Thiel Happenings

The winners of Thiel College’s 2023 Business Professional of the Year Award and Business Mentor of the Year Award will be recognized at a special awards presentation and luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 31 in the Sawhill Georgian Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

Former Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and Thiel College alumnus Mark A. Nordenberg ’70 H’97 will deliver the inaugural Professor David M. Miller ’61 H’20 Distinguished Lecture at 7 p.m. April 12 in the College’s Lutheran Heritage Room.

Campus teamwork brings down dome in record time

Vice President for Student Life and Athletics Mike McKinney, Ed.D. ’02 sent a message to campus on the completion of taking the Rissell-Schreyer Dome on Tuesday.

“On behalf of our Athletics and Facilities departments, I want to offer a very sincere thank you to everyone who helped in taking down the dome today. We had a great turnout, and it was wonderful having help from so many different departments on campus. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and having more involvement, we were able to complete the project in record time (6.5 hours)!

I also want to recognize the many student-athletes who participated between their classes and numerous other commitments. Thiel is so very fortunate to have such a wonderful group of student-athletes, and I encourage everyone to make a point to acknowledge their collective efforts when interacting with student-athletes this week.”

Langenheim Library update: Children's Literature Room

Langenheim Memorial Library Director Tressa Snyder updated campus about the Children's Literature Room project. In the last two years, conversations have been had with members of the departments of English and Education regarding materials in the Children's Literature Room, courses taught and curriculum support. 

Below are some highlights of the changes and updates made:

• Purchase of new materials using American Library Association Award winning lists (including traditional lists such as Newbery and Caldecott and newer award winners promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the areas of culture, LGBTQ+, race, and religion). The last 8 years of award winners were purchased totaling approximately $4,000.00 and have been infused into the collection.
• New directional signage and organization in the space (separation of picture books, juvenile books, Young Adult, and Graphic Novels).
• Changes in call numbers for ease of use and access, and bringing together book series and grouping authors correctly.
• Addition of the Graphic Novel collection with spine labels.
• Labeling and organizing of Young Adult books as a category.
• Marrying of the Education Department's former library and the Thiel Library's collections.
• Physical labor, discussion of logistics, and curricular needs with Brenda Delmaramo and Librarians.

Snyder invites the campus community to check out the space and collection. Snyder thanked Debbie Brown, Michelene Orteza and Brenda Delmaramo for their knowledge, expertise and collaboration on this ongoing project in the message.

Partnership between Thiel and Greenville Senior Center leads to “Tech Talks”

A partnership between the Greenville Senior Center and Thiel College has led to a series of “tech talks” for Greenville area seniors. The final installment is April 18.

Emily Rowe, Director of the Greenville Senior Center, contacted Michelle Lentz, Thiel College’s Instructional Technologist, to see if the College's staff and students could help local seniors to learn more about the technology available to them on their personal devices.

Students from Associate Professor of Psychology and Department Chair Natalie Homa, Ph.D.’s Lifespan Development class and Mike Mason, Assistant Director of IT Operations have provided two 30-minute sessions Technology Talks at the Greenville Senior Center.

During these sessions, general information on the possible uses of technology (particularly mobile devices) is provided. After a general introduction, the students and seniors are paired together so that the students can assist with questions and needs that the senior may have about their device. Topics covered vary each session but include the importance of system updates, texting, FaceTime/Video calls, and the use of QR Codes in addition to some helpful hints regarding cybersecurity.

Common Hour proposals being accepted for next year

The Campus Lifestyle Committee is accepting proposals for programs to be included during the 2023-24 Common Hour series.

• Online proposal form.

If you have an idea for a speaker, topic, or event, please complete this form for the committee's consideration. Please send questions to Than Oo.

Student News

FAFSA filing contest for students

Students who have successfully filed a 2023-24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid with EFC determination on or before April 28 will be entered into a drawing for a $200 book voucher.

Winner will be drawn on May 3 and will receive a $200 credit to the E-Campus Book Store.

Appointments can be made with any of the Financial Aid staff to assist with FAFSA completion.

For more information, contact Michelle Work at ext. 2116.

Quarterman shares his thoughts and advice on leadership and management styles students

Antonio Quarterman, Ed.D. ’08 was the featured speaker at the March 22 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. Antonio is an Advancement Officer at the University of Pittsburgh and is a member of the Thiel College Board of Trustees.

“Antonio Quarterman, a Thiel graduate of the class of 2008, spoke at our seminar this week. He is from St. Petersburg, Florida, and he did not even visit Thiel before committing. He had a scholarship at another school that had fallen through, so Thiel’s football coach insisted that he came here.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Being from Florida originally and coming to Thiel was a culture shock for him. He shared with us that on the ride from the Youngstown airport to Thiel, he saw farms for the first time in his life.” Tyler Zere ’23

“While at Thiel, he played on the football team. He was a talented defensive back and, in his time here, the Tomcats never experienced a losing season.” Tyler Zere ’23

“Antonio graduated from Thiel College majoring in political science. When he was almost finished at Thiel and preparing to go to law school, he found out that he did not want to become a lawyer, but he didn’t know where to go. Antonio ended up working in the Student Life Office at Thiel with Mike McKinney.” Amy Jackson ’23

“He went to school to become a lawyer, but he realized that was not what he wanted to do. Thiel helped him figure out what he wanted to do and transition into a new career where he works with students.” Emily Grandy ’23

“Antonio’s first job was as a Resident Director in Bane Hall at Thiel College. He oversaw the people on his floor and made sure that the living situation for each Tomcat was safe and successful. While being on the student affairs staff, he mentioned that being consistent with every student was very important.” Asher Patton ’23

“Antonio’s presentation was a little different than most we have experienced, but it was still very good. I appreciated his approach to telling us what he liked about each one of his managers rather than talking about his successes. I think it gave us a better idea of how to be successful from examples in the real world that he has experienced in his career.” Ian Yahner ’24

“The rest of his speech was focused on different types of leaders that he has had the experience of working with, and with each of those examples, he gave advice on how to best navigate those types of bosses.” Allison Walsh ’24

“Dr. Antonio Quarterman expressed the positives and negatives of various leadership styles, and he backed them up with examples of his bosses. He stayed at Thiel post-graduation, working in the student life office. He categorized his boss at Thiel, Mike McKinney, as a servant leader. Mike put everyone else’s needs before his own, and he encouraged everyone to reach their own potential.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

“He identified his first leader as being a servant leader. This type of leader puts the needs of others first. The second type of leader that he experienced was called a transactional leader. This leader is more concerned with efficacy than making universal change. Everything with this leader is based around metrics and data. The third leader was a transformative leader. This is the type of leader who thinks that they know everything; they are full of arrogance. They push everyone to the limit and constantly challenge others. The fourth type of leadership that he experienced was authoritarian leader. He doesn’t recommend this type of leadership, as this leader does not trust anyone to do their job and makes changes. They don’t understand teamwork as they don’t value everyone. His last experience with a leader was a delegate leader; this is a hands-off leadership style.” Emily Grandy ’23

“During the presentation, he tried to teach us a lesson by explaining what to do, and what not to do, as learned from the supervisors he met at work. He summarized, in one word, what he had learned from them as a leader, and he constantly self-objectified what kind of leadership he should have while evaluating the decisions of the supervisor he had previously met.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

“Mr. Quarterman taught us that there are only two ways to learn. One of them is to observe ‘what to do’ in the job field of one’s choice, and the other is to observe ‘what not to do’ in the work environment.” Asher Patton ’23

“Quarterman mentioned something specific about each of us from what he had learned while talking to us before or during dinner. I thought this showed how personable he was, and I believe he picked that quality up from one of his mentors, Prof. David Miller, who he mentioned doing the same thing.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

“As all the speakers have, he stressed the importance of networking and connections. He said that he got all his jobs through the connections that he had, and the connections of those connections. I have definitely learned that networking is valuable through this class.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Another lesson that I learned was that not everyone is a great leader. They might have a title to be a leader, but that does not give them control over your life.” Asher Patton ’23

“The phrase, ‘Life is not your work,’ was one of ways to understand the whole iceberg. Work is part of you but keeping a balance between life and work makes you work harder in the long run.” Seoyeon Choo ’23

“Mr. Quarterman is still very involved with Thiel; he is on the Board of Trustees, the alumni board, and has never missed a homecoming.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Mr. Quarterman’s presentation was definitely a memorable one, and I hope he comes back to the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar in the future!” Allison Walsh ’24

Lessons Learned

• “Start contributing to a retirement plan sooner rather than later.” Amy Jackson ’23
• “Try to be as transparent as possible.” Matthew Castles ’23
• “Meet people where they are and adapt your leadership style to fit your team.” Allison Walsh ’24
• “Treat everyone like they are the CEO of the company.” Ian Yahner ’24
• “It’s important to understand how your task fits into the bigger picture of the company that you’re working for.” Inseo Chong ’23
• “Don’t make your life about work.” Emily Grandy ’23
• “Your job and your profession are just a piece of who you are; not who you are.” Inseo Chong ’23
• “Take in every moment while you are still here.” Amy Jackson ’23
• “Ask about work-life balance in an interview.” Emily Grandy ’23
• “Order your cap and gown!” Amy Jackson ’23
• “Be nice to everyone.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

Dinner “Dishing”

• “Dinner Wednesday was very good; I was pleasantly surprised with the menu Tyler chose. I have never had lemony pasta before, so that was cool to try. The dessert was my favorite part; it is probably in my top five favorite desserts so far.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “I can never get enough of chocolate mousse. It is definitely becoming one of my favorite desserts to eat.” Emily Grandy ’23
• “I enjoyed tonight’s dinner. Tyler organized it, and it was a great Italian dinner. As always, the dinner conversation was truly enjoyable. When I go back to Korea, I think I will miss this dinner conversation, so the moment felt so precious.” Seoyeon Choo ’23
• “Dinner was fantastic. I was fortunate enough to be the dinner concierge and was able to serve everyone the foods that I grew up eating. I was also fortunate enough to sit with Antonio; he made great conversation and shared great advice with me regarding my future career.” Tyler Zere ’23

Student worker spotlight

Academic Resource Center (ARC) student workers Jordan Wilhoit ’26 and Morgan Wood ’23, along with Erin Bain, Coordinator of the ARC. Jordan and Morgan are always welcoming students and ready to help out in the ARC.

Student worker supervisors are encouraged to highlight their employees by sending a photo of students doing their great work to pr@thiel.edu.

Lambda Sigma inducts 17 students

Seventeen new members of the Rho chapter of Lambda Sigma Society at Thiel College were inducted on Sunday, March 26. Lambda Sigma Society is the national honor society for second-year students.

Inductees (in alphabetical order) are Toby Atwood ’26 (President); Mila Anne Brdar ’26; James Cromwell-Young ’25 (Vice President); Jordan Fiorentini ’26 (Service Chair); Josie Klaire Gadsby ’26 (Treasurer); Blake Gibson ’26 (SGA Rep); Brooke Elizabeth Griffith ’26 (Secretary); Megan A. Harding ’26 (Fundraising Chair); Mitchell Mason ’25; Madalyn Bella Moore ’26 (Co-Ritual Chair); Aiden Ochs ’25; Makenna Oswalt ’25; Cole Sherwin ’26; Maddie Shirey ’26 (Parliamentarian); Hayden William Tucker ’26; Taryn Vergnola ’26; and Zackery James Welker ’26 (Co-Ritual Chair).

Anna Reinsel, Ph.D. ’06 and John Hauser ’71 H’20 are the advisors for Lambda Sigma.