Archive for 2014

October 30, 2014

Thursday, October 30th, 2014

And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve him with single mind and willing heart; for the Lord searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will abandon you forever.
2 Chronicles 4:6-7 (NRSV)

News

Congratulations to Daniel Finch, associate professor of art, whose mural design was selected as the winning entry in the Susquehanna Art Museum’s mural project competition. To see his design and to read more details about the mural and the museum, follow this link.

Congratulations to Denise Fogelsanger who received a grant from the Capital Area Association for the Education of Young Children. Denise plans to use the monies from this grant to purchase supplies that will assist in the implementation and documentation of children’s projects. Items to be purchased with the grant funds include a video camera, a still camera, clay, canvas panels, air drying putty, sculpting tools, canvas quilt pieces and classroom mailboxes. Denise is excited to begin incorporating additional documentation and exploration into the new curriculum adopted by the Early Learning Center this fall.  This grant will allow Denise and her colleagues to continue their pursuit of excellence in the field of Early Childhood Education.

Associate professor of marketing David Hagenbuch recently had an article titled “What’s the Best Way to Market Your Charitable Giving?” published on Entrepreneur.com.

Messiah 411

The department of education fall forum slated for Oct. 30

Dr. Melinda Burchard, will present “Assessing Professional Development Needs and Gains of Teachers for Multi-Tiered Instructional Practices” at the department of education’s fall forum Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Boyer Hall, room 131.

This research presentation is about scale development and utility of the Multi-Tiered Instruction Self-Efficacy Scale (MTISES). The presentation will include the need to assess teachers’ self-efficacy for multi-tiered instructional practices, the scale development process, the research study methods, psychometric properties and the utility of the tool in multi-tiered educational practices. The very strong validity and reliability of this tool will be detailed for use in assessing professional development needs and gains of faculty in response to professional development.

The Career and Professional Development Center announces additions to the “Pizza with Professionals” program

(* denotes events held in partnership with the Agapè Center)

Additionally, we will have “Coffee, Cookies and Conversation” with World Vision on Monday, Nov. 3 from 3-4 p.m. Location TBD. Interested students can RSVP here.

Please encourage your students to register for these events. Educators are also welcome to attend!

Jazz vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd to present lecture and performance on campus Nov.5

Acclaimed vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd will present a hybrid lecture and concert titled “What is Jazz?” on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. in Parmer Hall. Floyd will be joined by Aaron Graves on piano and Matthew Parish on double bass. This event is sponsored by the College Honors Program.

Ruth Naomi Floyd is a gifted vocalist-composer who has been at the forefront of creating vocal jazz for over 20 years. Blessed with a soaring mezzo-soprano voice, critics have praised Floyd’s music and discography for its distinctive sound of progressive ensemble jazz that is seamlessly blended with explicit Biblical messages of unwavering faith in God.

Admission is free and open to the public, but a ticket is required. Please contact the ticket office at tickets@messiah.edu or ext. 6036. Please see attachment for more information. Alternate chapel credit will be given for students attending this event.

Invite someone you know to Messiah’s Nov. 10 open house

Do you know a student who’s in the college search process and may be a good fit for Messiah College? Consider inviting them personally to visit the college Open House on Monday, Nov. 10. Students can take a closer look at our 80+ majors, tour campus, enjoy a special lunch in the dining hall  and spend time interacting with Messiah students, professors and staff. Students and their family members can register online to attend at www.messiah.edu/openhouse. We invite you to share this link with prospective students and their family members, along with the reasons you love being a part of the Messiah College community! We would love to have them visit and extend them a warm welcome for the day.

Jobs.messiah.edu training sessions available for student employee supervisors

In preparation for J-term/spring semester hiring, the student employment office is offering training for student employee supervisors on the jobs.messiah.edu recruitment and hiring system.

If you are planning on hiring students and have not yet been trained, or if you would like a refresher on previous training, sign up for one of the following sessions:

Tuesday, Nov. 11: 1-4 p.m., Frey 145

Wednesday, Nov. 19: 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Frey 166

This training will overview the jobs.messiah.edu system and will cover creating position descriptions, posting job openings, reviewing applications and hiring student applicants. Both sessions are identical, so you only need to attend one. If you would like to attend, register on MCSquare at  “Employee” tab, “Employee Training,” “Student Employee Supervisor,” “Jobs.messiah.edu Training.”

For more information, contact Belinda Conrad, at ext. 2900 or bconrad@messiah.edu.

Messiah College Business Alumni Association to host networking breakfast Nov. 18

Everyone is invited to Messiah College Business Alumni Association networking breakfast Tuesday, Nov. 18. The next networking breakfast is titled “Urban Revitalization: Why a Christian Businessperson Should Care” will feature speaker Alex Hartzler. This event is open to everyone! You do NOT have to be a Messiah alumnus and attendance at previous events is NOT a prerequisite.Sponsored by  Mennonite Economic Development  Associates.

Location: Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel (4650 Lindle Rd, Harrisburg, Pa. 17111)
Cost: $15

7 – 7:30 a.m., registration and networking
7:30 – 9 a.m., event speaker
9 a.m., event concludes, but guests are encouraged to stay and network

Opportunity to study the Bible in Turkey

After having led student trips to study the Bible in Turkey, I’ve volunteered to take members of my church in Harrisburg to do the same next summer from June 15-28 and wanted to extend the invitation to any interested adult learners at Messiah, as well. If you have ever considered taking a holiday to the beautiful turquoise Mediterranean coast while also learning more about the Bible and your faith at the same time, consider joining us on a pilgrimage next summer to the “other holy land.” There participants will walk the roads trod by Paul on his three missionary journeys (Acts 13-21) and explore several of the cities and earliest Christian communities to which he wrote letters (Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and more). We will also visit some of John’s “seven churches of Revelation” (Rev. 2-3) and travel across the regions to which Peter wrote his two letters. Since two-thirds of our New Testament books were either written from or to ancient Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey), this land holds many clues to understanding the Bible better. Consider it an adult Vacation Bible School!

In addition to learning more about the Bible, there will also be free time and opportunities for relaxing by the Mediterranean Sea, soaking in calcium hot springs, sampling fabulous Turkish cuisine and coffee, seeing Turkish rugs woven, bartering in the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, visiting mosques to understand Muslims and their faith better, learning more about the modern secular state of Turkey and how religion and politics interact in a different country and visiting two UNESCO world heritage sites! Spanning the continents of Europe and Asia, Turkey really is the place where East meets West and it is a country full of beauty, hospitality and history. Come join the adventure!

If you are interested in learning more about the trip, please email Dr. Ramey at mramey@messiah.edu. Deadline for trip deposits is Nov. 15. For more information, see attachment.

National Survey of Student Engagement results available

The office of institutional research administered the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) during spring 2014. Please look at the institutional research webpage for an infographic aiming to provide an overall picture of the results.

Important reminder to faculty

Learning Technology Services would like to remind the faculty that it’s not too early to begin planning ahead. The J-term and spring 2015 work submission deadlines have been set. Please coordinate your needs for your courses with the deadline dates listed on the document attached.

If you have any questions, please contact Diane Hunsinger, copyright and educational support specialist, at ext. 3895 or copyright@messiah.edu. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

United Way Employee Pledge Drive launched

The annual employee pledge erive launched this week and will run through Friday, Nov. 14. By donating to The United Way of the Capital Region during the pledge drive, you can help support innovative programs like “Money in Your Pocket.”

The Money in Your Pocket Campaign is a community collaboration of organizations lead by United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) that is committed to the economic stability of local families. The program aims to increase use of the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the child tax credit (CTC).

For tax year 2013, 225 volunteers provided free income tax preparation for low- to moderate-income families, ensuring that they obtained the credits for which they were eligible. A total of 4,707 tax returns were filed, resulting in more than $5.3 million returned to local families. To learn more about this program and others that help families gain income and financial tools to become independent see this link. Donating to the United Way is an opportunity for you to help realize solutions to problems in our community. One hundred percent of your contribution is directed to local programs and services. You can:

  • Specify the non-profit recipient
  • Select one of four focus areas (health, education, income or basic needs)

or

  • Allow the United Way to apply your donation to the area of greatest need

Please contact Kathy Castonguay, human resources, at kcastong@messiah.edu with any questions. Thank you for your consideration.

Classified

Free:

Green hanging folders — Please email kline@messiah.edu or call Sandy at ext. 7200.

HP 11 printer cartridges —One each: cyan, magenta, yellow. Unopened boxes, unknown age. First-come, first-serve. Pick up in Boyer 104 from Val Drobel.

For rent:

Apartment — Spacious two bedroom, two bath apartment available in Mechanicsburg Borough. $750/month. Tenant pays electric. If interested email sdjones@messiah.edu.

For sale:

MacKissic Mighty Mac shredder-chipper — Model 12PT1100. Manual start, four-wheels allow for tractor/ATV pulling. Information about this model can be found here.  Asking $1,000. Contact Keith at kajones@messiah.edu.

Outside organization announcement:

Messiah College Graduate Programs is excited to once again sponsor the annual Engage Children’s Ministry Conference — This year’s conference will be held Nov. 7 and 8 at the West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The conference is coordinated by the Engage Children’s Ministry Network, a group of children’s pastors, directors and leaders representing more than 15 denominations and 30 churches in central PA. Last year over 300 people attended the conference from the Mid-Atlantic region. This conference is quickly becoming the largest of its kind on the east coast.

This year the conference will feature several Messiah College faculty and students in the workshop sessions, as well as Messiah College alumni. In addition, David Black, children’s pastor at Immanuel’s Church in Silver Spring, Md. will be the keynote speaker.

The conference is a great opportunity for those who have a desire to learn more about children’s ministry, teaching counseling and serving those who work in Children’s ministry. By attending all breakouts and the main sessions, attendees can earn one (1) CEU credit from ACSI.

To learn more about the conference, review the list of workshops and to register, visit the website here