Making a World of Difference
Office of Development Fall 2015 Newsletter
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
IN THE LIVES OF
LOCAL CHILDREN
BELOW: Each Saturday students like Victoria
PLAYING SOCCER AND
CHANGING LIVES
A snapshot of the fruit we saw as a result
of our outreach: During the second half of a
game, after we shared personal faith testimonies at halftime, one of the center backs on the
opposing team asked one of our players, “Will
you pray with me after the game? I want to get
saved.” Following the game he, along with four
other young men, kneeled at midfield, with
both teams gathered around him, and prayed
to commit their lives to Jesus!
INSET: Messiah Students Hannah Hartman (left)
and Katie Hartman (right) with students at
Bethesda Youth Center
I was impacted significantly. I experienced
the intimacy and power of God in ways I have
never seen, including supernatural acts of
healing of both Ugandans and members of our
team as we prayed for them! That is something
that will shape my relationship with God as
well as with other people for the rest of my life.
It was challenging but extremely rewarding
to play soccer for the purpose of using my talents to share the gospel and do something with
eternal significance. It was amazing how hard
it was to leave our new friends in Soroti even
after only a few days of knowing them.
Not only did our supporters make the trip
possible financially, but more importantly,
their prayer support blessed our ministry by
keeping us safe, preparing both our hearts and
those we ministered to in order to receive some
amazing blessings from God.
—Nathan Eagan ’16, marketing
View our Honor Roll of Donors
We thank and honor those who so generously gave to Messiah College
during the 2014-2015 academic year. In an effort to be good stewards,
the Honor Roll is located online at messiah.edu/development.
To request a hard copy of the list, please call 1-800-215-5344.
•Alumni Classes of 1936–2014
•Friends of the College
•Foundations and Corporations
•Heritage Society Members
•Parents and Grandparents
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This past May, I had the privilege of traveling to Uganda as part of an AROMA sports
ministry team. It is difficult to put into words
how significantly the trip impacted my life and
strengthened my personal faith. As I reflect on
the experience, the most memorable part was
building relationships and serving alongside the Sports Outreach staff in Soroti. We
partnered and used our talents to play soccer
in various communities and share the gospel,
including our own personal testimonies, with
our opponents and spectators. God used these
opportunities in a powerful way.
Jones ’18 serve at the Capital Area Therapeutic
Horse Riding Association. While working there,
they assist children with a variety of special
needs through specialized riding lessons. In
addition, these students support the organization
by helping with projects around the facility. We
are grateful for the opportunities our students
have to make a difference in the world while still
attending college.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Messiah College is a strong academic community at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels, recognized for its outstanding faculty and
challenging coursework. We have a blending of
faith and learning that stands in stark contrast to
institutions that are focused solely on intellectual
development and career attainment. Further,
Messiah is an educational community profoundly
committed to worshipping, loving and serving
God. The College’s motto, “Christ Preeminent,”
points to our community’s full, rich shared understanding of Jesus Christ and how the Christian
faith is relevant to every dimension of life.
Part of the ethos of Messiah College is a commitment to excellence in all things. Each year,
faculty members are required to submit assessment data that demonstrate outcomes in core
areas of student learning.
The infographics to the right highlight the
significant learning outcomes of our students
in various aspects of a rigorous program in the
liberal and applied arts and sciences. The high
percentages of our students demonstrating
proficiency in these key learning areas
underscores the high caliber of teaching and
learning at Messiah College. To view the complete
infographic, visit messiah.edu/questdata.
As donors, you have a direct and positive
impact on sustaining the high level of excellence
at Messiah College. This level of excellence
extends beyond the classroom. Our students leave
Messiah well-prepared to serve the Kingdom of
God in significant and meaningful ways, whether
in the operating room, boardroom, courtroom,
laboratory, music hall or mission field.
We remain deeply grateful for your role in
helping us to fulfill the Christian educational
mission of Messiah College!
Sincerely,
Jon Stuckey, Ph.D., director of development
Messiah College Faculty… Simply Remarkable
The number one priority for professors at
Messiah College is to be excellent teachers,
and there is strong evidence showing they
succeed. Like hundreds of other institutions
across the nation, the College asks students
to evaluate their courses using the IDEA form,
a standardized rating system developed at
Kansas State University. According to the
most recent IDEA data (from fall 2014),
80 percent of Messiah College courses were
rated at or above the national database
average. These results are based on
student input from all courses—across all
the academic departments and including
everything from introductory to upper level
courses. According to IDEA officials, reaching
I am thankful I have
started my journey into
adulthood at Messiah.
It has enhanced my
foundational faith and
given me the tools to
further mature in my
self-discovery, work
Shiloh Kail ’16
ethic, knowledge and
love for the Lord.
—Shiloh Kail ’16, human development and
family science
In all sincerity, I would not be the person I am
today if it were not for the financial gift that you
have so graciously provided. Attending Messiah
College has been one of the best decisions I have
ever made, and it would not have been possible
60 percent means a campus has “unusually
high” instructional effectiveness, so hitting
80 percent at Messiah College is rather
remarkable. Dr. Rhonda Jacobsen, director
of faculty development, laughingly says
she is not surprised by these strong results.
“Messiah College professors really are rock
stars when it comes to teaching. Our faculty
members—those who are new to campus and
those who have taught for many years—work
tirelessly to communicate their academic
passions and to enhance student learning,”
she says. Thank you Messiah College
supporters for providing our students with
exceptional learning experiences created by
teachers committed to excellence!
if I did not receive the
Amigo scholarship.
While at Messiah, I
have been able to grow
in intellect, character
and maturity through
my experiences with
faculty, students and
Amanda Fernandez ’17
the student body as a
whole. Through these experiences I have seen
myself grow to do things that I never would have
imagined. For example, I was able to showcase
my digital artwork in the Women’s “Herstory” art
showcase in the Murray Library during my freshman year. Another experience I had was speaking
to an organic chemistry professor about the relationship between science and art. I appreciate the
fact that I can have and contribute to meaningful
discussions about such topics as gender equality,
racial reconciliation and education at such a warm
place such as Messiah College.
I cannot thank you enough for providing
me with this opportunity. It has truly changed
the entire direction of my life. I know that my
experiences here at Messiah College have and will
continue to shape me into the kind of individual
that can lead and inspire.
—Amanda Fernandez ’17, digital media
“Attending Messiah College has
been one of the best decisions I
have ever made, and it would not
have been possible if I did not
receive the Amigo scholarship.”
—Amanda Fernandez ’17
TRANSFORMED
BY A MESSIAH COLLEGE EDUCATION
For Bryan and Courtney Tyson, Class of 2011
alumni, attending Messiah College was far more
than gaining expertise in their fields of studies—
engineering and art respectively. It was a series of
events and relationships that transformed the way
they see each life experience.
During our Messiah Partner Dinner, Bryan and
Courtney shared how their days at Messiah taught
them to think critically and embrace a Christian
worldview that informs their life decisions.
“When, I [Bryan] talk to some of the engineers
that I work with about their schooling, many
could care less about the effort they put into their
schooling. Engineering was simply a way to make
money and their school was just a name on a
piece of paper. That’s not the case with Messiah
College and the students who earn degrees here.
We used our degrees to help developing nations
through the Collaboratory, even before we
“It was never a question of should
we give back, but in spite of the
debt that we left college with, how
much could we give.”
—Bryan Tyson ’11
graduated. Our classes were difficult but our
professors were accessible, cared about what
they were teaching, and shared a common bond
in Christ. We were equipped with knowledge
in everything from poetry to biblical history to
foreign language to philosophy, all with Christ at
the center of the conversation.”
“My [Courtney] years at Messiah were the only
years of schooling that I enjoyed, and they presented immense opportunities for me in my field
of art. I certainly grew up a lot here. My Christian
faith was challenged and pushed me to grow beyond the highs of youth groups and surface love
of Jesus, to deeply grow and mature into a lifeline
throughout my life. Messiah changed and shaped
me through friendships, wonderful professors
and deep classes that pushed me way beyond any
semblance of the ‘adulthood’ I thought I possessed. I was able to study abroad in England and
intern at Belgravia Gallery in London, literally
a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. The
growth I’d been pushed through as an underclassmen served me well in a foreign country with
no Christian compatriots. And the experience
opened doors for me once I finished college.”
Bryan and Courtney value their recent years
at Messiah and shared that those years came at
a financial cost. They were transparent about the
debt they accrued for their Messiah education. To
pay off their student loans, they learned to live
simply, such as not eating out for dinner. Despite
the debt at the beginning, they felt compelled to
financially bless current students as they were
able. Bryan stated, “It was never a question of
should we give back, but in spite of the debt that
we left college with, how much could we give.”
They recognize, “…we couldn’t have had the
Messiah college experience without others who
gave so that we could have the opportunity to
come here [Messiah College].”
Great news! Bryan and Courtney’s simple living and
hard work have paid off. They are finished paying
their $46,000 in school loans!
The Heritage Society of
Messiah College
invites you to join us for…
Paul Nisly, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
of English at Messiah College, and his
wife, Nancy, joined us on the Heritage
Society’s 2015 Bus Tour to Savannah,
Ga./Charleston, S.C.! Paul shared with
the group his extensive knowledge on
southern literature and he also met with
the group for roundtable discussions on
the book “Andy Catlett: Early Travels”
which captures many southern literary
themes.
MAY 12–18, 2016
The Best of
including
TEXAS
• 3 nights at Gaylord
Bus Tour!
Texan Resort
• Dallas Cowboys’
AT&T Stadium Tour
• Fort Worth Stockyards and cattle drive
• Bush presidential libraries
• San Antonio Riverwalk and more!
office of development
One College Avenue Suite 3013
Mechanicsburg PA 17055
(800) 215-5344
www.messiah.edu/development
Office of Development
Fall 2015 Newsletter
Making a World of Difference