January 3, 2018

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Corinthians 5: 17-21

NEWS:

The Department of Human Development and Family Science was well represented at the National Council on Family Relations Conference in Orlando, Nov. 15-18. Seventeen undergraduate HDFS students joined three HDFS faculty in attending and contributing to the conference program. Dr. Erin Boyd-Soisson, professor of human development and family science, and Lindsay Bower ’17 (HDFS) presented “Experiential Learning: Assessing the Effectiveness of a Preschool Observation Assignment in Students’ Retention of Child Development Course Concepts and Theories.” Dr. Robert Reyes, professor of human development and family science, and Josiah Harmes ‘19 (HDFS) presented “Experiential Learning and its Impact on the Affective Domain of Learning.” He also co-presented “The Effect of Local Immigration Policy and Enforcement on Midwestern Immigrant Families” with Jorge Chvez, Marlana del Hierro and Omhagain Dayeen. Dr. Raeann Hamon, distinguished professor of family science and gerontology, and Verity Hwang ‘19 (HDFS) presented “Creating an FLE Program in an Undergraduate Family Life Education Methodology Capstone Course.” Hamon and Susan Piland ’18 (HDFS) joined other colleagues in presenting a roundtable at the Affiliate Councils Workshop entitled “Mid-Atlantic Council—Over 25 Years of Insight—Engaging Students and Professionals Through the MACFR Annual Conference.” Hamon and Amanda Strong ‘18 (HDFS) also co-presented a paper entitled “Promoting Intergenerational Diversity Outside the College Classroom: The Elder Service Partner Program.”

Raeann Hamon, distinguished professor of family science and gerontology, and Suzanne Smith (Washington State University, Vancouver) had their article “Family Science as Translational Science: A History of the Discipline” published in Family Relations, doi:10.1111/fare.12273. Hamon was asked to write the lead article for this special collection which examined the translational nature of family science.

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MESSIAH 411

Save the Date – Retirement reception for Linda Blaine

Campus Events would like to invite you to join us for a retirement reception for Linda Blaine. Please come and help celebrate Linda’s 18 years of service to the College and wish her well in her retirement. The reception will be held on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018 at 6 p.m. in the lobby of Frey academic building.

January 2018 Brown Bag Lunch Series with the CPDC

In collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Initiative, the Career and Professional Development Center is pleased to offer the following informational sessions during J-term. We invite you to join us for coffee, dessert and conversation on these important topics! Feel free to bring your lunch.

Jan. 11: Cultivating Cultural Intelligence: Preparing Students to Thrive in the Global Workplace
Noon – 1 p.m. | Eisenhower Board Room
Session components:
• A brief presentation on the definitions and increasing value of cultural competence in today’s workplace
• Perspectives from campus educators on how to engage students in this conversation both inside and outside of the classroom
• Discussion of best practices for integrating cultural competency development in course outcomes

Jan. 18: LinkedIn: Why is it such a big deal, and how should I use it?
Noon – 1 p.m. | Boyer 102
Session components:
• Overview of the world’s most popular professional networking platform
• Components of a strong profile
• Highlights of useful functions for educators, including:
o Connecting with students, alumni and colleagues
o Joining professional learning groups
o Sharing and receiving professional recommendations

Jan. 25: StrengthsFinder: A Fresh Look at Your Strengths, How to Leverage Them, and How to Appreciate Differences
Noon – 1 p.m. | Eisenhower Board Room
Session components:
• Last year, over 300 students took the StrengthsFinder assessment to better understand their strengths and how they impact the way they learn, engage with others, and lead. See for yourself why this movement is catching on!
• Participants will have the opportunity to take a complementary assessment, get their results, and learn how they can be applied in many contexts of their personal and professional lives.
• Interested attendees should request a unique StrengthsFinder assessment code from Carol Hall (chall@messiah.edu), administrative assistant, Career and Professional Development Center, by Jan. 18.

EMPOWER is back!

One of the most popular wellness programs we’ve offered at Messiah is back for the spring semester. EMPOWER is an on-site weight management program that enables participants to move forward in meeting personal goals, provides helpful knowledge in the areas of physical activity and nutrition, and creates a community of support.

Through eight weekly meetings, utilizing interactive engagement with a Senior Health Coach and individual sharing, participants are guided into a lifetime of weight management success, and strengthened by a community of support within the workplace.

We are offering the 8-week program on Mondays from 12:30-1:30 p.m., beginning Jan. 29. We can only offer the program if we get at least 15 employees to register. So find a friend and sign up today. But only register if you are able to attend at least 6 of the 8 sessions. Register by emailing Doug Miller at dmiller@messiah.edu. Deadline for registrations is Jan. 15.

CLASSIFIEDS:

Job opportunities:

The Experiential Learning Initiative has an opening for a faculty fellow in Service Learning for a three-year term to begin in the 2018-19 academic year. Information about the position, as well as application requirements, appear in the attachment.

Applications will be accepted until Monday, Jan. 15. Please contact Robin Lauermann and Christy Hanson with any questions.

We thank Don Murk for his good work as the inaugural fellow.

Free:

Seven foot Christmas tree. Full foliage with Colorado blue spruce as the inspiration. No lights. Save it from the landfill. Email Amanda at asigel@messiah.edu.