Sept. 21, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

Well, it has certainly been quite an opening to a new academic year! Our first fall semester as a university started in the midst of a global pandemic, and it has required us to draw deeply on our shared faith, creativity, adaptability and our steadfast commitment to educate and care for our students. One example of caring for others is the Agape Center’s recently launched Nourish campaign, creating an on-campus food pantry for students in need, as well as soliciting the donation of food/supplies to the Catholic Charities’ Women and Children Program in our region. Likewise, I know how tirelessly faculty, administrators and staff are working—often in entirely new ways—to ensure that Messiah University continues to provide meaningful in-person and remote academic experiences for all of our undergraduate and graduate students.

By now, I am sure you’ve heard the encouraging results of our recent undergraduate student COVID-19 testing—just one positive test result out of the 2,254 tests administered. Our diligence in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 is yielding results, and we must stay vigilant in following our health and safety protocols. I realize that wearing masks, physically distancing, and taking other precautions are not always easy to follow. But I’ve been encouraged by numerous conversations and notes I’ve received from our undergraduate and residential graduate students who are so thankful to be back on campus—and for all that you are doing as employees to make that possible. Now, I’d like to briefly update you on our annual snapshot data, enrollment, giving and other institutional news.

Snapshot Day data for fall 2020

We are grateful for the strong undergraduate and graduate enrollment at the start of the 2020-21 academic year—especially given the volatile environment of managing enrollment during the societal disruption of COVID-19. Fall “snapshot day” data from Sept. 8 reported that Messiah College’s total fall undergraduate and graduate enrollment headcount is 3,370 students.

Undergraduate enrollment fall 2020: Undergraduate headcount for the fall semester was finalized at 2,614 students with (comparing where we are versus our fall goals):

  • 614 new, first-time students versus revised budget goal of 557 (+57)
  • 72 transfer students versus revised budget goal of 87 (-15)
  • 2,457 fall financial full-time equivalent (FFTE) versus revised budget goal of 2,398 (+59)
  • 5.6 percent of our undergraduate students are enrolled as fully remote learners

Some encouraging statistics about our fall 2020 undergraduate enrollment include the following:

  • 115 domestic underrepresented students and 16 international students (19.1%) enrolled in this year’s class.
  • 483 combined domestic under-represented students (402) and international students (81), represent 18.5% of the total undergraduate student population.
  • First-year to sophomore year retention is a healthy 87%.

Graduate enrollment 2020: Fall snapshot day reported graduate enrollment at 756, compared to 641 students a year ago (+115). Additionally, we are:

  • Ahead 37 new students (213 this year versus 176 last year)
  • Ahead 79 unduplicated students (797 this year versus 718 last year)
  • Ahead 1,299 credit hours (7,397 this year versus 6,098 last year; 50% to goal this year versus 48% to goal last year)

Virtual Open Door Days: save the dates

I will be conducting my first Open Door Days of the semester virtually on Zoom, which will allow us to respect COVID safety measures and provide broader access to students and employees who would like to participate. More details will be coming via campus email, but please mark the following dates if you would like connect with me on topics that are important to you:

  • Oct. 30 from 12-3 p.m. for administrators and staff
  • Nov. 3 from 2-5 p.m. for students
  • Nov. 6 from 12-3 p.m. for faculty

Enrollment update

Undergraduate admissions fall 2021: The fall 2020 recruitment cycle was, indeed, suspenseful. We expect that fall 2021 will bring similar volatility. This year’s high school seniors (class of 2021) will not have the same opportunities to visit campuses, attend college fairs or sit for college entrance exams. To help bridge this gap, we will continue to offer a blend of virtual events and appointments, and limited in-person campus visits (currently ten families per day) to serve families. In addition to an information session with admissions and a campus tour, we have built a professor/coach meeting and lunch into every schedule. The visit and event team has worked closely with the Engle Center to ensure that visiting families are assessed via a health questionnaire prior to visiting (similar to the student/employee process). If families are from high-risk states or have visited a high-risk state within the last two weeks, they are prohibited from visiting. Families are required to wear masks and maintain appropriate physical distancing. They have been very responsive to our protocols.

Messiah’s fall enrollment virtual events include:

  • Oct. 12, Open House I
  • Nov. 6, Spotlight Day (SOTA)
  • Nov.  9, Honors Day I
  • Nov. 13, Spotlight Day (BESS/HUM)
  • Nov.  20, Spotlight Day (SEH)

While it is very early in the recruitment calendar, applications in mid-September are running approximately 10-15 percent behind the average of the prior last three years. Canceled events (college fairs, music festivals, high school visits, etc.) are limiting our exposure to high school students. The undergraduate admissions team is working hard to make contacts to encourage applications and visits, and we have been more assertive in building our inquiry pool through name purchases and increased digital marketing.

How you can help with undergraduate recruitment: In the spirit of last year’s “All-in Recruiting,” would you spread the word about Messiah University? There is nothing like a personal referral to help a student feel connected. This year’s recruiting magazine is available as a digital flip book or available in the Admissions office in hard copy. Would you please share it with potentially interested high school students? You can find a link to this year’s recruitment magazine here and direct students to our request for information page here.

Giving update

In these uncertain times, it is a bit difficult to suggest how COVID-19 and related economic challenges will affect our fundraising for FY21. However, our giving for the current fiscal year is off to a good start. In terms of overall gifts in the door and new pledges, we are trending ahead of last year at this time but the Messiah Fund is tracking behind. A chart of our giving progress is provided below.

We have had some early successes in raising funds for Endowment Challenge #9, which was approved at the May Board of Trustees meeting. Since the Messiah CARES program utilized $2.1 million in endowment funds to offer additional aid to students for FY21, the focus of Endowment Challenge #9 is to replenish those dollars. In the first few weeks of fundraising, we have already raised over $100,000. As you know from previous campus updates, Messiah’s endowment challenge program, which dates back to 2013, has been very popular among our donors.

  FY21 Giving Update as of Sept. 10, 2020  
Gifts Received Messiah Fund /Operating Gifts Received &New Pledges
$ 728,851 $ 75,977 $ 1,615,202
June 30 Goals:
$ 6,030,000: 12% of goal $ 1,300,000: 6% of goal $ 12,030,000: 13% of goal

Admissions and welcome center and campus green space progress

Progress on the construction of the new admissions and welcome center continues to move forward. While the contractors have been working hard to make up the time lost when the state suspended construction in April and May, the ongoing impact of COVID on manufacturing is still negatively affecting the availability of materials. Due to various supply delays, the completion date of the project has been moved to November. The scheduling of related personnel and office moves will occur as soon as building occupancy is approved. Once employees in Old Main relocate to the admissions and welcome center, internal moves in Old Main will occur, and then employees currently located in Hoffman will move into Old Main. The subsequent demolition of Hoffman Hall is expected to begin just before Christmas break.

Presently, the new building’s interior spaces are being painted and prepped for carpet. Bathroom tile is almost completed, and lighting installation is in process, as are the data lines. As soon as the storefront (one of the manufacturing delays) is installed in the front of the building, the air conditioning and heat will be activated. Furniture is also scheduled for a mid-November delivery.

The completed section of the campus green space will open for use once the grass has time to fully establish itself. Planting of new trees on the green should occur within the next several weeks. This new space will be a welcome area for students to gather (physically distanced, of course!) as the academic year progresses.

Messiah University’s next strategic plan

As I shared in the recent State of the University address, we have initiated an institutional strategic planning process for FY22-25. Dr. Jeffrey Moshier, special assistant to the president for program development, and I are co-leading this important process with the assistance of a campus leadership team  (click to view team) and Credo higher education consultants.

It is essential that our planning process gathers meaningful input from all constituencies and members of our community. I am grateful for those of you who took the time, especially during this very busy season, to join the virtual brainstorming led by Jennifer deCoste, vice president of strategy at Credo, and her team on Sept. 4.  It was a productive session with excellent feedback about Messiah University’s priorities and future goals. If you were unable to join the live Zoom session on September 4, recorded content and feedback tools were made available by Credo (until Friday, Sept.18). Some have questioned the wisdom of engaging in planning during this uncertain time. While we are all investing significant efforts in managing COVID-19, we must also devote significant time to thinking of, and planning for, Messiah’s immediate and long-term future. Of course, creativity and adaptability will be built into the fabric of our plan.

Good news about Messiah

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

  • I am proud to announce that Messiah University has graduated our very first post-BSN DNP/FNP students! Despite having the challenges of finishing clinical experiences and DNP projects during a pandemic, ten students finished the summer term on Aug. 15 to become the first doctoral graduates of Messiah University! They will be taking the family nurse practitioner board exam in the next few months and we anticipate official notification of our accreditation status in early October. Congratulations to our first doctoral graduates, and to Assistant Dean of Nursing Kim Fenstermacher and to DNP Program Coordinator Kristen Slabaugh for the valuable leadership they have provided to Messiah’s inaugural doctoral program.
  • Messiah University was recently named as one of just 12 members of the 2020 Class of Excellence in Assessment Designees, a national program aimed at recognizing colleges and universities conducting comprehensive assessment of student learning outcomes as a means to drive internal improvement and advance student success. The Excellence in Assessment (EIA) designation is the first national designation of its kind, spotlighting institutions that successfully integrate assessment practices across the institution, providing evidence of student learning, and using assessment results to guide institutional decision-making and improve student performance. Thank you to Kate Oswald Wilkins, assistant dean of general education and common learning and director of assessment, Assistant Director of Assessment Susan Donat, and former Graduate Assistant Nathan Reese for all their diligent work in securing this recognition for Messiah. Read more details.
  • Congratulations to Keith Quesenberry, associate professor of marketing, and colleague Michael Coolsen from Shippensburg University, as their recent research publication, “What Makes Facebook Brand Posts Engaging? A Content Analysis of Facebook Brand Post Text That Increases Shares, Likes, and Comments to Influence Organic Viral Reach,” was announced as one of the most influential articles of 2019 in American Academy of Advertising journals. Read the article abstract.
  • On Aug. 26, a monument commemorating the Old 8th Ward, the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment giving Black men the right to vote, and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women’s suffrage, was dedicated in Harrisburg. Digital Harrisburg, a collaboration between Messiah University’s Center for Public Humanities and the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, has been involved in the project through their devotion to the exploration of the history, society and culture of the city. Gov. Tom Wolf, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, as well as several other state and local officials attended the event. I was pleased to attend alongside Messiah faculty and students who have been central to the research of this significant initiative. Representation from Messiah included Dean Peter Powers, Jean Corey, Todd Allen, David Pettegrew, Bernardo Michael, along with students and alumni who worked on the project. View photos and story on PennLive.
  • Congratulations to Mina Choi, student ministries pastor, who successfully defended her dissertation earlier this week, earning her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance and literature from the University of Illinois. Mina’s previous degrees include a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary; a Master of Arts in Christian education from Dallas Baptist University; a Master of Music in organ performance from Yale University; and a bachelor’s degree in organ performance from the Royal College of Music in London. Congratulations, Dr. Choi!

In closing

I’d like to conclude this update by sharing an email I received last week from a current student. The gratitude he expresses to me as president is certainly shared with all of you:

Dear President Phipps:

 I am writing to thank you for the work you have put into allowing us to stay on campus this fall. I am a senior this year, and I am so grateful for your efforts and the efforts of others to make this year the best it can be. I know the voices of those who are ungrateful can often overshadow those who are thankful, so I wanted to express my appreciation to you. Messiah’s response to this pandemic is one of many examples of why I chose to come to Messiah and why I will be honored to call myself an alum in less than a year. I am not alone in my thankfulness. Many of my friends feel the same way. We feel safe, cared for, and know that the University is doing the best it can to allow us to engage in the community we cherish. Our appreciation cannot be overstated, and your work is not in vain.

I have heard similar expressions from other students during the past few weeks. May these words encourage you and remind you of our mission—we have the privilege of educating and mentoring students for lives of Christ-centered service, leadership and reconciliation – even in the most challenging of times.

Warm regards,

Kim S. Phipps, President