Thiel professor, honors director recognized among Mercer County’s young leaders

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Associate Professor of English and Dietrich Honors Institute Director Sheila Gross, Ph.D. ’10 will be recognized for her professional leadership and community involvement with Mercer County’s Under 40 Distinguished Impact Awards.

The award ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 28 at The Corinthian in Sharon, Pa. This ceremony will recognize 16 leaders who are under 40 years of age. The Under 40 Distinguished Impact Awards began in 2025; however, they are the latest evolution of the 40 Under 40 Awards, founded in 1988. The awards are given to those who have a positive impact on Mercer County.

For Gross, the recognition carries special meaning. A Mercer County native and alumna of Sharpsville High School and Thiel College, she returned to her home region in 2020 to join the College’s faculty.

“When I got the job at Thiel in 2020 and moved back to my home county, I really wanted to give back to the community and College that shaped me,” Gross said. “To be recognized for my contributions at this point in my life and career is truly an honor.”

Gross was a double major in English and history before earning her Master of Arts in English at Gannon University. Gross was awarded her Ph.D. in literature and criticism in December 2019 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. At the 2026 Honors Convocation, she was recognized as the Kenneth ’31 & Marianna Brown ’32 Dietrich Honors Institute Chair. She was also part of a team of professors that helped Thiel win a development grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the integration of digital tools and literacy into general education courses in English, history, and philosophy. In 2025, she attended the National Collegiate Honors Council’s New Directors Institute in Chicago, Ill., and in 2024, Gross presented at the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals Annual Conference hosted by the University of Stirling, Scotland. She was recognized with a Distinguished Scholar award during the College’s annual Founders’ Day celebration in 2022.

Gross said she sees Thiel College as a place where students can broaden their opportunities and envision new possibilities for their future.

“I believe the work I do as a professor, mentor, and Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute provides students with opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have,” she said.

Gross said her involvement in the Penn-Northwest Future Leaders/Homegrown Initiative’s Education committee also led to this award.

“Through this committee, we’ve been able to provide professional development programming to the local colleges,” Gross said.

Related Links

• Department of English
• Penn Northwest Development Corporation
• Dietrich Honors Institute
• Centers of Excellence

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