Thiel Happenings

Thiel neuroscience, health systems double major attended international biomedical program

Madeleine White ’25, of Pittsburgh, a health system and neuroscience double major and member of the Dietrich Honors Institute, traveled to the University of Bristol in England to participate in their International Biomedical Sciences Research Summer School.

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Thiel College directors presented at National Honors Council conference in Chicago

Thiel College Professor of History and the Kenneth ’31 and Marianna Brown ’32 Dietrich Honors Institute Chair Sheila Nowinski, Ph.D. and the former Director of the Langenheim Memorial Library Tressa Snyder presented at the National Collegiate Honors Council’s 2023 conference in Chicago late this past year.

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Tuesday is the first TNT of the spring

Each semester, Thiel News Time gatherings are an opportunity to meet as a community and share information as we work together to advance the College. TNT sessions take place on Tuesdays during community hours when no classes are scheduled allowing faculty to attend together with the College’s staff.

Spring TNTs begin at 11 a.m. in the Sawhill Georgian Room of the Howard Miller Student Center on

• February 27
• March 19
• April 30

Special edition Thiel Forums to cover career topics and online courses

The second installment of the Thiel Forum: Special Edition will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, February 22 in Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center. There will be a presentation by Liza Schaef, the Director of the Career Development Center, and then a follow up informal discussion on online classes led by Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Greg Q. Butcher, Ph.D.

• Liza Schaef will present "The Skills that Pay the Bills: Connecting the NACE Competencies into Coursework"

• As a follow-up to prior sessions that provided an overview of the NACE Competencies (Skills that Pay the Bills) and incorporating the Skills that Pay the Bills into Student Employment, we can now consider ways to include the NACE Competencies into coursework and syllabi.

• Discussion on online classes --> The online classes topic was earlier discussed at the January 2024 Thiel Forum: Special Edition and this session will continue that conversation. NOTE: You DO NOT NEED to have been present in January to be able to contribute to this discussion - all are welcome!

Oo and Hanneman leading webinar on Creating an Inclusive Campus Environment

Assistant Dean for Student Engagement Than Oo and Associate Dean for Academic Success Jared Hanneman, Ph.D. are offering a presentation for all faculty and staff on the topic of “Creating an Inclusive Campus Environment” at 11 a.m. Thursday, February 29 in Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center. This is the second presentation in our ongoing series of curated webinars that are given by the Belong learning community, which is part of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) member institutions and the Association of College & University Educators (ACUE). This event is open to all faculty and staff.

The goal in these presentations is to provide specific practical recommendations that community members can incorporate into their daily work with students and colleagues. We provide the requisite context and grounding in the relevant DEIB concepts, but the emphasis is primarily on actionable strategies.

Student News

Alumni couple share their stories, from Thiel and their lives together to their successful careers

Kelly (Zahniser) ’97 and Jasen Diley ’97 were the featured speakers at the February 14 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. Kelly is the Owner/Therapist at Pathways NWPA in Edinboro, Pa., and Jasen is the President of Medical Associates of Erie (a subsidiary of LECOM Health).

• Read all the student comments
• See the list of guest speakers

“He shared how he came to Thiel, having been recruited for football. Unsure of his career path, he was advised by Dr. Hunchuk to explore different classes to find what fit him best. Eventually, he decided to pursue business administration and sociology as his majors.” Hailey McClain ’24

“Jasen’s father wanted him to be a nurse but after two weeks of classes, he knew it wasn’t for him. He liked business and sociology, so he wanted to dual major.” Nick DiLullo ’24

“Kelly spoke first, with a theme of flexibility present in her talk. Starting off as an accounting major she would eventually switch to the much more interesting major of psychology (I’m not biased).” Geroge Tice ’24

Lessons Learned

• “Stay in touch with your classmates from Thiel.” Madi Yurich ’24
• “Flexibility can lead to more opportunities.” George Tice ’24
• “Find value at every job you work at, even if it is not the job you want to pursue long term.” Julianne Slagle ’24
• "Even if it's a job you don't like, draw something from that experience." Jacara Green ’25
• “Short-term sacrifices for long-term gains are worth it.” Nick DiLullo ’24

Dinner Dishing

• “Dinner was great! We had great conversations about building our career and how you can have a career and love what you are doing.” Taya Sykes ’24