Professor of History awarded endowed position to lead Thiel College’s honors institute

GREENVILLE, Pa.—Associate Professor of History and Director of the College’s honors institute Sheila Nowinski, Ph.D. was awarded the Kenneth ’31 and Marianna Brown ’32 Dietrich Honors Institute Chair at Thiel College’s Academic Honors Convocation recently.

Philanthropist, businessman, scholar and proud northwest Pennsylvania native William S. Dietrich II, bequeathed a $25 million fund to Thiel College upon his passing in 2011. Dietrich’s gift is the largest made to the College in its 150–year history. His gift founded the Kenneth and Marianna Brown Dietrich Honors Institute in honor of William's parents.

Nowinski joined Thiel College in 2015. She was selected as the Associate Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute in the fall of 2019 and became the Director the following spring. She has a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, a master’s degree from Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

Dietrich Honors Institute students pursue a challenging curriculum in place of Thiel’s undergraduate general education requirements. With faculty mentorship, honors students design their thesis which can take a variety of forms—student research, a creative endeavor or applied project. Participating in the honors program at Thiel offers students the time and space to discover themselves as scholars and dive deep into their academic interests.

The Institute connects Thiel students to a variety of opportunities and resources including:

• $1,000 merit award renewable for four years
• Honors housing in a living and learning community
• Early class registration
• Travel to regional cultural and academic centers including, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, New York, and Washington D.C.
• Evening seminars focused on personal, academic, and professional development

Each of the College’s five endowed positions were recognized during the Feb. 9 ceremony.

The four other endowed positions are:

• Professor of English Mary Theresa Hall, Ph.D. was awarded the Dr. James Pedas ’50 H’89 Chair of Communication;
• Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Accounting Steven Kandray was named the Norman P. Mortensen H ’81 Chair of Economics;
• Professor of Business Administration and Accounting and Chair of the Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting Melissa Oakes ’03 was awarded the David M. Miller ’61 H’20 Endowed Chair of Accounting; and
• Craig Thurber was recognized with the Rod E. Wilt ’86 Head Coach for Thiel College Wrestling.

Related Links

• Academic Affairs
• Dietruich Honors Institute

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About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.