Archive for 2023

April 27

Thursday, April 27th, 2023

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak,

remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

ACTS 20:35

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Join colleagues on Tuesday, May 2, 3-4:30 p.m. in the Jordan atrium to thank and wish a fond farewell to Jeff Moshier as he finishes five years of service to Messiah as special assistant to the president and provost for program development. Jeff has contributed to the university in numerous capacities, most recently leading new program development in graduate and adult degree completion, oversight of the university strategic plan, support for initiatives in science, engineering, and health and the launch of the Exploring Careers in Healthcare summer day camp. Jeff’s commitment to the university over many years is marked by excellence and integrity. We, in the Messiah community, look forward to celebrating his work and career and invite all to stop by for conversation and refreshments.

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Jan Dormer will be retiring from Messiah at the end of this academic year. We are grateful for Jan’s years of teaching and service, most recently as the director of the Graduate Program in Education. Christina Simmons will assume leadership of the Graduate Program in Education beginning this summer. Please join me in congratulating Jan on her retirement and welcoming Christina to her new leadership role.

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Kaitlin Gill, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics, was awarded the 2023 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year award on April 22 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Meeting and Expo held in Pittsburgh, PA. The purpose of the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year program is to recognize the competence and activities of younger dietitians in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and to encourage their continued participation in Academy affairs. Recipients of this award demonstrate concern for the promotion of optimal health and nutritional status of the population and demonstrate leadership in legislation, research, education or management in the Academy or employment.

AROUND CAMPUS

Important undergraduate commencement information for employees

Schedule and details

Messiah University will be hosting Commencement weekend for the undergraduate Class of 2023 on May 5-6.

Members of the Community of Educators should have already received information from the Provost’s Office regarding their participation in Commencement weekend. Faculty, staff and administrators who are participating in the Commencement ceremony itself should have already received an email memo regarding their role in the ceremony from the Commencement Committee. If you have any questions regarding Commencement, please contact Carla Gross, co-chair of the Undergraduate Commencement Committee, at ext. 6940 or cgross@messiah.edu.

Important employee parking information for Baccalaureate (Friday, May 5)

  • From 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., the VV (Visitor’s lot) will be closed to employees so families of our graduates have access to parking for Commencement-related activities.
  • For Baccalaureate, Department of Safety personnel will direct guests to designated parking areas on campus. Guests will walk to Eisenhower Campus Center. There is no shuttle service provided that evening. Note: Messiah employees do not receive reserved parking for Baccalaureate.  It is also important to note that Baccalaureate is a ticketed event; see the Commencement web site for details.
  • If you have questions regarding parking for guests with a disability, visit https://www.messiah.edu/info/20305/visitor_resources/407/parking.

 Important employee parking information for Commencement day (Saturday, May 6).

  • Members of the Community of Educators and other employees who are marching in the processional or participating in the Commencement ceremony will receive a reserved parking pass via campus mail from the Provost’s Office (educators) or directly from their supervisor (staff/administrators). Drivers MUST show their parking pass to traffic control personnel upon entering campus to be directed to their designated reserved parking areas.

 

  • All other employees who will be working the Commencement ceremony will receive parking instructions with their assignment.
  • Due to the significantly increased volume of traffic on campus for Commencement, the Department of Safety strongly encourages all employees to arrive on campus no later than 8:15 a.m. in order to alleviate being delayed in traffic, and to assist in being directed to their reserved parking areas on campus.
  • It is also extremely important to follow all parking direction and instruction from safety personnel while entering and leaving campus, as traffic conditions can change quickly and officers are not able to stop traffic flow to have conversation with individual drivers.
  • An important reminder—employees are not permitted to schedule vendor visits, pick-ups or deliveries on the day of Commencement as it interferes with the increased and altered traffic flow on campus that day. 

Make the most of your summer with Messiah University’s undergraduate online courses

This year, choose from nearly 60 courses in three different sessions—all at a discounted price. Messiah’s online summer undergraduate courses cost 60 percent less than the same classes offered during the academic year. Visit our course list to find the online class you, or someone you know, may want to take this summer.

Messiah’s online summer sessions are convenient, interactive experiences that work around busy summer schedules. All courses are taught by Messiah faculty, drawn from Messiah’s curriculum, and designed specifically for an online learning experience that reflects Messiah’s reputation for academic excellence. Summer courses are open to college-level students, qualified homeschooled and high school students, employees, alumni, parents, and anyone who would like to further their education. The majority of Messiah’s online summer courses meet general education requirements and are transfer friendly—and high school students will find a variety of options for pursuing dual enrolled credit.

Messiah is now enrolling for all summer online sessions. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in registering or learning more, visit messiah.edu/online. To learn more about our dual enrollment program for qualified homeschooled and high school students, visit messiah.edu/dual.

Susquehanna Chorale to present Songs for the Journey

The Susquehanna Chorale, under the direction of Artistic Director, Founder and Conductor Linda L. Tedford, will present three performances of their spring concert, Songs for the Journey:

• Friday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Derry Presbyterian Church, Hershey
• Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg
• Sunday, May 14 at 4 p.m. at the Calvin and Janet High Center for Worship and Performing Arts (Parmer Hall), Messiah University, Mechanicsburg

The theme of the spring concert program series is visually symbolized by the cairn, a human-made pile of stones, that has long been a symbol of prayer, balance, and guidance for many cultures. Highlights of the concert will include William Stowman’s Cardinalis Nobis Pacem, Stephen Paulus’ Pilgrim’s Hymn, Ola Gjeilo’s The Ground, Eric Nelson’s arrangement of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, The Girl I Left Behind Me and The Nightingale set by Dan Forrest, Shawn Kirchner’s I’ll Be On My Way, and the South African song, Indondana.

The concert will be preceded by a 15-minute instrumental recital. Audience members are invited to a reception following each of the concerts. For ticket information, visit: https://www.susquehannachorale.org

School of Science, Engineering and Health Symposium

The 20th Annual Symposium of the School of Science, Engineering and Health will be held on Friday, April 28 in Frey, Jordan and Kline academic buildings. The work of more than 250 co-authors (students from within the school, off campus collaborators and Messiah University faculty mentors) will be represented in 105 presentations. Oral and poster presentations will be given in multiple venues throughout the day. A detailed schedule and program is available on the Symposium website at: https://www.messiah.edu/sehsymposium

Celebrate the work, creativity and innovation reflected in the rich and diverse variety of oral and poster presentations. Many presentations will describe basic or applied research projects and represent the culmination of months (or years) of effort by graduating seniors. A number of presentations will highlight how talents and resources are being used to address needs in the developing world. Plan to join us to celebrate the accomplishments of the students!

Do you help run a Messiah-affiliated social media account?

In recent weeks, many Messiah-affiliated social media accounts have experienced unexpected issues with logging in, verifying account-holder identity, and having pages unpublished without warning.

If you participate in managing an account for a Messiah department, office or team, the Office of Marketing and Communications would like to remind you that it is very important that you take these basic steps below to help mitigate future issues with your accounts.

  • Instagram
    • Be sure that at least 2 Messiah employees have the password to the account.
    • When logged into your Messiah-affiliated Instagram account, go to Settings > password and security > personal details. Be sure that the email address in there is a Messiah-based email address; the phone number is an employee cell phone number that can receive text messages; and make note of the birth date that is currently set. You will need those items to retrieve an account and confirm your identity for the account should you get locked out.WITHOUT THESE DETAILS, THE RETRIEVAL OF YOUR ACCOUNT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
    • Save those details above in a safe location on Messiah’s server should you need to reference them.
    • Consider making the review of these details part of a yearly process in your area. Be sure to change those details if the employee managing the account leaves Messiah, as their Messiah email will be deactivated.
  • Facebook
    • Be sure that at least 2 current Messiah employees are listed as admins on the account. You can edit page roles by going to the business page > settings > page roles > assign a new page role.

If your area has both a Facebook page and an Instagram page, consider connecting the two. This makes it easier to manage and cross-post, and easier to recover an account if something goes wrong. You can see directions for how to do that here. Many other tips and tricks can be found on Meta’s Business Help Center, found here.

SPLICE 2023

Join us Sunday, April 30, beginning at 2 p.m., in Parmer Cinema, Boyer Hall, to see our much anticipated, annual SPLICE Student Film Festival!! No tickets required, so plan to arrive early for best seating.
Reception to follow in Howe Atrium.
Note: Some films feature sensitive topics or contain strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Employee Assistance Program

Please see the attached files for more information regarding our Employee Assistance Program and using your Messiah health insurance. There are many resources available to you, at no additional cost, regarding mental health, finances, wellness, etc.

Employee Recognition Picnic – Tuesday, May 9

All employees are invited to our annual Employee Recognition Picnic, where we celebrate those reaching milestone years of service and performance award recipients. This year the event will be held on Tuesday, May 9, at Starry Lot, from 11a.m. until 2 p.m. Please see the attached invitation for more details. We’ll announce the performance award winners next week!

Young Peacemakers Academy Summer Camp

Thanks to generous funding from the Lilly Endowment, Messiah’s Young Peacemaker’s Academy summer camp is able to offer a near 50% discount for all campers. The new $349 price includes lessons, food, travel, and housing for the entire camp (July 17-22nd) as students learn and practice peacemaking. A 2-day trip to Washington DC will allow them to observe professionals working towards reconciliation.

Additional scholarships are available. Messiah employees automatically receive a $50 discount! Please visit the ⁠camp website or email youngpeacemakers@messiah.edu for more information.⁠

Grant Awardee!

Micaiah Saldana is the 2022-2023 Friends of Murray Library Student Research Grant awardee. Micaiah will graduate in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in English with a Concentration in Professional Writing.
Her research project is entitled “My Last Military I.D.” and Other Stories From Growing Up Army. As an English major, Micaiah has learned a lot about storytelling. Whether studying stories in literature courses or learning how to craft them in writing courses, stories have always been central to her academic studies at Messiah University. This focus on stories has greatly influenced Micaiah’s project. The main goals for her project are to harness the power of storytelling to provide a space for fellow military kids (children of U.S. servicemembers) to feel seen and to help members of the non-military community better understand and interact with the military community.
Micaiah’s research will culminate with a presentation at the annual Friends dinner in the fall of 2023. Christine Perrin and James LaGrand are her faculty advisors.

Student Honors Presentation by Kaitlin Merlino

Please plan to attend “Handbooks, Policies, and Power: Discursive Language and Representation in Christian University Handbooks,” Kaitlin Merlino’s senior honors presentation, Thursday, April 27, 4:30 p.m., in Boyer 131. Kaitlin’s research looks at college student handbooks to understand how Christian universities negotiate the complexity of serving diverse student populations while maintaining their Christian mission.

HersheyPark discount tickets

The Messiah University Community Discount Program is excited to announce that we will have representatives from Hersheypark on campus to offer an exclusive deal on tickets good for any public operating day during the 2023 season! Stop by the table located in Starry Parking Lot during the Employee Recognition event, May 9. The Hersheypark representatives will be available from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and will offer a 47.6% savings on tickets. Credit card only, please. Regular ticket (3 and older) gate rate: $85.80, Messiah rate: $44.95. This exclusive discount is available to Messiah University employees and family members. This special pricing is available at this event only. Please see flyer for more details.

Benefits alert

While we are staying with Highmark, there are important changes to our benefits program. In addition, every benefits eligible employee will need to verify their benefits elections via a new platform/service provider. Open Enrollment this year runs May 10 – May 26 and it’s important that you attend one of the following Open Enrollment sessions:
Wednesday, May 10, 4 p.m. – Parmer Cinema (Boyer 137)
Tuesday, May 16, 9 a.m. – Boyer 131
Wednesday, May 17, 4 p.m. – Boyer 131
Thursday, May 18, 12:30 p.m. – Parmer Cinema (Boyer 137)

CLASSIFIEDS

Job opportunities

The department of computing, mathematics, and physics has an opening for a full-time computer science faculty position. Job related questions may be directed to Alisa Sentz at asentz@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/24349.

The department of network services has an opening for a full-time system administrator/analyst. Job-related questions may be directed to Tony Wyland at wyland@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/23892.

The bridge center for continuing education has an opening for a part-time nursing aide instructor. Job related questions may be directed to Kimberly Fenstermacher at kfenstermacher@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/24170

The campus information center has an opening for a part-time receptionist. Job related questions may be directed to Jody Brandt at jbrandt@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/24326

The athletics department has an opening for a full-time head men’s and women’s swim coach; director of aquatics. Job related questions can be directed to Sarah Gustin Hamrock at: sgustinhamrock@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/24280.

The school of science, engineering and health is now hiring a full-time administrative assistant- dean of school of science, engineering and health. Job related questions may be directed to Angela Hare at ahare@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/24155

Dining services has several part and full-time positions including a catering supervisor, union café supervisor, Sous chef, and cooks. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu. Job-related questions may be directed to Mark Wirtz at mwirtz@messiah.edu.

Campus events has several openings for all shifts. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu. Job-related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu.

Dining services and campus events are hiring summer workers (ages 14 and up). Job related questions may be directed to Mark Wirtz (dining) at mwirtz@messiah.edu or Denise Blackley (campus events) dblackley@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/

Groundskeeping has openings for part-time seasonal groundskeepers. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/23614. Job-related questions may be directed to Mark Graybill at mgraybill@messiah.edu

For sale

Used black LowePro camera backpack case in good condition $15. Vanguard photo/video tripod with case, barely used $45. $55 for both. I have pictures of each upon request. Contact Bob Feil at rfeil@messiah.edu.

Wanted

Looking for cameras.  Do you have an old digital camera collecting dust at home? I’m looking to purchase several simple, point and shoot digital cameras for a special event. Willing to pay up to $10 per camera. It must generally still work and hold a battery charge; SD card helpful but optional. Thanks! Email smyers@messiah.edu

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