ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Peter Kerry Powers publications and presentations
With Jennifer McFarlane Harris (Seattle Pacific University), Pete Powers, Professor of English, co-edited the current issue of the Christianity & Literature, a special issue focused on African American Literature and Christianity. Besides editing, within the issue Powers published two essays, the “Introduction” co-written with Jennifer McFarlane Harris, and an extended review essay on recent work in African American Literature and Christianity. Christianity & Literature. Volume 73, Number 3, September 2024. Powers also had a panel and paper accepted for the Modern Language Association conference in New Orleans, January 2025. The title of the panel is “Just in Time–Education for freedom: Current threats to freedom of inquiry in historical perspective.” Powers’s paper is entitled, “Read the Bible, or else: mandated religious literacy in a democratic society.”
Conference presentation and award
Nance McCown (Department of Communication) presented her peer-reviewed teaching poster at PRSA Educators Academy Summit in Anaheim, California, on October 14. Entitled “Deterring Distraction: Using Focus Exercises to Combat Continuous Partial Attention in the Public Relations Writing Classroom,” the poster received the conference’s 2024 Top GIFT Award (GIFT = Great Ideas For Teaching), sponsored by The Institute for Public Relations.
Guest lecture
Over fall break, Associate professor of finance, Dwayne Safer, served as a guest lecturer at Washington & Lee University (Lexington, VA) and Colby College (Waterville, ME). The working sessions and lectures covered recent developments in the financial markets and valuation modeling techniques using Excel.
Student Excel competition
Congratulations to the Department of Business students that competed in the second and final round of the Microsoft Excel College Challenge last weekend and finished ranked #5. Over 7,700 college students worldwide participated in the highly acclaimed competition. Messiah’s 5th place finish placed it ahead of other notable competitors such as Princeton (ranked #10) and Indiana University (#11), among others.
Also, congratulations to senior Accounting major, Kaitlyn Naylor, for being invited to compete in the individual College Excel Championship Finals which will take place in Las Vegas in early December.
Keith Quesenberry paper and presentation
Professor of Marketing Keith Quesenberry has had a research article published in the fall edition of Quarterly Review of Business Disciplines with co-author Michael Coolsen. “Engagement on Twitter: Connecting Consumer Social Media Gratifications and Forms of Interactivity to Brand Goals for Social Media Engagement” analyzes what increases engagement on Twitter (now X) and proposes a brand consumer goal model to improve social media engagement in any social media platform. On September 26th, Keith also presented a workshop “Creating a Strategic Approach to AI Use” to the PA Public Relations Society professional organization.
Oksana Moroz, an assistant professor of English, published a collaborative article titled “Multilingual English second language students’ voice in digital storytelling” in Computers and Composition Journal. The study explored the impact of digital storytelling on multilingual ESL students’ ability to express their identities through voice. Researchers conducted a mixed-method study with 25 participants who evaluated ten pairs of digital stories to determine if they could differentiate between stories by the same author. Findings revealed that raters successfully identified stories by a single multilingual writer, demonstrating the use of distinct voices in their narratives. Participants emphasized certain multimodal and linguistic features while making their evaluations, highlighting the role of these elements in conveying identity. This research offers valuable insights and activities aimed at further developing ESL students’ voices in multilingual classrooms.
AROUND CAMPUS
U.S. Navy Band Commodores in Concert
Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Calvin and Janet High Center for Worship and Performing Arts, Parmer Hall
Jazz is America’s music and the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, have been performing the very best of big band jazz for the Navy and the nation for 50 years. Formed in 1969, this 18-member group continues the jazz big band legacy with some of the finest musicians in the world. The Commodores’ mission includes public concerts, national concert tours, ceremonial support in honoring our veterans, jazz education classes and clinics, and protocol performances for high-level military and civilian government officials.
The Commodores are held in high regard nationwide by concert patrons and critics alike. The list of guest artists that have appeared with the Commodores reads like a who’s who of jazz and popular music: Ray Charles, Branford Marsalis, Clark Terry, Grover Washington Jr., Chris Potter, Jerry Bergonzi, Eddie Daniels, James Moody and many more. They have appeared on television shows, played nearly all major jazz festivals and toured across the United States and abroad. In conjunction with the Airmen of Note (Air Force) and the Army Blues (Army), the Commodores even host their own annual jazz festival, the Joint Service Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. As a versatile and relevant musical organization in the 21st century, the Commodores write and arrange much of their vast library of music. Their concerts are an eclectic mix of traditional big band music, exciting jazz vocal arrangements and fresh new instrumental music written specifically for the Commodores of today. This vibrant, dynamic musical group is constantly striving for musical excellence and the pursuit of new and exciting ways to communicate with their audiences.
Free, ticket required. Please contact the Messiah University Box Office at 717-691-6036 option #1 or online at messiah.edu/tickets.
* Messiah University has a long-standing peace tradition based upon our Anabaptist roots and historical religious affiliation with the Brethren in Christ Church. As such, the presentation of this performance should not be construed as an endorsement of military action or participation. The United States Navy Band, Commodores, is one of the world’s great musical ensembles, and The Arts at Messiah is pleased to host this performance as a free educational and artistic benefit to our students and the wider community.
Tech support: Did you know?
Tech Support offers assistance for Qualtrics, Dynamic Forms, along with other software purchased and used by Messiah. If you would like to have some personal training or just a question answered, please email techsupport@messiah.edu for assistance.
• If you have Messiah computer hardware at home (e.g., monitors, docking station), please complete the following form https://forms.office.com/r/Ha9eCLrwii. We are double checking our inventory system and would like to ensure all equipment is listed correctly in our system.
• Microsoft offers Bookings as an alternative option to Calendly. Depending on your needs, Bookings may be a good choice. For further information, please reach out to techsupport@messiah.edu for assistance.
Printing and the Civil Rights Movement
Dwayne Magee, Director for Print and Mail, published his article “The Vital Role of Printing in the Civil Rights Movement” in the latest edition of In-plant Impressions Magazine. Inspiration for the article came from Dwayne’s recent experience on the Civil Rights Bus Tour. For more information about the bus tour, visit https://www.messiah.edu/info/22915/civil_rights_bus_tour and to learn about an upcoming event related to printing and the civil rights movement, read through Dwayne’s article here.
403(b) fund change notice
Messiah University is providing the attached Fund Change Notice, as required by law, to all participants and employees with balances in our Messiah University Defined Contribution Retirement Plan. The attached report outlines changes in three (3) funds offered by the plan effective December 2, 2024.
If you have dollars in any of the listed “Prior Funds,” those dollars will be automatically moved to the “New Funds.” No action on your part is required. This document is also available at any time by accessing the “Human Resources Benefits Documentation” card on FalconLink.
Employees may request a paper copy of this report by contacting Don Lerew, Assistant Director of Human Resources, at dlerew@messiah.edu.
News at your fingertips: read for free!
All staff have free, unlimited access to thousands of newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today (Messiah Login is required, off-campus). Articles are updated daily for up-to-date news. Avoid hitting the paywall for news articles. Please note that some photos and articles are not licensed for the library’s newspaper databases. Search all newspapers using the Primo Newspaper Search, or search within specific newspapers using the links below. Email library@messiah.edu with questions.
- New York Times, 1980-present
- Wall Street Journal, 1984-present
- Washington Post, 1997-present
- Philadelphia Inquirer, 1983-present
- USA Today, 1997-present
Free author and illustrator visit
We are excited to announce a special event at Murray Library! Join us on Monday, Nov. 11, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for an engaging evening with award-winning author and illustrator Don Tate.
Don Tate will share his insights into the world of children’s literature, including live doodling and a reading from his acclaimed book, Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. Book sales by Midtown Scholar & book signing will follow the event.
Free and open to the public. This event is for all ages and all lovers of literature to come together and celebrate the power of storytelling.
Opportunity to Support Messiah’s Grad Students
Messiah’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies is once again holding our collection to help our graduate students perform to the best of their ability during the week of final exams. Our goal is to fill 180 bags with study break friendly items for the on-campus graduate students and select online graduate students who live locally. 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, December 2nd. If you are able to contribute, please visit our sign-up link for details. Reach out to Lyndsay Grimm (lgrimm@messiah.edu) with any questions. Thank you in advance!
Faculty panel on the legacy of the sexual revolution, Oct. 31
“Has the sexual revolution that started in the mid 20th century brought us closer to or further from the common good?” This is the important and disputed question that four faculty members — Jenell Paris (Anthropology), Christine Perrin (Honors), Samuel Smith (English), and Philip Tan (Engineering) — will respond to on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m. in Frey 110. Sponsored by the University Honors Program, this panel discussion is open to all members of the community. It is part of a series of events this year on the MUHP theme: “Men and Women.”
Central Pennsylvania Forum for Science and Faith Presents Fall Lecture
Please join us as we welcome Professor Robin Collins, the Randall Basinger Chair and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Messiah University, to deliver a talk entitled, “A Universe Providentially Structured for Scientific Discovery.” Dr. Collins’ talk is based on his recent original research showing that the fundamental structure of the universe is not only fine-tuned to an enormous degree of precision for the success of science, but also fine-tuned to most effectively signal to us this fact. Dr. Collins concludes his talk by discussing the major philosophical and theological implications of this fine-tuning. Dr. Collins’ talk will be held Monday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. in Hostetter Chapel. We look forward to a fascinating and stimulating evening.
CLASSIFIEDS
Job opportunities
Procurement has an opening for a full-time Coordinator for Finance & Planning. Job related questions may be directed to Steph Sechrist at ssechrist@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28201.
Cybersecurity Education has an opening for a part-time Cybersecurity Project Coordinator. Job related questions may be directed to Lynn Bigelow at lbigelow@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28212.
The Teacher Education Program has an opening for a full-time Field Placement, Internship and Certification Coordinator. Job related questions may be directed to Christina Simmons at csimmons@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28264.
The Intellectual Disabilities Certificate Program has an opening for a full-time Assistant Director of NEXT Steps. Job related questions may be directed to Amber Brisbane at abrisbane@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28169.
Admissions has an opening for a full-time Admissions Counselor. Job related questions may be directed to Shayna Mark at smark@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28158.
The Department of Safety has an opening for a part-time administrative assistant. Job related questions may be directed to Brad Neuenschwander at dneuenschwander@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/27989.
The School of Arts, Culture & Society has an opening for a part-time Administrative Assistant – Undergraduate Department of Education, Asst to the Assistant Dean/Arts, Culture, & Society. Job related questions may be directed to Tina Keller at tkeller@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28226.
The Department of Safety has an opening for 3rd shift safety officer/dispatcher. Job related questions may be directed to Daniel (Brad) Neuenschwander at dneuenschwander@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/26686.
Dining Services has an opening for a full-time catering supervisor, a full-time cook and a part time cook. Job related questions may be directed to Mark Wirtz at mwirtz@messiah.edu For more information and to apply, please see: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/27727.
Campus and Building Services has a variety of full and part-time campus and building services worker openings. Job related questions can be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu.
The Department of Education has an opening for a full-time Faculty in Education. Job related questions may be directed to Beverly Pitcher-Johnson at bjohnson@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/27681
The Department of Education has an opening for a part-time Adjunct Professor of Education- EDUC 415 – Evidence-Based Practices in Early Childhood Education. Job related questions may be directed to Beverly Pitcher-Johnson at bjohnson@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28037.
The Department of Mathematics has an opening for a full time Term-Tenure Track Mathematics Faculty position. Job related questions may be directed to Amanda Lohss alohss@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28067.
Seeking
Seeking short-term childcare
We’re looking for a temporary caregiver for our daughter starting on Jan. 2 and providing care on weekdays from ~8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., until mid-April. She will be 8 months old in January. We’re located in Dillsburg and willing to travel to Mechanicsburg or York Springs. Referrals or suggestions appreciated. Thanks! Email Sarah at smyers@messiah.edu.
