Thiel Happenings

English professor shares indigenous teaching experiences during panel presentation

Melissa Borgia-Askey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English at Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, participated recently in a panel presentation titled, “Water Is Life: Standing Rock, #NoDAPL, and Literacy Education” at The National Council of Teachers of English annual convention in St. Louis.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Student media racks up 11 program and 23 student nominations from IBS

The student radio and television stations at Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, were nominated for 11 Golden Mic Awards by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Three students will travel internationally after being selected for the Vira I. Heinz scholarship

Three Thiel College students will be making their first international trips this summer after they were selected for the Vira I. Heinz Scholarship for Women in Global Leadership. The scholarship is offered to women with at least a 3.0 GPA, who have never traveled outside of the United States previously.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Thiel College commercial can be seen on regional television

The 30-second commercial has been airing on Youngstown CBS affiliate WKBN and various Comcast programming in the Pittsburgh area.

Campus comes together for Honors Convocation and Founders’ Day

Thiel College recognized faculty, staff, students and friends of the College last week for Founders’ Day and Honors Convocation.

Michael P. Walton and Tom Roberts of Hope Center for Arts and Technology in Sharon joined five faculty members and five staff members as award winners during the annual Founders’ Day celebration Feb. 1 in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

Five staff members were honored with a Distinguished Service Award.

• Kim Braden ’01, of Springboro, Pa., payroll specialist/human resources assistant
• Tom Jones, of Greenville, Pa., public safety officer
• Mario Marini ’91, of Greenville, Pa., director of special and planned giving
• Mike Mason, of Transfer, Pa., computer and A/V technician
• Stacey Yake, of Greenville, Pa., student accounts supervisor

Five faculty members were honored with awards.

• Distinguished Adjunct: Karen Kollar, of Clark, Pa., Adjunct Professor of English
• Distinguished Scholar: Russell B. Richins, Ph.D., of Greenville, Assistant Professor of Math and Computer Science, Department Chair
• Distinguished Service: James C. Koshan, Ph.D., of Hermitage, Pa., Professor of History, Department Chair
• Distinguished Teacher, Kristel M. Gallagher, Ph.D., of Hermitage, Pa., Assistant Professor of Psychology
• Distinguished Professor, Greg Q. Butcher, Ph.D., of Greenville, Pa., Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Department Chair

The Louis and Barbara Thiel Distinguished Service Award was given to Roberts and Walton for their work at the Hope Center for Arts and Technology

• Read more about Founders’ Day in the Newsroom.

More than 400 students were recognized and an honorary degree was given to the Executive Director of the Butler Institute of American Art, Louis A. Zona, Ph.D. H’18, during its annual Honors Convocation ceremony Feb. 2 at the William A. Passavant Memorial Center.

• Read more about Honors Convocation in the Newsroom.

 See photo albums from both events at Flickr.

• Founders’ Day 2018
• Honors Convocation 2018

College Advancement team wins inaugural Golden Ladle

The Thiel College Wellness Committee sponsored a soup and chili cook-off on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The College Advancement team won the Golden Ladle with its soup, “The Flavorful Fund Pot (also known as wedding soup with a twist).”

The winning team members are Robert Carpenter ’17 (team leader), Roberta Leonard, Mario Marini ’91, Paula Jaillet, Cindy McClelland, Anna Mary Hoovler, Dave Hummel ’83 and Jack Leipheimer ’74.

• Second place: Monica Adametz, Mediterranean Minestrone
• Third place: Esther Ter, Thai soup

Student News

Finkbeiner tells details of how he landed as an air traffic controller

Carl Finkbeiner ’81, a retired air traffic controller, spoke to students in the Ruth Miller Business Seminar class of Professor David Miller ’61 on Jan. 31. Finkbeiner discussed how he became an air traffic controller, his role in dealing with pilots on 9/11 and how Thiel gave him the tools to be successful in his professional life.

“In Carl’s presentation, he first told us what he took away most from Thiel was the connections he made here. This really stuck with me because I know when I look back at my time at Thiel, after I graduate, I know what I will appreciate most will be all the amazing friends I made here and all the people that had an impact on me such as my professors, coaches and other faculty.”—Greg Strohmeyer ’18

“Carl showed great strength and emphasized the importance of communication and working together particularly during a tragic event. When 9/11 occurred, he had to get all the planes in the air landed with an hour. Thiel gave him the confidence to work under stressful situations, work together as a team and trust himself to make quick and decisive decisions in a world full of chaos.”—Samanatha McLaughlin ’18

“When asked ‘What did you like most about Thiel?’ he responded by saying, ‘Thiel gave me a certain confidence in myself, and it made me feel like once I got out into the real world, I was actually prepared for difficult situations.”—Randy Santarelli ’19

“A key to being successful is being able to communicate with different people in different ways. Carl talked about how unlikely it is that your first job will be your only job. You also never know where you will find a job, so it is important to network and make connections.”—Morgan Reisz ’18

“Mr. Finkbeiner also made a point that it is important to set goals for yourself. These goals will help guide you through life as you make decisions about where you want to be and what you want to accomplish.”—Haley Tokich ’18

TLC recognizes Cotton and Ritchie for effort

The Thiel Learning Commons selected Kristina Cotton ’18 (left) and Amy Ritchie ’18 (right) as its February Extraordinary Effort Award winners.

Cotton, of North East, Pa., is a double major in communications and sociology. She is a 2014 graduate of North East (Pa.) High School.

Ritchie, of Madison, Ohio, is a double major in biology and conservation biology. She is a 2014 graduate of Madison (Ohio) High School.