Aug. 6, 2024

Dear Colleagues:

I hope that you are making the most of these final weeks of summer—taking time to rest and travel with family and friends. The start of the approaching academic year is especially meaningful for me personally, having announced earlier this year my plans to retire as president of Messiah in June 2025.  Change is an integral part of university life, and this is certainly a season of change for all of us at Messiah. On Community Day we will welcome many new educators, staff and administrative colleagues—including our new provost, Dr. Christine Gardner. Our student athletes, coaches and fans will also experience some notable changes later this month. The launch of our fall athletic season will include enhanced hospitality provided by the new Sawyer Family Pavilion (with much-anticipated restroom and concession facilities!) and an expanded Witmer Family Lacrosse Stadium. And of course, we will be welcoming hundreds of new undergraduate and graduate students to our community!  Please pray for the board of trustees as they undertake the search process for Messiah’s ninth president. I am confident that our shared commitment to educating students toward maturity of intellect, character and Chrisitan faith will remain a faithful constant in Messiah’s future.

Now I’d like to share with you an update about Community Day, enrollment, giving and other related campus news.

Invitation to Community Day

All employees are warmly invited to attend Community Day on Tuesday, Aug. 20 from 9-10:15 a.m. in the Calvin and Janet High Center for Worship and Performing Arts. This annual Messiah tradition serves as the ceremonial launch of the new academic year for employees to enjoy corporate worship and fellowship. Provost Christine Gardner and Dr. Craig Sider, chair of Messiah’s board of trustees, will join me in leading our time together. Afterwards, light refreshments (and new Community Day t-shirts!) will be available in front of the High Center. All offices and departments, with the exception of Dispatch, will close from 8:45-11 a.m. to allow employees to enjoy the Community Day experience. If you have any questions, please contact Karin Bisbee, executive coordinator for the president’s office and board of trustees, at kbisbee@messiah.edu.

Enrollment snapshot

Fall 2024 undergraduate admissions

After an unpredictable spring recruitment season, due to the national FAFSA disruption, we have bounced back in deposits over the summer. As of Aug. 2, a strong showing in transfer students has helped us achieve 98.9% of our fall undergraduate admissions goals. With 570 first-year deposits and 83 transfers, we are on track to meet overall budgeted targets. It is exciting to report that 22 percent of our first-year class and 36 percent of our transfer deposits come from students of underrepresented ethnic and cultural populations.

Aug. 2, 2024
Fall 2024 % to goal Goal Fall 2023 3-year average

First-year Students
Applications 2,456 102.3% 2,400 2,373 2,419
Acceptances 1,938 102.0% 1,900 1,864 1,898
Active Deposits 570 98.3% 580 607 587

Transfer Students
Applications 249 92.2% 270 247 256
Acceptances 173 102.4% 169 149 159
Active Deposits 83 103.8% 80 66 73

Students of Color (FY)
Applications 669 99.1% 675 643 629
Acceptances 484 99.8% 485 453 446
Active Deposits 126 93.3% 135 146 127

Dual enrollment

Dual enrollment at Messiah University continues to be an effective and significant student recruitment strategy for Messiah. Seventy-seven of our incoming first-year students participated in Messiah’s dual enrollment program—representing 13.5 percent of the incoming first-year class. Additionally, we had our strongest summer to date, enrolling 76 high school students in dual enrollment courses, compared to 48 last summer. Looking ahead, we already have more than 260 dual-enrolled students registered for this fall semester, compared to 252 total participants in fall 2023. With a growing list of Pathway Partner Program schools and emerging special interest tracks like Educators for Tomorrow, we expect continued growth in dual enrollment, which is an essential pre-college connection point with high-achieving high school students.

Fall 2025 undergraduate admissions

Messiah’s undergraduate application is live for Fall 2025! Students will begin receiving admittance notices in early September. We look forward to hosting a full slate of fall events beginning with Open Houses on Sept. 27 and Nov. 9, and Spotlight Days on Oct.14 and Nov. 22. Be sure to share these dates, or the link to our visit website, with any students or families that you know are considering Messiah, or who you think would benefit from the Messiah educational experience.

Graduate enrollment

We are pleased to report that Messiah’s graduate programs have exceeded the FY24 credit-hour goal of 15,320—reaching 15,991 registered credit hours (104% of goal!). Comparing where we ended this fiscal year to our budget goals:

  • 7 additional new students (357 versus goal of 350)
  • 46 additional unduplicated students (964 versus goal of 918)
  • 671 additional credit hours (15,991 versus goal of 15,320).

Comparing where we ended this year (FY24) to where we ended last year (FY23):

  • 357 new students (102% to goal) this year compared to 335 (99% to goal) last year
  • 964 unduplicated students (105% to goal) this year compared to 955 (105% to goal) last year
  • 15,991 credit hours (104% to goal) this year compared to 15,698.5 (106% to goal) last year

Giving update

2024 Fiscal Year End as of June 30: Giving for FY24 was strong in terms of gifts-in-the-door. We raised over $6.3 million toward a goal of $6 million (107% to goal!). As noted in previous updates, new pledges were lower than previous years because we are not involved in a current comprehensive fundraising campaign.

  • Total giving:$6,337,677 (107% of June 30 goal)
  • Messiah Fund/operating:$924,606 (71% of June 30 goal)
  • Total giving plus new pledges:$7,450,154 (62% of June 30 goal)

FY25 as of Aug. 6: FY25 is our most robust fundraising start for the fiscal year since 2016. In fact, we are already 25% towards our June 30, 2025 goal for total giving. We also have a strong start to our Messiah Fund/operating goal as compared to recent years.

  • Total giving:$1,501,047 (25% of June 30 goal)
  • Messiah Fund/operating:$ 47,849 (5% of June 30 goal)
  • Total giving plus new pledges:$1,596,047 (18% of June 30 goal)

 Status of current fundraising projects:

  • Scholarship endowment: Raising scholarship endowment dollars remains an institutional priority. Donors have given more than $1.2 million in new endowment dollars, which is 80% of the $1.5 million goal for Endowment Challenge #10. The commitment of our board of trustees to increase endowment dollars through these challenges is a salient benefit to our students.
  • Warmer Welcome Campaign for Messiah Athletics: We are looking forward to the “soft open” of Sawyer Pavilion on Aug. 30 and the official dedication of both Sawyer Pavilion and the Witmer Family Lacrosse Stadium on October 17. We have reached the $5.3 million goal of Phase 1, which included the Sawyer and Witmer projects. We are now fully focused on Phase 2, which includes the Lenhert Plaza – named in honor of beloved former mail carrier and #1 Falcon Fan, Sam Lenhert ’58 – as well as baseball and softball improvements. Baseball and softball subcommittees are working to engage their respective alumni communities, and we remain encouraged by their level of interest.
  • 40-year anniversary of Messiah’s nursing major: During Homecoming, we will launch a fundraising initiative celebrating 40 years of our nursing program, which includes soliciting funds for patient simulators and support for a neonatal unit at the Macha Hospital in recognition of our long-standing partnership with them. The goal for the campaign is $500,000 with a target of $100,000 being allocated to Macha. Despite not yet being officially launched, we have already raised $25,000 for this effort.
  • Upgrade of the Jordan and Kline science buildings. As noted previously, we are working on designs for reallocating existing space in the sciences, including moving the nursing department out of the lower level of Kline Hall and maximizing space for the health, nutrition and exercise science, biology, and chemistry programs. We hope to have cost estimations later this fall, which will determine fundraising goals for this project.

Summer conferences

During the summer months, our teams from the Division of Operations—Conference and Event Services, Safety, Dining Services and Facility Services—host and provide hospitality to summer campus and conferences—along with the faculty, coaches, staff and administrators that lead and support their related programming. This summer, Messiah will host 80 different conferences, camps and events—both internal and external—with revenue anticipated to be $2.25 million, the highest amount ever for the university. New groups this year included: Boys Keystone State; Ambassadors for Jesus; YM360; Rubiks Cube National Championship; and Hope International ( every two years). Our largest conference continues to be MJAA (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America), which returned to pre-pandemic numbers of about 1,200 guests. Thank you to all who play a part in providing a safe, hospitable and high-quality experience for our campus guests. Not only do these events contribute to the common good of our surrounding region, but they also generate important non-tuition revenue to support Messiah’s ability to carry out its mission.

Facility project updates

Sawyer Pavilion and Witmer Family Lacrosse Stadium

Mowery Construction has been diligently working and is on schedule to complete construction of the Sawyer Pavilion, located between Shoemaker Field and Anderson Field, for a soft opening on Aug. 30 (in time for the start of the fall athletic season!). This new facility will provide team locker rooms, public restrooms, concessions space and a large gathering space. The Witmer Family Lacrosse Stadium is also on schedule to be completed by the end of August. The addition of permanent bleachers and a press box will provide spectators with an enhanced experience while watching Messiah’s lacrosse teams compete. I am excited about these new facilities and the hospitality they provide for our fans and campus guests. Both facilities will be formally dedicated on Oct. 17 when the trustees are on campus for their annual fall meeting.

Naugle Residence

Contractors are busy at Naugle completing the renovations of all of the residence hall rooms. Estimated completion is Aug. 8, and new furniture will be delivered and installed on August 8-9. When first year students move into their room, they will have new windows, new heating and air conditioning units, new flooring, updated lighting, and freshly painted rooms. Outside brickwork has been repaired and new stairs to the Pit parking lot are being installed. This is the first phase of a two-phase project. Next summer, the major mechanical systems will be upgraded, and the restrooms and public spaces will also be renovated.

 Introducing an outstanding High Center Season for 2024-25

Messiah is staging another exceptional High Center Season—including a keynote lecture by bestselling author David Brooks on his latest book, “How to Know a Person.” Visiting performing artists include Tromba Mundi, the African Children’s Choir, the Susquehanna Chorale, the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Cantus and more. Both the fall and spring seasons include several performances by Messiah’s own artists- and ensembles-in-residence, including the Mendelssohn Piano Trio, and our celebrated student and faculty ensembles. To view the entire 2024-25 High Center Season schedule visit www.messiah.edu/highcenterseason.

While many of the High Center Season events are sponsored by Messiah’s departments of music, art and design, and theatre and dance, students and faculty in those programs also perform and exhibit a broader calendar of outstanding music, theatre, dance and visual arts events which can be viewed at arts.messiah.edu.

Good news about Messiah

Here are some of the recent achievements and good news stories of members of the Messiah community. For more details visit messiah.edu/news, Messiah’s official Facebook page and the Bridge magazine (the source sites for many of the below news items).

  • Congratulations to YBTV, Messiah’s student-run television station, for receiving several Emmy nominations in the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of college productions. In the category of arts and entertainment/cultural affairs, the “Beyond the Breeches” segment (Jessica Fannin, reporter; Reed Milliken, photojournalist) was nominated—featuring the compelling story and artwork of Messiah graduate and employee Emily Nell ‘03, project coordinator and administrative assistant for the Alumni and Parent Relations Office. View the video segment. Various other members of YBTV were also nominated this year in the category of Sports Story or Segment:
    • “Birds Eye View: Field Hockey”- Messiah University, Emma Dingus, reporter; PJ Riddell, editor; Caleb Kuiken, photojournalist; Cameron Fisher, photojournalist
    • “The Indomitable Heart of Liv Monturo”- Messiah University, Caleb Kuiken, reporter; Dani Johnson, photojournalist
    • You can view all of the nominations listed here. Congratulations to all of our Emmy-nominated Messiah student broadcast journalists!
  • Emily Bingham, director of Campus Ministries, was recently appointed to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Commission for Campus Ministry Directors. As part of the commission, she will advise, support and serve the CCCU’s work and advocacy for all of Christian higher education, in the U.S. and abroad.
  • Messiah alumnae Rachel Beatty ’23 and Rachel Ferrence ’23 were featured by local media earlier this summer when they opened a “coffee shop with a cause”—a new mission-focused coffee house called Good Ground Coffee Company, in Camp Hill. The pair helped fund their enterprise with their winnings from Messiah’s 2023 Impact Venture Challenge. Originally named Ruby Coffee Co., they later changed the name to better reflect the mission of the business—to support and provide employment to sex trafficking survivors.
  • Messiah also garnered recent local media attention for its partnership with local school districts to address the teacher shortage in its region through the Educators for Tomorrow and the Teacher Certification Initiative coordinated by Christina Simmons, director of the Graduate Program in Education. Read the Carlisle Sentinel article.
  • Professor of Management Jennifer Dose was featured in July in WalletHub’s “Ask the Experts” feature about finding the best car insurance in Pennsylvania. You can read the article here.
  • Last year, the President’s Office commissioned several new videos, produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications and Rolando Vega Productions, to help share Messiah’s approach to spiritual and educational development, the last of which was completed before the end of the spring semester. If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch these on Messiah’s website or YouTube channel, be sure to check out the following videos on:

In closing

Working alongside you and being a part of the Messiah community for the past 27 years has been my professional and personal privilege. I look forward to the coming academic year and all that we will achieve for the benefit of our students in the year ahead. We have compelling and purposeful daily work to do together!

Warm regards,

Kim S. Phipps, president