“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
1 John 3:16
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Keith Quesenberry, marketing professor, was selected to present an AI workshop at the Society of Business, Industry and Economics (SOBIE) national academic conference. The session “Open AI Moved My Cheese: AI Integration Processes and Frameworks for Educators in Any Discipline” is being given at the conference today in Florida.
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Drs. Joanna Behm and Jim Foster, professors of occupational therapy, taught a short course entitled “Tech-Savvy Therapy: How OT’s Can Use AI to Transform Daily Living” at the American Occupational Therapy Association Inspire annual conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 3.
Drs. Kim Duetsch and Joanna Behm, professors of occupational therapy, taught a short course entitled “Addressing Student Wellness Through an Embedded Peer Support Wellness Initiative” at the AOTA Inspire conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 3. They also presented a poster entitled “Using Indirect Serving Learning to Address Social Determinants of Health Among Women Survivors of Human Trafficking.”
Associate professor of occupational therapy Dr. Leanne Rutt, along with students Madeline Simonds, Vita Roitman and Corryn Baker, presented a poster entitled “How prepared are novice occupational therapy practitioners for school-based practice?” at the AOTA Inspire conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 3. Dr. Rutt, along with alumni Hannah Brezinski, Arianna Ramsaran, Jane Seitz and Nathan Smith, also presented a poster entitled “Provider and Caregiver Perspectives on the Family-Guided Routines-Based Intervention Approach in Early Intervention” on April 4. Along with alumni MaKenna Bailey, Abigail Chez, Katelyn Correll, Emily Nunn and Ashley Schott, Dr. Rutt also presented a poster entitled “Sensory Rooms in Schools” on April 5.
Assistant professor of occupational therapy Dr. Kim Duetsch, along with students Paige Bond, Hailey Conrad and Brianna Foster, presented a poster entitled “Preventing Burnout: Whose Job is it Anyway? Exploring the Relationships Between Individual and Organizational Supports on Professional Quality of Life” at the AOTA Inspire conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 3.
Assistant professor of occupational therapy Dr. Jim Foster, along with students Amy Lindner, Alli Mills, Bethany Paulding and Leyla Vazquez, presented a poster entitled, “Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Occupational Therapy: A Survey of Current and Future Anticipated Applications” at the AOTA Inspire conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 3. Dr. Foster, along with alumni Arianna Blose, Hannah Davis, Megan Miller and Eveny Miller, also presented a poster entitled, “The Impact of Peer Support on Social Participation for Burn Survivors” on April 4. Along with students Jordan Donelson, Alexa Elicker, Megan Leong, Shelby Sullivan and Leyla Vazquez, Dr. Foster presented a poster entitled, “The Use of Virtual Reality and Psychosocial Strategies to Address Self-Perceived Anxiety in College Students.”
Associate professor of occupational therapy Dr. Carrie Gorman, along with alum Paige Inch, presented a poster entitled, “OT Students’ and Graduates’ Perspectives on Traditional & Nontraditional Level I Fieldwork Experiences” at the AOTA Inspire conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 3. Dr. Gorman, along with alumni Hannah Mumau and Grace Peters and occupational therapist Mikaela Raimondo, presented a poster entitled, “OT as a Consultative Service for a Community-Based Nonprofit Organization: Using Your Skills to Serve Others.”
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Oksana Moroz, assistant professor of English and director of writing, published an article titled
This article employs the critical incident technique (Tripp) in investigating digital identity construction through autoethnographic writing (Hanauer). The findings show that the pandemic dramatically influenced Oksana’s identities as a mama PhD candidate and TA in physical and digital spaces. Self-reflections on digital identity negotiation during the pandemic helped to understand students’ needs in terms of empathetic approaches to teaching, engaging students in personal types of writing, and providing spaces for students’ creativity and agency.
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The Registrar’s Office is pleased to announce the following staffing transitions and additions.
Sarah Darr has been hired as the new assistant registrar for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies (replacing Nancy Markley). Sarah joined Messiah as the graduate enrollment and communications specialist on the SGPS enrollment management team in 2021. In her new role, Sarah is responsible for degree certification, student records management, and website maintenance.
Hilary Hoover has been promoted to senior associate registrar: curriculum management and degree certification. In her new role, Hilary will continue to give leadership and support to academic areas in curricular change management, and the undergraduate credential application and certification process.
Anne Narber has been promoted to associate registrar for undergraduate studies (replacing Beth Moshier). Anne joined the Registrar’s Office as the undergraduate academic services coordinator in January 2024. Since that time, she has developed into an effective member of our team by instituting efficiencies and applying care and attention to her responsibilities. In her new role, Anne will give leadership and support to undergraduate current and new/transfer student registration and schedule production, classroom assignments and system curriculum updates.
In addition, I am pleased to announce that Jennifer L. Good is joining the Registrar’s Office as the new academic compliance and services manager. Jennifer joined Messiah in 2023 and has served as administrative assistant to the Dean, SEH, and the state authorization, licensure, and compliance manager. Jennifer will be responsible for university-wide state authorization, state licensure, and financial value transparency and gainful employment compliance as well as National Student Clearinghouse enrollment reporting, processing transcript requests, and providing administrative support to the Registrar’s Office.
Please join us in congratulating Anne and Hilary and welcoming Sarah and Jennifer as the newest members of Team Registrar.
It is with sadness that we announce Beth Moshier will be leaving Messiah on April 16 to pursue an exciting new chapter of life in Colorado. Beth first came to Messiah as a psychology major in the early 2000s. She returned as a resident director in 2017. In January 2022, Beth stepped into her current role of associate registrar for undergraduate studies. Throughout her career at Messiah, Beth has loved serving students and employees with a sense of humor and grace. We will miss her!
Please join us in wishing Beth the very best in her next adventure.
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Please join me in congratulating Stephanie Patterson as she transitions to a new position as executive assistant to the president and CEO of Pennsylvania Advocates and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (PAR). Stephanie has served in a variety of administrative support roles at Messiah, most recently as administrative assistant to the dean of general education, common learning, and academic support and the director of assessment. Stephanie’s competence and kindness have positively impacted our campus community in countless ways, and we will miss her. Stephanie, we send you forth with our prayers and blessings, confident that God will lead you and guide you.
Kate Oswald Wilkins, dean of general education, common learning and academic support
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Dwayne Safer, associate professor of finance, recently served as a guest lecturer at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania on March 29 and April 5 working with MBA students on Excel financial modeling techniques and functions
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On Wednesday, April 2, the Association of College and University Printers (ACUP+) honored the winners of its ACUP+ Awards competition in a ceremony in Costa Mesa, California. In the Production Awards portion of the ceremony, Messiah Press brought home a Gold Award in the Digital Multi Piece category. The winning entry, designed by Matt Logan for the Office of Development, was the 2024 Messiah Christmas Invitation Package. Congratulations to Matt and the Messiah Press team.
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On April 2, 37 senior nursing students and one graduate nursing student presented evidence-based practice projects at the annual WellSpan Health Collaborative EBP and Nursing Research Conference in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Students submitted abstracts that went through a blind peer review process and were all selected as poster presentations. One student group was also selected by Messiah Nursing faculty to deliver a podium presentation. Project titles, students and mentors are listed below. Congratulations to all our student presenters!
Skin-to Skin Effect on Mother Satisfaction Post-Cesarean Section (podium presentation)
Nursing Students: Aamirah Byrd, Macy Gerbes, Alanna Keister, Ravyn Kell, Gaelle Medidor, Jami Nicols and Emma Shenk
Faculty Mentor: Nancy J. Frank, PhD, RN, CNE
The Impact of Post-Critical Incident Stress Debriefing on Pediatric Healthcare Providers
Nursing Students: Alyssa Eberly, Grace Hershey, Julia Leo, Julia Martin, Olivia Mellinger, Ali Wagner and Lexi Weaver
Graduate Student Mentor (MSN Nurse Educator track): Kaci Wood, BSN, RN
Help! Trauma-Informed Care and De-escalation Training for Emergency Department Nurses (Also won the best poster award)
Nursing Students: Chloe Barlett, Sofia Chebeleu, Monique Garbanzos, Emma Graybill, Elizabeth Miele, Isabella Ouellette, Isa Rodriguez and Evelina Stolyarov
Faculty Nurse: Rebekkah Stanko, DNP, RN
The Use of Mobile Applications to Manage PTSD Symptoms in Veterans
Nursing Students: Kelly Anderson, Rebecca Buffington, Christine Corbitt, Samantha Cottrill, Grace Garvey, Regan Gillisse, Katrina Hocker and Abby Stoner
Faculty Mentor: Brenda Elliott, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF
Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools on Trauma-Related Child and Adolescent Well-being
Nursing Students: Allison Beers, Kiersten Burch, Kayla Russell, Kailey Saunders, Maria Sudlow, Ben Tlumach and Leona Yang
Faculty Nurse: Wanda Thuma-McDermond, PhD, RN
Utilizing Structured Format for Nursing Handoff Reporting to Promote Patient Safety
Graduate Nursing Student: MSN – Nurse Educator track: Stephanie Gigous, BSN, RN
BID FAREWELL
Nance McCown Retirement Celebration
Please mark your calendars and join us as we celebrate our beloved Nance on Wednesday, April 23, 4 – 6 p.m., Howe Atrium.
While many think of Dr. Nance McCown ’85 as professor of public relations, her contributions to the Messiah community stretch back over 40 years, including her time as student. She began working at Messiah 39 years ago in the admissions mailroom, before launching her public relations career in the Office of Marketing and Communication. During the years she served as residence director in Smith, editor of the Bridge, and an adjunct instructor.
Nance eventually completed her Ph.D. in public relations to become a full-time faculty member, and she designed the courses and curriculum of the PR program here. She served as co-chair of the Communication Department for several years along the way. She created the COMMunity portmanteaux that has come to identify the department.
Her contributions to the Messiah community go far beyond a list of tasks completed, though. Her colleagues describe her as some who sees others and values them as people, a shepherd who cares for others around her, both students and employees. Her famous bucket of candy for class is a familiar sign of a much deeper commitment to her students.
Nance committed most of her life to Messiah, and we are a better community for it.
AROUND CAMPUS
Murray Library receives $20,000 grant
Murray Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries, of which four are academic libraries, to participate in round three of 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 comes with a $20,000 grant that will help the library improve its quiet study and testing spaces through the addition of individual study pods. These modular pods include a desk, sound dampening features, ventilation, and dimmable lighting. There has been a 47% increase in demand for individualized testing slots via the Office of Academic Accessibility (OAA) between the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 academic years. While these pods will be available to all, we will specifically work with students with disabilities to determine the best placement and use of these pods as required by the grant. Studies have shown that students with disabilities and neurodiverse students benefit significantly from quiet, distraction-free spaces. Offering these pods will contribute to our students’ success and help Murray Library better serve our community. The grant will include community conversations prior to the purchase of the pods. If you work with students with disabilities or students who identify as neurodiverse and would be willing to share information with them, please contact Janet Vogel (jvogel@messiah.edu). Note that students do not have to have a documented disability to participate, although we will be partnering with OAA to support our students!
Oakes Museum summer camps
The Oakes Museum of Natural History has several exciting summer camp opportunities this year for students entering grades 3 through 12.
Field Biology Camp from June 9-13, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. This field-based class will introduce students to field biology using live traps, telemetry, and other investigative equipment to study a variety of animal communities. This camp is only open to students entering grades 9-12 in Fall 2025.
Vertebrate Anatomy Camp is offered July 15-18, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and teaches dissecting techniques while giving students an overview of vertebrate anatomy. Dissections will include a variety of vertebrates including a frog, shark and fetal pig. This camp is only open to students entering grades 9-12 in Fall 2025.
Ecology Camp is offered July 7-11, 9 a.m. – noon*
Campers will learn about the interactions between different life forms and their environments with hands-on observations and experiments in the museum and the living laboratory of campus. This camp is open to students entering grades 6, 7 and 8 in Fall 2025.
Explore It Camp is offered June 16-20, 9 a.m. – noon*
Each day we will investigate a different topic, ranging from fossils to the sun to following a raindrop on its path across campus. Join us as we Explore It! This camp is open to students entering grades 3, 4 and 5 in Fall 2025.
Animals Camp is offered June 23-27 and July 21-25, 9:00 am – noon*
Using the museum and the surrounding natural world, each day campers will learn about a different animal group (invertebrates, fish, reptiles/amphibians, birds and mammals). This camp is open to students entering grades 3, 4 and 5 in Fall 2025.
*Before camp care is available on these weeks from 8 – 9 a.m. for an additional fee.
For more information, pricing, and to register, please visit:
https://www.messiah.edu/info/22784/the_oakes_museum/4254/summer_camps
Interlibrary Loan Physical Lending temporarily suspended
Murray Library users will be unable to request physical Interlibrary Loan materials (books, DVDs, CDs) between April 17 and May 12, so that the library can migrate to a new Interlibrary Loan (ILL) software.
How will this impact the Messiah University community?
- There will be no impact on requests for digital materials (journal articles and book chapters).
- Between April 17 and May 12, no new requests for physical materials may be placed.
- All physical materials requested prior to the pause on April 17 and/or received during the pause (as a result of requests placed before April 17) will be due at the end of the semester (for students) or no later than July 15 (for faculty).
- When ILL resumes on May 12, requests for physical and digital materials will use the new system and due dates will return to the standard loan period for each user type.
- Instructions on how to use the new system will be shared prior to the new system’s launch.
Questions? Additional details are available on the library’s website. Please contact Janet Vogel, director of the Murray Library, if you have additional questions.
Employee Worship – Tuesday, April 15
We welcome everyone to join for an employee worship service on Tuesday, April 15, 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. in Hostetter Chapel. Music will include an employee choir anthem and congregational hymns. Stephen Gallaher, employee community pastor, will deliver the message for the day.
Student Excel competition
Congratulations to the Department of Business students who competed this past weekend and placed 1st in the Microsoft Excel Regional College challenge. The Messiah Excel team (Luke Peyton, Drew Weaver, Dylan Yoder and Marcos Garcia) traveled to UMass (Amherst, Massachusetts) where they competed against over 150 students (grad and undergrad) from a number of New England colleges and won the competition. The team has qualified and will compete in the Microsoft Excel College Championship which will take place in Las Vegas in December.
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.
- After a student graduates and their status is changed to “graduated,” the student will no longer have access to their files stored through their Messiah accounts (unless they are transitioning to a Messiah graduate program). If the graduating students would like to keep their email account, they will need to complete the Alumnus Email Request Form prior to Oct. 1. This only gives the student access to email. It does NOT provide access to their files that are outside of email.
• Shared data from students: When students graduate and their access is changed, you may lose files/information shared with you by the student. Please work with the owner of the information to ensure you have access to the data after graduation.
• As the end of the semester is approaching and we’re cleaning out, please remember the Office of Information Security provides shredding. Please bring all paper for shredding directly to our location in the basement of Old Main (High Center side) OM009 to be shredded. Someone will be available for drop-off from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. during the week. You are also welcome to handle your own shredding if you prefer, but please ask for assistance if the shredder is full. Special arrangements (e.g., shredding pick-up) can be made by calling Allen Snook, director of information security, at ext. 6790.
“Fill a Bag” food drive
The Social Concerns Committee of SGA is requesting the help of the entire Messiah community. They are delighted to announce the successful soft launch of Messiah’s very own food pantry. The location is in Hostetter Chapel Basement, room H016.
Background – This project is happening because the Social Concerns Committee of SGA received numerous student concerns regarding accessibility to healthy, allergy friendly, and affordable food and ingredients. They are collaborating with internal departments, reaching out to external partners, and in the process of grant application to expand hours as well as capacity in future semesters. The pantry is open to any and all students.
Can you help with stocking up the food pantry? You are invited to participate in this “Fill a Bag” food drive to engage with the community and help students out!
Instructions for the food drive:
(1) Starting today, you can find clear bins with the attached poster in a few locations across campus. In the bins, you can find reusable bags as well as printed out shopping lists.
(2) You can decide what to donate according to the shopping list (curated based on what was taken the most by students/collected requests). Other items are welcome too!
(3) Drop the items off in the bins by 4/17 (Thursday before Easter break)
(4) The Social Concerns Committee will come pick it up for the pantry’s next opening!
Locations include:
(1) Boyer Center (Boyer first floor office)
(2) Sustainability Office (ECC)
(3) Oakes Museum (by the door)
Thank you for all your support!
CLASSIFIEDS
Job opportunities
The Department of Intellectual Disabilities Certificate has an opening for a full-time NEXT Steps resident life educator. Job related questions may be directed to Amber Brisbane at abrisbane@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29081.
Graduate Enrollment and Student Services has an opening for a full-time enrollment communication coordinator. Job related questions may be directed to Diane Titter at dtitter@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29102.
Conference Services – Sound and Lighting has an opening for a full-time sound and lighting technician. Job related questions may be directed to Spencer Rennels at srennels@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29086.
Residence Life has an opening for a full-time residence life educator. Job related questions may be directed to Annastasia Bonczyk at abonczyk@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28943.
The Office of Development has an opening for a full-time regional advancement representative. Job related questions may be directed to John Zeigler at jzeigler@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28806.
Residence Life has an opening for a temporary summer residence director. Job related questions may be directed to Annastasia Bonczyk at abonczyk@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28958.
Facility Maintenance has an opening for a full-time general maintenance mechanic (zone). Job related questions may be directed to Amy Stephan at astephan@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29089.
Dining Services has an opening for a full-time cook II PM. Job related questions may be related to Mark Wirtz at mwirtz@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28988.
Campus and Building Services has an opening for a full-time Campus and Building services worker, residence hall. Job related questions may be directed to Laura Price at lprice@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29048.
Grounds Services has an opening for a full-time groundskeeper/crew leader. Job related questions may be directed to Mark Graybill at mgraybill@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28255.
Grounds Services has an opening for a part-time groundskeeper. Job related questions may be directed to Mark Graybill at mgraybill@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit :https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29118
Grounds Services has an opening for a part-time seasonal groundskeeper. Job related questions may be directed to Mark Graybill at mgraybill@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29281.
The Department of Safety has an opening for a 1st shift safety officer. Job related questions may be directed to Daniel (Brad) Neuenschwander at dneuenschwander@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28975.
The Department of Safety has an opening for 2nd shift safety officer/dispatcher. Job related questions may be directed to Daniel (Brad) Neuenschwander at dneuenschwander@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28594.
Department of Communication has an opening for an assistant professor of public relations. Job related questions can be directed to David Dixon at ddixon@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/28514
The Department of Education has an opening for a full-time faculty in education. Job related questions may be directed to Ashley Thomas at amthomas@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/27681
The Department of Computing, Mathematics and Physics has an opening for a part-time adjunct physics instructor. Job related questions may be directed to Niklas Hellgren at nhellgren@messiah.edu. For more information and to apply, please visit: https://jobs.messiah.edu/postings/29013
For sale
Pop-up camper for sale. 2006 Jayco 806 Baja pop-up camper. Well-loved but in fair condition. Sleeps 4-5. Small enough to tow behind a Subaru Outback. 3 beds, dining table, stove, sink, fridge, heater, propane and electric hookups, awning. Will throw in camping gear and extras. Email for pics. $3500 or best offer. mroth@messiah.edu
