Campus News

CAMPUS NEWS

A Warmer Welcome is a $5.5 million campaign that will include a new concession and hospitality facility to serve Messiah’s outdoor athletic complex, expanded and enhanced new seating for lacrosse and softball fans, and improved dugout areas for the baseball field.

A WARMER WELCOME CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES

HONORING MESSIAH’S LEGACY OF COMMITMENT AND SUCCESS

At Homecoming weekend, Messiah University announced A Warmer Welcome campaign to enhance the outdoor athletic facilities at the Starry Athletic Complex. The $5.5 million campaign is set to include a new concession and hospitality facility that will serve Messiah’s entire outdoor athletic complex, expanded and enhanced new seating for lacrosse and softball fans, and improved dugout areas for the baseball field.

The project will break ground in the fall of 2023, with an anticipated completion date in the spring or summer of 2024.

At the center of the project is the Stadium East Building that will be located between Anderson and Shoemaker Fields at the site where the flag court currently stands. The two-story build will feature a concession area, restrooms, a community space for indoor tailgating events and much-needed locker rooms for home and visiting teams. Dedicated spaces for game officials and athletic training staff will also be included. The building will be accessible on both levels, with entrances on the Anderson Field side as well as the field-level of Shoemaker Field.

At the lacrosse turf, additional seating and a press box will replace the current movable bleachers on the west side of the field. These permanent bleachers will be just a short walk down the path from the Stadium East Building with restrooms, concessions and tailgating space.

Also included in the project will be additional seating for the softball field and improved dugouts at the baseball field.

“In addition to Messiah cultivating a desire of lifelong learning, as an institution it also strives to set an example of hospitality and generosity of spirit. We so appreciate this mentality and how it has been done through various projects that are now completed. This new initiative will take this spirit to the other side of the covered bridge where all teams, both Messiah’s and visiting teams, and their families as well our students and fans will be able to experience Messiah’s warmer welcome,” said Bonnie ’90 and David Millary ’88, campaign co-chairs. WHY NOW?

As a University with 35 NCAA Division III championships, the caliber of our current facilities does not reflect the caliber of the remarkable accomplishments and success of Messiah Athletics and falls short of Messiah’s commitment to outstanding campus hospitality. Addressing this challenge and enhancing our athletic facilities and hospitality will greatly complement our ongoing efforts to promote institutional pride and spirit within our entire Falcon community—and to recruit student athletes to Messiah University during campus tours, summer camps and individual athlete visits. “Messiah Athletics have been a significant part of our lives for over 20 years, as former student-athletes, mentors and parents of young athletes who love attending summer camps and cheering teams on. We feel these improvements will enhance Messiah’s continual commitment to excellence,” said campaign co-chairs Brent ’05 and Mindy Smith ’04, campaign co-chairs. HOW YOU CAN HELP

Be a part of the Messiah team of alumni, parents and friends who are providing support for a welcoming atmosphere for our athletes, students, fans and campus visitors. Please consider helping us reach our $5.5 million goal to fund this much-needed project, which will ensure the continuation of the Messiah Athletics legacy of pursuing athletic excellence and developing Christian character.

TO LEARN MORE OR TO GIVE ONLINE, VISIT MESSIAH.EDU/

WARMERWELCOME

Partnerships abound

LOCAL PARTNERS JOIN MESSIAH IN SHARED EDUCATIONAL MISSION

Forming education partnerships is a critical part of Messiah University’s strategic plan, and there are many ways the University is working with organizations that share our mission.

THE BRIDGE CENTER

The University is expanding its offerings for adult learners—including customized workforce development; continuing education; reskilling and upskilling programming; and other non-credit learning opportunities—through the launch of the Bridge Center for Continuing Education.

The format of the Bridge Center’s courses and seminars vary and may include face-toface, online, webinars, hybrid, one-time or weekend formats.

“One of Messiah’s goals as an institution is to instill a passion for learning at every stage of life,” said Kim Phipps, president of Messiah University. “The Bridge Center allows us to provide these lifelong learning opportunities that meet the needs of both adult learners and employers in our region.”

PATHWAY PARTNERS

A new K-12 educational partnership, the Pathway Partners Program is designed to create lifelong learning opportunities between Messiah and partner schools. While Messiah develops each partnership to address the unique needs of the partner school, agreements typically include a tuition discount, dual enrollment opportunities, continuing education and graduate programming for partner employees, traditional undergraduate enrollment scholarships, special campus events and facility access, and summer camp programming for partner students.

The first collaboration is with the Christian School Association of Greater Harrisburg (CSAGH), a private Christian school district serving more than 850 students in grades K-12.

“We are intentionally seeking new ways to work together with other organizations that share Messiah’s commitment to helping mentor students toward deeper intellect, professional competence, personal integrity and mature faith expressed in love of God and neighbor,” said Rob Pepper, associate provost for graduate and professional studies and university partnerships at Messiah.

PT CONTINUING EDUCATION WITH NAIOMT

The School of Graduate and Professional Studies recently announced a partnership with NAIOMT, a private physical therapist-owned organization that will bring physical therapy continuing education events, an orthopedic clinical residency and a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in physical therapy to Messiah.

The physical therapy (PT) continuing education program is a series of courses focused on orthopedic manual therapy to earn post-professional certification. The courses, open to licensed physical therapists and third-year PT students, provide pre-approved contact hours through the Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy that can be applied to licensing requirements.

Also, Messiah and NAIOMT are developing an orthopedic clinical residency program and a D.Sc. in physical therapy degree, a terminal degree that provides educational experience for clinicians who want to work in higher education as an educator in health sciences of for clinical professors interested in additional training and development to transition to a tenure-track, research-focused role. The residency program will prepare licensed physical therapists for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists (ABPTS) exam following completion of the program. The program is seeking accreditation by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE), and Messiah expects to enroll students for a January 2023 start.

PHOENIX PT CLINIC AT WINDING HILL

Phoenix Physical Therapy and Messiah will partner to provide a new outpatient clinic at Messiah’s Winding Hill location by the end of this year. The clinic will be open to the public and in the same facility as Messiah’s accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy programs. It will provide comprehensive PT, occupational therapy (OT) and athletic training (AT) services to the community.

The clinic combined with Messiah’s accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) makes the University a great option for students exploring DPT programs. Graduation from a CAPTE-accredited program is required for eligibility to take the licensing exam.

The clinic will be led by Kelly Thomas Clancy ’06, a former Messiah soccer player, with more than 13 years of PT experience.

“I am excited to return to Messiah University and look forward to developing individualized therapy plans for my patients,” said Clancy.

The clinic is scheduled to open in mid-December and will be accepting new patients. — Staff reports

DEPT. OF NURSING HAS 100% PASS RATE

The Department of Nursing is proud to announce a 100% firsttime pass rate for the National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX) for the BSN graduates of 2022, exceeding the national pass rate of 84.8%. All nursing students take the NCLEX test at the end of their degree to be licensed as a registered nurse.

Known for clinical decision-making, compassion and an ethical approach, Messiah’s nurses are sought out for jobs by local clinical partners such as Penn State Health, UPMC and WellSpan Health.

Kim Fenstermacher, assistant dean of nursing said, “We connect nursing theory to practice through creatively planned simulations both with our high-fidelity simulators and standardized patient actors. Our students complete clinical hours across multiple clinical locations where they are exposed to the impact of social determinants of health as they care for patients across the lifespan. We teach our students about nursing through a Christian lens, stressing to them that as nurses, we are the hands and feet of Christ.”

— Staff report