Messiah College News Archive

The Open Doors report, published annually by the Institute of International Education, reveals that Messiah College is 14^th in the nation among bachelor’s institutions for sending students to study abroad. An impressive 61.1% percent of students study internationally while they’re enrolled at Messiah!

For the first time, Messiah College is enjoying its inclusion among Christian Colleges of Distinctions, an honor that recognizes colleges for offering excellent education, a wide variety of innovative learning experiences and outstanding preparation of undergrads.

The Princeton Review selects schools based on their excellent academic offerings. According to this ranking, Messiah is among the top 25% of the best schools in the United States.

The recently released U.S. News & World Report rankings continue to reflect Messiah’s consistent excellence when ranked among the best public and private colleges and universities in the country.

In 2012, Messiah was named the #4 “Best Regional College” in the northern U.S. and #7 for “Great School, Great Price.” For a second year in a row Messiah was also listed as one of the “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” in the country.

Amy VanDerWerf, director of residence life at Messiah College, was recently recognized by her peers with the Ruth Bamford Award from the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) for her visionary leadership, effective residential programming philosophy, faith commitment, and ongoing scholarly contributions to the field of student affairs.

In mid-March, Bradley Genevro, director of bands and associate professor of music, was elected into the American Bandmasters Association (ABA), a prestigious organization of about 300 band directors whose members have included John Philip Sousa, Edwin Franko Goldman and Charles Benter.

ABA entrance standards are quite rigid: applicants must first be nominated; they must submit their professional vita, repertoire list, programs from the past three years and recording; them a membership committee critiques their submissions and decides whether to support membership; the nomination is then brought to the general membership for review and acceptance.

As a member of ABA, Genevro will now be able to attend the association’s convention and conduct a concert with one of the performing ensembles.

The Salvation Army of the Harrisburg Capital City Region has named President Kim Phipps as its 2012 Salvation Army Civic Honoree. The Salvation Army will recognize President Phipps at a special dinner on Tuesday, May 15, where she will be honored by her colleagues and supporters from the regional business, nonprofit, civic and educational communities.  

The Salvation Army recently distributed a letter of tribute for President Phipps that read in part: “As an actively involved leader in our community, Dr. Phipps sets the example of service and social responsibility for thousands of Messiah College students and faculty members. We are pleased to honor Dr. Phipps at the 2012 Civic Event and to recognize our partnership with the entire Messiah College family in service to our community.”

Messiah has been recognized for its commitment to service on campus and in the community with a place on the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

This year’s recognition was noted by PennSERVE: The Governor’s Office of Citizen Service.

 Messiah College is one of 148 colleges and universities nationwide to receive Tree Campus USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. Tree Campus USA recognizes sustainably managed college campuses and their commitments to effective community forestry management.

Tree Campus USA was launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation as a way to honor colleges, universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of environmental stewardship.

Messiah College owns 450+ acres and much of that property is heavily forested and undeveloped. To promote the health, safety and beauty of Messiah’s trees, a sub-group of the college’s Sustainability Committee drafted a Campus Tree Care Plan. It was this plan that earned recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation. Key components of that plan include inventorying and digitally tagging all the campus trees.

Katie Todd `13 is one of 162 students selected as a 2012 Newman Civic Fellow, an award recognizing inspiring college student leaders who have worked to find solutions for challenges facing their communities.

Todd is passionate about environmental justice. She volunteers weekly at an urban farm in Harrisburg. She also works with the Agape Center for Service and Learning as the Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator, connecting volunteers with opportunities to serve in local organizations related to food distribution, gardening, and advocacy.

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Todd will join a network of Fellows around the country. Together — sharing ideas and tools through online networking — the Fellows will leverage an even greater capacity for service and change, and will continue to set examples for their classmates and others. 
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At the 32^nd annual  conference of The Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors-International  (ACCED-I) in Denver, Colorado,  Messiah College was awarded the Outstanding Institutional Achievement Award 2012 for the “Messiah College Christmas,” in the category of one-time events. 

Messiah College Christmas is a collaborative effort between many on-campus offices, including the president’s office, development, marketing and public relations, dining, campus events and conference services.