May 11, 2023

Dear Colleagues:

What a privilege it was to celebrate the Commencement of the undergraduate class of 2023 this past weekend! The beautiful spring weather was matched only by the warm joy and excitement of the graduates and their families. I never tire of the pomp, circumstance and celebration of Messiah’s graduation day—and I am grateful for the countless hours of planning and teamwork that you invest as a campus community to make Commencement special for our newest alumni. This weekend, I look forward to conferring the graduate-level degrees for our Class of 2023 from Messiah’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Both the undergraduate and graduate Classes of 2023 have prevailed amidst the unique challenges of navigating their higher educational experience in a time of global pandemic. The resilience, creativity and strength they demonstrated—rooted in their commitment to service, leadership and reconciliation—offers significant hope for the future.

This week we transition to the fullness of May Educator Development Week, employee recognition events, certifying degrees and gearing up for summer projects and initiatives. We also will be launching another full season of summer camps and conferences—an important component of Messiah’s educational programming and financial sustainability. As the academic year comes to a close, I want to express my gratitude for your dedication and hard work. Your commitment to our university’s mission and values is truly inspiring, and I am grateful to be a part of this community.

Now allow me to share an update from the April board of trustee meetings, enrollment, giving and other important campus news.

Highlights from the April 2023 board of trustees meeting

Members of Messiah’s board of trustees met on campus for their annual spring meeting on April 26-28. The trustees were encouraged by our undergraduate and graduate enrollment numbers, the successful completion of The Campaign for Messiah University, and the forward momentum that has been created for the Engle Center and Warmer Welcome projects. Board members also heard a strategic planning update outlining the progress we have made on the goals of the “University Rising” plan and administered a slate of additional action items, including those summarized below.

From the Committee on Finance:

  • The board approved the FY24 Financial Plan, as approved by campus governance groups, permitting the Executive Committee of the Board, or the Committee on Finance, to take final action on the financial plan in October when enrollment information will be more complete, if necessary.
  • The board approved the standard action that the vice president for finance and planning, with the written consent of the president of the University or the chair of the board of trustees, be authorized to borrow under one line of credit up to a total of $10 million for working capital purposes during the period July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

From the Committee on Education: The board reviewed and approved the promotion, term-tenure and emeritus status of current faculty members, and the hiring of new faculty members, effective Aug. 1, 2023, as presented based on the recommendation of the Term-Tenure and Promotion Committee, the provost and the president.

From the Committee on Governance:

Recommendation of officers: The board approved the appointment of the following slate of officers of the board of trustees for a one-year term to be effective July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

  •  Vice Chair: David Millary
  • Secretary:  Linda Eremita
  • Treasurer:  Anthony Schiano

Recommendation of term appointments: The board approved the appointment of the following individuals as a trustee in the class of 2027, effective July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027:

First term: (see attached biographies)

  • Lisa W. Glezer
  • Charles Hoober
  • Tiffany Stuckey                

Second Term:

  • Scott Heintzelman
  • David Millary 
  • Andrew Samuel

Third term:

  • Anthony Hahn
  • John Wagner

Announcing committee and timeline for the provost search

In February 2022, when I announced the pending retirement of Provost Randall Basinger and the appointment of Associate Provost Alison Noble as interim provost for a two-year period, I also indicated that the University would be conducting a national search for Messiah’s next provost . I am pleased to announce the formal launch of the provost search by sharing the search committee members and timeline below.

Provost search committee:

  • Chair – Kim Phipps, president
  • Emily Bingham, teaching pastor, director of campus ministries
  • John Chopka, vice president for enrollment management
  • Jocelyn Clippinger, COE chair (FY24) and director of student success
  • Henry Danso, professor of psychology
  • Ryan Farris, assistant professor of engineering
  • Jennifer Fisler, dean, School of Graduate and Professional Studies
  • Daniel Inouye, chair, Department of Theatre
  • Emerson Powery, interim dean, School of Arts, Culture and Society and professor of New Testament
  • Leanne Rutt, program director, occupational therapy
  • Kathie Shafer, vice president for operations

 Search timeline:

  • The search committee will meet via Zoom in June, July and August 2023.
  • The position posting and advertising will commence in mid July 2023.
  • Candidate review (including video interviews) will begin Oct. 1, 2023.
  • Onsite campus interviews are planned to be held in November 2023.
  • The president will receive feedback from the search committee and appoint Messiah’s new provost by Dec. 15, 2023.

Change in reporting structure for Messiah athletics

I am pleased to announce that the Department of Athletics will report to the president beginning July 1, 2023. This reporting structure for athletics is considered to be a best practice in NCAA Division III and in our Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) given the role of university presidents in determining NCAA legislation as well as the significant role athletics plays in university strategic communication and student recruitment and retention. Vice Provost Kris Hansen-Kieffer and Sarah Gustin-Hamrock and I have been discussing this change throughout the past academic year. Athletic administrators and coaches will continue their status as members of the Community of Educators. I look forward to working with Executive Director of Athletics Sarah Gustin-Hamrock as we continue to ensure the excellence and mission focus of Messiah athletics.

Enrollment snapshot

 Undergraduate Admissions: New student enrollment for fall 2023 has been tracking similarly to last year. While applications and acceptances have been running two to three percent behind, May deposit activity has been encouraging. We are currently at 577 new student deposits vs. a budget goal of 572 for the fall. Admissions activity as of May 9 is as follows:

May 9, 2023
Fall 2023 % to goal Goal Fall 2022 3-year average

First-year Students
Applications 2,336 91% 2,575 2,391 2,429
Acceptances 1,844 92% 2,000 1,910 1,905
Active Deposits 577 99% 580 574 557

Transfer Students
Applications 202 70% 290 186 217
Acceptances 116 55% 210 123 128
Active Deposits 41 47% 87 52 58
   

Other notable trends include:

  • Applications and acceptances among domestic students of color follow overall trends, but deposits are up (+17).
  • We have 82 students in our first-year applicant pool for fall 2023 who participated in dual enrollment. Of these 80 students, 52 have paid a deposit.
  • We have awarded 967 Dean’s Scholarships for visiting campus to applicants for fall. Of our 577 first-year deposits, 557 students have received this $1,000 scholarship.

Graduate Enrollment: A mini snapshot of graduate enrollment was captured on March 31. The chart below shows progress to-date by program. The 2022-2023 fiscal year budgeted credit hour goal is 14,790. As of March 31 (when including early summer registration), we have reached 15,352 registered credit hours (104 percent to goal)! Comparing where we are this year to where we were last year on April 1, 2022:

  • 305 new students (90 percent to goal) this year compared to 302 (84 percent to goal) last year
  • 914 unduplicated students (100 percent to goal) this year compared to 950 (101 percent to goal) last year
  • 15,352 credit hours (104 percent to goal) this year compared to 16,433 (108 percent to goal) last year

Giving update

FY23 giving (as of May 9): We remain ahead in total giving and new pledges by $1 million compared to last year at this time. Further, after a successful Giving Day on April 4, which raised nearly $190,000 from 329 donors, we have reduced the gap in the Messiah Fund/Operating total over last year at this time.

  • Total giving: $5,935,536 (91 percent of June 30 goal)
  • Messiah Fund/operating: $840,722 (65 percent of June 30 goal)
  • Total giving and new pledges: $11,762,117 (98 percent of June 30 goal)

Our priorities through the close of the fiscal year remain similar to our last update:

  • The Messiah Fund, which provides critical support for the annual budget of the University by providing scholarship aid to all students as well as funding for campus improvements, student-faculty research, and service and missions trips.
  • Scholarship Endowment, which provides additional tuition scholarship and program resources for students. So far this year, we have raised $1.6 million in scholarship endowment support.
  • Facilities projects:
    • Warmer Welcome Campaign for athletics: $4.5 million (62 percent of goal) has been raised as of this date. We are committed to prioritizing the construction of the East Facility and Lacrosse Stadium Seating as soon as we have that funding in place. Softball/baseball enhancements (dugouts, softball stands and press boxes) will be launched as a second phase of the overall project when the remaining dollars are raised.
    • Engle Health and Counseling Center expansion: Fundraising continues with about $164,000 remaining. A dedication for the facility is planned for Oct. 13, 2023, during the fall Board of Trustees meetings.
    • Resurface of indoor track: We also remain focused on raising the necessary dollars to resurface the indoor track located on the upper level of the Hitchcock Arena within the Sollenberger Sports We are at $158,000, which is 63 percent of goal.
    • Science Equipment and Space: Dr. Jon Stuckey and the development team have been meeting with faculty and administrative leaders to identify priority needs in science equipment. No fundraising goals have been established at this time, but we believe there is an opportunity to engage donors in areas of science that require key upgrades in order to maintain the outstanding reputation of our science graduates.

Facilities update

Engle Center

Pyramid Construction began work on the Engle Center addition on March 6. After the initial steps of pouring concrete and framing, demolition in part of the building began on April 3 which provided a head start on the renovations that fully began on May 8. This timely and important project is scheduled to be completed in August 2023 in time to begin serving students for our new academic year.

A Warmer Welcome – Starry Complex

Progress has been made related to the zoning of the Warmer Welcome campaign construction and enhancement projects at Starry complex. The design team and the University are finalizing plans to be submitted to Monaghan Township for approval. On March 29, requests for proposals were sent to ten contractors, with the goal of identifying the contractor for the East Building and Lacrosse Stadium by early May.

Main entrance sign

Messiah University continues to work with legal counsel to navigate several zoning issues with Upper Allen Township related to this project. We are diligently working on the approval process and remain hopeful that we will begin construction of the main entrance sign during the upcoming academic year (all funding is in place).

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).

  • Assistant Dean of Nursing Kim Fenstermacher was invited to serve as the 2023 commencement speaker for the Penn State University Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Graduate School. An alumna of Penn State’s master’s and doctorate program in nursing, Dr. Fenstermacher said, “The Penn State graduate faculty were so incredibly helpful to me on my journey. They understood that real life happens when you’re a graduate student, and they came alongside me to really support me in those ups and downs.” Her address encouraged graduates to steward their education well, practice professional generosity, and seek to understand others and offer unwavering kindness in our complex world. Read Penn State’s profile of Dr. Fenstermacher.
  • Congratulations to rising senior Maira Myers, who was recently announced as the ACDA-PA winner of the 2023 Choral Composition Competition. Maira’s acapella piece, “Night,” will be premiered at the 2023 ACDA-PA Summer Conference by the “Choir for All” Honor Choir. Maira, a music education major, is part of Concert Choir and Chamber Singers and has also sung in numerous choirs throughout her high school years, including district, honors, and state choir. She has always had a love and passion for composing music and has continued taking lessons under Dr. Richard Roberson. Read more about Maria’s journey and the inspiration for her composition.
  • Messiah University students performed with distinction at the CFASP 9th annual collegiate financial plan competition which this year received 222 submissions from 11 different schools. Messiah took first place for the third year in a row, with this year’s top spot earned by Noah Andrews.  Kellie Chandler also placed in the top 10. Congratulations to Noah, Kellie, Professor Dwayne Safer, and Messiah’s finance program for this consistent showing of excellence!
  • Messiah students, led by Professor David Pettgrew, were featured on WGAL News 8, for their Service Day project in Lincoln Cemetery, Harrisburg’s oldest historic African American cemetery. Since 2019, the non-profit organization Saving our Ancestors’ Legacy (SOAL) has been working to restore the cemetery and its gravestones after a period of neglect and disrepair. Messiah faculty and students have supported SOAL’s restoration efforts over the last several years. In 2022-2023, Messiah University, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, and SOAL have partnered to create a digital record of the cemetery through drone photography and the creation of a publicly-available interactive map. On Service Day specifically, students captured digital records of graves at the cemetery through mobile devices and/or exposed cradle graves with trowels. You can read more about the collaborative work at Lincoln Cemetery through essays by Messiah students Rachel Petroziello (“Respect for the Dead”) and WenXin Ling (“Taking the Mobile App to the Lincoln Cemetery”).

Messiah Athletics highlights

Below are highlights of recent success and accomplishments of Messiah student athletes and the Division of Athletics. For more details visit www.gomessiah.com.

  • The men’s volleyball team advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history. The Falcons ended the season with an overall record of 27-6, setting a new program record for wins in a single season. Mason Nissley and Matt Knab were honored as All-Americans for the third-straight season while Nissley was named the Co-Conference Player of the Year.
  • Last weekend, the men’s outdoor track and field team claimed the MAC Championship! Completing the conference triple crown, winning the cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field championships in the same academic year. This is the first time in program history that the men’s team has won all three in the same year.
  • The women’s lacrosse team is heading to the NCAA Tournament, earning an at-large bid after finishing as the MAC Commonwealth runner-up this season. The Falcons will play St. Mary’s of Maryland on Saturday in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Ewing, N.J. at 1p.m.
  • Women’s track and field finished sixth at the MAC Championships this past weekend. The relay team of Alyssa Nori, Katie Anthony, Kathleen Walstrom, and Kate Dickow claimed the bronze medal in the 4×800 Meter Relay, setting a new program record in the event in a time of 9:27.02.
  • Last week at the MAC Awards Luncheon, four Messiah student-athletes were honored as the MAC Senior Scholar Athletes in their respective sports. Mason Nissley (men’s volleyball), Rachel Delate (women’s lacrosse), Logan Horst (men’s cross country), and Jake Lent-Koop (men’s soccer) claimed accolades for the Falcons.

In closing

 Author Henri Nouwen said, “Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things—the weather, human relationship, the economy, the political situation, and so on—will get better. Hope is trust that God will fulfil God’s promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands.”

The truth of the Gospel is hope. And Messiah’s students and alumni embody that hope in our church and society. I am grateful to fulfill the sacred mission of Messiah University alongside you. Thank you for all the ways you invest in our students and community life.

During the summer months ahead, be sure to slow down whenever you can. Enjoy spending time with family and friends and the restoration that it brings.

Warm regards,

Kim S. Phipps, president