Intercom

Feb. 12

February 12th, 2026 by INTERCOM

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

PSALM: 91:11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Congratulations, Anna!

In 2024, FNP track coordinator Dr. Anna Gale was accepted into the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties 2024-2025 Faculty Leadership Mentoring Program cohort, which provides development in leadership knowledge and skills, especially those associated with the nurse practitioner (NP) educator role. Anna completed the program in the Fall of 2025. We are excited to announce that she was just selected to participate in the 2026 Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Mentoring Program. This 18-month program pairs faculty with seasoned NP mentors and leaders to support other NPs in meaningful professional growth, networking, and scholarly work

Two new books by Ryan Rickrode

Ryan Rickrode, senior lecturer in English, has published his first two books. Accidents Will Happen: Essays & Photos (Matinee Press, 2025) came out in December. Both a memoir and a meditation on risk, work and family, this book moves from the beestings of childhood to the roofing work Rickrode did with his father as a young adult to the swirly ultrasound images of a child not yet born. The Mountains May Depart (Unsolicited Press, 2026) will be released on April 7. This debut novel is an exploration of grief, forgiveness, prayer, and reconciliation set in Missoula, Montana. Novelist Bret Lott says, “This is a beautiful book. Short, sweet, tough, brave, tender, resilient, heartbreaking, true. All that. Ryan Rickrode has written a terse and beguiling and remarkably beautiful novel.”
https://messiah.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsSurveyEngine/File.php?F=F_1LvtkJ6LpxWxFoR

BID FAREWELL

Farewell, Sally Keefer

After many years of faithful and dedicated service to Messiah University, Sally Keefer will retire following her longstanding role as administrative assistant to the dean of the School of Arts, Culture, and Society. Throughout her tenure, Sally served with grace, professionalism, and care, providing steady support to SACS leadership and offered wise guidance that helped sustain and strengthen the work of the school. Her commitment to the mission of the University and her attentive service to faculty, staff and students alike will leave a lasting impact, and she will be deeply missed. Please join the School of Arts, Culture and Society in expressing sincere gratitude to Sally for her many years of service and in wishing her the best in this next chapter.

We are also pleased to welcome Denise Waiters as the new administrative assistant to the dean of the School of Arts, Culture and Society.

Farewell to Orlando Williams

After seven years of dedicated service to the Messiah University community, Orlando Williams will be leaving his role within Multicultural and International Student Programs as he and his wife Saba prepare to welcome a new member to their family. The Office of Diversity Affairs wishes Orlando well as he heads into this new chapter of life. We are grateful for the ways in which he has shaped the lives and experiences of so many students over his tenure at Messiah. Students often comment on the meaningful conversations and impact that Orlando has had on their time at Messiah University. He will be dearly missed by colleagues and students, both past and present. Orlando’s last day as assistant director of Multicultural Student Programs will be Friday, Feb. 20. Please join us in praying for him and his family during this exciting new season of life.

AROUND CAMPUS

The Campus Store continues offering Unreasonable Hospitality

This fall, the Campus Store successfully kicked off our Operations Unreasonable Hospitality goal to increase understanding among faculty, academic administrators and admissions counselors of how our automatic textbook fulfillment service–Slingshot Choice–works and benefits them, their students and the university. In October, we deployed a short informative Qualtrics survey to these select colleagues to help us assess their existing Slingshot Choice knowledge and received 60 unique responses. Aleisha Wildon presented Slingshot Choice at three department meetings in the fall (UG nursing, grad social work, and biblical and religious studies) with several more department visits slated for spring. If your department can spare 15 minutes during a spring meeting, please reach out to Aleisha at awildon@messiah.edu. She will gladly share the ins and outs of the Slingshot Choice program, explain why it is a value-added service to our campus community and answer any questions you may have.

Alumni Awards 2026 – Your input is needed!

The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations seek nominations for the following awards:

Distinguished alumnus/a Achievement Award Recognizes a lifetime of vocational achievement in a manner that embodies the mission of the University.

Young Alumnus/a achievement recognizes an alumnus/a who has attended Messiah University within the past 15 years for significant contribution to church, vocation, community and/or Messiah University.

Alumni Christian Service Award recognizes outstanding lifelong service or long-term effort in fulfilling the mandates of the Christian gospel to both serve and sacrifice for the needs of humanity.

Alumni Appreciation Award recognizes an individual(s) who has/have contributed to the University in an extraordinary manner (long-term professional service; significant volunteer service and/or financial contribution). Note: in this category, the nominee is not required to be an alumnus of Messiah.

Please submit all nominations by March 6. The nomination form can be found at: https://www.messiah.edu/alumni-relations/alumni-awards/ Contact Abby Book with any questions at abook@messiah.edu Thank you for your help in nominating individuals for these prestigious annual awards!

Employee Worship Service – Tuesday, Feb. 17
All employees are invited to join together in praise, prayer and worship at 9:30 a.m. in Hostetter Chapel.

Join us in Baltimore in February!

Are you interested in exploring research, internships, and transformational learning opportunities with one of Messiah’s off-campus study-away partners in an urban context? Join us in February for a special visit to the Living and Learning East Coast program at the Baltimore Urban Studies Center! This will be a meaningful opportunity to learn more about the program, engage in community, and explore wholistic wellness. Living and Learning East Coast has four primary tracks available: interdisciplinary and ministry, social work, public policy, and health science. If you are passionate about living in intentional community, learning how to respond to the challenges of our world with a Christ-centered lens, and making a difference this program is for you!

Two registration options are available for our visit to Baltimore:

Overnight trip: Feb. 20-21 Includes transportation, meals, an overnight stay at the Baltimore Urban Studies Center, opportunities to connect with students and staff from Living and Learning East Coast, and attendance at the Wholistic Wellness Summit. Participation cost applies.

Day trip: Feb. 21 Includes transportation, lunch, and attendance at the Wholistic Wellness Summit. Participation cost applies. Both options offer a valuable opportunity centered on learning, reflection, and engagement with wholistic wellness in an urban context.

For additional details, including registration link and cost, please reach out to the Agapé Center at agapecenter@messiah.edu. Space is limited and first-come-first serve, so we ask that you register as soon as possible. We hope you will join us for this exciting opportunity in Baltimore! The Agapé Center – Department of Off-Campus Programs

Hiring Summer Student Employees

In order to assist students with obtaining summer on-campus employment and to facilitate placement of students, the Student Employment Office will be holding a summer job fair on Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in Eisenhower Commons. Departments hiring summer student workers should plan to have a representative available at the Job Fair unless all summer workers are already actively working for the department during the academic year or are being rehired from the prior summer.

Please keep the following dates in mind as you plan your summer student hiring:

February 12: RSVP for Job Fair due and summer job requisitions due
February 24: Summer Job Fair
April 2: Summer hiring is due. A hiring request must be submitted via Oracle for each student who will be working this summer.

If your department plans to hire student employees for the summer of 2026, please read the summer hiring information prior to proceeding with the summer hiring process or making employment offers.

If you have any questions about summer student employment, please contact Belinda Conrad, student employment coordinator, at ext. 2900 or studentemployment@messiah.edu.

Summary Annual Report available

The following link provides the required communication of the Summary Annual Report for the Messiah University Employee Welfare Benefit Plan for the plan year period beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025. Please contact the Office of Human Resources & Compliance at ext. 5300 if you have any questions. https://www.messiah.edu/human-resources/_secure/sar_welfare_benefit_plan.pdf

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time first shift safety officer. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: 1st shift safety officer link.

Campus & Building Services has an opening for a part-time 1^st shift worker. Job related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: cbs pt first shift link.

Campus & Building Services has an opening for a full-time 1^st shift worker. Job related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: cbs ft first shift link.

Campus & Building Services has an opening for a full-time 3^rd shift worker. Job related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: cbs ft 3rd shift link.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a safety officer, 2nd Shift, Noon – 10 pm. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: 2nd shift safety officer.

Campus Ministries has an opening for a part-time administrative assistant/chapel coordinator. Job related questions may be directed to Emily Bingham at ebingham@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30709.

Facility Services has an opening for a full-time administrative assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Brian Miller at bemiller@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30665.

The Engle Center has an opening for a part-time dietitian. Job related questions may be directed to Carrie Ent at cent@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: posting link for dietitian.

Job applications are now being accepted for the full-time position of director of dining services. Job related questions may be directed Kathie Shafer at kshafer@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: director of dining services link.

Job applications are now being accepted for the full-time position of manager, natural sciences laboratory program. Job related questions may be directed Anne Reeve at areeve@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: manager, natural sciences laboratory program link.

For sale

Red velvet cake rolls for sale!
I (Olivia Swarner) have started selling homemade baked goods! My specialties are sourdough bread, yeast breads, cookies, cinnamon rolls and cake rolls! This month, my special is red velvet cake rolls with cream cheese icing – they are $18 a roll. If you are interested in seeing my complete menu or placing an order, please reach out to me directly at oswarner@messiah.edu. You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram at Olivia’s Bread & Breakfast to keep up to date with monthly specials.

Wanted

Donations wanted: Clothes, books and kitchen supplies
The Office of Sustainability is looking for donations for our upcoming book, kitchen, and clothing swaps. All items should be things you no longer need, but of good condition. All items will be offered for free to any students who stop by our events, and any leftover will go into storage for future events or be donated to a local thrift store. In particular, we are in need of men’s clothes, business casual items (men and women), and larger sized items, but all are welcome. Donations can be brought to the Office of Sustainability (near the Falcon and Bookstore) or directly to one of our events. Here is the list with dates and times: – Feb. 27 from 3-5 p.m. in the Fishbowl (common area between Miller, Hess, and Grantham residence halls) – March 20 from 3-5 p.m. in the Fishbowl – March 27 from 2-5 p.m. in the Fishbowl If you have any questions, please contact Katelyn Galyen (kgalyen@messiah.edu)

OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS

Beginner Sourdough Workshop
with Sheryl Sanders
Email: ssanders@messiah.edu

Saturday, March 7
8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Dillsburg, PA

Click this link to sign up: https://www.hotplate.com/sherylsandersdesigns

Learn how to make healthy, homemade sourdough bread in a simple way that is fun and cost effective that fits perfectly into a busy lifestyle. You will come away with the confidence to successfully bake beautiful artisan loaves for your friends and family. Get ready to learn everything from mixing, stretching & folding, proofing, shaping, scoring and baking in our 2 hour hands on beginner class.

BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS TO CLASS:

👉 4 quart or larger glass or porcelain mixing bowl
👉 Wooden Spoon
👉 Apron
👉 Kitchen Scale

*It is recommended that each participant have a Dutch oven at home since everyone will bring home dough to bake later that night/weekend.

Should you decide to continue baking sourdough, my Sourdough Essential Shopping List provides you with a list of items that are helpful for sourdough baking. These are not items you need to bring to class.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Feb. 12

Feb. 5

February 5th, 2026 by INTERCOM

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

Nahum 1:7

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Congratulations, Anna!

Messiah Excel team wins 1st event of the year

Congratulations to the Messiah Varsity Excel team for winning the kickoff MECC Team e-Invitational this weekend beating much larger institutions like University of Arizona, University of Kentucky, University of Texas and University of Tennessee. With the win, the Varsity team of Luke Peyton, Marcos Garcia and Austin Safer earned a return trip to Las Vegas for the World Championships in December. Great work as well by the Junior Varsity (JV) Excel team as for a top 10 finish.

AROUND CAMPUS

Bingo at Murray Library – Feb. 6

You are invited! Get ready for a fun evening on Friday, Feb. 6, as we celebrate the Campus Race to Zero Waste with Bingo Night! For the 5th year in a row, Murray Library is teaming up with the Office of Sustainability to host this exciting event. Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and the 10 rounds of bingo will begin at 7 p.m. Open to the entire MU community, so bring your family to play!

SAB Concerts Presents: Jervis Campbell with opener, Jordy Searcy

Student tickets are $10 and General Admission is $25. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 p.m.

Feel free to share this amazing opportunity with community members, local youth groups, or anyone else you may feel could be interested! Any questions about the show can be directed to Curtis Kurtz at ckurtz@messiah.edu. We hope to see you there! You do not want to miss it! Get Your Tickets Here: https://www.purplepass.com/events/342502-jervis-campbell-live-in-concert%2C-featuring-opener%2C-feb-21st-2026

Tell your story at the upcoming Living Library!

“Books” are needed for “The Living Library: Many Stories, One Community!” Do you have a story to share? We encourage you to consider participating as a “book” in the Living Library at the Murray Library. As a living book, you would be sharing your story with others (small group – less than 10 people) in the Messiah University community in a moderated 25-minute session on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 15.

Please complete this application to be a book no later than Friday, March 20. https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_37v5VgYD9SA3g5D Questions may be directed to Todd Allen, vice president for diversity affairs, at tallen@messiah.edu or Liz Kielley, discovery and metadata librarian, at ekielley@messiah.edu.

Authors Alliance Copyright Information and Policy Resources Now Available

Murray Library now has access to copyright resources from the Authors Alliance thanks to a PALCI consortium partnership. This first in the country program offers:

Timely case updates and policy briefson legal issues impacting authors and libraries via the Partner Program email list
Monthly copyright office hours, staffed by a team of copyright experts and open to librarians, faculty and staff at any PALCI institution (including Messiah University) and held on the third Wednesday of every month via Zoom
Webinar Series: Access to 4–5 annual virtual sessions on timely and emerging issues (e.g., AI & copyright, open licensing, controlled digital lending), tailored to PALCI’s interests
Strategic Collaboration: An open invitation to work with PALCI leadership on consortium-wide law and information policy priorities, for example, resource sharing, fair use guidance, or legal frameworks for open infrastructure
Discounted Ratesfor Authors Alliance events and training opportunities requiring registration fees

If you would like to participate in any of the above items or if you have a specific question about copyright, please contact your liaison librarian.

Copyright questions related to book or article publication, artificial intelligence, open educational resources, or classroom use are welcome as well as other related topics.

Messiah University copyright resources are also available at messiah.edu/copyright.

Technology Support: Please see below for helpful tips and updates!

Contact us by emailing techsupport@messiah.edu regarding any of this information or if you have any questions in general.

Sign-up software: Signup Genius is not approved software due to security concerns, including its collection and marketing of users’ personal information. Alternatively, Qualtrics can provide the same functionality. By using quotas in Qualtrics, you can create time slots that remain visible until each slot’s quota has been filled. If you need assistance setting this up, please contact techsupport@messiah.edu.

Browser Tip for Oracle Self-Service (OSS): For the best experience with the new Oracle system, we recommend using Google Chrome as the preferred browser, with Microsoft Edge as a strong alternative. Both Chrome and Edge allow you to sign in with your Messiah credentials and will synchronize your bookmarks, passwords, and settings, making it easy to back up and restore your browser information. Note: Firefox and Safari are not fully optimized for Oracle, so using Chrome or Edge will provide the smoothest and most reliable performance.

Employee Worship Service – Tuesday, Feb. 17
All employees are invited to join together in praise, prayer and worship at 9:30 a.m. in Hostetter Chapel.

2026 Employee award nominations

Do you work with someone who has gone above and beyond expectations this past year? Nominate them for recognition at this spring’s Employee Recognition Picnic on Thursday, May 14! Please use the links below to submit nominations from now until March 4.

Team Falcon Award: https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7OFhrbzZSVSU8B0
The Team Falcon Award is given to recognize a group or team that collaborated successfully on a significant project or initiative that advanced departmental or university-wide goals.

Road to Reconciliation Award: https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0xIMS4YdnGhZqkK
The Road to Reconciliation Award is given to employees who have demonstrated a leadership role related to reconciliation beyond the expectations of their positions.

Pride in Performance Award: https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0VzjoDOBrJ9HXIG
The Pride in Performance Award is given to administrative and staff employees who have demonstrated remarkable competence in their role along with a consistent commitment to excellence and to working successfully with others to achieve the goals of the university.

President’s Award: https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d6j3l1iuYfjTOpE
The President’s Award is given to administrative and staff employees who have demonstrated significant commitment, ingenuity, innovation and hard work in addressing a concern or challenge facing the university. This award is tied to a specific achievement or exceptional action.

All-employee in-service day

Please join fellow colleagues for our In-Service Day, Feb. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon. We will begin our time in Parmer Hall at 9 a.m. We are excited to share this time of celebration, reflection, and discussion with our entire employee base. You can look forward to a presentation about Messiah’s History celebrating our Mission and Identity Statements, along with time for worship and fellowshipping with those in attendance. Light refreshments will be provided!

February 2026 library newsletter

What is new at the library?

See our linked newsletter. Highlights include:

Bingo Night
Living Library
New study cubes
Mometrix test preparation
Giving Day
Library contributes to the Humanities Symposium
Lunch and Learn: NASA’s Mars Rovers
Seed Library Newsletter

Join us in Baltimore in February!

Two registration options are available for our visit to Baltimore:

Learn about health care in retirement

Are you or a loved one planning for health care in retirement? Join Everence Financial for a workshop on this topic on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in Parmer Cinema (Boyer 137). Learn about transitioning from employer-based healthcare to Medicare, Medicare basics, coverage options, and enrollment timing. Register at www.everence.com/messiah. Everence is Messiah University’s health care in retirement partner.

Documentary Screening: “A Faith Under Siege: Russia’s Hidden War on Ukraine’s Christians“

The campus community is invited to attend a screening of the documentary “A Faith Under Siege: Russia’s Hidden War on Ukraine’s Christians” sponsored by the Office of Diversity Affairs. This documentary examines the persecution of Ukrainian Christians and the broader impact of the ongoing war on Ukraine. Following the screening, a panel will discuss themes of faith, conflict, and human rights.

Date: Monday, Feb. 23

Time: 5 p.m.

Location: Palmer Cinema (Boyer 137)

Panelists:

Reverend Dr. Stephen Gallaher – Pastor of Thrive Church, Mechanicsburg, and professor emeritus of Christian Ministries at Messiah University.

Valeria Beussink – Ukrainian activist, co-founder of Central PA Supports Ukraine, and Ukraine Action Summit advocate.

Colonel R. Scott Buran, USMC (Ret.) – Former faculty member at the U.S. Army War College with operational experience in Desert Storm, Kosovo, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Currently executive director of Cor Christi Trinitate and co-founder of the J. Sherwood McGinnis, Jr. War, Peace, and Justice Project.

Pastor Igor Volodymyrovych Oleynik – Pastor of “Word of Life” Baptist Church in Enola, PA, part of the Union of Ukrainian Baptist Churches of America. His church actively provides aid to Ukraine and assists refugees displaced by the war.

Moderator: Oksana Moroz, assistant professor of English

Hiring Summer Student Employees

To assist students with obtaining summer on-campus employment and to facilitate placement of students, the Student Employment Office will be holding a summer job fair on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. -2 p.m. in Eisenhower Commons. Departments hiring summer student workers should plan to have a representative available at the Job Fair unless all summer workers are already actively working for the department during the academic year or are being rehired from the prior summer.

Please keep the following dates in mind as you plan your summer student hiring:

Feb. 12: RSVP for Job Fair due and Summer Job Requisitions due
Feb. 24: Summer Job Fair
April 2: Summer hiring is due. A hiring request must be submitted via Oracle for each student who will be working this summer.

If your department plans to hire student employees for the summer of 2026, please read the summer hiring information prior to proceeding with the summer hiring process or making employment offers.

If you have any questions about summer student employment, please contact Belinda Conrad, Student Employment Coordinator, at ext. 2900 or studentemployment@messiah.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

Campus and Building Services has an opening for a part-time 1^st shift worker. Job related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: cbs pt first shift link.

Campus and Building Services has an opening for a full-time 1^st shift worker. Job related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: cbs ft first shift link.

Dining Services has an opening for a part-time PM cook. Job related questions may be directed to Mark Wirtz at mwirtz@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: PT PM cook link .

The School of Arts, Culture and Society is now hiring a full-time administrative assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Emerson Powery at epowery@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: School of Arts, Culture & Society Admin Assistant.

Job applications are now being accepted for the full-time position of director of dining services. Job related questions may be directed Kathie Shafer at kshafer@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: director of dining services link.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Feb. 5

Jan. 29

January 29th, 2026 by INTERCOM

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

Ephesians 3:17-19

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Conference and Event Services staffing transition update

As mentioned in a previous intercom edition, Conference and Event Services is restructuring its teams’ assignments in anticipation of Randy Heintzelman’s retirement on Feb. 6.

Dianne Kirsch is now working full time as the University receptionist and will be handling all billing, fleet reservations and Climenhaga Homestead reservations.

Cindy Sterling will assume the role of office coordinator managing all of EMS and the University Box Office.

In the previous intercom announcement, it stated that Cindy would be located in ECC second floor in the Conference Services Suite. Please note that it has been decided that Cindy will remain in the reception area in her new role but will not be assisting with any receptionist’s responsibilities. Please feel free to contact Jody Brandt with any questions you may have regarding these changes to the Conference Services Department: jbrandt@messiah.edu.

AROUND CAMPUS

Bingo at Murray Library – Feb. 6

You’re invited! Get ready for a fun evening on Friday, Feb. 6, as we celebrate the Campus Race to Zero Waste with Bingo Night! For the 5th year in a row, Murray Library is teaming up with the Office of Sustainability to host this exciting event. Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and the 10 rounds of bingo will begin at 7 p.m. Open to the entire MU community, so bring your family to play!

Tell your story at the upcoming Living Library!

Unreasonable Hospitality Operations

Conference and Event Services learned from one of our campus partners, Paxton Street Ministries, that they would love to give their kitchen staff some time off enjoying lunch and fellowship together off the Paxton Street Ministries campus. To assist with this wish, the conference services team arrived mid-morning on Jan. 8 to help prepare and serve lunch then spent the afternoon making dinner for the 80 plus residents who live there. It was a great time and fun knowing staff there got a small break from their usual routines to enjoy time together.

Let us help you welcome your alumni guests!

As you may know, the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations coordinate the Visiting Alumni Initiative Program. Our goal is to ensure that all alumni who visit campus feel welcome and at home. We offer a variety of benefits to our alumni guests, including a gift bag, a reserved parking spot, and a thank you note. Please let us know if you plan to host an alumnus/alumna on campus this semester, and we will do our best to make sure they have every necessity for a great visit. To request a gift bag/parking spot/thank you note for your alumni guest, please click on the “Visiting Alumni Registration” card in Falcon Link. To enter a new guest, click on “Add New Visit” in the upper right-hand corner of the form. Thank you for your participation, The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations

Authors Alliance Copyright Information and Policy Resources Now Available

Murray Library now has access to copyright resources from the Authors Alliance thanks to a PALCI consortium partnership. This first in the country program offers:

Timely case updates and policy briefs on legal issues impacting authors and libraries via the Partner Program email list
Monthly copyright office hours, staffed by a team of copyright experts and open to librarians, faculty and staff at any PALCI institution (including Messiah University) and held on the third Wednesday of every month via Zoom
Webinar Series: Access to 4–5 annual virtual sessions on timely and emerging issues (e.g., AI & copyright, open licensing, controlled digital lending), tailored to PALCI’s interests
Strategic Collaboration: An open invitation to work with PALCI leadership on consortium-wide law and information policy priorities, for example, resource sharing, fair use guidance, or legal frameworks for open infrastructure
Discounted Rates for Authors Alliance events and training opportunities requiring registration fees

If you would like to participate in any of the above items or if you have a specific question about copyright, please contact your liaison librarian.

Copyright questions related to book or article publication, artificial intelligence, open educational resources, or classroom use are welcome as well as other related topics.

Messiah University copyright resources are also available at messiah.edu/copyright.

Technology Support: Please see below for helpful tips and updates!

Contact us by emailing techsupport@messiah.edu regarding any of this information or if you have any questions in general.

Sign-Up Software: Signup Genius is not an approved software due to security concerns, including its collection and marketing of users’ personal information. Alternatively, Qualtrics can provide the same functionality. By using quotas in Qualtrics, you can create time slots that remain visible until each slot’s quota has been filled. If you need assistance setting this up, please contact techsupport@messiah.edu.

Browser Tip for Oracle Self-Service (OSS): For the best experience with the new Oracle system, we recommend using Google Chrome as the preferred browser, with Microsoft Edge as a strong alternative. Both Chrome and Edge allow you to sign in with your Messiah credentials and will sync your bookmarks, passwords, and settings, making it easy to back up and restore your browser information. Note: Firefox and Safari are not fully optimized for Oracle, so using Chrome or Edge will provide the smoothest and most reliable performance.

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

The Office of Residence Life has an opening for a full-time interim residence life educator. Job related questions may be directed to Doug Wood at dwood@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30557.

Academic Accessibility is now hiring a part-time student care coordinator. Job related questions may be directed Amy Slody at aslody@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: Student Care Coordinator link.

Childcare job opportunity available on campus

As one of Messiah’s Residence Life Educators (RLE), my husband and I live on campus and are seeking childcare for our infant daughter in our home. We are looking for someone who is reliable and has experience caring for infants. Available hours will begin at the end of July and extend through the academic year. Hours are flexible and will range from 20-40 hours per week; we will need the most coverage between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. We are willing to be flexible with your schedule. Pay range begins at $12.50/hour, though we are willing to increase the hourly rate based on experience and job performance. If you, or someone you know, are interested, please send an email to lbrubaker@messiah.edu.

FREE

Home electric organ. We are looking to give away our electric home organ to either an individual or a church/school. Interested parties must be able to pick it up at our home in Etters. Email: Sfunck@messiah.edu

OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS

Beginner Sourdough Workshop with Sheryl Sanders

Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8:30 am
Dillsburg, PA

Click this link to sign up: https://www.hotplate.com/sherylsandersdesigns

Learn how to make healthy, homemade sourdough bread in a simple way that is fun and cost effective that fits perfectly into a busy lifestyle. You will come away with the confidence to successfully bake beautiful artisan loaves for your friends and family. Get ready to learn everything from mixing, stretching and folding, proofing, shaping, scoring and baking in our 2-hour hands on beginner class.

You will take home:

👉 Dough to bake TWO artisan loaves you start in class and take home to bake the following day

👉 Active sourdough starter that will NOT require daily feeds!

👉 A 20 oz. clasp jar to house your starter

👉 Dough to bake 2 artisan loaves

👉 A simplified printed guidebook

👉 100% spun cotton tea towel

👉 Post-workshop support to make your sourdough journey a success

*It is recommended that each participant have a Dutch oven at home since everyone will bring home dough to bake later that night/weekend.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Jan. 29

Jan. 22

January 22nd, 2026 by INTERCOM

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.

Proverbs 2:9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Faculty publication on Messiah’s Philly campus

David Weaver-Zercher, professor of American religious history, published an illustrated article in the December issue of Brethren in Christ History and Life, titled “Freshmen Weekend Seminars: Messiah College’s Philadelphia Campus and the Challenge of Antiracist Education, 1968-1974.” The article explores a curricular initiative in the early 1970s in which all first-year Messiah students spent a weekend at Messiah’s Philadelphia campus in North Philadelphia, learning about American-style racism. The article is available in Mosaic, Messiah’s institutional repository, at: https://messiah.hykucommons.org/concern/generic_works/b46450b4-6566-4001-8474-43c05b3bf546?locale=en

Peter Powers Moderates MLA panel on Christianity, Literature, and Politics

Peter Powers, professor of English and director of the Center for Public Humanities, moderated a panel at the annual convention of the Modern Language Association, held Jan. 8 – 11 in Toronto. The panel, a session sponsored by the Conference on Christianity and Literature, focused on Christianity, Literature, and Politics, and included a wide variety of papers focused on topics in British, African American, Indian, and other literatures. Professor Powers serves as president of the Conference on Christianity and Literature.

BID FAREWELL

Mark Wirtz retirement announcement, March 16

It is with deep appreciation and mixed emotions that I announce the retirement of Mark Wirtz, director of dining services, effective March 16. Mark has spent 50 years in the food service industry, including the past 19 years at Messiah. Since joining the University in December 2006, he has been instrumental in setting a high standard of excellence for our dining program.

Mark’s focus has always been on creating a quality dining experience that truly wows our customers. He has built a strong culinary and management team dedicated to putting students and guests first. In an ever-changing food landscape, Mark introduced a flexible meal plan offering students more options, expanded menu showcasing diverse culinary styles, and enhanced accommodations for food sensitivities and allergies. Under his leadership, the dining program also increased revenue through Two Bridges Catering and strong fiscal management across all operations.

During his time at Messiah, Mark coordinated many large-scale catering events, from campaign kickoffs and celebrations to Messiah Christmas and Gala events. Thousands of guests have attended these gatherings, often commenting that Messiah offers the best fine dining experience in the Harrisburg region. Mark and his team’s commitment to excellence have made dining services an important partner for the work of both the Development and President’s Offices.

We wish Mark the best in his retirement, where he plans to spend time on his boat and volunteer with the Coast Guard. We look forward to celebrating Mark, in person, on March 6.

Farewell and Welcome

The Department of Nursing bids farewell to Sandy Oravec, administrative assistant, Graduate Program in Nursing. Sandy started at Messiah in Oct of 2022 and for three years she served as a part time administrative assistant for graduate nursing and graduate nutrition and dietetics. In her time with us in grad nursing, she played a key role in challenging us to be innovative and rethink our processes. Her support through a major curricular revision was steadfast. She is the epitome of a professional while being thoughtful, kind, and caring. She will be deeply missed.

Fortunately, Sandy will remain at Messiah in a part-time capacity, serving Graduate Nutrition and Dietetics. We are happy that she will be located just a few floors above us in Kline and we can see her from time to time. We wish her all the best in her transition.

We would like to welcome Dominic Bornman as the new administrative assistant, Graduate Program in Nursing. Dominic started his role on Jan. 5 and will be working in a part-time capacity. He grew up in the Camp Hill-Mechanicsburg area. We are delighted to have him join our team. If you see him around campus, please extend a warm welcome.

Brenda Elliott

Director, Graduate Program in Nursing

AROUND CAMPUS

Passport Service Day
Are you planning to travel? Do you, your spouse, or do your children need a passport? Come by Eisenhower Commons on Thursday, Jan. 22 for Passport Service Day! Representatives from the Cumberland County Court House will be on campus outside the Falcon between 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. to process NEW passport applications. Passport photo services will also be available. Applicants need to bring the following documents to apply for a passport:

Completed application (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport.html)
Original birth certificate and a photocopy of birth certificate
Driver’s license and a photocopy of the driver’s license (Copy of both the front and back of the driver’s license on the same side of the page)
Non-PA residents also need to bring their Messiah ID and a photocopy of their ID
Fees: – $130 check or money order, written to the U.S. Department of State – $35 cash or check, written to the Prothonotary’s Office – If passport photos are needed: $10 cash or check, written to Messiah University If you have any questions, please contact the Agapé Center at agapecenter@messiah.edu. *Please note that this event is only for NEW applicants.

SAB Concerts Presents: Jervis Campbell with opener, Jordy Searcy

The Messiah University Student Activities Board is excited to hold our first major concert on campus, since 2019! Tickets are on sale now at the Box Office and via Purple Pass for an amazing night of music on campus with Jervis Campbell as the headlining act and Jordy Searcy as the opener on Feb. 21 in Brubaker Auditorium. Student tickets are $10 and General Admission is $25. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 p.m. Feel free to share this amazing opportunity with community members, local youth groups, or anyone else you may feel could be interested! Any questions about the show can be directed to Curtis Kurtz at ckurtz@messiah.edu. We hope to see you there! You do not want to miss it! Get Your Tickets Here: https://www.purplepass.com/events/342502-jervis-campbell-live-in-concert%2C-featuring-opener%2C-feb-21st-2026

Let us help you welcome your alumni guests!

Alumni Awards 2026 – Your input is needed!

The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations seek nominations for the following awards: Distinguished Alumnus/a Achievement Award Recognizes a lifetime of vocational achievement in a manner that embodies the mission of the University. Young Alumnus/a Achievement Award Recognizes an alumnus/a who has attended Messiah University within the past 15 years for significant contribution to church, vocation, community, and/or Messiah University. Alumni Christian Service Award recognizes outstanding lifelong service or long-term effort in fulfilling the mandates of the Christian gospel to both serve and sacrifice for the needs of humanity. Alumni Appreciation Award recognizes an individual(s) who has/have contributed to the University in an extraordinary manner (long-term professional service; significant volunteer service and/or financial contribution). Note: in this category, the nominee is not required to be an alumnus of Messiah. Please submit all nominations by March 6. The nomination form can be found at: https://www.messiah.edu/alumni-relations/alumni-awards/ Contact Abby Book with any questions at abook@messiah.edu Thank you for your help in nominating individuals for these prestigious annual awards!

Operations division’s focus on Unreasonable Hospitality

Facilities Services

This summer, the Division of Operations leadership team embraced the concept of Unreasonable Hospitality a philosophy that challenges each team member to use their creativity and resources to go above and beyond for those we serve.

While some departments enjoy a quieter pace during Christmas break, Facilities Services uses this window to complete essential projects that are only possible while students are away. This year was no exception, as the team successfully tackled several high priority improvements across campus.

The most significant effort focused on the Lottie kitchen, where aging tile flooring needed to be replaced with a more durable epoxy surface. The project required detailed planning and close coordination among the Facilities team, the flooring contractor, and Dining services.

Before work could begin, staff removed and disconnected all kitchen equipment, tables, and cooking supplies. Once the new flooring was installed, the team worked efficiently to restore plumbing, electrical systems, and equipment connections—ensuring the dining team could resume meal preparation in time for students’ return.

This project showcased exemplary collaboration and a shared commitment to delivering high quality campus environments. Thanks to the dedication of everyone involved, the Lottie kitchen reopened with a new floor and updated infrastructure, ready to serve our students and staff once again.

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

The Office of Development has an opening for a full-time senior regional advancement representative. Job related questions may be directed John Zeigler at jzeigler@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29719.

Free

Murray Library has 6 well-used wooden chairs with fabric seats and backs available for free. Four tan, one red, and one dark brown. Contact Tracy at tsheaffer@messiah.edu if interested in one or all.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Jan. 22

Jan. 15

January 15th, 2026 by INTERCOM

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

BID FAREWELL

Farewell and Welcome

Brenda Elliott

Director, Graduate Program in Nursing

AROUND CAMPUS

Hope Walks service project – Jan. 21

The Agapé Center’s Department of Service Learning and Community Engagement is hosting a service project in partnership with Hope Walks. Hope Walks frees children, families and communities from the burden of clubfoot and helps to provide free clubfoot and holistic care for families impacted by this treatable disability. Join us in painting braces for children diagnosed with clubfoot in Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia on Jan. 21 from 4-5:30 p.m. in Martin Commons. Registration is recommended and children, ages 8+ are welcome to participate. Please sign up here: https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5aNXmeiU8IPJOLA Questions? Contact shardy@messiah.edu.

Trivia Night in the Library – Friday, Jan. 16

You’re invited! Put your knowledge to the test on Friday, Jan. 16 at Trivia Night! Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and trivia starts at 7 p.m. at Murray Library! We’ll have four rounds of trivia to test your knowledge in a variety of categories. All Messiah employees are invited. Gather with a group of colleagues to form a team, invite students or join up with friendly folks when you arrive. Teams can include up to six players. Awesome prizes await the top three teams!

Study cubes!

Earlier this year, Murray Library was selected to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.

The competitive award came with a $20,000 grant that will help the library improve its quiet study and testing spaces through the addition of study cubes. These modular “rooms” include a desk, chair, sound dampening features, ventilation and dimmable lighting. Lights and fans automatically turn off five minutes after a user vacates the cube.

Two cubes were installed in December following the end of the fall semester. The study cube placed in the alcove near OAA is for individuals. The study cube in the main stacks along the back wall is for 1-4 individuals. Each cube can be reserved for up to three hours just like our group study rooms. Reservation questions can be directed to the Circulation Desk at circulationdesk@messiah.edu.

While the cubes will be available to all, they are especially designed to serve students with disabilities who may need a distraction-free environment. Many students and community members participated in conversations offering feedback about the placement of the study cubes and the features they desired.

Contact Janet Vogel (jvogel@messiah.edu) with questions about the cubes or the grant.

Peter Sirotin and Friends present “Fruitful Friendship”
Jan. 18 at 4 p.m., Parmer Hall

Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series

Harrisburg Symphony Concertmaster Peter Sirotin celebrates his 30th season with the HSO and the profound role of friendship in a creative life by exploring friendship between Brahms and Dvorak, alongside his wife, pianist Ya-Ting Chang, and some of his favorite colleagues including Maestro Stuart Malina.

$15 for adults; $5 for Messiah University students (with ID) and youth (18 and under). To purchase, please contact the Messiah University Box Office at 717-691-6036 option #1 or online at messiah.edu/tickets.

Passport Service Day
Are you planning to travel? Do you, your spouse, or your children need a passport? Come by Eisenhower Commons on Thursday, Jan. 22 for Passport Service Day! Representatives from the Cumberland County Court House will be on campus outside the Falcon between 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. to process NEW passport applications. Passport photo services will also be available. Applicants need to bring the following documents to apply for a passport:

Completed application (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport.html)
Original birth certificate and a photocopy of birth certificate
Driver’s license and a photocopy of the driver’s license (Copy of both the front and back of the driver’s license on the same side of the page)
Non-PA residents also need to bring their Messiah ID and a photocopy of their ID
Fees: – $130 check or money order, written to the U.S. Department of State – $35 cash or check, written to the Prothonotary’s Office – If passport photos are needed: $10 cash or check, written to Messiah University If you have any questions, please contact the Agapé Center at agapecenter@messiah.edu. *Please note that this event is only for NEW applicants.January library newsletter

What’s new at the library?
See our linked newsletter. Contents include:

New Year… New Reads
Study Cubes are here
Giving Day 2026
Mosaic Milestones
NASA lunch and learn series
Trivia Night
Page Break
Bingo Night
Mini Golf

Tell your story at the upcoming Living Library!

“Books” needed for “The Living Library: Many Stories, One Community!”

Do you have a story to share? We encourage you to consider participating as a “book” in the Living Library at the Murray Library. As a living book, you would be sharing your story with others (small group – less than 10 people) in the Messiah University community in a moderated 25-minute session on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 15.

The Living Library: Many Stories, One Community is designed as a place where the stories of others are on loan to readers and seeks to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. The Living Library is a place where real people are on loan to readers. Please complete this application to be a book no later than Friday, March 20. https://messiah.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_37v5VgYD9SA3g5D Questions may be directed to Todd Allen, vice president for diversity affairs, at tallen@messiah.edu or Liz Kielley, discovery and metadata librarian, at ekielley@messiah.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

Community Wellness has an opening for an exercise physiologist (assistant director of preventative and rehabilitative exercise pograms PREP) – part time 20 hours/week. Job related questions may be directed to Kris Hansen-Kieffer at khansen@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30680.

Dining Services has an opening for a full-time culinary assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Mark Wirtz at mwirtz@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30236.

For sale

Furniture for sale/free. Looking to sell or donate several pieces of furniture, link below: Wood dresser ($100) TV stand (Free) Possibly other furniture (see link for updated images and dimensions) https://livemessiah-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/bwatkins_messiah_edu/IQCXSthK5KV8QZvZLBHedkAdAeFAKWmsM4BKe5zV39uSR68?e=yF1cxp Email me at bwatkins@messiah.edu. Thanks!

Wanted

Gently used items. Our second child is on the way, and as we prepare, we are looking for a few gently used items:

Crib mattress (roughly 27″ x 52″)
Kitchen tower (ideally a foldable one)
Double stroller (which fits a Chicco car seat)
Chest freezer – Only interested if the item is in good shape.

Please let me know if you might have one of these items by emailing me at bwatkins@messiah.edu. Thanks!

Free

Murray Library has 6 well-used wooden chairs with fabric seats and backs available for free. Four tan, one red, and one dark brown. Contact Tracy at tsheaffer@messiah.edu if interested in one or all.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Jan. 15

Jan. 8

January 8th, 2026 by INTERCOM

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelations 21:5

Wishing everyone a Happy and Blessed New Year!

AROUND CAMPUS

Unreasonable Hospitality operations

Buildings and Grounds

Operations division’s focus on unreasonable hospitality
Last summer, the Division of Operations leadership team embraced the concept of Unreasonable Hospitality, a philosophy that challenges each team member to use their creativity and resources to go above and beyond for those we serve. There are many ways that our Buildings and Grounds team has implemented this theme into our daily work. One of the most important ways is collaboration and building relationships. Our Central Receiving and Inventory Control Coordinator, Stoney Miller, has worked with our outside vendors to receive items in bulk for lower prices for the University. Our Grounds Services team has recently been working closely with sustainability to supply equipment and help with various tasks including repair of the hoop house at the lower garden. Our Campus and Building Services team has been working closely with students from the Cumberland Valley and West Shore School Districts that need extra support and training in the workplace. The experiences they gain here both in learning to perform the job duties as well as interacting with our Messiah community, are invaluable as they continue their journeys towards independence. This program helps to set them up for success after graduation. We look forward to continuing to collaborate and build relationships with those we serve.

Oracle training for supervisors of student employees

The Student Employment Office and Payroll Office will be hosting training sessions in January on the new Oracle system for supervisors of student employees.

These sessions will cover:

Key changes and system navigation
Hiring and onboarding student employees
Managing the web clock
Approving timesheets

If you supervise student employees or handle administrative tasks related to hiring and/or timesheet approvals, we strongly encourage you to attend. Please review the available time slots using the link below and click “Sign Up” to register for a session. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044AABAC2EA0F58-61309968-oracle Thank you for your participation and support in ensuring a smooth transition to the new system.

Contact Belinda Conrad, student employment coordinator, at bconrad@messiah.edu should you have any questions.

Hope Walks service project – Jan. 21

Trivia Night in the Library – Friday, Jan. 16

Conference services staffing and role changes

As Conference Services prepares for the retirement of Randy Heintzelman on Feb. 6, the department is restructuring and reassigning a few roles. Please be aware that as of Monday Feb. 9, Cindy Sterling will assume the role of office coordinator. Her new role will include managing EMS and the Box Office. Cindy will be located in the conference services suite second floor Eisenhower. Dianne Kirsch will be moving from her current part-time receptionist position to a full-time receptionist and billing coordinator remaining in the reception area starting Monday Jan. 12. Dianne will also now assume the role of reserving guest rooms in the Homestead.

During the next several weeks as we transition, there may be some overlap in roles as we make adjustments. Please feel free to reach out to Jody Brandt at jbrandt@messiah.edu with any questions you may have.

Congratulations to Randy, Cindy and Dianne.

Study cubes!

Contact Janet Vogel (jvogel@messiah.edu) with questions about the cubes or the grant.

Peter Sirotin and Friends present “Fruitful Friendship”
Jan. 18 at 4 p.m., Parmer Hall

Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

Community Wellness has an opening for a part-time assistant director of PREP Programming. Job related questions may be directed to Kris Hansen-Kieffer at khansen@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30680.

For sale

Wanted

Gently used items. Our second child is on the way, and as we prepare, we are looking for a few gently used items:

Crib mattress (roughly 27″ x 52″)
Kitchen tower (ideally a foldable one)
Double stroller (which fits a Chicco car seat)
Chest freezer – Only interested if the item is in good shape.

Please let me know if you might have one of these items by emailing me at bwatkins@messiah.edu. Thanks!

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Jan. 8

December 18

December 18th, 2025 by INTERCOM

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Luke 2:11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grief workshop

Jody Brandt led a workshop entitled the 5 Cs of Grief on Friday, Dec. 12 at the Simpson Library in Mechanicsburg – a partner of the University. The 5 Cs addressed were how COMMON is grief, the COMPLEXITIES of grief, when is grief COMPLICATED, CONCEPTS of grief, and finally, how grief is life CHANGING. The event was well attended with excellent questions and discussion from the group participants. The University is grateful for the partnership with the Simpson Library.

AROUND CAMPUS

If you have a submission that needs to maintain a specific format, please upload it as a Word document. This allows us to apply the correct spacing and layout. Thank you.

Messiah Community Cookbook: Your recipes wanted

All Messiah students and employees are invited to contribute to the Messiah University Community Cookbook. Messiah’s Murray Library is collecting recipes that are meaningful to you, including family favorites or cultural traditions. Submit one or several recipes to share with our community. The cookbook will be released during the Humanities Symposium in February 2026 as a free PDF for all. A limited number of print copies will also be available for sale. To participate: Fill out the online form . The deadline is Friday, Dec. 19.

Murray Minute: Ancestry.com (library edition)

Want to talk about your family history around the Christmas table? Get the story straight with Murray Library’s access to Ancestry.com (Library Edition)? By using the link provided here, your Messiah University login information gets you on- and off-campus access to census, immigration, marriage and military records, plus user-submitted family trees. Please note that this library edition of Ancestry is slightly different than a personal, paid Ancestry subscription. Also, check out our genealogy research guide for other FREE online resources to help you get started. Email library@messiah.edu with questions or to request a 1-on-1 tutorial.

Unreasonable Hospitality operations

Buildings and Grounds

Operations division’s focus on unreasonable hospitality
This summer, the Division of Operations leadership team embraced the concept of Unreasonable Hospitality a philosophy that challenges each team member to use their creativity and resources to go above and beyond for those we serve. There are many ways that our Buildings and Grounds team has implemented this theme into our daily work. One of the most important ways is collaboration and building relationships. Our Central Receiving and Inventory Control Coordinator, Stoney Miller, has worked with our outside vendors to receive items in bulk for lower prices for the University. Our Grounds Services team has recently been working closely with sustainability to supply equipment and help with various tasks including repair of the hoop house at the lower garden. Our Campus and Building Services team has been working closely with students from the Cumberland Valley and West Shore School Districts that need extra support and training in the workplace. The experiences they gain here both in learning to perform the job duties as well as interacting with our Messiah community, are invaluable as they continue their journeys towards independence. This program helps to set them up for success after graduation. We look forward to continuing to collaborate and build relationships with those we serve.

Occupational therapy research presentations

Last week, occupational therapy faculty and students presented posters at their annual Research Symposium. Dr. Leanne Rutt, associate professor of occupational therapy, together with graduate students Emily Allison, Daniela Amato, Erin McVay, Emma Miller and Rachel Lundie, presented a research poster entitled “Examining Occupational Therapy’s Role in Schools Through Administrator and Educator Perspectives.” Dr. Rutt also presented a poster titled “Strengths and Barriers in Employment for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness” alongside students Alayna Brubaker, Alyssa Eager, Olivia Miller, Mayleigh Perkins and Kristyn Usilton.

Dr. Joanna Behm, associate professor of occupational therapy, with graduate students Kasi Conjack, Erin Herzog, Samantha Kelly and Jenna Towfighi, presented a poster titled “Perceptions of Lifestyle Interventions for Dysautonomia: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study.” Dr. Behm also presented a poster about “Occupational Wholeness Among Individuals with Dysautonomia” alongside graduate students Heidi Schoenhals, Anna Stoner, Kaitlyn Wilburn and Diazia Woodard.

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Kim Duetsch, along with graduate students Hannah Chambers, Alexa Henry, Brooke Hanson and Hannah Logan, presented a research poster titled “Impact of a Burnout Prevention Training on the Professional Quality of Life of Community-Based Mental Health Professionals.”

Dr. Carrie Gorman, associate professor of occupational therapy, with graduate students Abby Bare, Val Rakerd, Gabby Slater and Ellie Witmer, presented a poster entitled “The Perceived Benefits and Barriers of International Experiences for Occupational and Physical Therapy Students.”

Assistant professor of occupational therapy Dr. Jim Foster, together with graduate students Molly Kuhn, Cody Loudenback, Amanda Patterson, Lizzy Pistoria and Lily Plute, presented a poster about “Exploring Self-Efficacy in Digital Literacy Among Healthcare Professionals.”

Oracle training for supervisors of student employees

The Student Employment Office and Payroll Office will be hosting training sessions in January on the new Oracle system for supervisors of student employees.

These sessions will cover:

Key changes and system navigation
Hiring and onboarding student employees
Managing the web clock
Approving timesheets

Contact Belinda Conrad, student employment coordinator, at bconrad@messiah.edu should you have any questions.

Technology support

Please see below for helpful tips and updates! Contact us by emailing techsupport@messiah.edu regarding any of this information or if you have any questions in general.

Desktop computers: Please leave all desktop (adjunct/workstudy) computers powered on. System updates happen automatically on the computers if they are turned on.

Chrome, Edge or Firefox? Firefox and Safari web browsers do not work well with the new Oracle system. The preferred browser would be Chrome, with Edge being a second choice. Both Chrome and Edge can be signed into using Messiah credentials, and will synchronize with the Messiah password, making it easy to back up and restore bookmarks, passwords, etc.

New phone? The Microsoft Authenticator app will not automatically transfer your Messiah account between your old and new phone. It is highly recommended that you set up at least one additional method for MFA as a back-up such as a text message or a call to your personal cell phone. This will allow you to sign into your Messiah account and reset Microsoft Authenticator to use on your new phone! Check out messiah.edu/mfa for more information.

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

Community Wellness has an opening for a part-time assistant director of PREP Programming. Job related questions may be directed to Kris Hansen-Kieffer at khansen@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30680.

Facility Services has an opening for a full-time administrative assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Brian Miller at bemiller@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30665.

The Office of the Provost has an opening for a full-time associate provost. Job related questions may be directed to Christine Gardner at cgardner@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30515.

The Office of the Provost has an opening for a full-time vice provost for Student Success and Engagement. Job related questions may be directed to Christine Gardner at cgardner@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit:
https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30630.

The Office of Residence Life has an opening for a full-time interim residence life educator. Job related questions may be directed to Doug Wood at dwood@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30557.

Graduate Studies: Nursing has an opening for a part-time administrative assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Brenda Elliott at belliott@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30383.

The Engle Center has an opening for a part-time dietitian. Job related questions may be directed to Carrie Ent at cent@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30396.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time first shift safety officer. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29967.

For sale

Disney and Pixar DVDs for sale. 32 children’s Pixar, Disney and other DVDs $3 each See the attached list. Call Bill at ext. 3904 or email balthoff@messiah.edu if interested.

Items for sale. Please contact Tracy at tsheaffer@messiah.edu if interested.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on December 18

Dec. 10

December 11th, 2025 by INTERCOM

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:35

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

College Excel Championship
Congratulations to the Messiah Excel team that placed 4th in the global Microsoft Excel College Championships (MECC) which took place on Dec. 1-3 at the HyperX eSports Arena in Las Vegas. Accompanied by Associate Professor of Finance Dwayne Safer, the Messiah team of Luke Peyton, Drew Weaver and Dylan Yoder finished ahead of last year’s collegiate Excel champion, University of Tennessee, as well as other notable institutions including University of Texas, University of Florida, UMass and University of Kentucky.

Announcing some changes in the Office of Marketing and Communications

Departure of Creative Director Becca Powell: It’s with mixed emotions that I share that Becca Powell will be leaving Messiah University, as her husband has accepted a pastoral call for a congregation in New Hampshire. She and her family will be moving back to New England at the end of December, and her last workday is currently planned for Dec. 19. As creative director, Becca has worked skillfully in partnership with the design team to shape so much of the visual storytelling and brand expression that represents Messiah so effectively. Her talent, artistry and collaborative spirit over the last three years have left a lasting mark on our team, our campus clients and the University. While we are truly happy for this new chapter in their family’s life and ministry, we will deeply miss her presence, leadership and creative excellence here. Please join me in praying for Becca and her family as they navigate this transition in the months ahead.

Introducing Kristine Frey, managing editor of the Bridge: Our team was pleased to welcome this semester alumna Kristine Frey ’07 as the new part-time managing editor for the Bridge. Her career as a professional communication specialist and freelance writer/editor has served faith-based clients such as HOPE International, World Vision and the Brethren in Christ Church, where she served as the editor of the denomination’s magazine, In Part. She is a skilled writer, editor and project manager, and I am excited that she will now be a creative and collaborative partner with our team in producing the Bridge moving forward. You may contact Kristine for any Bridge-related questions or story ideas at bridge-editor@messiah.edu.

Executive director promotions: I’m pleased to share the promotion of two of our colleagues in Marketing and Communications. Effective Dec. 1, Kris Hardy’s title is now executive director of web and digital marketing, and Danielle Ran’s title is now executive director of communications. This advancement reflects their long-standing dedication to the university, their steady leadership within our department, and their significant contributions to undergraduate and graduate student recruitment—work that directly strengthens our enrollment success and elevates the institution as a whole. For more than a decade, they have consistently shown exceptional professionalism, deep expertise in their respective areas, and a significant commitment to the mission of Messiah University. Danielle’s executive director role will also now include expanded editorial liaison responsibilities for the Bridge magazine, working in collaboration with Managing Editor Kristine Frey. Please join me in congratulating Danielle and Kris on this well-deserved professional recognition.

BID FAREWELL

Retirement of Keith McMann from Department of Safety

It is with both deep appreciation and a touch of mixed emotion that we announce Keith McMann’s retirement. Over the past five years, he has served the Department of Safety with unwavering commitment, professionalism, and genuine care for our community. His faithful dedication has made a lasting impact on our team and the campus he worked hard to protect and serve each day. As Keith embarks on his next journey into retirement, he will continue serving his community as a fire police member with his local company and another place where his dedication, reliability and heart for others are deeply valued. If you see Keith on campus, or wish to reach out to him, please join us in celebrating Keith’s service and wishing him all the best in this next chapter. His presence will be greatly missed, but his influence will remain with us.

AROUND CAMPUS

Operations division focuses on unreasonable hospitality

Conference and Event Services know that it can be very confusing for guests to figure out where they need to go when they come to campus. Many of these guests stop by our reception area in Eisenhower Campus Center for directions. Cindy Sterling and Dianne Kirsch, our gracious campus receptionists, have been providing verbal directions to guests for many years. To ensure an even more “unreasonable hospitality” experience, they have created helpful written directions for frequently visited areas on campus to hand to the guest. These directions even include colored pictures! Thank you, Cindy and Dianne, for assisting guests to navigate campus with both verbal and written directions and showing them unreasonable hospitality.

Murray Minute: Murray Library is for children, too!

All staff and their families are invited to stop by Murray Library and check out the juvenile collections. This includes the Bridge to Freedom and Graphic Novel collections, too. There are over 14,500 books to choose from. There are picture books and chapter books for Pre-K through teens. Popular series are included, like Don’t Let the Pigeon…, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hunger Games, Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, and many more.

Murray Library collects award winning juvenile titles that are worth an extra read. We also have hundreds of Christmas books for children. Read together as a family over Christmas break! Email library@messiah.edu with questions or for more information.

Messiah Community Cookbook: Your recipes wanted

Save the Date for “The Living Library” at Messiah’s Murray Library – Wednesday April 15, 2026

The Living Library: Many Stories, One Community Step into a library unlike any other where the “books” are real people and their stories are waiting to be discovered. The Living Library offers a powerful opportunity to listen, learn and connect through honest conversations that break down stereotypes and celebrate the richness of our community. Every story you “check out” opens a new chapter of understanding. Be part of an experience that inspires dialogue, bridges differences, and reminds us that every person has a story worth sharing. If you would like to be a “book” or nominate a colleague to be a book, please contact Liz Kielley, discovery and metadata librarian, at ekielley@messiah.edu Stay tuned, more details about the upcoming Living Library event are coming after the new year !

Occupational Therapy Research Symposium Tonight

Ready to learn something new? Connect with Messiah’s graduate students? Celebrate innovation and enjoy a few snacks while you’re at it? Messiah’s OT students and faculty are presenting their research posters tonight at the Winding Hill campus (401 E Winding Hill Rd). Come and go as you please between 5 and 7 p.m. while enjoying light refreshments.

Research topics include:

The efficacy of a burnout prevention training for mental health workers
OT and PT perceptions of international learning experiences
Strengths and barriers in employment for individuals with serious mental illness
OT, PT, and nursing’s digital literacy
Teacher and administrators’ understanding of school-based OT
Lifestyle interventions and telehealth for dysautonomia
Occupational wholeness in dysautonomia

Advent Scripture and Song Service

Join us for a special Advent Scripture and Song Service as we enter this season of anticipation and hope: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. in the High Foundation Recital Hall. Through selected readings and music, we will reflect on the promises of Christ’s coming and prepare our hearts for the joy of Christmas. All are welcome. Sponsored by the Honors Program.

Flash student presentations from ENGL 495
Join us tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. for Flash Student Presentations from ENGL 495 in the Murray Library Café Diem area. Take a break and bring your lunch, or just your love for words, as selected students from Dr. Pete Powers’s Language, Literature and Writing Senior Seminar share flash presentations of their senior projects, including creative writing, literary criticism and cultural explorations. Enjoy coffee, snacks and refreshments provided by Murray Library, and as a special bonus, we’re giving away free books!

Attention One$ource and Spend Clarity users:

On Tuesday, Nov. 25 you received a mass email communication stating that Project GRACE had a positive Go-Live decision. This means as of Jan. 1, 2026, we will no longer be using One$ource or Spend Clarity. Be sure to check the Project Grace website to keep up to date with all the latest information.

Please see important dates and tasks below:

When we come back from Christmas break, we will no longer be utilizing One$ource. All requisitions and reimbursement requests will be entered into Oracle.

Last day to request a new supplier – Wednesday, Dec 10. Only suppliers that have returned required information by Thursday, Dec. 11 will be entered into One$ource.
Last day to enter a new requisition in One$ource – Friday, Dec. 12.
All new requisitions entered after Friday, Dec. 12 will be declined in One$ource.
One$ource will be available from Saturday, Dec. 13 through Friday, Dec. 19 ONLY to approve requisitions, complete receiving and accept invoices on blankets.
Access to One$ource will be cut off at the end of day Friday, Dec. 19.
Between now and Friday, Dec. 19 it is imperative that all invoices are forwarded to accountspayable@messiah.edu and all receiving done in One$ource when items are delivered to campus. The goal is to close out as many purchase orders as possible.
Any purchase orders or individual order lines where receiving is not complete in One$ource by Friday, Dec. 19 will be converted and available in Oracle in January.

Starting with January allocations, we will no longer be utilizing Spend Clarity. All purchasing card transactions will be entered in Oracle.

All December purchasing card charges will be allocated in Spend Clarity. The deadline for allocation is 7. The last day to approve is Jan. 12.
Allocations in Oracle will begin with January

Training on purchasing (requisitions) and expense (purchasing card) allocations coming in January.

Key December accounting deadlines

The Accounting Department will be completing a required hard close of the financial records as of Dec. 31. Please complete the following tasks BEFORE Christmas break.

If you have any checks or cash in your office that you have collected for various Messiah activities, please take them to the Falcon Exchange to deposit BEFORE Christmas break.

If you have a petty cash account, please reconcile expenditures for fall semester activities and submit them to the Falcon Exchange BEFORE Christmas break.

If your department regularly takes transmittals to the Falcon Exchange for cash/credit card transactions, please make sure all transactions are completed for the fall semester and then submit the last transmittal BEFORE Christmas break.

If you have any journal entries to be processed relating to fall semester activities, please submit them to accounting@messiah.edu BEFORE Christmas break.

Budget managers and administrators, please look through the expenses in the orgs that you manage, make sure there are no misallocated expenses or anything else that needs to be moved and submit the appropriate journal entries to accounting@messiah.edu BEFORE Christmas break.

Please allocate all P-Card expenses as soon as possible as you incur them during December and do not wait until the normal deadline.

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

The Engle Center has an opening for a full-time interim counselor. Job related questions may be directed to Aubrey Kleinfeld at AKleinfe@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30472.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time second-shift safety officer. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30549.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time event and traffic management coordinator. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30455.

For sale

Disney and Pixar DVDs for sale. 32 Children’s Pixar, Disney and other DVDs $3 each See the attached list. Call Bill at 3904 or email balthoff@messiah.edu if interested.

Items for sale. Please contact Tracy at tsheaffer@messiah.edu if interested.

OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS

Susquehanna Chorale to present 2025 Candlelight Christmas Concerts
The Susquehanna Chorale will present its Candlelight Christmas concert series on Dec. 19-21, under the direction of Linda L. Tedford. Performances are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19 at the Calvin and Janet High Center for Performing Arts, Messiah University, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 20 at Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 21 at the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, Elizabethtown, 4 p.m. This year’s Candlelight Christmas concerts feature holiday pieces ranging from the works of Praetorius, Bach and Rachmaninov to the sacred and secular music of our own time, featuring accompaniments by brass and solo cello. You’ll hear Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, Biebl’s Ave Maria for men’s voices, premiers of works composed by Linda’s former Messiah University colleagues, Richard Roberson and William Stowman as well as Dan Forrest’s Let the Stable Still Astonish, commissioned in honor of the Chorale’s 40th Anniversary. As always, there will be carol singalongs and the treasured finale, Silent Night sung by candlelight. A pre-concert recital by Susquehanna Chorale accompanist, Daniel L. Dorty and guest artists, Scott Kuntz, cello, and The Messiah University Brass, will be presented 15 minutes prior to each performance. Let the voices of the Susquehanna Chorale, captured in gorgeous music of the season, offer you moments of peace, joy and reflection. Come and experience the magic of A Candlelight Christmas. Visit www.susquehannachorale.org/performances or call the Messiah University Box Office at 717-691-6036, option 1, for tickets and information. Group discounts are offered for 10 or more tickets purchased at the same time.

Joy to the Burg
A Beverly Spangler, assistant catering manager and Van Hoffman, Falcon Fitness Center member, together as the musical group “Just Us Too” have a Christmas cover song on the “Joy to the Burg 2025” album which is curated by the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame. All proceeds from the album benefit the outreach work of Christian Churches United (CCU) in helping homeless individuals in Harrisburg. More information about the album, outreach work and artist concerts can be found at www.joytotheburg.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Dec. 10

December 4

December 4th, 2025 by INTERCOM

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:18

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Employee news
Raeann R. Hamon, distinguished professor of family science and gerontology, and Erin F. Boyd-Soisson, professor of human development and family science, attended the National Council on Family Relations Conference in Baltimore, MD where they also presented papers as part of a symposium entitled– Bridging Theory and Practice: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Family Science for Real-World Applications. Hamon presented Pedagogical Approaches to Helping Students View HDFS Careers Through the Eyes of Theory and Boyd-Soisson (with Jenna Moyer, HDFS ’27 as co-author) presented Empowering HDFS Students to Develop and Apply Transferrable Skills: The Family Folklore Project. Hamon also completed her term as Past Chair of the International Section.

Moroz’s latest publication explores Methodological challenges in language teacher education
Oksana Moroz, assistant professor of English and director of writing, has co-edited a new volume, Methodological Issues and Reflexivity Practices in Qualitative Language Teacher Education Research, alongside Gloria Park, Sarah Henderson Lee, and Bedrettin Yazan. This collection examines the complex methodological decisions and reflexive practices that shape qualitative research in Language Teacher Education amid evolving global contexts. Featuring studies grounded in participatory action research, feminist inquiry, classroom-based research, collaborative inquiry, and autoethnography, the volume highlights how researchers navigate ethical tensions, design complexities, and shifting positionalities. The editors emphasize reflexivity as an ongoing, essential practice that informs rigorous research and pushes the field of applied linguistics forward. The book is available for purchase from Routledge https://www.routledge.com/…/Park…/p/book/9781041038979

Sarah Wade to extend her role as Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management
I am pleased report that Sarah Wade will extend her role as interim vice president for enrollment management for the foreseeable future. In order to maintain the momentum that Sarah and the enrollment management team have built, we will move forward with hiring a director of graduate enrollment in the spring semester. I am deeply grateful for Sarah’s outstanding work and her commitment to her alma mater. I have greatly enjoyed working with Sarah over these past few months and have every confidence she is the right leader to guide us through the current challenges facing enrollment management across the higher education landscape.

Jon C. Stuckey, Interim President

American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Award

Dr. Krystal Robinson-Bert, associate professor of occupational therapy, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Physicians and Clinicians Networking Group Poster Award. This award honors outstanding research contributions to the field of rehabilitation science for the work of “Factors Affecting Discharge Destination for Patients with Non-neurological Conditions: Retrospective Chart Review”. This research, which included data from 3000 previous patient medical charts, was conducted in collaboration with Select Medical, Helen M. Simpson Rehabilitation Hospital, OT graduate students Alexa Elicker, Kaityln Fernandez, Bridget Kane and Lyndsay Torkar and statistical support from Laura Miller & Dan Custer.

BID FAREWELL

Retirement of Keith McMann from Department of Safety

It is with both deep appreciation and a touch of mixed emotion that we announce Keith McMann’s retirement. Over the past five years, he has served the Department of Safety with unwavering commitment, professionalism, and genuine care for our community. His faithful dedication has made a lasting impact on our team and the campus he worked hard to protect and serve each day. As Keith embarks on his next journey into retirement, he will continue serving his community as a fire police member with his local company and another place where his dedication, reliability, and heart for others are deeply valued. If you see Keith on campus, or wish to reach out to him, please join us in celebrating Keith’s service and wishing him all the best in this next chapter. His presence will be greatly missed, but his influence will remain with us.

AROUND CAMPUS

Welcome Erin Miller to enrollment management

We are pleased to announce that Erin Miller will join the university as assistant director of enrollment technology and communication, SGPS, effective Dec 1. Erin will be based on the Winding Hill campus, supporting the graduate enrollment team (replacing Leah Conner). Erin brings a unique blend of technical expertise and creative thinking to this role. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Penn State and completed coursework in graphic design and media arts at Southern New Hampshire University. She brings experience as a licensing technical writer and consultant, where she manages complex technical design packages and provides engineering support.

In this role, Erin will:

Lead the administration and optimization of the Slate CRM for graduate programs, driving innovation and efficiency in enrollment processes.
Manage and optimize Slate CRM workflows, events, forms, queries, and infrastructure for graduate enrollment.
Collaborate with campus partners to ensure seamless integration of enrollment technology with university systems.
Providing training, documentation and offering first-level support to graduate program users Erin impressed us with her understanding of iterative design, user testing, and continuous improvement so she will be instrumental in advancing our enrollment strategies and supporting student success.

Please join us in welcoming Erin to the Messiah Community!

Sarah Wade, Interim VP for Enrollment Management

Operations division focus on unreasonable hospitality

Conference and Event Services knows that it can be very confusing for guests to figure out where they need to go when they come to campus. Many of these guests stop by our reception area in Eisenhower Campus Center for directions. Cindy Sterling and Dianne Kirsch, our gracious campus receptionists, have been providing verbal directions to guests for many years. To ensure an even more “unreasonable hospitality” experience, they have created helpful written directions for frequently visited areas on campus to hand to the guest. These directions even include colored pictures! Thank you, Cindy and Dianne, for assisting guests to navigate campus with both verbal and written directions and showing them unreasonable hospitality.

Holiday events at the Oakes Museum

Join us at the Oakes Museum for our annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 6! From 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. there will be free admission, holiday craft and story time, cookies and a 20% discount in the gift shop! We will also be offering our “Night at the Oakes Museum” on Friday, Dec. 12, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. This event is for K-5^th grade and is designed to give parents a free evening to get some holiday shopping done! We will play games, complete a craft and wrap up the night by watching the movie “Klaus” (PG) with some snacks and hot chocolate. Cost is $25/child. To register, visit our website!
https://messiah.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsSurveyEngine/File.php?F=F_1g7tkZZrIvWOZdv

Murray Minute: Ad-free music streaming

Need a festive soundtrack for wrapping presents and trimming the tree? Music streaming database, Naxos, contains many imaginative and beautiful albums of carols and other Christmas music, from ancient to modern. Many of the albums are by critically acclaimed -choirs and orchestras. Stream an entire album or create a personal account for setting up playlists. This service is available to all Messiah staff, on or off campus. The database contains full recordings for all seasons throughout the year, including over 2.7 million classical music tracks. Start listening here. Email library@messiah.edu with questions or for more information.

Nobel Prize seminar

Please plan to attend the 15th annual “Nobel Prize Seminar” on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. in Alexander Auditorium (Frey 110). The seminar includes Nobel prizes awarded in physics presented by Dr. Abaz Kryemadhi, chemistry presented by Dr. Richard Schaeffer, and medicine presented by Dr. Isis Rivera-Walsh. Light snacks provided.

Share your department’s updates in the monthly alumni newsletter!

The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations invites all campus departments to submit ads and announcements for our monthly Alumni Newsletter. If you have an event, accomplishment, or opportunity you’d like to share with alumni, we’d be happy to feature it. To be included in the monthly newsletter, email a short event description (one paragraph or less) and any images or graphics to mbarnes@messiah.edu by the 13th of each month for distribution on the 15th. If you’d like to be added to our monthly reminder list, simply send your email address as well. We’re especially looking for: • News and opportunities that help alumni stay connected and involved • Items specifically geared toward alumni (not current parents) • Celebrations such as program milestones, alumni features, or upcoming departmental gatherings If you have information that would be of particular interest to current parents, please email Abby Book at abook@messiah.edu for inclusion in our parent communication platform. Thank you for helping us keep our alumni community informed, connected, and engaged—we look forward to highlighting the great work happening across campus!

Welcome Amanda Snyder as new HDFS administrative assistant

Please join us in welcoming Amanda Snyder as our new HDFS administrative assistant. Some of you may have met our previous administrative assistant, Katie Radabaugh, who began just before this academic year; she has since accepted another position that better fits her family’s needs. We are delighted that Amanda was able to join us mid-semester, and she has been working diligently to get up to speed. Amanda is a wonderful addition to our department! She brings a wealth of experience, including work with older adults in hospice care and co-facilitating a moms’ group at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Department of Theatre and Dance presents “The Fall Senior Series”
Messiah University’s Department of Theatre & Dance is proud to present “The Fall Senior Series”, an evening of performance created and presented by department seniors. The first weekend, Dec. 5 and 7, features an interactive dance performance by Julia Kropp in Boyer 131. The following weekend, Dec. 12-13, features a performance created by Abby Crispin and Yanira Perez in Poorman Black Box Theater, Climenhaga Building. The Fall Senior Series I December 5 at 8 p.m.; December 7 at 3 p.m. Boyer 131 – This is a site-specific, interactive performance. Most audience members will need to walk and stand during the program. Limited seating will be available. “This Little Light of Mine” Created by Julia Kropp The Fall Senior Series II Dec. 12-13 at 8 p.m. Poorman Black Box Theater, Climenhaga Building “Untyped” Created by Abby Crispin and Yanira Perez. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at messiah.edu/tickets, by phone at 717-691-6036, or at the door as available.

Christmas sale – Ten Thousand Villages

Next week, from Tuesday to Thursday, Ten Thousand Villages will have a holiday sale in the Eisenhower Commons. Sales support Collaboratory student trip scholarships. Please consider swinging by to support artisans from around the world and the work of our Collaboratory students. Sale will take place from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. each day.

Research Symposium

Graduate occupational therapy students and faculty will be disseminating the results of their year-long research in informal poster presentations. The annual OT Research Symposium is hosted on Thursday, Dec. 11, at the Winding Hill campus (401 E Winding Hill Rd). Come and go as you please between 5 and 7 p.m. while enjoying light refreshments. Research topics include: The efficacy of a burnout prevention training for mental health workers OT and PT perceptions of international learning experiences strengths and barriers in employment for individuals with serious mental illness OT, PT, and nursing’s digital literacy teacher and administrators’ understanding of school-based OT lifestyle interventions and telehealth for dysautonomia occupational wholeness in dysautonomia Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, network, and celebrate innovation!

Advent Scripture and Song Service

What’s new at the library?

See our linked newsletter.
Highlights include:

Library Christmas music
Crafternoon
MU community cookbook
Exam cram
Friends of Murray Library annual dinner and program
Mosaic changes
Adopt a cow program
Seed library newsletter

The Gift of Music

Murray Library will be hosting live Christmas music! Amid the hectic pace of Christmastime, allow yourself this lovely time to relax and enjoy the sounds of the season with brief concerts from our MU student performance groups. Please join us as your schedule allows on Tuesday, Dec 9 in the library’s café. The wind quartet will perform at 3 p.m. and the clarinet ensemble at 4:30 p.m.

Attention One$ource and Spend Clarity users:

On Tuesday, Nov. 25 you received a mass email communication stating that Project GRACE had a positive Go-Live decision. This means as of January 1, 2026, we will no longer be using One$ource or Spend Clarity. Be sure to check the Project Grace website to keep up to date with all the latest information.

Please see important dates and tasks below:

When we come back from Christmas break, we will no longer be utilizing One$ource. All requisitions and reimbursement requests will be entered in Oracle.

Last day to request a new supplier – Wednesday, Dec 10. Only suppliers that have returned required information by Thursday, Dec. 11 will be entered into One$ource.
Last day to enter a new requisition in One$ource – Friday, Dec. 12.
All new requisitions entered after Friday, Dec. 12 will be declined in One$ource.
One$ource will be available from Saturday, Dec. 13 through Friday, Dec. 19 ONLY to approve requisitions, complete receiving and accept invoices on blankets.
Access to One$ource will be cut off at the end of day Friday, Dec. 19.
Between now and Friday, Dec. 19 it is imperative that all invoices are forwarded to accountspayable@messiah.edu and all receiving done in One$ource when items are delivered to campus. The goal is to close out as many purchase orders as possible.
Any purchase orders or individual order lines where receiving is not complete in One$ource by Friday, Dec. 19 will be converted and available in Oracle in January.

Starting with January allocations, we will no longer be utilizing Spend Clarity. All purchasing card transactions will be entered in Oracle.

All December purchasing card charges will be allocated in Spend Clarity. The deadline to allocate is Jan 7. The last day to approve is Jan. 12.
Allocations in Oracle will be begin with January transactions.

Training on purchasing (requisitions) and expense (purchasing card) allocations coming in January.

Key December accounting deadlines

The Accounting Department will be completing a required hard close of the financial records as of Dec. 31. Please complete the following tasks BEFORE Christmas break. If you have any checks or cash in your office that you have collected for various Messiah activities, please take them to the Falcon Exchange to deposit BEFORE Christmas break. If you have a petty cash account, please reconcile expenditures for fall semester activities and submit them to the Falcon Exchange BEFORE Christmas break. If your department regularly takes transmittals to the Falcon Exchange for cash/credit card transactions, please make sure all transactions are completed for the fall semester and then submit the last transmittal BEFORE Christmas break. If you have any journal entries to be processed relating to fall semester activities, please submit them to accounting@messiah.edu BEFORE Christmas break. Budget managers and administrators, please look through the expenses in the orgs that you manage, make sure there are no misallocated expenses or anything else that needs to be moved and submit the appropriate journal entries to accounting@messiah.edu BEFORE Christmas break. Please allocate all P-Card expenses as soon as possible as you incur them during December and do not wait until the normal deadline.

CLASSIFEIDS

Job opportunities

Marketing and Communications has an opening for a full-time creative director. Job related questions may be directed to Carla Gross at cgross@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30640.

The Office of the Provost has an opening for a full-time associate provost. Job related questions may be directed to Christine Gardner at cgardner@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30515.

The Office of the Provost has an opening for a full-time vice provost for Student Success and Engagement. Job related questions may be directed to Christine Gardner at cgardner@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit:
https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30630.

The Office of Residence Life has an opening for a full-time interim residence life educator. Job related questions may be directed to Doug Wood at dwood@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30557.

The Admissions Office has an opening for a part-time admissions hospitality assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Kristin Thomas at kthomas@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30325.

Grounds Services has an opening for a full-time groundskeeper/crew leader. Job related questions may be directed to Artie Palese at palese@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29998.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time first shift safety officer. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29967.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time second-shift safety officer. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30549.

The Department of Safety has an opening for a full-time event and traffic management coordinator. Job related questions may be directed to Maranda Hogue at mhogue@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/30455.

For sale

Headphones for sale. Koss BT540i headphones for sale, $20 obo. These Bluetooth headphones have been used only a few times. Email bwatkins@messiah.edu if interested.

Items for sale. If interested, please contact Tracy at tsheaffer@messiah.edu

FREE

Child stairway safety gate, white metal, 36 inches wide by 30 inches high. Easily adjusts to fit openings. Can be picked up by arrangement on campus or at my home near campus. tdavis@messiah.edu.

Free king bed frame. Wooden king bed frame is available for free. Requires pickup. If interested in donating to a local refugee family (the frame came from them), any payment will be given back to them. Contact Bryce: bwatkins@messiah.edu

OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS

Susquehanna Chorale to present 2025 Candlelight Christmas Concerts
The Susquehanna Chorale will present its Candlelight Christmas concert series on Dec. 19-21, under the direction of Linda L. Tedford. Performances are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19 at the Calvin and Janet High Center for Performing Arts, Messiah University, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 20 at Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 21 at the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, Elizabethtown, 4 p.m. This year’s Candlelight Christmas concerts feature holiday pieces ranging from the works of Praetorius, Bach, and Rachmaninov to the sacred and secular music of our own time, featuring accompaniments by brass and solo cello. You’ll hear Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, Biebl’s Ave Maria for men’s voices, premiers of works composed by Linda’s former Messiah University colleagues, Richard Roberson and William Stowman as well as Dan Forrest’s Let the Stable Still Astonish, commissioned in honor of the Chorale’s 40th Anniversary. As always, there will be carol singalongs and the treasured finale, Silent Night sung by candlelight. A pre-concert recital by Susquehanna Chorale accompanist, Daniel L. Dorty and guest artists, Scott Kuntz, cello, and The Messiah University Brass, will be presented 15 minutes prior to each performance. Let the voices of the Susquehanna Chorale, captured in gorgeous music of the season, offer you moments of peace, joy and reflection. Come and experience the magic of A Candlelight Christmas. Visit www.susquehannachorale.org/performances or call the Messiah University Box Office at 717-691-6036, option 1, for tickets and information. Group discounts are offered for 10 or more tickets purchased at the same time.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on December 4

Nov. 20

November 20th, 2025 by INTERCOM

No matter what happens, always be thankful for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

AOTA 2025 Education Summit

Dr. Joanna Behm, associate professor of occupational therapy, presented at the recent American Occupational Therapy Association 2025 Education Summit in Salt Lake City, UT. Her session entitled “Cultivating Diversity: Understanding Student Motivations for Choosing OT & OTA Programs” was based on her research with alumni Aubrey Renner, Emily Downey, Brinda Timsina, and Jasper McCray. As a mentor in the AOTA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institute, she also co-presented a study entitled, “Enhancing Exam Readiness Through a Test-Taking Workshop.”

AROUND CAMPUS

Intercom break

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Intercom will take a brief break next week. We will be back in your inbox on Dec. 3. Happy Thanksgiving.

Campus Christmas Gathering

All employees and students are warmly invited to welcome the holiday season with a Campus Christmas Gathering on Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m. Join us near the Murray Library steps for Christmas music, Advent devotional from Dr. Rebecca Harris, Christmas cookies and hot drinks. Chapel credit will be offered.

Sensory-friendly Santa returns to Winding Hill

Messiah’s occupational therapy students host a sensory-friendly Santa night when local families can interact with Santa and enjoy festive activities in a judgement-free atmosphere. Santa has made a list and checked it twice, and he is hoping you can help to make this night nice. Shop his Amazon wish list at https://a.co/c4P2dq3. We are also seeking grocery store gift cards (Wegmans, Giant, Weis, etc.) to purchase cookies and icing and a meal to sustain Santa and his elves. We are also hoping to borrow artificial Christmas trees (4-6 feet tall) for the week of Dec. 1. Please contact Leanne Rutt at lrutt@messiah.edu if you are willing to lend out yours. Thank you for supporting this night of pure joy! Follow us at facebook.com/MessiahUniversityMOT to see photos.

Contribute to graduate student finals week snack bags
Messiah’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies is once again making finals week snack bags for our in-person graduate students to help our graduate students perform to the best of their ability during the week of final exams. Our goal is to fill 198 bags with study-break friendly items for our on-campus graduate students. We will also provide a note of prayer and encouragement to each recipient. Donations are being collected at Winding Hill and on main campus through Monday, Dec. 1. If you are able to contribute, please visit our sign-up link for details at https://www.timetosignup.com/sgpsstudentservices/sheet/1351252/.

Reach out to Lyndsay Grimm (lgrimm@messiah.edu) with any questions. Thank you in advance!

Welcome Erin Miller to enrollment management

In this role, Erin will:

Lead the administration and optimization of the Slate CRM for graduate programs, driving innovation and efficiency in enrollment processes.
Manage and optimize Slate CRM workflows, events, forms, queries, and infrastructure for graduate enrollment.
Collaborate with campus partners to ensure seamless integration of enrollment technology with university systems.
Providing training, documentation and offering first-level support to graduate program users Erin impressed us with her understanding of iterative design, user testing, and continuous improvement so she will be instrumental in advancing our enrollment strategies and supporting student success.

Please join us in welcoming Erin to the Messiah Community!

Sarah Wade, Interim VP for Enrollment Management

Climenhaga Homestead yard sale was a success

Conference Services would like to thank Deanna Brickner for her excellent work organizing sale items for the recent yard sale. Thank you to all of you who came to support this event which benefited the Good Samaritan Student Fund. A total of $525 dollars was raised to help students in need.

Holiday events at the Oakes Museum

Murray Minute: your Messiah ID = your library card

As an employee, your Messiah University ID gives you full borrowing privileges at Murray Library — no extra registration needed! You are all set up for check out and for using the online collections (MU username and password). Explore Primo, the catalog, to get started. This gives you access to 250k physical items and over 500k online resources! Spouses of current MU staff can also enjoy access to physical library resources with an ID from Falcon Exchange. It is a great way to extend learning and leisure opportunities to your whole household. Email library@messiah.edu with questions or for more information.

Save the Date for “The Living Library” at Messiah’s Murray Library – Wednesday April 15, 2026

The Living Library: Many Stories, One Community Step into a library unlike any other where the “books” are real people and their stories are waiting to be discovered. The Living Library offers a powerful opportunity to listen, learn, and connect through honest conversations that break down stereotypes and celebrate the richness of our community. Every story you “check out” opens a new chapter of understanding. Be part of an experience that inspires dialogue, bridges differences, and reminds us that every person has a story worth sharing. If you would like to be a “book” or nominate a colleague to be a book, please contact Liz Kielley, discovery and metadata librarian, at ekielley@messiah.edu Stay tuned, more details about the upcoming Living Library event are coming after the new year !

Slingshot Choice survey winner of $50 gift card

The Campus Store sent a Slingshot Choice survey to all faculty, admissions counselors and administrators and fifty-six unique responses were received. Congratulations to Dr. Paul Johns of HDFS who was randomly chosen as the winner of the $50 Campus Store gift card! Be on the lookout for another Slingshot Choice survey which will be sent out in Spring 2026. Another $50 Campus Store gift card will be given away then.

Nobel Prize seminar

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

For sale

Headphones for sale. Koss BT540i headphones for sale, $20 obo. These Bluetooth headphones have been used only a few times. Email bwatkins@messiah.edu if interested.

FREE

OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS

CWS-Harrisburg’s International Friendsgiving
Whether you missed the Agapé Center’s International Friendsgiving event, or you want to share the incredible meal and experience with friends and family, we invite you to support Church World Services-Harrisburg through purchasing a “Culturally Diverse Feast To-Go!” Messiah has been such an important part of Church World Service’s extended community of partners, helping refugee and immigrant families build stability and belonging here in the greater-Harrisburg area. International Friendsgiving is one of the main ways to support CWS-Harrisburg! Friendsgiving features meals prepared by refugee and immigrant chefs from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Venezuela, Somalia, and Syria- recipes that reflect the cultures our clients bring to Harrisburg. Community members can buy a meal for themselves or purchase one to donate directly to a newly arrived refugee family. Every order helps provide food, support, and connection. We would really appreciate your help in getting the word out- please share it with your team, clients, or network, and consider ordering meals for your office or family. You can find all the details and order online here: www.cwsharrisburg.org/friendsgiving

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Nov. 20