Dear Colleagues:

I recently had the privilege of meeting with the College’s board of trustees at their annual winter meeting. Our trustees are faithful, committed members of the Messiah community who care deeply about our students and our institutional mission. They were encouraged as we shared with them the good work that you are accomplishing in your various areas of the College, and the achievements of our students, educators, employees and alumni. They are also excited about the progress and potential of our new educational programs (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels), the new admissions and welcome center, and our continued progress toward becoming Messiah University in July 2020.

As our spring semester gets underway, I would like to share with you the outcomes of our key conversations with trustees and provide information about enrollment, giving and other campus news.

Summary of the January board of trustees meeting

Messiah’s board of trustees held their annual winter meeting Jan. 27-29. During its first general session, the board reviewed its recent self-assessment survey, discussed board best practices and processed research regarding tuition pricing strategies. The trustees concluded their final business session with an update on the proposed new admissions and welcome center and reports and action items from the board’s various committees, which are summarized below.

 From the Committee on Education:

  • The board reviewed and approved term tenure and promotion status of faculty members as presented based on the recommendation of the Term-Tenure and Promotion Committee, the provost and the president. The provost’s office will communicate these decisions to the campus community via COENet and the Intercom.

 From the Committee on Finance:

  • The board approved changes to corporate resolutions as recommended by the Committee.

 From the Committee on Governance:

  • The board amended the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to replace the term “college” with “university” throughout those documents, effective July 1, 2020, following the official granting of university status by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

 Enrollment snapshot

Undergraduate enrollment: Continuing student enrollment looks solid as we approach spring snapshot on Feb. 19. As of Feb. 5, there were 2,550 registrations for spring against the goal of 2,542, which puts us on trajectory to conclude the fiscal year on target.  

 As I reported in my December update, it was a suspenseful fall application season. The undergraduate admissions team, however, is pleased to report that the Nov. 15 free-application deadline, along with holiday application incentives, closed the gap. In fact, as of Feb. 5, applications received are at a five-year high. Territory managers continue to complete files and admit students in order to increase the overall pool of prospective matriculants. These winter months are also vital for conversations with prospective students and their families related to scholarships and financial aid; so much work and follow-up will occur prior to our May 1 deposit timeline. The chart below summarizes undergraduate admissions metrics on Feb. 5, compared to the prior four-year average:

Undergraduate Enrollment Feb. 5, 2019

Fall 2019

% to goal

Goal

Previous four-year average to date

First-year Students
Applications 2,425 95% 2,550 2,305
Acceptances 1,771 89% 2,000 1,731
Active Deposits 249 38% 660 290

Transfer Students
Applications 135 47% 288 130
Acceptances 65 34% 191 64
Active Deposits 7 8% 87 8

 

Graduate enrollment:  Driven by the addition of the second cohort of students in the new Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program, graduate enrollment continues to increase. At this point in the fiscal year, 783 students have enrolled for a total of 11,334 credit hours (vs. 708 students and 9,730 credit hours by mid-February last year) which is 102 percent of our credit-hour goal, compared to 98 percent at a similar point during last fiscal year. We are also pleased to be securing deposits for our first cohort of students in our Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, slated to begin in August 2019; 22 deposits have already been received this fiscal year toward our budgeted target of 25 students in the DPT inaugural cohort.

Student recruitment trip to Malaysia

I will be traveling with Sarah Wade, associate vice president for enrollment management, to the Malaysian cities of Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Kuching from Feb. 22-Mar. 4, 2019. Our campus is enriched by the presence of our international students and I welcome the opportunity to further strengthen relationships with partner churches and organizations in this region. One highlight of the trip will be the privilege of meeting with Messiah College alumni who have returned to lead and serve in Malaysia.

Giving update

  • The Messiah Fund: We are grateful for the support of our alumni, parents, employees, and friends who direct their giving to the Messiah Fund, which supports the overall operating budget of the College. Similar to colleges and universities around the country, we continue to experience challenges with raising unrestricted dollars. We are encouraged, however, that the FY19 fall appeal for the Messiah Fund generated an increase of $70,000 over the FY18 fall appeal. We also look forward to our third annual Giving Day (see below), which will provide another opportunity for our donors and campus community to engage and support the Messiah Fund.

giving chart Feb 19

  • Kim S. Phipps Admissions and Welcome Center: Nearly 900 donors have contributed to this exciting and necessary new building, by far the largest number ever for a Messiah fundraising project. We have raised just over $9.04 million, which is 90.4 percent towards our $10 million goal.
  • Giving Day 2019: Messiah’s third annual Giving Day will run from 12 noon on Feb, 12 through 12 noon on Feb. 13. Our theme this year is “Give Big,” which will highlight the many different ways that alumni give back to impact Messiah’s campus. Our goal this year is to again raise $125,000 in 24 hours. The Messiah community will receive several emails leading up to the day itself, but the largest amount of activity regarding this campaign will come from our social media platforms. Visit www.falconsgive.com on Giving Day to follow our progress throughout the day on all of Messiah’s social media channels!

Admissions and welcome center project update

During the fall semester, the College’s architectural team, in consultation with the campus administrators overseeing this project, have continued to work on the final layout and design of the proposed welcome and admissions center, the green space/parking relocation, and the reassignment of employees to Old Main, so that the Hoffman building can be removed. Our goal is to initiate the land development process with local authorities in February.

In the next few weeks, interior finishes and furniture layouts are to be selected. If funding is complete and all required approvals are received, construction could begin as early as August 2019. This timeline will allow us to dedicate the building as part of the fall 2020 Messiah University celebration.

Invitation to attend upcoming budget forum

In early April, David Walker, vice president for finance and planning, Provost Randall Basinger and I will lead a budget and finance forum for all interested employees. A campus wide email will be distributed in late March detailing the time and location.

University Implementation Task Force update

The University Implementation Task Force, and its various subcommittees (see below), which include representation from faculty, staff, students and alumni, will continue to meet throughout the next 18 months to oversee the transition from Messiah College to Messiah University. The task force is organized into four subcommittees that are managing the following transitional areas:

  • The Education Subcommittee—co-chaired by Provost Basinger and myself, is steering the components of university status that impact academic structure, accreditation and other curricular and co-curricular aspects of the institution.
  • The Celebration Subcommittee—co-chaired by Kathie Shafer and Jon Stuckey, is identifying opportunities for, and will assist with coordination of, campus celebrations of Messiah’s university status from July 1, 2020 through Commencement 2021.
  • Marketing and Communications Subcommittee—chaired by Carla Gross, is steering and coordinating the branding, marketing and communications strategies related to becoming Messiah University.
  • Operations Subcommittee—chaired by Kathie Shafer, is steering the integration of the Messiah University brand into the physical and operational structures of campus.

I will keep the campus community informed of the work and progress of the University Implementation Team via my campus updates.

 Announcing the 2019 commencement speakers

I am pleased to announce the 2019 commencement speakers for both the undergraduate and the School of Graduate Studies commencement ceremonies:

 School of Graduate Studies commencement speaker (May 11, 2019)—Alex Jun

Alexander Jun is executive director and senior research scholar with Race and Justice in Higher Education (RJHE). He is professor of higher education in the Department of Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University (APU), a TED speaker and the author of “From Here to University: Access, Mobility, and Resilience Among Urban Latino Youth” (Routledge Press, 2001). He has published extensively on issues of postsecondary access for historically underrepresented students in underserved areas, and recently completed a three-year narrative inquiry research project on the educational mobility and academic resilience of Khmer orphans, which he’s completing a book about. Jun conducts research on issues surrounding higher education globalization in the Pacific Rim; and, while studying at the University of Southern California (USC), he earned a Ford Foundation fellowship to conduct research on college preparation programs for urban youth.

Undergraduate commencement speaker (May 18, 2019)—Nicole Fulgham

A Detroit native, Nicole Fulgham graduated from the University of Michigan and joined Teach For America (TFA) where she taught fifth grade in Compton, California. Fulgham received her doctorate in education from UCLA with a focus on urban education policy and teacher preparation. She joined the national staff of TFA and held several key leadership roles before starting The Expectations Project, a national organization that mobilizes people of faith to support public education reform and close the academic achievement gap. Fulgham has written two books: “Educating All God’s Children” (Baker) and “Schools in Crisis” (Barna) and has appeared on CNN and ABC. “Christianity Today” has named her one of “50 Women Leaders Influencing the Church and Culture.” She lives near Washington, D.C. with her husband and their three children.

 Good news about Messiah College

Here is a sample of some recent highlights about the success of Messiah College’s programs and people. For more details visit messiah.edu/news, Messiah’s official Facebook page at facebook.com/MessiahCollege and the Bridge magazine www.messiah.edu/the_Bridge  (the source sites for many of the below news items).

  • In a recent article by the Milwaukee Community Journal, Dwayne Safer, assistant professor of finance, says there are more than 250 socially responsible funds in the United States, of which approximately 40 would fall into the biblically or religiously responsible investing space. Read the full article.
  • Among the 4,500 colleges and universities across the United States, 30 percent are led by women. Of the four colleges and universities in Cumberland County, all four are led by women. I was recently honored to share my leadership journey and story, along with my other regional presidential colleagues in a recent article in the Carlisle Sentinel, “Taking the Lead.”
  • Scott Kieffer, professor of health and exercise physiology, was quoted in “The Strategist” (New York Magazine) article “Does the Arc Trainer Really Burn As Many Calories As It Claims?” on Jan. 14. Scott has researched exercisers’ calorie burn in comparison to the machine’s display.
  • Eric Rawson, professor of exercise science and chair of the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science, is an author of the recently released 12th edition of the book “Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport” (Williams, Rawson, & Branch: McGraw-Hill Education).
  • Charlene Lane, assistant professor of social work, recently published an article titled “The Naturally Occurring Prison Community:  Aging in Place in Prison” in “The Journal of Aging and Social Change.”  This article delves into the lived experiences of older adults who are aging in place or growing old in prison. It is especially relevant in Pennsylvania where there are large numbers of “lifers,” individuals incarcerated without the possibility of parole.
  • Congratulations to Arianna Bailey ’15, who was recently honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a recognition program to acknowledge nurses for compassionately caring for their patients every day. More than 3,400 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing in all 50 states and 20 other countries honor nurses with The DAISY Award. Bailey works in the progressive care unit at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut. “Arianna was the perfect example of a nurse, professional, yet fun, caring and understanding,” wrote the patient who nominated her.
  • Alumni Kenny ’15 and Zanetta Kok ’15 were recently featured in regional media for their entrepreneurial start-up company called Kitty Town Coffee, based in Lebanon, Pennsylvania—creating roasts that not only tastes good, but are named after cats! Meet the creative up-and-coming business started by these Messiah grads.
  • Messiah graduate Benjamin Krupit, MM ’18 music teacher in the Springfield Public School District in New Jersey, was nominated as outstanding teacher of the year as part of the New Jersey’s Governor’s Educator of the Year Program. In addition to directing the bands at the district’s middle schools, he is also an active performer and arranger for a variety of pop and rock groups in the New York area. “For my students, band is an opportunity to express themselves creatively during the school day, and a way to build lifelong professional skills and relationships,” Krupit added. Read the full article.
  • Alumnus Marcus Washington ’05, MA ’15 was recently featured on WBTV News in Salisbury, Connecticut, for his role in establishing a new honors society recognizing outstanding academic achievement among first-generation college students at Catawba College, in his role as director of housing and residence life at that institution. Catawba is only the second institution of higher education in North Carolina to launch such a program. According to Washington, “This honors society will be a place to build cohort cohesion among first-gen students, and will likely be the focus of many other initiatives that target this population on campus.”

Athletics highlights

Below are some highlights since my last update from Messiah Athletics. Visit www.GoMessiah.com the source for the stories below and for the Falcons’ latest scores, announcements and the full slate of team-specific news.

  • Messiah women’s basketball, as of Feb. 5, is riding a 21-game winning streak, the longest in program history. The Falcons lost their season opener and haven’t looked back since, breaking the previous record of 19-straight wins set by the 2006-07 team. The Falcons are ranked seventh in the country with a 21-1 overall record, including a perfect 13-0 mark in conference. Senior forward Alecia Rohrer is tied for the national lead with 17 double-doubles on the season, averaging 16.0 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.
  • Messiah basketball welcomed three new members into the 1,000-point club this season with Maci Thornton and Alecia Rohrer becoming the 22nd and 23rd players in women’s basketball program history to hit the plateau while junior Colin Sareyka became the 25th player in Messiah men’s basketball history to reach the milestone.
  • Messiah women’s indoor track and field is off to a record-breaking start with five different events already having new program records after just four indoor meets. Freshman Esther Seeland has broken the program record for the 800 meter twice in the last two weeks and currently holds the 11th best time in the country at 2:14.63. Ellissa Slader set the school record in the 400 meter with a time of 58.95 and the 4×400 meter relay team of Seeland, Taylor Wiederrecht, Leanne Weaver, and Slader broke the program mark with a time of 4:00.28 this season. Taylor Wiederrecht currently ranks fourth in the nation in the pentathlon (3,450) and seventh in the high jump (1.68m, program record). Alyssa McMinn also broke the school record in the weight throw with a mark of 14.22m.
  • Messiah women’s and men’s swimming completed the 2018-19 regular season this past weekend with the women’s compiling a 10-3 overall and 8-0 conference record. The men went 5-8 overall and 4-4 in the MAC. The Falcons will turn their attention to the MAC Championships at the Graham Aquatic Center, in York, Pennsylvania, from Feb. 14-17 where the women’s team will look for their sixth-straight conference title.
  • Messiah wrestling is 14-5 this season and wraps-up the regular season with duals against Elizabethtown, TCNJ, and McDaniel before heading to Regionals on Feb. 22-23 to qualify for Nationals at the beginning of March.
  • In December 2018 the United Soccer Coaches (USC) honored Messiah senior defender DJ Cole the highest honor an individual in NCAA Division III can earn, naming her the National Player of the Year. Cole became the sixth Falcon to earn the award, and the first-ever defender for Messiah to be given the nation’s highest honor.
  • Shayna Landis (field hockey), DJ Cole (women’s soccer), and Nick West (men’s soccer) were named the MAC Senior Scholar Athletes for their respective sport in the fall. Just one student-athlete is named the Senior Scholar Athlete for each sport across the 17 member institutions that comprise the Middle Atlantic Conference and Messiah was the only school in the conference to earn three honors during the fall of 2018.
  • 111 Messiah fall student-athletes were featured on MAC Academic Honor Roll, achieving a GPA of at least 3.20 during the fall 2018 semester. Messiah was also well-represented on the Academic All-MAC teams this past fall, with 16 Messiah student-athletes honored, the most of any institutions that does not sponsor football.
  • Spring is just around the corner with Messiah men’s volleyball already in action (Falcons hold a 2-2 record) and the majority of spring sports set to kick off in mid-February. Women’s Lacrosse is ranked 16th in the Preseason Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Poll and will begin the year on the road at Scranton on Feb. 16.

In closing

As you undertake the planning, projects and priorities of a new spring term, please know how integral you are to the important work that God is doing at Messiah College—through the fulfillment of our Christian educational mission, the transformation of our students’ lives, and the significant impact of our alumni.

Warm regards,

Kim S. Phipps, president