thiel happenings
Thiel Welcomes Five New Faculty Members
Pictured from left to right are Dr. Eugene Torigoe, Dr. Sarah Swerdlow, Dr. Russell Richins, Dr. Laura Pickens and Dr. Jared Johnson.
Thiel College welcomes five new full-time faculty members for the 2012-2013 academic year, which begins Aug. 27.
Dr. Sarah Swerdlow joins the faculty as an assistant professor of biology. She most recently worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Swerdlow holds a doctorate from the pathology department of the cancer biology training program of Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology/biotechnology from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Russell B. Richins has been named assistant professor of mathematics. He holds a doctorate and master’s from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University. Richins comes to Thiel from Michigan State University where he was a postdoctoral follow at the Michigan Center for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
Dr. Jared Johnson will take a position as assistant professor of English. He holds a doctorate from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, a master’s from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. He comes to Thiel from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Dr. Eugene Takeo Torigoe joins the faculty as an assistant professor of physics. He holds doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and bachelor’s degrees in physics and philosophy from Binghamton University in New York. He comes to Thiel from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.
Dr. Laura R.G. Pickens has moved from an adjunct position at Thiel to assistant professor of psychology. She holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from Kent State University in Ohio and a bachelor’s degree from Thiel College. Along with the courses she led at Thiel, Pickens served as a teaching fellow at Kent State.
New adjunct faculty for the 2012-2013 academic year include Emmett Rafferty, environmental science; Gregory Hungerford, sociology; Ronald Friend, communication; Burton Speakman, communication; Kimberly Banic, education; Erin McKinney, education; Kristina McCartney, education; Nancy Castor, education; Anthony Giaramita, business administration; Paulina Montaldo-Stader, languages; and Aaron Fairbourn, mathematics.
Congratulations, Nick Despo!
Congratulations to Dr. Nick Despo, professor of biology, for being named the Paul M. Rike Professor of Life Sciences.
Employee Picnic Doorprize Winners
Congratulations to the following door prize winners from last night's employee picnic:
• Bonnie Behm
• Melanie Broadwater
• Sarah Swerdlow
Reminder: Maintenance Key Requests
The Maintenance Department would like to remind the campus community that all key requests must be approved by Chief Aubrecht prior to submitting them as a Work Order. Thank you.
upcoming campus events
Orientation
Friday, Aug. 24 (Move-in Day) through Sunday, Aug. 26
Orientation Schedule
Opening Convocation
Friday, Aug. 24, 3:30 p.m.
Please join us as we officially welcome the new students to our campus community!
Passavant Center
Upper-class Students Arrive
Sunday, Aug. 26
Classes Begin
Monday, Aug. 27, 8 a.m.
Campus Ministry Worship For All (NEW TIME!)
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 12:15 - 12:45 p.m.
Johnson Memorial Chapel
Poster Sale
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Lutheran Heritage Room, HMSC
Welcome Back Concert
Thursday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m. - midnight
Lutheran Heritage Room, HMSC
Sponsored by OBC. Featuring student performers, door prizes and a dance contest.
All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend!
special notes
HR Notes
Thiel welcomes:
Anthony Giaramita, business administration
Aaron Fairbourn, mathematics
Carlene Waite, housekeeping
Edward Topoleski, sports information
Michael White, athletics volunteer intern
and says farewell to:
Lauren Zuschlag, college advancement
Kate Bryant, admissions
From the Wellness Committee
August Healthy Highlight: Immunizations
2012 Mercer County Heart Walk Scheduled
Saturday, Sept. 29
Registration begins at 9 a.m.
Walk begins at 10 a.m.
Buhl Park, Shelter #2, Hermitage, Pa.
Unable to attend the walk on Sept. 29? You don't need to attend the Buhl Park event to help raise donations! Sign up to be a member of the Thiel Team at www.heart.org/mercerwalk (search for "Thiel College") and then begin raising funds.
Our goal this year is $1,500, and anyone connected to Thiel—faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends—are welcome to join our team. Raising money is easy and can even be done completely online!
Contact Jennifer Clark at ext. 2858 for more information about how you can participate.
What if we didn't walk? The numbers are staggering:
- 65 million Americans have high blood pressure.
- Nearly 100 million have borderline-high or high cholesterol.
- More than 136 million are overweight or obese.
- 36,000 babies are born with heart defects each year.
Those numbers are frightening, but without the efforts of walkers, they could be much worse. Nearly 25 percent of the funds the American Heart Association raised last year came from the Heart Walk. Your support is absolutely critical to funding programs and saving lives. Every dollar you can raise will allow the AHA to do even more good:
- $15 can make the newest CPR Guidelines available to an emergency care provider.
- $20 could teach up to 50 people how to assess their risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke and provide the steps for them to identify and reduce their risk.
- $100 can equip one hospital or health department with resources to educate patients, the public and health professionals about stroke prevention and life after stroke—the #4 cause of death and a leading cause of serious disability.
contact us
If you’re interested in submitting a story or event to T-Notes, e-mail tnotes@thiel.edu. Our next issue will be Wednesday, Aug. 29.
Deadline for submissions: 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 27.