ex(PR)essed

So today I attended the “Cellulosic Ethanol Project” presentation by senior engineering major Jeff Bennett and two of his classmates. While I only understood about 1/3 of the presentation (due to my own limitations, NOT the quality of the presenters), I was quite impressed with the research, testing, and experimenting that these guys did on whether using corn stover is an economically viable way for farmers to create ethanol. The basic premise: on a small scale, is it cost-effective for a farmer to recycle the dredges of his corn crop to make a renewable energy source? Not yet, seemed to be the answer. But, these guys did a tremendous amount of work, rigged up an impressive system, and learned a lot about enzymes, yeast, and saccharification (perhaps my new favorite word for today).

You might be wondering why a girl from PR would venture into the unknown world of engineering for a presentation on corn stover and ethanol. Quite simply — Jeff Bennett (see photo). You see, Jeff and his lovely fiance Carolyn attend my church, and I, like so many others, have grown really fond of them over the years. I liked them immediately when I first met them at a church potluck luncheon. They were outgoing and eager to get involved in the life of the church. Since, I have been blessed by their talents on worship team, have admired their willingness to spend Wednesday nights helping out with our children’s program, and have celebrated with them when they got engaged.

Jeff and Carolyn are just one example of Messiah College students who are excelling in their classes, contributing to the broader community, and loving the Lord with their talents.

As I was logging yet another media call a few moments ago, my curiosity got the best of me, and I spent a few minutes tallying the number of media calls the public relations office has handled just this month. Drum roll, please! As of today, the 25th of April, we have responded to 20 media inquiries. Not impressed? Last April, we had only five media inquiries. One more impressive stastic that I must throw out there — by this point in 2006, we had logged 25 media inquiries. To date, we have logged 47 media inquiries in 2007. Im{PR}essed?

Of course, managing media requests is not all that we do in the public relations office. All the while, we were writing, editing, and posting news releases, coordinating public events like the Cultural Series and Choral Arts, facilitating conversations about web technologies, preparing newsletters, scheduling traveling music ensembles, and providing advice and support to other campus departments. I’m exhausted just skimming through that list. This PR staff? Im{PR}essive!

Spring is always busy at Messiah. With just about two weeks of classes left, every music ensemble and academic department is showcasing student talent and the work of the past academic year. You can still catch a night of opera, a lecture or two, and plenty of student scholarship presentations. Personally, I’m looking forward to this Friday when the students from the School of Mathematics, Engineering, and Business wow us with their projects. My guitar hero, Jeff Bennett, will present his “Cellulosic Ethanol Project” at 3 p.m. in Frey 110. I’ll be there; how about you?

The word community is used alot at Messiah College. Community is what we at Messiah are “created and called for.” It’s the word that naturally follows “campus” when describing the body of students, faculty, and staff. Most students would probably tell you that they’re tired of hearing the word community. Yet, I can think of no better word to describe the quasi-family that is Messiah College.

Details of the horrific tragedy at Virginia Tech continue to unfold. They are unsettling. The events of yesterday’s rampage make me uneasy. The news mesmerizes me and makes me mad. I hate the talking heads, the conjecture presented as fact, and the arrogance that comes with hindsight. I worry for the safety of college campuses nationwide, including the one that I consider my community. And, I wonder how people without faith can cope with such overwhelming grief.

As Messiah has faced public relations challenges in the last few weeks, as we have prepared for a visit by the gay rights activists of Equality Ride, and as we, too, have watched in horror the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I’m consistently reminded of one of my favorite passages in the Bible. From Lamentations, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Indeed, great is His faithfulness.

May comfort and peace that can only come from God flood the entire Virginia Tech community.

In an interesting twist of fate, Easter Sunday in Meadville, Pa. was colder and snowier than Christmas Day! Jeff and I traveled to the great northwest this weekend to spend the holiday with my parents. We drove in and out of countless snow squalls and watched in amazement as the snow accumulated. Regardless of the weather, we had a great time coloring Easter eggs and helping my parents set up their new computer.

So, it’s been weeks and weeks since I last blogged. That’s a clear indication of the busyness of this spring semester. All the normal concerts, theatre productions, lectures, art shows, and scholarship days that usually merit the public relations office’s attention in the spring months have been competing with the intense media focus on alumna Monica Goodling. For those of you following the Goodling coverage, make a note that Messiah College is not owned by Pat Robertson (see countless blogs), is a Christian college on the basis of more than policies regarding alcohol and sex (see the “Washington Post”), is academically challenging (see the “Philadelphia Inquirer”), and is the alma mater of thousands of alums who are using their God-given talents and skills to serve the greatest needs of this nation and the world.

Messiah has been misunderstood, misrepresented, and stereotyped by countless media outlets. I look forward to introducing more and more people to this institution which is deeply commited to growing students in their faith, equipping them to be the best nurses, engineers, broadcasters, teachers, and biologists in their fields, and sending them forth to live full lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation.