Thiel Happenings

The Thiel College Learning Commons, Accessibility Resource Center, and Counseling Center are hosting a grand opening for the Sensory Studio from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 22. All members of the campus community are encouraged to attend.

Campus radiant in autumn’s glow; Faculty & staff invited to capture the spirit of Thiel College!

The Office of Communications and Marketing is collecting photos that showcase the beauty and spirit of campus life. Director of Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Clark has kicked things off by submitting some wonderful campus shots, and now we invite other faculty and staff members to share their favorite moments!

Whether it’s a stunning landscape, a memorable interaction with students, or even a rare glimpse of the elusive woodchucks that roam campus, we’d love to see what you capture.

📸 Submit your photos to tnotes@thiel.edu and help us highlight the scenes that make Thiel College special!

The Lectern the focus of Thursday’s Thiel Forum

The Thiel Forum is at 4 p.m. Thursday, October 24, in Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center. Assistant Professor of English Sheila Gross, Ph.D. ’10 will present the most recent edition of The Lectern, a peer-reviewed academic research journal that highlights the work of Thiel College students from across disciplines.

As is our tradition, the digital version of the undergraduate research journal was published on thelectern.org on Sept. 26 to mark the beginning of Homecoming. The Lectern team looks forward to presenting the print version and recognizing the published authors on October 24.

The Thiel Choir concert is Oct. 30

The Thiel Choir concert is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 in the David Johnson Memorial Chapel. The performance’s theme is “Dia de los Muertos.” Thiel first-year student Jacob Hoffman ’28 will be accompanying the choir.

The College will also be hosting/featuring the women’s chorus from Canfield High School, called "One Octave Higher," directed by Megan Kalosky.

The concert is free and open to the public. The first half of the concert the Choir is performing Faure’s Requiem and will collaborate with members of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.

Students, faculty and staff invited to share their first-generation experience

In preparation for national first-generation day on November 8, which is a call to celebrate students, faculty and staff who are the first in their immediate family to pursue a four-year undergraduate degree, the Office of Communications and Marketing will be collecting testimonials at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 in the Bistro.

The testimonials from attendees can be about their experiences as first-generation students or what it means to them to be the first in their family to be in college. Participants who share a testimonial and have their photo taken will be entered into a drawing for a $20 campus store gift certificate.

Tomcat Tributes – Recognize a Colleague Today

Are you grateful for a coworker who goes the extra mile—whether in small, everyday gestures or significant efforts that make a real difference? Now is your chance to shine a spotlight on their hard work!

The Tomcat Tributes program celebrates the dedication and kindness of our faculty and staff members at Thiel College. Whether someone offered a helping hand during a hectic day, provided support in a time of need, or made an impact behind the scenes, this is your opportunity to recognize their efforts.

How to Submit

• Who: Faculty or staff members who deserve recognition.
• What: Share a brief description of how they’ve gone above and beyond.
• When: Submissions are open year-round!
• Where: The Thiel Hub

Your shout-out could make someone’s day and remind us all that our collective efforts move the College forward.

IT marking Cybersecurity Awareness Month

In support of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Solution Center will be continuing its Cybersecurity Awareness initiative with mandatory training assignments through our partner, KnowBe4.

Employees should have gotten an email link directly from KnowBe4 (do-not-reply@training.knowbe4.com) indicating his or her enrollment and assignments. Employees will be assigned two trainings entitled “2024 Social Engineering-Red Flags (13 minutes) and “2024 Common Threats” (14 minutes). Both assignments are due by November 19.

Please log in to KnowBe4 using your Thiel email address, for example - Tommy Tomcat would be ttomcat@thiel.edu. Please note, if you haven’t logged into KnowBe4 in a while, you will likely need to click the “Forgot Password” button to reset your password and finish logging in. The Solution Center cannot reset your KnowBe4 password.

Additionally, as part of our current Cybersecurity Awareness campaign, you will continue to receive weekly simulated phishing emails. Through your training and the simulated phishing attempts, you will learn to prevent potential cyberattacks to our network.

If you have questions or concerns regarding any of the cybersecurity initiatives, please contact the Solution Center at ext. 4000 or support@thiel.edu.

Wellness Committee calendar for October

• Download the Full October Schedule as a PDF to print.

Student News

Neely shares experiences with entrepreneur seminar

Maddy Neely ’22 MBA ’23 visited Professor Steven Kandray’s class on October 9 to share her entrepreneurial experience from helping to grow her two family businesss, Pathways Adolescent Center and Wanango Country Club.

“For class on October 9, 2024, Maddie Neely spoke to us about her time at Thiel College and her professional career, during which she helped expand her father's businesses”—Zach Bergstresser ’25

“The speaker shared personal experiences about working in her father’s businesses, starting with a country club, learning how to manage operations, and overcoming challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. These experiences helped her understand the importance of adaptability, research, and initiative in business.” —Suengwoo Baek ’25

“Maddy is currently the HR director at Pathways Adolescent Center, which focuses on troubled youths and is currently the largest youth group home in Pennsylvania. Her father started Pathways as well as the Country Club she worked at in Oil City.” —Jordan Lang ’25

“Maddie recounted the various challenges she encountered, emphasizing that she could have opted for an easier path but chose instead to follow her instincts and fully commit to her responsibilities. She consistently aimed to exceed expectations in every task assigned by her father, which she believes has significantly contributed to her current success.” — Dillon Belknap ’25

“After the introduction, Maddy started off by saying there are two sides of entrepreneurship. She said another side of it that is not usually the typical side is having the mindset to help grow things. Although her father was the one starting businesses, her creative mind helped them grow.” —Casey Yacos ’25

“She emphasized the importance of work life balance, not procrastinating, and being intentional in all you do. Maddie's journey motivated me to approach challenges head on and be the best version of myself.” —Yianni Panagiotopoulos ’25

“She took the initiative to open the country club’s pool. To do this, she needed to collect several hundred signatures to convince the club’s owners, a task she accomplished, leading to the pool’s opening in late summer 2020.” —Gianna Sprecace ’26

“Maddy succeeded, demonstrating that even when time isn't on her side, she perseveres. Her presentation was passionate, thought-provoking, and overall, she was an excellent speaker.” —Lexi Brown ’26

“Both of her parents went to Thiel College, so she decided it was only right for her to attend Thiel as well. She played basketball and volleyball but realized she did not have time for both, so she dropped basketball.” —Rachael Smith ’26

“Her family has a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Her dad moved to Oil City when he was 27, bought a country club, and started a business focused on helping at-risk youth. Growing up helping with the family business instilled in Maddie a strong sense of community.” — Jaewon Lee ’25

“Her journey from working in the pro shop to managing greater responsibilities, like the pool and accounting, showed her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and learn new things.” —Jaehee Lee ’25

“Her experiences have provided her with valuable skills in leadership and problem-solving, particularly in navigating business challenges in a small-town context. She is passionate about contributing to her community and continuing her family's legacy.” —Daeun Lee ’25

Lessons Learned

• The speaker emphasized the importance of being flexible and responding to unexpected situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, while maintaining a mindset of continuous learning and research. The ability to adapt and solve problems quickly is essential not only in business but also in various aspects of life. —Suengwoo Baek ’25
• An important lesson I learned from Maddy was regarding reputation. She stated: “Build a reputation for yourself. Be the person you want to be and the person you want other people to view you as.” —Jordan Lang ’25
• Love the process as much as the reward —Zach Bergstresser ’25
• Never back down and believe that you can finish something you started. —Dillon Belknap ’25
• Give back to your community as much as you can —Patrick Belback ’25
• Have the “lion mentality” anywhere you go, and always give your best no matter what. —Casey Yacos ’25
• Don’t hire your friends. —Yianni Panagiotopoulos ’25
• There is always something new to learn. —Lexi Brown ’26
• Be the person you are and be true to your values. —Emily Ripple ’26
• Maddie emphasized how important it is to build and maintain strong connections with people. —Jaewon Lee ’25
• Knowledge is power. – Chaerin Ryu ’25
• Neely’s presentation provided me a fresh perspective on entrepreneurship. —Jaehee Lee ’25
• Lastly, the speaker cautions against "quiet quitting" or doing the bare minimum, stressing that a degree alone doesn’t define your success; your work ethic and commitment are what truly matter. —Yeeun Seo ’25
• By fostering a mindset that values dedication, individuals can achieve personal growth and contribute to their organizations' success. Her insights serve as a motivational guide for anyone searching their professional journey. —Minseo Kim ’25

Dinner Dishing

The dinner prepared by our new concierge Patrick was also excellent. I am looking forward to the menus prepared by other students in the future. —Suengwoo Baek ’25

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Maddy’s mother, who was a lovely woman with a wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humor. The meal was delicious and was followed by dessert. —Jordan Lang ’25

The main course was chicken parmesan with tortellini. —Zach Bergstresser ’25

For dinner to start we had a Caesar salad that included croutons and Caesar dressing, the next course was a chicken parmesan dish with cucumber and potato bites and a red pasta sauce. I am an advocate for chicken parm, so I enjoyed it and it was a nice touch with the side of potatoes and cucumbers. —Dillon Belknap ’25

Dinner was really good; I enjoyed the meal I came up with especially the cannoli and the hand breaded chicken parmesan was amazing. —Patrick Belback ’25

This dinner was one of my favorites yet. —Casey Yacos ’25

The meal was great and perfectly timed. I personally liked the chicken parm which had the perfect cut of chicken. —Yianni Panagiotopoulos ’25

The dinner that Patrick prepared for us was amazing. Every part of the meal was excellent. —Lexi Brown ’26