay positive, and to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise in their personal and professional lives.

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

“Dinner was wonderful. I was glad to be the group leader for the week and I was honored to give the invocation. The bacon wrapped scallops were fantastic and the dinner exceeded expectations. Even though I had to pass on the dessert, everyone let me know it was spectacular. I was fortunate enough to get to sit next to our speaker, John Barr. John is a knowledgeable individual who has a very successful career.”—Zach Stiglitz ’19

“Throughout the presentational portion of the evening, John emphasized the importance of having the ability to change and adapt to new circumstances. He laid out that necessity in relatable examples such as the change from retail to Amazon, indicating that every industry experiences change. When Mr. Barr would hire for marketing positions in Kodak, he said a big component he looked for was the level of curiosity among the candidates. This characteristic was critical for John to find when hiring because it showed the strategic mindset of someone and their ability to adapt and change.”—Ben Ratka ’19

“John completed another objective of his by telling the audience numerous life lessons and tips that will help them personally and professionally. Taking calculated risks was a key point that resonated with me. He explained how he seized an opportunity in his career to travel to China for business. He had to factor in his family and his work. The sacrifices and hard work paid off in the end. Another compelling piece of advice John gave was to stay positive and keep the faith. This is what I needed to hear from such an influential person. I will try my best to intertwine John’s lessons into my life. Lastly, he brought to light three essential qualities that each person should have and others will be looking for in a potential job candidate. Integrity, intelligence, and energy. No one can take these from you, but you can take them away from yourself.”—Paul Wotus ’19

“He had said ‘Be a chameleon’ change to be successful in the spots where you are needed, also can be put as being versatile. His life had many changes and his ways to adapt to it are ones I will study and utilize every day. Be positive, show up, learn from failure, own your mistakes and last but not least balance work, life and family. These are all things I will take with me in my life journey.”—Dalton DuBrosky ’19

“At the senior seminar dinner on March 20, 2019, I had the pleasure of being seated with the night’s speaker. Not only did we have an amazing meal, but we also had great conversation at the table ranging from future career paths to Netflix. John asked each of the students about ourselves, and our decision to attend Thiel; he was very attentive and curious. He even asked us for ideas about how to improve life on campus for students. In addition, John told us stories about his time at Thiel, particularly about his former roommate who is still his best friend today.”—Terri Eddy ’19

Student News

Equestrians wrap up strong season

Thiel Equestrians Katlyn Pennell ’21 (left) and Jessica Orczeck ’19 qualified for regionals. Orczeck qualified for hunt seat regionals in Intermediate Equitation and Pennell qualified for western regionals in Beginner Horsemanship. Orczeck placed in the top 15 at regionals but did not advance to nationals. Pennell did not attend regionals, she was at a softball tournament in Orlando, Fla.
Thiel Equestrians ended the competition year sixth out of 19 teams, which is a great accomplishment with a small team competing in a region with the top two IHSA schools in the nation.

Census bureau looking for workers

The U.S. Census Bureau is making plans for the 2020 Census. Thiel College students can apply for positions as Census takers. 

• Download the flier.

Lambda Sigma collecting pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House

Lambda Sigma is collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh. The Ronald McDonald House strives to keep families with sick children together and near the care and resources that they need. Lambda Sigma is asking everyone to please save their pop tabs and place them in the donation jars that have been placed around campus.

Every pop tab makes a difference. Take a second to donate your pop tabs and help our friends at the Ronald McDonald House today.

For more information, contact Mikayla Mirich ’21. 

Connect with Thiel College

• Subscribe to the Thiel College YouTube channel
• Thiel College Newsroom

Thiel Happenings

The Thiel College women’s empowerment and advocacy group, Women Inspiring the Next Generation, hosts their annual leadership conference from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 21 as part of their celebration of Women’s History Month.

Students from the Thiel College student radio station, WXTC, are hosting their fifth annual music festival to support the VH1 Save the Music Foundation at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22 in the Howard Miller Student Center.

Thiel College is hosting Callie Crossley, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and television commentator based in Boston, from March 24—28.

Sandy Parker urges senior seminar students to ‘find their voice’

Former Branch Manager of PNC Bank in Meadville, Pa. Sandy Parker ’82 was the guest speaker for the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar on March 13, 2019. Parker spoke to the students about finding their voices, leading in their field and being resilient in the face of any difficulties they may face in the workforce and in life.

“Sandy Parker was a joy to hear from. I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in one of her mock interviews and it helped me a lot. I cannot say enough about her caringness and help she gives to Thiel College. As for her talk on Wednesday the 13th of March, it was very insightful and inspirational.”—Dalton DuBrosky ’19

“The main entrée was a short rib with a stir fry and broccoli and for dessert, three different chocolate sponge rolls. Everything was quite delicious, and I am sure Sandy was impressed by Diana asking her as to what her favorite foods are.”—Gino Russo ’19

“She became a great manager and gave great tips to students on how to manage people like not showing weakness and people’s perception may never change. Sandy Parker also left everyone with a very essential statement, Find your voice!”—Paul Wotus ’19

“She was so successful with her work, Sandy was one of seven employees in all of the PNC workforce to receive the performance award. With this award, Sandy and her family were treated to an extravagant weekend. This included her father being able to ride in a limo for the first time, take advantage of free dining, and was able to meet his idol, Arnold Palmer. Seeing her father have a great time was much more rewarding to Sandy than actually receiving the award.”—Zach Stiglitz ’19

“Throughout her speech, she emphasized the importance of people; particularly, to be kind to your employees and to show them you care. We learned valuable lessons about how to lead, and how to achieve great things in the face of adversity.”—Terri Eddy ’19

“On Wednesday, March 13th, I was given the opportunity to be the captain for the dinner of a marvelous woman, Mrs. Sandy Parker. From Meadville, PA, a graduate of Saegertown High School and Thiel College, life had its journey for her, but she was able to find herself through it all at Thiel and found the man she loved at Thiel as well.”—Diana Sileshi ’19

Student News

Puppies and Bingo make for winning combination

The English Club hosted a “And Bingo was His Name-O” Puppy Bingo event on Sunday. The event raised money for Strayhaven, a local non-profit, no-kill animal shelter in Greenville.

There were two puppies, Cecilia and Ivy, in attendance. The English Club raised $60.82 for Strayhaven at the event from donations.

The English Club plans to host “A Game Night of Thrones” game night event during the second to last week of April, which will be free to students and will give the campus a chance to get to know the English Club. Students can learn more about joining the club at the event.

Lambda Sigma pop tab collection continues

Lambda Sigma is collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh. The Ronald McDonald House strives to keep families with sick children together and near the care and resources that they need. Lambda Sigma is asking everyone to please save their pop tabs and place them in the donation jars that have been placed around campus.

Every pop tab makes a difference. Take a second to donate your pop tabs and help our friends at the Ronald McDonald House today.

For more information, contact Mikayla Mirich ’21. 

Exciting new graduation items available at Campus Store

Graduation caps and gowns will be available for purchase in the Campus Store beginning April 17.

Also available in the Campus Store are personalized stoles. Students can stand out at Commencement 2019 by celebrating their individual accomplishments and pride with a personalized stole!

• International
• Student-Athlete
• First-Generation
• Military
• …and many more 

Accepting stole orders through April 10.

Students can also pick up a commemorative tassel key chains for just $4, too.

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 March 27. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, March 25 to be published in that week’s edition.

Thiel Happenings

Kyle Woody is the new executive director of Thiel College’s James Pedas Communication Center and will serve as the James Pedas Endowed Chair of Communication and Assistant Professor of Communication.

Thiel College presents the Dorian Wind Quintet in concert at the David Johnson Memorial Chapel at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21. This event is free and open to the public.

College hosts forum on new master’s degree program

More than 50 Thiel College employees, community members and representatives of state legislators attended a public session Monday in Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center on the addition of a speech pathology graduate program.

Two representatives for the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology were on campus on Monday and Tuesday as part of a site visit as the College pursues its first graduate degree program.

Emeritus Professor of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska John Bernthal, Ph.D., and Clinical Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech, Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders at the University of Kansas Debora B. Daniels, Ph.D., toured campus, met with the campus and community members and staff and faculty of Academic Affairs and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The pair will then write a report about their findings at Thiel.

The primary purpose of Monday’s meeting was for Bernthal and Daniels to gauge public opinion on the proposed master’s program. The pair spent a majority of the hour asking questions of the audience.

Student News

Business and education majors named TLC award winners

The Thiel College Learning Commons announces Josh Evjene ’19 and David Pugh ’19 have been named the TLC’s March Extraordinary Effort Award winners.

Pugh, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., is a business, accounting, and marketing major. He is a 2015 graduate of Christopher Columbus (Fla.) High School.

Evjene, of Orrstown, Pa., is a math and secondary education major. He is a 2015 graduate of Chambersburg (Pa.) Area High School.

Lambda Sigma collecting pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House

Lambda Sigma is collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh. The Ronald McDonald House strives to keep families with sick children together and near the care and resources that they need. Lambda Sigma is asking everyone to please save their pop tabs and place them in the donation jars that have been placed around campus.

Every pop tab makes a difference. Take a second to donate your pop tabs and help our friends at the Ronald McDonald House today.

For more information, contact Mikayla Mirich ’21. 

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 March 20. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, March 18 to be published in that week’s edition.

Connect with Thiel College

• Subscribe to the Thiel College YouTube channel
• Thiel College Newsroom

Thiel Happenings

Five Thiel College media students have been nominated for Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards and among the students attending this year’s Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s 79th Annual Conference held at New York City’s Hotel Pennsylvania on March 1—3.

Thiel College announces Madalyn Harding ’19, of Warren, Pa., and Michael Long ’19, of Cortland, Ohio, are the first Student of the Month honorees for the spring 2019 semester.

Kyle Woody is the new executive director of Thiel College’s James Pedas Communication Center and will serve as the James Pedas Endowed Chair of Communication and Assistant Professor of Communication.

Bittcher shares story of purpose and professional fulfillment

Jane Bittcher ’80 was a business administration major who also studied art while she was at Thiel College. After graduating she began working at Mellon Bank. While she was working at Mellon, she got her Master of Education degree. When she completed that, she continued working at Mellon and spent 28 years there. Her presentation covered other stops in her career, including her current position with Lutheran Senior Life. She discussed four important career tips with students in the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar class of Norman P. Mortensen Chair of Economics and Professor of Business Administration and Accounting David Miller ’61.

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

“The most rewarding part of her job is the time she gets to spend with elders, who are always happy for a visit. Jane’s talk was a reminder that your career is important, but not as important as what you do for others. And if you are lucky, you can do both, like she does.”—Terri Eddy ’19

“She works with home-based health care and takes care of people from birth to death. Jane says her job is very rewarding but can also be very sad because she works with such great people who are at the end of their lives. Jane provided us with some very useful and insightful information, and I am glad we had the privilege of listening to her story.”—Nick Fowkes ’19

“Jane left every student with four recommendations that should be thought about. The first advice given was always have goals. No. 2, do what is best for you. Listen and think about all the advice you get. Figure out how it pertains to your life and career. Three, find a trusted advisor. Lastly, be true to yourself and do what is right. Jane gave many important life lessons and informational tips that all needed to hear.”—Paul Wotus ’19

“Lessons learned:

• Take every piece of advice, but at the end of the day, follow your heart
• Acquire a mentor that’ll be honest with you and five the good and bad in every scenario
• You can’t help anyone if you need help yourself, so create an efficient equation of charitable work, along with self-benefitting initiatives as well.”—Ben Ratka ’19

“Looking back, Jane says that her experience at Thiel College means much more to her now than when she was attending the College. She credits Thiel with providing her with leadership and communication skills which helped her succeed.”—Ryan Ball ’19

Open forum for speech language pathology program is Monday

Employees should attend the open forum 4–5 p.m. Monday, March 11 in the Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Thiel College. The College is an Applicant for Candidacy by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

On Oct. 23, 2018, Thiel College received review observation from the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The forum is part of the site visit by three representatives from the CAA. 

Employees invited to open session on campus ministry Monday

On Monday and Tuesday, Thiel College is hosting Mark Wilhelm, executive director of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities and Rev. Kristen Glass Perez, chaplain at Muhlenberg College to conduct a program review for campus ministry.

An open session for the campus community is from 2:40–3:30 p.m. in Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center.

Student News

Student teachers lock-in for literacy at Sharpsville

Megan Lee ’19, Justin Walter ’19 and Annika Schul ’19 volunteered to be a part of the fourth grade Sharpsville Elementary Literacy Lock-In. The three student teachers were placed at different learning centers with a dinosaur theme whereby students worked on the students’ reading skills through fun and interactive activities.

Military Heroes Week essay contest open to students and employees

Anyone passionate about a military hero in their life, who wants to explore how military heroes affect our freedoms as citizens or creatively express an appreciation for our military hero heroes can participate in the Kappa Sigma Military Heroes Week Essay Contest. 
Answer one of the prompts below with an essay of 1,200 words or less.

Essay requirements

• Please have a title and identify which prompt question you chose, and why?
• Please keep the essay to 1,200 words or less.
• Deadline for entry is March 25.
• Have your entry proofread and edited to fit American English language standards.

Essay prompts

• Describe a military hero that you know. What qualities does he or she possess? How has he or she made a positive impact in your life, the community, or our country?
•  What's the significance of military service people? How do they show heroism in what they do?

The top three essay submissions will have their work honored at a public reading on Friday, March 29 in the Lutheran Heritage Room and with publication in next year's edition of The Phoenix, Thiel’s creative literary magazine.

A grand prize winner will be awarded a $20 gift card to Sheetz!

For more information or to submit an entry, contact Charlie Lichtenwalter ’21.

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.