Thiel College Announces Community Building Initiative Schedule
for Spring 2010

Jan. 7, 2010

GREENVILLE, PA—Today, Thiel College announced the spring semester schedule for its Community Building Initiative, which is in its second year.

A Community Experience is scheduled for spring 2010 and will feature Bill Parker ’75, vice president for international affairs for Century Systems Inc. Parker will present “Global Engagement for National Results ” on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

Spring Community Gatherings, which generally are scheduled on one Thursday of each month of the semester, include:

• Jan. 21—“Thiel Memories,” 7 p.m., Lutheran Heritage Room—With Jim Bloomfield, professor emeritus of history (1965 – 2006); Evelyn Baer, professor emerita of English (1951–89); John Hauser ’71, college archivist; and Tom Hodge ’50.
• Feb. 24—“Schindler” Exhibit Opens, Thiel College Library—This Holocaust exhibit is part of a traveling exhibition sponsored by the Smithsonian Museum. The exhibit runs through April 7. Library is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. except for Spring Break (March 1-5) when it is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• March 11—“Art Meeting the Child’s Imagination,” 7 p.m., Location TBA —Featuring Jim Burke, children’s book illustrator and author of Take Me Out to the Ball Game (2006) and many other books for children.

• March 25—“A Holocaust Survivor Speaks,” 7 p.m., Lutheran Heritage Room—Presented by the Holocaust Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

• April 6 —“The Living Roots of Music,” 7 p.m., David L. Johnson Memorial Chapel—Featuring Lauren Pelon, artistic performer and historian of music from Red Wing, Minn.

Community Worship takes place in the David L. Johnson Memorial Chapel at noon. Featured speakers for spring include:

• Jan. 28—Mike Williams, Director of CLA
• Feb. 11—Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
• Feb. 25—Campus Ministry with the Thiel Choir
• March 18—African Drumming in Worship
• April 1—Maundy Thursday Worship
• April 15—Celebration of Earth Week: “Taking Care of the Earth”

Community Traditions include Founders’ Day at 11 a.m. on Feb. 4 in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the HMSC; Earth Week on April 12–16; and Baccalaureate and Commencement on May 3 at 10 a.m. in the Johnson Memorial Chapel and 2 p.m. in the Passavant Center respectively. Community Greening events this semester include college-wide participation in RecycleMania, a nationwide recycling competition for colleges and universities, and a “Wear it Out” fashion show on March 11 at 8 p.m. in the Lutheran Heritage Room.

The Community Building Initiative is aimed at fostering a sense of community and togetherness on Thiel’s campus as well as between Thiel and the greater Greenville Community. The CBI, which launched in 2008, is composed of six different types of events, Community Experiences (larger events that occur two or three times a semester), Community Gatherings (smaller monthly events), Community Traditions (traditional Thiel events), Community Worship (bi-monthly nondenominational worship services), Community Greening and Community Wellness events.

All Community Building Initiative events are free and open to the public. For more information or a schedule of events, visit www.thiel.edu/cbi.

About Thiel College

Founded in 1866, Thiel College is a liberal arts, sciences and professional studies institution located in Greenville, Pa., that provides a great balance of academic challenge, personal and social involvement, and exceptional value to its 1,000 students. For more information about Thiel College, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, visit www.thiel.edu or call 800-24-THIEL.

–30–