Dear Colleagues:

In the past two weeks, Messiah has welcomed many visitors, including: prospective students and their families at open houses; community members for various lectures and performances; our board of trustees for their annual fall meeting; and more than 2,000 visitors for the College’s inaugural combined Homecoming and Family Weekend (with the weather at its beautiful fall best!). Thank you for providing your usual warm and welcoming hospitality to our guests. Now, with fall break behind us, and Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, I want to share with you a summary of the October board meeting, in addition to updates on enrollment, giving, strategic planning and prioritization, and other campus news.

Summary of the October board of trustees meeting

Messiah’s board of trustees held their annual fall meeting Oct. 16-18. Before the board’s first general session, trustees were invited by Rider Musser Development, LLC to attend a ribbon cutting, along with other state and local officials, business and civic leaders, for the Oakwood Hills residential development, which is the first phase of this important residential/commercial project.

During its first general session, the board heard from James LaGrand, director of the College Honors Program, who shared an update on the direction, distinctives and scholarly work of the students in that program. Jeffrey Moshier, special assistant to the president and provost, presented the College’s progress on exploring, developing and launching new academic programs for post-traditional adult learners—including new undergraduate degree and certificate programs.  President’s Cabinet members John Chopka, David Walker and Amanda Coffey and I presented a strategic planning and prioritization overview to conclude the session.

At the end of the final business session, Vice President for Advancement Barry Goodling and Jerry Wenger, chair of the Advancement Committee of the board, led a discussion regarding the planning and trustee involvement in the public phase of the Messiah’s next comprehensive fundraising campaign. The board additionally heard reports and responded to action items from the board’s various committees, which are summarized below.

 From the Committee on Assurance:

  • The board approved the FY19 audited financial statements from Baker Tilly LLC and the calendar 2018 403(b) benefits audit from CapinCrouse LLP.

 From the Committee on Education:

  • The board reviewed and approved term tenure renewal and emeritus 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 the Intercom.

 From the Committee on Finance:

  • The board approved the designation of $137,000 in FY19 operating cash flow surplus to remain in accumulated surplus/net assets.
    • The board approved the proposed tuition, fees, room and board rates for FY21 .

 Next steps re: strategic planning and prioritization

The campus Brand Perception Team, Administrative Program Task Force (APTF) and Educational Program Task Force (EPTF) are currently gathering and analyzing data which will help inform the recommendations due to President’s Cabinet by March 20, 2020. Thank you to everyone who has already completed the brand perception survey; your input is important to us. If you have not yet participated, there is still time. The survey link you received via email from Credo, our external consultants, will remain open through midnight on Friday, Nov. 1. The internal strategic planning and prioritization website has additionally been updated to include information regarding the prioritization review criteria. (View site.)

I am profoundly grateful to the members of the campus teams and to Credo. This challenging work is being done with care and concern, while simultaneously looking toward a healthy and sustainable future for Messiah College. I also want to express my appreciation to Amanda Coffey, vice president of human resources and compliance, and her team, who have held many meetings with employees interested in the Voluntary Separation Program. Current participation includes faculty, staff and administrative employees. The deadline to sign up for the program is Dec. 1, 2019.

 New academic program development

Jeffrey Moshier, special assistant to the president and provost, has been collaborating with on- and off-campus partners to cultivate and launch new academic programs within Messiah’s full educational spectrum of “learning for life.” Current programs under various stages of development at the graduate level include: a DNP-nurse anesthetist degree; an MBA degree with a healthcare management concentration; a master’s in education secondary track leading to initial certification; and new M.A. in counseling tracks in trauma and addiction counseling. Also in development are new undergraduate degree completion programs designed to meet the unique educational needs of post-traditional adult learners, including a bachelor’s in business administration and an RN-BSN degree. Messiah will also offer undergraduate certificates in digital marketing and TESOL, which were recently approved by Middle States, to post-traditional adult learners as well as current undergraduate students. We will keep the campus informed on the progression of these programs as additional details are confirmed.

Enrollment snapshot

Undergraduate enrollment: We are off to a strong early start for the fall 2020 recruitment cycle. With more than 900 applications received from first-year students, we are running 190 applications ahead of last year and 100+ ahead of our four-year average. We have also had an encouraging start with our fall open house events; both the Oct. 14 and Oct. 26 open houses finished with higher attendee counts compared to last fall’s events.

The chart below summarizes admissions metrics on Oct. 23, compared to last year and the previous four-year average on this date:

Oct. 23, 2019
Fall 2020 % to goal Goal Fall 2019 Previous four-year average to date
First-year Students
Applications 911 34% 2,650 720 792
Acceptances 493 25% 2,005 355 298
Active Deposits 34 5% 629 48 43
Transfer Students
Applications 37 13% 290 21 25
Acceptances 16 8% 207 9 11
Active Deposits 5 6% 87 2 1

 Graduate enrollment:  The 2019-2020 fiscal year budgeted credit hour goals is 12,641. Currently we have reached 6,128 registered credit hours (48 percent to goal). Comparing where we are this year to where we were last year on Oct. 15, 2018:

      • Ahead 12 new students (181 this year versus 169 last year)
      • Ahead 47 unduplicated students (726 this year versus 679 last year)
      • Ahead 627 credit hours (6,128 this year versus 5,501 last year; 48 percent to goal this year versus 49 percent to goal last year)

Admissions and welcome center update

While the moving of earth and start of the foundation to the new building has been slow, work on the new Admissions and Welcome Center is progressing. Current work includes installing infrastructure to manage all the storm water from this project, which is particularly important because of our commitment to the protection of the Yellow Breeches. The contractor is also in process of laying rebar and pouring concrete to begin forming the building’s foundation; this work is expected to be completed within the next month, with steel coming to the site in mid-November. Pending weather, the goal is to be under roof by Jan. 1, 2020, with a building completion date of late June. Completion of the new campus green, resulting employee/office moves and demolition of Hoffman Hall is scheduled for summer 2020.

Giving update

Current giving: Recent giving is tracking well with our projections. We are near or ahead of giving targets for the first quarter, including a $40,000 increase in Messiah Fund giving over last year at this time.

 FY20 Giving Progress Report

As of Oct. 23, 2019

 

Gifts received Messiah Fund Operating Gifts Received and New Pledges
$ 1,637,109 $ 312,457 $ 1,888,462
June 30 Goals:
$ 6,030,000  30% of goal $ 1,300,000  24% of goal $ 1,300,000 24% of goal
      • Endowment Challenge Update: We are committed to raising scholarship direct aid and scholarship endowment support as part of our overall strategic plan for keeping a Messiah education affordable for families. Since 2013, we have met or exceeded all trustee-initiated endowment challenges, yielding $5.8 million in new dollars and matching funds for scholarships, including:
        • 79 new named scholarship endowments
        • 62 new major gift donors (gifts greater than $10,000)
        • Progress on the current match, Endowment Challenge #8 is currently at $135,000 of our $500,000 June 30 goal (27 percent)
      • Create a Legacy: We continue to pursue our goal of adding 100 new members to our Heritage Society, those who have included Messiah in their estate plans; we have 84 new members to date.
      • Athletics facilities: are still waiting for the confirmed blueprints and plans, but we know that improved concession/comfort facilities for Messiah Athletics are the next capital priority for the College. We are already working to engage those donors who might share an interest in providing funding for these greatly needed enhancements to our Starry Athletics Complex.
      • College to university transition / comprehensive campaign planning:  As we continue to plan for the public launch of the $75 million comprehensive campaign as part of our transition to Messiah University on July 1, we are working to implement various aspects of the public phase. This includes planning fall 2020 events surrounding the dedication of the Kim S. Phipps Admissions and Welcome Center and a kickoff for the public phase of the campaign.

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).

      • A team of Messiah students, led by Professor of Marketing David Hagenbugh, as selected as one of two winning teams in the America250PA Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (DEIC), held in Williamsport, Pa., on Oct. 24. The DEIC is an event in which team of students from Pennsylvania colleges and universities compete to design and launch the integrated marketing campaign strategy for the America250PA initiative—coordinating Pennsylvania’s role in the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Messiah’s team has been selected to advance to the state finale, which will be held in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Nov. 19. Six other teams from the three other regions will also participate in the final competition.
      • On Oct. 21, Sustainability at Messiah College, in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, planted 180 trees and shrubs at three different locations around campus. These locations were chosen because they are near streams. When trees are planted alongside streams, they help to prevent bank erosion, filter out excess nutrients in runoff, provide food for organisms in the stream, among many other things
      • Congratulations to alumna Laura Hagley ’05 on a win at The Guthrie Wineglass Marathon (Corning, N.Y.), a USATF-certified course, on Oct 7. Hagley’s time of 2:44 qualifies her for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which she will attend in February 2020!
      • Congratulations to alumnus Blake Lynch on receiving the Emerging Business Leader of the Year Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. In less than two years, Lynch has transformed his role as the Harrisburg Police Department’s Community Policing Coordinator into a force for positive partnerships between Harrisburg’s citizens and law enforcement.
      • This year, four faculty members from Messiah College’s Graduate Program in Counseling are serving as the president of their respective state counseling associations. Congratulations to Stephen Kuniak (PA), Asha Dickerson (GA), Carol McGinnis (MD) and Michael Jones (AR) on this great honor!
      • Kaitlin Merlino, a first-year student, recently won a $1,000 SAGE Scholars scholarship in a nationwide essay contest. Merlino was one of the winning 100 scholarship recipients for an exceptional essay. Students from all over the country submitted essays on various subjects including overcoming academic challenges, preparing for the college process and post-graduation plans. Congratulations, Kaitlin!

Athletics highlights

Below are some highlights since my last update from Messiah Athletics. For up-to-the-minute information about all 22 of Messiah’s intercollegiate athletic teams visit GoMessiah.com or follow the Falcons on social media at @MessiahSports.

      • Messiah women’s soccer is currently ranked as the No. 1 team in the country. The Falcons hold an overall record of 15-1-1 and a 6-0-1 record in the conference. With a win or a draw on Tuesday against Stevenson, the Falcons will lock up the No. 1 seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament that begins next week. Messiah’s defense is ninth-best in the country with a 0.348 goals against average.
      • Messiah men’s soccer is currently ranked No. 11 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches National Rankings. The Falcons are 13-0-2 in their last 15 games after starting the season 0-2-0. The Falcons hold the eighth-best goals against average in the country at 0.573. Messiah have already locked up the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament with a perfect 7-0-0 record in conference.
      • The Messiah field hockey team ranks as the No. 11 team in the country with an overall record of 12-4 and a 6-0 mark in the conference. Messiah has locked up the top seed in next week’s MAC Commonwealth Tournament, and is currently riding a nine-game winning streak.
      • Messiah’s men’s and women’s cross country teams were both recently picked as the favorites in this weekend’s MAC Championships. The women’s team has been in and out of the national rankings all season while the men are the two-time defending champions in the conference.
      • Messiah women’s volleyball clinched a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament last week. The Falcons are 21-6 overall and 4-2 in the conference. Messiah has claimed seven Player of the Week honors this season with Mary Underman (Offensive) and Amanda Dahlman (Defensive) leading the way with three awards each.
      • Winter seasons are just around the corner for Messiah. The Falcons get the new year started in the coming weeks with opening day for swimming and wrestling on Nov. 2. Women’s basketball gets the new year underway on Nov. 8 while men’s basketball opens the season on Nov. 12.

 In closing

We lean into this academic year trusting God to work through our shared labor, reminded that without God we can do nothing, and that with God we can do what is needed. Messiah College, soon to be Messiah University, is blessed beyond measure because of our students, alumni, community friends, and employees who further our Christ-centered educational mission.

Warm regards,

Kim S. Phipps, president