A leading voice to eliminate global prejudice and intolerance and a former candidate for Pennsylvania Governor Laura E. Ellsworth, J.D. will be given an honorary degree and be the speaker for Thiel College’s 150th Commencement Exercises at 11 a.m. May 12 in the William A. Passavant Memorial Center.
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The Thiel College Office of Communications and Marketing was recently recognized for a strategic communication collaboration with the Department of Athletics by a regional communications organization.
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Thiel College Assistant Professor of History Jay Donis, Ph.D. hosted the campus community and external speakers to join his students as he discussed the complicated nature of protests as part of his class Protests in American History on Friday.
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Thiel College celebrates its 150th Commencement Exercises this weekend, recognizing both Class of 2024 undergraduates and Master of Business Administration and Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates.
Saturday, May 11
7 p.m. Baccalaureate Service, David Johnson Memorial Chapel
Sunday, May 12
For more information click the link below to the 2024 Commencement Page
The Thiel College community is invited to the groundbreaking festivities for the Spence Academic Center at 3 p.m. Friday. Dan Spence and his family will be joining the Board of Trustees for this special occasion. As the renovation of the largest academic space on campus begins, the College is grateful for the Board’s commitment and Dan Spence’s generosity to this important project.
The groundbreaking program will be followed by a reception in the library. Celebrate the end of finals this week and the beginning of the Spence Center renovations by attending this event.
To RSVP email Cindy McClelland or call 724-589-2160.
The Wellness Committee’s spring slimdown group of 10 lost a grand total of 68 pounds through our challenge.
The winner lost 16 pounds.
Tennis coach Anthony Kobak and the Thiel Tennis teams fulfilled all 18 requests for used tennis balls from various Thiel College faculty and staff. For example, Cindy McCelland, Office of College Advancement, requested tennis balls for her three dogs - Lexie (an Australian Shepherd), Abby (a Border Collie) and a Diesel (a Boxer). (Lexie and Diesel pictured on left; Abby (not pictured) was hiding her tennis ball.) Also, Jean Carr, Manager of ComDoc DocuCenter and Heritage Days Committee Chairperson, was given 40 tennis balls to use for children’s activities at the upcoming Greenville Heritage Days in July.
Thiel Tennis also reached out to various local organizations. St. Paul’s Senior Living Community was contacted and student-athletes from both teams delivered over 100 tennis balls to the therapy department last week. Wendy Vaughn, Director of Volunteer Services and Life Enrichment said, “We will be making good use of the tennis balls for safety and ease of use applications on therapy gym equipment and residents' personal walkers, etc. The balls will suit our needs well for quite some time.”
Thiel Tennis teammates also delivered 75 balls to Strayhaven Animal Shelter. Above from left to right Mo Gerber’24, Bret Vilage ’27, Mei Williams’23 MBA’24 and Payton Blankenbeckley ’24 with Angel.
Cindy Underwood ’88 and James Carter ’95 were the featured speakers at the May 1 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar, which was the final class of the year. Underwood and Carter are partners in the consulting firm C&J Financial Foundations in Pittsburgh, Pa.
“For our final class of the semester, we were fortunate to have two speakers, Cindy Underwood ’88 and James Carter ’95, join us. Their presentation began with an interactive exercise aimed at demonstrating finding common ground and improving interpersonal connections.” Emma Hatfield ’25
“Cindy Underwood and James Carter spoke to the class about their own professional careers and then how their partnership came about. They were both very humorous and brought a lot of liveliness into their speeches. I enjoyed their personalities, and they were a wonderful close to this course.” Hailey McClain ’24
“Cindy's athletic ability brought her to Thiel to play basketball, where she became the all-time leading rebounder and was inducted into the Thiel Athletics Hall of Fame.” Jackson Pletcher ’24
“While at the IRS, she did undercover for a while and even fronted as an exotic dancer on one of the tax returns. She was also briefly on the presidential detail but said it was not that exciting because she just got to guard a garbage can.” Abigail Sefton ’25
“James shared his journey next, highlighting his college experience and career. Initially at Thiel for football, he described the college as having chosen him. Despite starting as an engineering major, James struggled with calculus and realized it wasn't the right fit. Contemplating leaving college, an admissions counselor suggested he explore accounting, which he found intriguing. By the third day of classes, James was certain he had found his calling.” Emma Hatfield ’25
“After college, he worked in construction in Pittsburgh, but he has also held a lot of jobs since then. He has worked in banks, healthcare, the legal system, a cemetery, he has been a football coach, and he has even worked at an ice cream truck. He also prides himself on doing the books for his sister-in-law’s small business, which provides a home for people with disabilities. Overall, he believes that he has taken away a learning experience from each job.” Madi Yurich ’24
“Thiel is important, and you do not realize it until you go out into the world.” Abigail Sefton ’25
Lessons Learned
Dinner Dishing
Epilogue
On Thursday, April 25, members of the Thiel College soccer and wrestling teams volunteered at the annual Greenville Lion’s Club Pancake and Sausage Day at the local K of C.
Last week, Thiel College's Instagram account featured members of the Thiel community and some of their volunteer causes.
The Operations Management class made their final operational plan presentation to CEO Alec Miller ’13 and CFO Lee Totten ’14, of Hurricane Venture, on Friday, April 26, 2024. The plan consisted of three parts based on the directives to assist in the growth of this start-up company.
Abraham Hochstetler ’24 was the project manager responsible for the overall completion of the project and directing the efforts of the three team leaders and their teams. Nick Janidlo ’24 was the team leader of the filter manufacturing process team consisting of Dillon Belknap ’25, Andrew Brandon ’24, Kevin Gilroy ’25, Caden Loutzenhiser ’25, Katherine Smith ’25, and Shamod Hatton ’24. Their team was to develop an improvement of the work flow, the optimization of manufacturing and improve overall efficiency.
Jordan Lang ’24 was the team leader of inventory team with an assistant team leader Casey Yacos ’25 with Madalyn Russell ’25, Aidan Ochs ’25, Ethan Cooper ’25 and Jacara Green ’24. This team focused on improvement of the inventory structure regarding raw goods, work-in-process and finished goods. The team has also looked at inventory software packages, and supply chain and warehouse management software and the cost-benefit analysis for the most effective approach.
Nick DiLullo ’24 directed the activities of the 3PL (third party logistics providers) team which includes Zachary Bergstresser ’25, Joshua Govannucci ’25, Dakota King ’25, Chris Slaven ’25 and Baylee Young ’24. The team developed a plan for Hurricane to become a third party logistics provider by securing quotations from six different providers, along with a cost-benefit analysis to assist in determining the utilization of the best system.
As of the presentation, the three teams met their individual goals for the executive team at Hurricane Venture.
TC’s Health, Wellness & Safety Notes
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but prioritizing mental health is essential year-round..
An individual’s mental health—how one thinks, feels and acts—can change over time due to various factors. Mental illnesses are some of the most common health conditions in the United States. While 1 in 5 adults experiences mental illness each year, less than half of them receive treatment.
The stigma around mental health and treatment has long existed, but fortunately, it’s becoming less of a taboo topic.
If you know someone who is experiencing a mental illness, be supportive, validate what they are going through and
minimize judgment about seeking help.
HR Notes
Thiel College welcomes
And says farewell to
Retirement planning available
Participants of the Thiel College Retirement Plan can meet with independent Retirement Plan Advisor Jack Ryan from HB Retirement for retirement planning needs through conference calls and virtual meetings. His office hours can be selected below.
Ryan is available for phone or Zoom calls on May 16, 21, and 30
Ryan can assist you with questions regarding:
Baccalaureate Service
May 11 from 7–9 p.m.
David Johnson Memorial Chapel
Graduating seniors will be celebrated in a baccalaureate service. Students will reflect on their time at Thiel, in a service with readings, music and ritual. This year’s theme is “The Flow of Life’s Call.”
Senior Bonfire
May 11 from 8–11 p.m.
Lower campus
Post Baccalaureate service bonfire and gathering.
150th Commencement Exercises
May 12 at 11 a.m.
William A. Passavant Memorial Center
Graduating seniors will be celebrated during the 150th Commencement Exercises.
Tax Saving Tips
May 16 at 6:30 p.m.
Anderson Fellowship Hall in The Heritage at St. Paul's, 339 East Jamestown Road, Greenville, Pa.
Accountant Robert Sherbondy and Director of Planned Giving Community Foundation of W PA and Eastern Ohio Amy Atkinson will cover minimizing capital gains tax, maxing out retirement contributions, annual gift tax exclusion, HSAs and FSAs, tax savings through charitable giving and more. An open Q & A session will follow presentation.
For those not comfortable attending in person, there will also be a virtual option through Zoom.
Reservations are recommended. Please register here. Or call 724-589-4667 and select option 7.
Grapes and Growlers Sponsored By Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce
May 18 from 4-7 p.m.
The Bistro, Howard Miller Student Center
General admission is $25 per person. Food will be available for purchase.
For more information or to purchase tickets contact Mark Batt ’87 at ext. 2157.
St. Paul's Color Me Happy 5K
June 1 at 9 a.m.
St. Paul's, 339 East Jamestown Road, Greenville, Pa.
St. Paul’s is hosting a color run 5K.
$20 fee per race participant includes official 5K Race packet (Race map, runner’s bib, and race t-shirt).
For more information, contact Cindy Yeager at 724-588-9613 ext. 1312.
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).
Nominee: John Hauser ’71 H’20
Nominator: Mike Mason
Comment: “John has always been an avid supporter of the Thiel College Veteran Community and I just wanted to recognize and thank him for his thoughtful donation to purchase this year’s official Thiel College Veteran shirts. John, from all TC Veterans, we greatly appreciate your support!”
Publishing Schedule
T-Notes is published every week during the academic year. It arrives Wednesday afternoons. The next edition will be out May 15, 2024. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, May 13, 2024 to be published in that week’s edition.
Submit updates and news
The Office of Communications and Marketing is always looking for good content that can be featured in the weekly staff newsletter (T-Notes), the student newsletter (Thiel Happenings), the website Newsroom or on social media.
Please send any information about you, your students, your department or your colleagues to Dominick DiRienzo M.A.’22.
Information about anything your department is featuring this year, any faculty accomplishments or student activity.
These updates do not have to meet a “newsworthiness” standard and do not have to be things that you are specifically doing or hosting.
If you have any questions, contact DiRienzo at ext. 2188.
Communications collateral
Employees should update the logos used on institutional materials, including email signatures, letterhead, PowerPoint slides, etc.
Thiel College has used the shield and wordmark combination as the official institutional logo for more than a year. They are the only approved logo for academic co-curricular and institutional use. Additional athletic logo packages are also available.
Email signatures, brand resources, and a job request form are all available online. A Dropbox folder has been set up with instructions and the materials necessary to create new email signatures. Employees can find other Thiel College-branded resources including letterhead, logos and PowerPoint slides in the same folder.
Thiel College community members who need help with communications and marketing initiatives and collateral can now request those services with a job form. The request form is available on the communications and marketing webpage or linked directly below.
For more information, email the office.
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