Thiel Happenings

Thiel physics professor chosen for conference on student engagement with vocation

Thiel College Assistant Professor of Physics Eugene Torigoe, Ph.D., has been selected to participate in the 2019 NetVUE summer conference, “Broadening the Scope of Vocational Exploration.”

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Inaugural awards dinner to recognize members of the Thiel community

The inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner that will honor members of the Thiel College community who embody the ideals of the civil rights leader. The event begins at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21 in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

The event’s theme is “The Celebration of Mindfulness, Love and Kindness.” Students, faculty and staff members, alumni and community members were eligible for the inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Thiel College Community Service Awards. In addition to honoring members of the Thiel College community, author, ordained minister, educator and motivational speaker Dr. T. Leon Williams will be the keynote presenter. Williams wrote the books “The First-Year College Experience Handbook Strategies for Academic Success and Character Developments,” “Mentoring College Men to Lead the Next Generation of Young Scholars: The Blueprint for Developing Men of Character,” and “The View from the Mountaintop.”

Thiel student community service award winner is Brianna Gibbs ’19. The Faculty/Staff award will go to Pastor Jayne Thompson; and the Alumni/Community award will be given to Ronnell Hunt ’15.

• Gibbs, of Farrell, Pa., is a 2015 graduate of Kennedy Catholic High School. She is a finance major. She is active in the Organization of Black Collegians and works in the Office of Admission as an ambassador to current and prospective students, parents, staff, alumni, and friends. She is also a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.
• Thompson has been the campus pastor since 2014. Performance poet, LGBTQ activist, film producer, and founder of the “Artists Inn Detroit” Natasha T. Miller has performed at Thiel during Thompson’s tenure and she has led the College’s interfaith series that brought Muslim, Christian and Buddhist leaders to campus to discuss religious understanding and tolerance.
• Hunt graduated from Thiel in 2015. He is a New Castle native and graduated from Union High School in 2011. He has been an active supporter of the College and is studying for a Master’s in Divinity. He spoke at last year’s Martin Luther King Jr. events on campus and is a television reporter for WBOY in Clarksburg, W.Va.

“These awards honor positive role models in our Thiel community but also in the greater community that extends far off campus,” Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Anthony Jones said. “Whether it’s as a student championing diversity on campus, or as a staff member that has brought multifaceted viewpoints to campus to speak to our community or as alumnus who spreads the message of the open and inclusive community they found in their time at Thiel, each of these winners represents an important piece of Dr. King’s philosophy. We are proud of these winners and congratulate each of them for their past accomplishments and look forward with great optimism to the ways they will continue to spread the message of mindfulness, kindness and love.”

The event is free and open to the entire Thiel College community, but attendees must RSVP.

• RSVP online.

Rich Parker ’82 presentation launches this year’s Ruth Miller seminar

Rich Parker ’82 offered many lessons to the first Ruth Miller Senior Business Seminar on Jan. 9. He talked about the difficulties he had finding his footing at Thiel College and the professional hurdles he overcame after graduating. Students were grateful for his message and absorbed many lessons from his talk.

“Work hard: If you keep pushing and make goals for yourself you can do whatever in life you desire. Ask for the job: At the end of every interview, you should ask for the job. Find the job you love: Mr. Parker told us to never settle if it is not what you want.”—Brianna Gibbs ’19

“All-in-all, I really enjoyed Rich’s story and greatly appreciated it. There were a lot of things that I could relate to from his story especially that I am an athlete and so was Rich. There were many beneficial things I was able to take away from his story and I am very glad I had the opportunity to hear it.”—Nick Fowkes ’19

“For our dinner, we learned proper etiquette to use in a business setting. This was a great time that I spent networking and eating with wonderful individuals. Now that I know how to act, what to order and conversation points. I believe that I am better prepared for a real-life situation.”—Diana Sileshi ’19

“Follow your passion—the rest will follow. If you don’t like your current job, look for other opportunities within the company. Ask for the job at the end of an interview. Accept help – it can be the difference between success and failure.”—Terri Eddy ’19

“Rich began by telling his recruitment by football coaches to various Division 3 football programs. The reason he chose Thiel was because Thiel had the only coach that told Rich ‘I will teach you how to play the position. I will give you all the tools you need to be the best player you can be. It’s up to you if you want to start.’ Rich became a successful football player during his time a Thiel.”—Joshua Zinsmeister ’19

The Phoenix accepting submissions for spring publication

Thiel College’s creative journal, The Phoenix, is accepting submissions for the spring edition. All artistic submissions will be considered for the front cover contest and the best poem will be featured on the back cover. Both contests will be judged by The Phoenix editorial board.

Submissions are open to faculty, staff and alumni. The deadline for submissions is Monday, Feb. 18.

Submission requirements include:

• Poetry - no more than 10 pages or 15 poems
• Fiction - no more than 7 single-spaced pages
• Artwork - no more than 5 black-and-white pieces
• Photography - no more than 15 black-and-white pictures

The Phoenix is edited and published by Sigma Tau Delta and the Creative Writing: Poetry class.

For more information or to make a submission, contact advisor Mary Theresa Hall, Ph.D. 

Student News

Alpha Chi inducting 11 new members

The Alpha Chi national honor society will induct its new members at a ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday in the David Johnson Memorial Chapel.

Angela Campbell ’19, Matthew Crawford ’20, Elizabeth Grasso ’19, Mariel Hanely ’19, Nancy Hritz ’19, Brittany Jackson ’19, Kristyn Kinner ’19, Grant Milne ’19, Olivia Stone ’20, Xin (Eunice) Tan ’19 and Justin Walter ’19 will be inducted.

Alpha Chi National College Honor Society is an American collegiate honor society recognizing achievements in general scholarship. It has about 300 chapters throughout the United States.

Any students interested in being a peer tutor this semester and missed the first two training sessions can attend a session at noon Tuesday, Jan. 29.

TLC to host another training session for peer tutors

Peer tutoring is for Thiel College students who enjoy helping other Thiel students, have an aptitude in specific subjects and/or courses or who would like work experience to put on their resume.

A one-hour training session for new tutors is mandatory and will be conducted by The Learning Commons staff in the TLC classroom, located on the first floor of the Langenheim Memorial Library at noon Tuesday, Jan. 29.

For more information, contact Barb Samson at ext. 2077. 

Students who would like to be a tutor but cannot attend the training session should contact Samson.

Etc.

Tomcat Tributes

Tomcat Tributes recognize the teamwork Thiel College employees exhibit each day. Employees can nominate co-workers for recognition in four categories (Random Act of Kindness, Going the Extra Mile, Had a Great Idea, Just Because).

• To nominate a fellow employee, visit the Campus Resources link on the Thiel Hub.

Publishing Schedule

T-Notes is published weekly. It arrives Wednesday afternoons. The next edition will be out Jan. 23, 2019. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, Jan. 21 to be published in that week’s edition.

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