Thiel Happenings

‘Free Hugs Guy’ and Soul Food Feast highlight Black History Month events at Thiel College

The Organization of Black Collegiates at Thiel College will host “Free Hugs Guy” Ken Nwadike Jr. as a speaker and their annual Soul Food Feast highlighting a list of Black History Month events.

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Thiel women’s cross country named national all-academic team

The Thiel College women's cross country team was named a 2021 NCAA Division III All-Academic Team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association last week.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Thiel College celebrating high school media teachers and Pittsburgh public radio figure

Thiel College honored a suburban Pittsburgh high school media teacher and decorated and accomplished Pittsburgh radio host at its media and communication event on Friday, Feb. 18.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Register for Office suite workshops

A series of workshops aimed at increasing staff and faculty fluency in Microsoft applications will be held this spring. Each session will last approximately 1 hour and will provide hands-on experience of each system discussed.  Due to limited seating and to allow for a more personalized experience, separate registrations must be completed for each session. 

MS 365, including OneDrive
Wednesday, February 23 from 11 a.m. to noon
Data Analytics lab (Science Connector)

Microsoft 365 is the modern version of the Microsoft Office suite, includes web-based access to the standard Microsoft Office applications: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote in addition to OneDrive file storage.  During this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to access MS 365 and create, store, and share files using OneDrive.

• Register online  MS 365, including OneDrive Workshop Registration

Surveys:  Qualtrics, MS Forms, Wufoo 
Wednesday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to noon
Data Analytics lab (Science Connector)

Many offices across campus use a variety of surveys and forms to collect data.  During this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the basics differences between the 3 most common data collections systems used by the college:  Qualtrics, MS Forms, and Wufoo.              

• Register online  Surveys Workshop Registration

Hosting TEAMS/ZOOM meetings
Wednesday, April 27 from 11 a.m.- noon
Data Analytics lab (Science Connector)

Learn how to schedule a meeting, manage participants and other basics tools using Zoom and Teams, both of which are available at an institutional level to all Thiel employees.

• Register online Hosting Zoom/Teams Meetings Workshop Registration

Getting started with Excel
Tuesday, May 24, Wednesday, May 25, and Thursday, May 26 from 11 a.m. - noon
Data Analytics lab (Science Connector)

Join Kim Braden ’01 and Michelle Lentz for an overview of the basics of Excel and a little beyond.  Gain hands-on experience in creating, formatting and editing spreadsheets. Spreadsheet formulas, graphs, data management functions and macros will also be presented. Skills presented each day of this three-day workshop will build upon each other. Please plan to attend all three days for the most effective experience. 

• Register online Excel Workshop Registration

N95 masks available for employees to wear while working

The College is making N95 masks available to any employee wishing to wear one while working.  If you would like a mask, please stop by the Campus Health Center Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The health center is located on the lower level of the Howard Miller Student Center.

Student News

TLC recognizes Extraordinary Effort students for February

Dahlia Jacks ’22 and Brittany Moon ’22 were awarded the TLC Extraordinary Effort awards for the month of February.

Jacks, of Springfield, Ohio, is a senior conservation biology major 

Moon, of Sandy Lake, Pa., is a senior criminal justice major.

The FHC ‘Thiel Team’ share their thoughts and experiences

Ben Beck ’10, Terra Radaker ’09, Nick Mott ’20, and Matthew O’Connor ’20, all employees of FHC, were the featured speakers at the Feb. 2 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar.  Beck is a procedural support manager. Radaker is a manufacturing support specialist, with Mott and O’Connor both serving as procedural support specialists in the Greenville office of FHC. They all had much to share with the seminar participants about the impact of a Thiel education, the importance of networking, and how hard work, perseverance, and adaptability can lead to success in unexpected ways.

“FHC, Inc. was founded by Dr. Fred Haer ’65, also an alumnus of Thiel College. The speakers began their presentation with an introduction to FHC, its products, and the support services they have for their products. They explained how the devices are produced in Greenville and that the support, either remote or onsite, is provided to hospitals and surgeons regardless of time or location.” Owen Sa ’22

“FHC is a company which makes products to use for various therapies involving movement disorders. Some of these disorders are Parkinson’s, essential tremors, epilepsy, etc. FHC has been serving neurosurgery and neuroscience communities for more than 45 years. The company is located right here in Greenville and the products they make are truly amazing.” Emily Sears ’22

“The presentation overall was very informative; it was interesting to learn about the devices and their jobs. It is not every day that you hear about a device created to aid neurosurgery being created in little Greenville, Pa.” Abigail Cico ’22

“It is very ironic that no one in the group has a degree that specifically pertains to the job they do. Ben has a degree in fine arts, Terra has a degree in criminal justice, Nick has a degree in business management and administration, and Matt has a degree in information systems. However, this does not hinder them from doing their jobs in the slightest and I find that very fascinating.” Dan Myers ’22

“This presentation made me more open-minded to look at jobs not necessarily in my field of study, but to use what I know and have learned in considering my future opportunities.” Logan Long ’22

“I enjoyed how each of them came up and told their own story. Even though each was unique in their own way, they all made their way to this company through connections.” Maddison Neely ’22

“Nick just recently graduated, and he talked about how his connections from Thiel, and especially from this specific class, gave him the opportunity to work at FHC. Matthew also just graduated from Thiel, and he explained that his connection with Nick is how he got into FHC.”  Brycen Dorfmeister ’22

“The reason these things stick out to me is because it shows that we shouldn’t sell ourselves short and think we can’t learn, work, or do something that’s completely new and has many challenges. If we put the time, dedication, and hard work towards something then we can accomplish it.” Adonis Scriven ’22

“Both Mott and O’Connor noted that it is a rewarding experience to help solve issues with products that are helping people. They realize that this product is helping change people’s lives for the positive and it’s remarkable to see just how much of an impact this one product can have.” Kate Sollers ’22

“I learned a very valuable lesson during this presentation, and it was that you can do everything correctly and something will still go wrong during the process. I can connect this to my own business because I can always go the extra mile for a client or make a small adjustment at the end of the job.” John Retton ’22

“I liked the quote by Matt O’Connor, “You can do everything right and things can still go wrong.” While he was referring specifically to his job, I think that this quote can relate to a lot of different areas in our lives.” Trey Williams ’22

Lessons Learned

• “Life is interdisciplinary.” Abigail Cico ’22
• “Thiel’s education is interdisciplinary, meaning it can be applied to multiple things and it is what you put into it.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’22
• “Do not limit yourself to a job that is associated with your degree. Get out there and try something new.” Maddison Neely ’22

• “There is no harm in admitting you do not know something, rather more importantly you are willing to find out the answer or ask someone who is more experienced and knowledgeable.” Owen Sa ’22
• “Even if everything seems right, there are still things that may go wrong and as problem solvers, you need to be ready for anything.” Kate Sollers ’22
• “Don’t give up!  To paraphrase Matt “You can do everything right and things can still go wrong!” Angela Sorg ’23
• “Networking can be one of the biggest takeaways, it’s how opportunities arise.” Madeline DePalma ’22

Dinner ‘Dishing’

• “Dinner was a delightful experience as many topics were discussed over a garden salad starter, pork loin in bacon main, and a decadent groundhog chocolate cake.” Owen Sa ’22
• “I even tried salad, which still to this day I cannot stomach.” Dan Myers ’22
• “Lastly, we had a groundhog cake inspired by Groundhog Day! The cake was very thick and rich with an oatmeal and espresso aftertaste!” John Ganiear ’22
• “I did not attend dinner, but I heard I missed a good one!” Emily Sears ’22