Thiel Happenings

Thiel College students attend NECU student leaders conference in Chicago

Thiel College senior biology major Darshell Daniel ’25 and sophomore biology major Laci McCloe ’27 attended the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities All Student Leaders Summit in Chicago recently.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Thiel History Professor addresses conference on origins of War for American Independence

Thiel College Assistant Professor of History Jay Donis, Ph.D. presented this summer at a two-day conference on the Revolutionary War held at George Mason’s Gunston Hall, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society and George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Thiel College chapter of Kappa Sigma hosts fifth annual stair climb in honor of 9/11

Members of the Greenville community joined the brothers of Kappa Sigma fraternity and Thiel College students, faculty and staff for the fifth annual 9/11 stair climb at Alumni Stadium.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Thiel College announces promotion of four faculty members to full professor

Thiel College has announced the promotion of four faculty members to the rank of full professor. The promotions recognize their academic contributions and service to the College.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Homecoming will be here soon

Join members of the Thiel College community to celebrate 100 years of Tomcats during Homecoming happening September 26-29.

• Read the full schedule.

Kick off the weekend by joining National Thiel Spirit Day on Thursday, September 26. Alumni from around the region and country will submit photos in Thiel gear while on campus the community will meet on Stoeber Field at 12:40 p.m. for a group photo on the new turf.

On Saturday, Sept. 28 celebrate with alumni from all over during the 5- and 10-year reunion gatherings. Other cherished traditions include the annual Homecoming Parade and celebrations around campus, including the Alumni Awards Luncheon where Gary Witosky '79 will receive an honorary degree.

For more information, contact David Hummel ’83.

Student of the Month nominations open

Faculty and staff members recently received an email with information about nominating a Student of the Month. The deadline to nominate a student is midnight Sunday, Sept. 22.

Please participate in this program that provides well-deserved recognition for seniors (>88 earned credit hours) who have completed at least four semesters from any academic department or program at Thiel College.

• Student-of-the Month Program Fall Nominations

Eligible students are listed HERE

From this list, nominations may be made by members of the faculty, staff, and administration. Final selection is determined by a committee based on criteria listed HERE, which are derived primarily from the Mission Statement of Thiel College.

Multiple students can be nominated by completing THIS form as many times as necessary.

RSVP to coach Zack Walters.

Underground Railroad Tour available to Thiel community

Assistant Professor of History Jay Donis, Ph.D. has organized a free tour of Underground Railroad sites in Mercer County with a local scholar. The tour will will last from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 and includes lunch.

• Register online.

Space is limited to 40 people. If more than 40 people sign up, priority goes to students in HIST 211 and then based on when you sign up.

Nowinski, Gross speaking at First Thiel Forum

The first Thiel Forum of the Academic Year is at 4 p.m. Thursday, September 26 in Stamm Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center. The Thiel Forums are held on select Thursdays from 4-5 p.m. in the Stamm Lecture Hall. They provide faculty, students, and staff an opportunity to share projects or publications and to discuss their work. Moreover, it provides a wonderful opportunity for collegiality and camaraderie while centered on the academic enterprise. For this first Forum session, there will be two presentations

• Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute, Kenneth ’31 and Marianna Brown ’32 Dietrich Honors Institute Chair and Professor of History Sheila Nowinski, Ph.D. will present on “Everyday Digital Literacy”
  • This presentation introduces a digital literacy unit developed by Nowinski during her sabbatical. This unit, adaptable for use across various college disciplines, equips students with essential skills for navigating the online attention economy. It covers the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace) for evaluating online information, which emphasizes lateral reading and avoiding "cheap signals" of credibility. The presentation outlines effective use of online tools for source verification in everyday and academic contexts. There will be time for a broader discussion on incorporating digital literacy across the curriculum.
• Assistant Professor of English Sheila Gross, Ph.D. ’10 will lead a presentation on The Lectern, Thiel College’s peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal.
  • The Lectern is an academic research journal that highlights the work of Thiel College students from across the disciplines. Submissions may be in a variety of formats including papers, posters, and audio/video presentations. Creativity is encouraged. Submissions are reviewed by a team of undergraduate editors for style, content, and originality. The Lectern is sponsored by the Dietrich Honors Institute at Thiel College and is open to all students. It is dedicated to fostering students’ interest, knowledge, and skills in researching, reviewing, editing, and publishing academic work

Student News

Alumnae graduate from Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science

On Friday, September 6, Professor of Business Administration and Accounting and Chair of the Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting Melissa Oakes ’03 (second from left) attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science graduation ceremony where Sydney R. Bable ’24, Autumn V. Gourley ’24, and Kathryn G. Guerrieri ’24 were each awarded an Associate in Specialized Technology Degree in Funeral Service Arts & Sciences. Oakes presented the graduates their Thiel B.A. in business administration.

What's happening at the TLC: Help students schedule a math tutoring session

The Learning Commons will provide periodic updates and reminders about the services available at the TLC in the Langenheim Memorial Library. It has several math tutoring options for students. Please make students aware of the services availabe including the tutoring schedules as seen below.

Faculty and advisors can download and print the math tutoring schedule and display in their offices or handout to students.

• Download the schedule here.

During math office hours, walk-ins are welcome and no appointments necessary. Check the linked schedule for those times.

Swain shares experiences as non-profit director with entrepreneurship seminar

Katie Swain was the featured speaker for the Entrepreneurship Seminar Class on September 11. Swain is a founder and Executive Director of Brown Horse Projects a non-profit which primarily provides medical services to people living in Haiti.

Kaite Swain runs Brown Horse Project which is a non-profit organization. This company started in 2011 by making inspirational quotes on a shirt, inspired by funny quotes on the shirt. However, hers was to spread positivity through scripture. Emily Ripple ’26

Katie stated that “providing a small amount of encouragement can show love and improve someone’s day”. She then discussed how the Brown Horse Project began. It started off with her and a few others making shirts, which included scripture passages on them. 100% of the profit from each shirt sold was donated to charity. Jordan Lang ’25

Katie’s presentation really put things into perspective for me, we take so much for granted as a country. The average salary here is $55,000, and there it is $500. Her presentation was extremely touching, and I really enjoyed getting to hear her story. Casey Yacos ’25

In 2019, the organization opened a permanent medical clinic in Haiti, treating over 12,000 patients annually. Despite facing challenges such as lack of resources and political instability, they have worked in collaboration with local communities to provide consistent care. Seungwoo Baek ’25

The clinic they set up is fully staffed and is open Monday through Friday, while only charging a small fee of $3.80 per visit. Over the last 5 years their clinic has provided medical services to over 30,000 patients. Jordan Lang ’25

Ms. Swain also highlighted how important it is for supporters to stay connected through newsletters and their website, which keeps everyone updated on their efforts and progress. Yianni Panagiotopoulos ’25

As a nonprofit organization, BHP shows how effective resources can provide essential support to those in need. Minseo Kim ’25

Katie’s strength and resilience stood out to me. When she shared the story behind the name “Brown Horse,” it made me realize that even when everything seems to be falling apart, having a pillar of hope—whatever form that may take—can help you push through the toughest times. Lexi Brown ’26

Her contribution to the world deeply moved me and made me realize how beautiful life can be when help others. Overall, it was a great opportunity to reflect on my future through her story. Jahee Lee ’25

Lessons Learned

• The second thing I learned was regarding challenges that may come up from hosting a company in a foreign country. Katie brought up examples such as language and cultural differences. – Jordan Lang ’25
• You don’t need to do everything yourself, have a support system. Zach Bergstresser ’25
• One thing I learned that really stuck with me is how lucky we truly have it, and how unappreciative we are. The Haitians have close to nothing, and they are still so loving and thankful. Casey Yacos ’25
• Overcoming challenges like language and cultural differences requires patience, empathy, and direct communication. Yeeun Seo ’25
• Volunteers and Donors are key. Yianni Panagiotopoulos ’25
• Do not forget the person sitting in front of you. Lexi Brown ’26
• Building trust with the local community and understanding their culture played a key role in the success of their projects. This showed me how important it is to work together and respect each other’s differences. Seungwoo Baek ’25
• It’s never too late to change your passion. Zach Bergstresser ’25
• Unexpected opportunities can lead to significant growth when you stay open to possibilities and adapt quickly. Yeeun Seo ’25

Dinner Dishing

• For dinner, we had an amazing three-course meal provided by AVI. I was pleasantly surprised with the Beef Bourguignon as I have never tried it before. Zach Bergstresser ’25
• The dinner was absolutely delicious. We started off with a garden salad and rolls with butter. For our main course we were served beef bourguignon with creamy mashed potatoes. Lastly, for dessert we were served a fresh berry pastry with custard. Casey Yacos ’26
• I was especially thankful because she showed genuine interest in us as international students. During dinner, I couldn’t fully understand everything being discussed (due to my English skills), but she was very considerate and made me feel more comfortable by repeating sentences in a simpler way. Jahee Lee ’25